#which. understandably. would make for a poor first introduction

[imababblekat]

TmnT Boy’s Meeting Aprils New Roomie; HC’s

Anon Request, “Can I request the bayverse turtles reactions to meeting april's new roomate who is a really a short s/o (like 5 ft) that has a tired and chill personality (has the same kind of personality as aizawa and shinso from mha) and instead of freaking out when they see the turtles they just say "hey" nonchalantly then go back to what they're doing? (You don't need to do this I just think it would be funny)”

~xXx~

Michelangelo:

Mikey had barged his way into Aprils apartment to excitedly talk about the latest episode of their favorite TV drama when he stumbled upon you

April was there with you, equal panic on her face as the orange clad turtle waited for the inevitable screaming or a similar panicked reaction

Your lack of shock left Mikey curious about you; all you had given him was a tired “sup” with a head tilt up and continuing your conversation like seeing a mutant ninja turtle breaking into your apartment was the most normal of things

His brothers wouldn’t have believed him if not for April being witness to the ordeal and are left as equally surprised by your lack of reaction when they ultimately come to meet you

Doesn’t take long for Mikey to practically glue himself to your side; it’s like the golden retriever boy trope

Loves the fact you’re so short; doesn’t out right tease you because he knows what it’s like to be the smallest, but he won’t hesitate to pick you up and throw you on his shoulders to get something from a high place

Donatello: 

His mind is so deep in explaining what he figured out what was wrong with Aprils watch, that he hadn’t picked up on her panicked face till he’d heard the once vacant room in her apartment creak open

Your lack of noticing him at all, which was odd considering he was a literal giant in comparison to your much shorter stature, and making way to grab some water before retreating back to your room had Donnie wonder for a second if he was really that good of a ninja

But after questioning April the next day about whether or not you truly did notice him, it turns out he in fact wasn’t as invisible as he felt, when his friend informed him that you did actually see him that night

Ultimately, he had to introduce himself and his brothers to make sure you wouldn’t go talking about them to the wrong person, but at your simple nod and “okay” while absentmindedly texting on your phone at the end of their empty threat introduction, Donnie was even more confused than he had been the first night

Your nonchalant behavior had left his overthinking brain wondering why you reacted so differently compared to others

It didn’t make any logical sense to him, especially after no indications that you were going through some kind of weird shock symptom 

His time spent trying to understand why you didn’t freak out on him that night turns into a lot of time bonding and forming a friendship he also never calculated to be possible, not that he minded of course; your chill personality was a nice contrast to the chaotic energies of his brothers when needed

Raphael:

He had been asked by Donnie while on a solo patrol to grab something from April, so when he’d stepped through her window he did not expect to see another person there with her

Your lack of a fear struck response leaves him frustratingly confused afterwards

Poor Raph is so used to people screaming or even fainting at the sight of him, that when all you did was wave a simple high and continue watching your Netflix show, he couldn’t help the suspicion he held towards you

Due to his skeptical feeling towards you however, he ends up spending a lot of time around you, and even though it does take some time, your unconcerned attitude towards, well, all of him, eventually has his walls crumbling around you

You make him feel normal, like he’s not some freak of nature; you don’t even flinch when his anger gets the best of him, instead waiting for him to calm some before offering some comfort

As Raph finds himself more lax with you, he opens up quite a bit and finds a friendship he didn’t know he desperately craved

But he’ll never tell you that, not at first at least, and instead just teases you and calls you shorty and time you tease him about how sweet he’s being

Leonardo:

Leo is definitely the most guarded when meeting new people, and your unbothered nature towards him when he accidentally stumbles upon you in Aprils apartment, does not easy his mistrustful thoughts about you

For a while he actually wonders if you’re some kind of secret spy to the foot clan or some other bad group of people, but anytime he tried to get you to confess your secrets, you’d just confusingly ask if you could help him with all the weird staring he’s doing

It lowkey leaves him feeling flustered, because he’s not used to not being taken seriously by anyone except his brothers

It takes a while for him to warm up to you, but when he does he starts to realizes how much he appreciates not being seen as a freak almost like Raph does, he also feels very relieved to not have to worry about his family being in any sort of danger with you

Yeah, you might be the shortest person he’s ever met, but he secretly feels like you could kick some ass

Your unassuming personality also has him thinking you could secretly be a force to wreckin with, and often ponders if he should offer up the idea to train you; definitely not because he wants to spend more time with you or anything of course!

~xXx~

#bayverse tmnt x reader #bayverse tmnt #bayverse michelangelo x reader #bayverse mikey x reader #bayverse donatello x reader #bayverse donnie x reader #bayverse raphael x reader #bayverse raph x reader #bayverse leonardo x reader #bayverse leo x reader #tmnt x reader #aged up tmnt #human reader #anon request #imababblekat's writing

[katshelluvacritic]

Charlie Morningstar is probably one of the worst written characters I’ve seen in the series.

(This one’s gonna be a long one…)

Ok…. So I watched all six episodes and to be honest I’m pretty much pissed off by this character specifically. This might be more of a rant rather than a critique, so I do understand that not everything I say in this will end up being as constructive exactly but I genuinely need to get this off my chest, especially since she is a character I’ve specifically and recently been hyper fixating on before the show released…

(Side note: I realized the post was very long so, to have it be easier to read I added titles for each section! Hope this helps)

!!WARNING FOR SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES BTW!!

> Charlie lacks the qualities of being a main character.

Now besides the piss poor excuse of an introduction for her (and the rest of the cast) in the main series, I honestly question why exactly Charlie specifically is the “protagonist” in the first place (and I say protagonist with the biggest of quotes here, you’ll see why).

In the first episode of the series “overture”, we don’t really see much of her character, most of the time we’re shown screen time of Vicky (a nickname I made for v*ggie since I’m not gonna call her by her genitalia thank you) trying to make an ad for the hotel and even when we do get the screen time of her, she’s barely doing anything other than hearing viv’s self insert- I mean- Adam just go on and on about whatever he’s talking about.

And when Charlie does go on to explain her plan to redeem sinners she’s just interrupted and then stands there when they start singing hell is forever, she doesn’t “go off” like the hazbin Twitter says, she just stands there and then tries to say something only to get interrupted again and again and then gets pushed out of the meeting room before going back to the hotel to see it’s spread across in the news that the next extermination happens in 6 months.

Now although one might argue “Well didn’t Charlie at one point said in the show that giving orders is so mean?” Well yes but again, Charlie is literally the princess of pride ring, you would think that since her parents are literally rulers of pride, they would’ve probably teach her how to stand on her two feat, especially if your RUNNING A HOTEL. And the thing is, she has stood up and did so in episode 6 and the goddamn pilot (which is at this point is probably canon due to Charlie calling it the hazbin hotel instead of happy hotel), even going as far as to fight Katie Killjoy because she thought it was stupid.

Not only that but the episodes after overture, her screen time lessens until somewhat in 5 and 6. She doesn’t really appear that much in the between these episodes to the point where she feels like a supporting character rather than a protagonist. And when she does get screen time, she’s either forgettable at best and infuriating at worst.

> Charlie’s character is poorly written and just dumb.

In the episodes past overture, she’s literally rock solid stupid that I literally screamed in real life multiple times “you’re a fucking idiot” because of how frustrated I was from what she was doing, In episode 2 she literally trusted sir pentious to go to her hotel even though he almost destroyed her place and in episode 6 thought it was a hunky dory idea to let a person who literally exploded buildings to take charge of giving her employees a “good time”. Yes it could be played off as her being naive but if she’s that naive of a person then maybe she shouldn’t be a boss of a hotel to rehabilitate sinners.

Heck, in episode 4, Charlie gets pissed off and turns into her demon form because val literally started hurting Angel when he followed him into the room (and rightfully so) but when angel tells her to leave and drags her out of the studio, she’s just in her normal form and fucks off??? Reminder she’s literally the princess of hell! She could beat the shit out of val if she wants to, why did she just fucked off after angel had her leave?

“But Kat, what if something bad happens to angel if valentino dies?” Like what? If it was explained that if an overlord dies then the sinners that made a deal with them die too or something like that then yeah, that would make sense but we don’t know that whether or not that’s the case, if anything angel could be just fine after Valentino dies but we don’t know that.

And even when Charlie had the opportunity to go out there and apologize to him herself after he stormed out of the hotel, she and Vicky just send Husk to do it. And I have to ask, WHY? HUSK didn’t know what was happening to Angel earlier. HUSK wasn’t at the porn studio that Angel was working at. CHARLIE WAS….

“Well Kat, what if Charlie was scared about making things worse?” Fair enough, but again sending Husk is a stupid idea, I feel like it would’ve AT LEAST made sense if she sent Vicky out there. Because Charlie didn’t know if husk could fight (if you could even call it that, all he did was throw cards at people), BUT SHE KNEW VICKY COULD THOUGH. But nah we gotta do it for the ship right?

And then Charlie had the gull to be crying that angel forgave her after she fucked up, like shut the fuck up… it’s like if viv looked at a bunch of chars that had the optimistic care-free ‘ish personality and thought that meant making her as pathetic as a baby crying that they didn’t get a lollipop from their mommy.

Like I’m gonna be honest with you, it’s literally gone to a point where I think Orel Puppington (aka the 11 yo Christian kid who worships Jesus and gets harmful lessons from other Christians) makes a better Charlie Morningstar than the Charlie Morningstar herself!

And that thought is justified when he tried to go help people in Sinville, “Kat he ended up turning into a pimp at the end of the episode” yeah but AT LEAST HE TRIED TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING! Which leads me to another question….

> How is Charlie gonna redeem sinners exactly???

Like honestly, I’m serous with this one. How is Charlie gonna redeem these guys?

I ask this because in the series, she barely does ANYTHING to help these guys, she and the rest of the characters just sit around and then do an activity that is the equivalent of something you would do in kindergarten except it’s with ADULTS.

I don’t know about you but If your idea of helping people is doing just that and nothing else, then the only thing the people around you are gonna get is them being annoyed at first and eventually walking out with thinking your not helping them but rather just treating them like a baby who doesn’t know anything, and the only thing your gonna get personally is nothing because you did dick all.

Like other than that she pretty much just whines about sinners not going to her hotel and oh gee I wonder why, it’s not like your not doing anything to help these sinners not committing sins anymore, oh definitely not, your absolutely being helpful.

“Oh but Kat! Charlie was born in hell, how can she know how to help people? She’s not from the human world so, she wouldn’t exactly know how to help these people!” I would tell you to look at the world building for the series and it’s spin off but that’s a whole other can of beans that I don’t wanna cover today and this is already getting to long, so y’know what? We’ll go with that.

If Charlie didn’t know how to help people and was trying to figure out what she can do to help sinners get better, then why didn’t she just ask her employees for suggestions? Y’know, the other sinners who were from the human world and had experiences while they were alive and such?

Yeah, I get that not all of their advice would be exactly good or healthy (since they’re sinners who’ve done many bad things after all) BUT ITS AT LEAST SOMETHING FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!

She literally does nothing, she just expects you to immediately get better after some improvisations or whatever other activities she does and once you’ve done one nice thing then boom you’re close to redemption.

> Conclusion.

Charlie Morningstar is (like I said in the beginning) probably one of the worst characters in the hazbin hotel series, she at best a stereotype of the “everything is sunshines and rainbows” character tropes and at worst is a pathetic excuse of a main character and is nothing but a rotten shell of her character from the pilot.

I would go on about how her design’s also bad but I’m sure millions of people have already said the same issues and I’ve already posted my redesign of her before the show dropped.

I might plan on posting a rewrite of her or maybe explain my problems with another character or episode but I don’t know.

But until then, I’ll see y’all later!

#hazbin critical #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel charlie #charlie morningstar #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critique #Kat’s rants #rant post #hazbin critique #hazbin criticism #hazbin charlie #charlie magne #watch as I get hate on this post and get called an anti #like I genuinely feel like that’s gonna happen but idc

[sleepimali]

Candlelight spirits 🕯🔥

If you wanna get these as a print and sticker set, you can do so until the end of May over on my Patreon by pledging to the Professional Napper tier or above <3

Or if you just wanna read about these little friends, that's more than okay too 🥰

Candlelight Spirits Lore:

First off, don't worry, that mouse can pop in and out of the lantern at will, it's not trapped :)

If there’s one thing candlelight spirits know, it’s that the best stories are the ones told in the light of flickering candles and around campfires. And so fire became the very essence of their being! They burn bright, curious and passionate, with an appetite for good tales.

Back when humans and magic folks were at war, they used to hide to listen to the stories of both sides, which was not always the easiest. As a fire elemental they could hide within the flames themselves, but in the face of interesting stories, it was terribly hard for them to not burst out of their hiding spot and ask a thousand questions.

But alas, that was what they had to do. Humans were wary of magic folks and creatures of any kind, and the magic folks did not like that the candlelight spirits would not disclose information about the humans.

But how could they pick sides when they have hearts that melt as easily as wax, and when they knew that if either side won, millions and millions of stories would be lost forever?

So for them, it was heaven when the Long War finally came to an end. There was an abundance of tales like never before, and they did not need to hide any longer.

However, as society started to advance, the introduction of electricity and magic lights ended up thinning out the opportunities they had in the end. And even more sadly for them, storytelling was no longer the primary method of entertainment, at least not in the same way.

From a time where fire was the source of all light in the night, to one where it’s rarely used at all… The poor spirits are nowhere near as common now, given that their presence is tied to the flames, which act as portals for them to come into the same plane as us.

But they persist! Because as long as there are people, there will be good stories to tell.

And if you want to find them, your best bet is arranging a cosy candlelit dinner or campfire night with loved ones, or you can go to a temple or church, or sometimes even a restaurant – any place where there’s always some kind of fire burning.

However, tragically enough, candlelight spirits are banned from the places they adore the most; libraries. This is for understandable reasons, as they cannot control their flames, unlike other flame elementals such as stove bunnies. After all, they came into existence at a point in history when books had not even been invented yet, and fire was what brought people together. And yes, sadly this ban applies even to candlelight spirits in the protective casing of a lantern.

An endearing fact about the candlelight spirits is that they’re shapeshifters from birth, their forms flickering between different shapes much like the flames themselves, but at some point their bodies become stable and stop shifting. In the end they take on the form of whichever character first truly resonated with them. So for that reason it is very common to see candlelight spirits resemble storybook characters, or a storyteller’s loved one.

Sometimes this can be a little bit strange for those who tell their stories to suddenly come face to face with a tiny version of a member of their family or beloved, but it’s usually strangely soothing.

Some who have had these little spirits take on the appearance of their loved ones who’s passed say that instead of being upset, it makes them cherish the memory of that person even more. After all, they took on that form out of sheer love for the person they were in the storyteller’s heart, rather than being disrespectful to their memory.

The candlelight spirits are also excellent storytellers themselves! Who wouldn’t be after listening to so many tales for decades and even centuries?

And they share those stories with joy, which is why a lot of the time historians in particular love them, even though stories are just stories and may not be entirely truthful. But regardless, they’re a goldmine of information from the past.

However, as much as historians love listening to the tales of the candlelight spirits, the love isn’t always mutual. They’re more than happy to tell their stories, but they’re not as excited to hear what the historians have for them. Why? Because they’ve already heard those stories long ago, over and over again, and more accurately too. So they would rather be somewhere else.

Or at least that’s how it used to be. Because in a plot twist this caused a lot of historians (and academics in general) to turn into absolute party animals and adventurers and extroverts in general to appease the spirits’ appetite for good stories so they’d hang around more. It’s to the point that the history department in any given university now has a reputation to be the wildest one there is.

(Please note, this is not to imply historians are boring, I know few people who are more interesting than folks with a passion for history😂)

#artists on tumblr #long post #watercolor #sleepimali #devil in the details lore #watercolor art #watercolor illustration #fantasy creature #ditd lore #animal art #fire elemental #traditional art

[grison-in-space]

Reading Men Who Hate Women (Laura Bates, 2020) at the moment. She's talking about the manosphere: the massive online communities of men who congregate to talk misogyny, ranging from PUAs to MRAs, incels and MGTOW. These aren't new topics to me—I've been following this off and on since watching Gamergate kick off—but Bates handles them well and I think this book could serve as an introduction if this is a movement with which you're not familar. By the way, it's been a decade since Gamergate this year. Isn't that a kicker?

(Incidentally, I first ran into the concept of incels way before I think many people did: when I was still on AVEN, c. 2006-2007ish, I remember a few occasions where users ran into incel communities and brought them to our forums to ask: is this like what we're doing? Is this like us? Consensus quickly solidified on the direction of "no," each time, not least because asexuality dialog at the time was extremely clear about divorcing desire from action, and it was very clear that the desires centered in that community were very different than the ones people in asexuality spaces were untangling.)

Bates handles the topic with grace, compassion, and a deep understanding that I really wish more writing on radicalization or terroristic networks used: people in real pain, who are struggling in pitiable circumstances to do their best and clearly need more support, can also in their pain be truly dangerous to others. Hurt people hurt people. Compassion for pain suffered is important—you can't understand recruitment without understanding that—but you also have to understand that pain, fermented in darkness, can create deadly poisons. Pain isn't essentially holy or cleansing or cauterizing. It doesn't accomplish anything good by existing. If we can relieve it, we should—but we should follow harm reduction principles as we do so, lest pain be allowed to multiply and fester.

What gets me is that in 2017, in the wake of the Google bro "manifesto," I spent a feverish week writing what wound up being a 20,000 word rebuttal studded with what eventually totaled 100+ peer reviewed citations. It got quite a bit of reach and covered ground ranging from effects of testosterone on behavior, the concept of effect size in sex differences, basic statistics, the ways that humans treat people differently based on their perception of gender, intersex trauma, and whether feminists care about men's problems (yeah, actually, and they should).

I released that piece, changed up my name and fannish presence—my long time pseud was tangled all over the piece's genesis—and hunkered down for the reprisals. I expected harassment and vitriol. It never really came: I ignored the comments on the post, after a bit, and I held boundaries on what I was willing to pay attention to. But by and large, I had no direct consequences from the Manosphere.

Perhaps the piece was too long (although I got many comments from people who read it and found it useful, and I included an index). Perhaps it was simply that I included a headshot of myself, with uncharacteristic red lipstick and characteristically buzzed hair, and cheerfully discussed throughout that I was butch and queer: sometimes I confuse people who are very focused on bioessentialist sex differences, because I don't fit their paradigms in the slightest.

About six months later, James Damore attempted to frame his incredibly poor decisions in light of his Asperger's, and I did get a couple dudes on social media presenting me with this information apparently in the hope that it would shock or embarrass me. I immediately pointed out, acerbically, that I'm equally autistic and that he was making us look bad, and they melted away again into the background. It wasn't really the well of terrifying anger and obliterative fury I was expecting.

I find myself reading these stories in Bates' book and thinking about the internet I grew up on: AVEN by 2005, WrongPlanet the same year, listening to people on the margins talk about their fears and hopes and dreams and theories about themselves. I find myself thinking about narratives and meaning, the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and why.

I'm certainly not the first person to worry about radicalization of young autistic people, especially autistic men. Not even close. Paradoxically, it's a group of people for whom an understanding of intersectionality is crucial: young disabled men often alienated deliberately from conceptualizing themselves as disabled, without the tools to understand why life is hard and painful and never seems to reflect their experiences, trying to construct understanding beyond one's singular, isolated defective wrongness—which is what's left, if you take community off the table.

(Have I mentioned how grateful I am that so many autistics are trans spectrum? Imagine if we weren't, and if I didn't have so many transfeminine sisters funneled along those same currents and drifting closely enough alongside to understand. My sisters, so many of whom are out there living and modeling better ways to understand and participate in gender as a social activity: by figuring out what is most comfortable for you, understanding that comfort for one might be agony for another, and taking steps to shape your own life into a fashion that wells forth the most peace and joy. It's a message we all need to hear, but that is a group of people I hear singing so loudly from my place in a different wing of the choir, and I love them for it.)

I don't have answers. As is, so often, the case these days, I have only grief and love, and the determination to build better structures where my own hands reach. I had intended to direct my career, once, to undermining the entire concept of "good genes" models of evolution and explaining how their convoluted connections to natural phenomena are better explained by other, more direct motives. Since 2020, I've been moving in a new direction—but what precisely it is, I'm not sure.

Sex differences is certainly a piece of it, though. Even if I find myself often enough writing that it's not enough to know a sex difference in one species to assume that another will reflect a similar relationship: we should study sex differences in animals, but we really shouldn't assume that humans will have the same ones or work the same way. I suspect this won't be the first time I tangle with that community. I suppose it depends how much authority I can accrue as protection first.

[galexystern]

seven minutes in heaven

pairing; steve harrington/reader

rating; t

warnings; fluff, no use of y/n, pining, confessions of love, getting together, misunderstandings, jealousy

word count; 2.5k

desc; Steve Harrington hates you. Which kinda sucks, because he’s also in love with you.

masterlist

Steve Harrington hates you. Which kinda sucks, because he’s also in love with you.

But hatred, that's what this is about. It’s the most recent, blazing every time he sees you, which is unfortunately very frequently, since you’re Eddie’s best friend and now thoroughly enmeshed in the group.

The love though...who could blame Steve for falling in love with you as soon as he met you, back in your freshman year, with your stunning beauty and sharp wit? He finds it impossible to believe everyone isn’t in love with you from the first introduction; he suspects subconsciously they are. He was a goner once you flashed him that bright grin while making fun of the poor grade he’d received on his math test and jokingly offering your tutoring services. He’d automatically said yes, surprising you, and was further impressed when you took it in stride and set your price terms. So he’d turned on the Harrington charm and flirted through the negotiations, setting the first session for the next day after school.

He wondered after class if it would wear off, this draw towards you, but it didn't. When he met you at a picnic table and you jumped into calculations and conversions, he was just as spellbound as the first time around. He couldn’t help but infuse more flirtation into the lesson, making it infinitely more fun, what with your pretty blush spreading across your cheeks but you pointedly ignoring its existence and trying to keep teaching. And it went like that for weeks, as he tried to learn math but was more interested in learning about you. He kept you on your toes with his sweet-talking and you kept him on his just by being your stupidly amazing self.

Until one session, when you’d given him the cold shoulder the whole time, not smiling once and growing angrier at his flirting attempts. Okay, he thought, maybe you’d had a bad day. But the next session was the same, and the next, and the next, until he cut his losses and called off the tutoring altogether. You wouldn’t talk to him, wouldn’t give him a reason for the mood change, and it was killing him to sit across from you and not understand why you hated him all of a sudden. He missed your laugh and smiles and sassy remarks so much it hurt.

But if you hated him, he hated you. There didn’t need to be any reasoning behind it. And it didn’t matter for a while, since you never crossed paths after the tutoring went the way of the dinosaurs. That is, until Eddie got roped into the Upside Down and you’d come along with him, like some package deal, attached at the hip. He wasn’t jealous when you’d spent the whole time too concerned about Eddie to notice even his presence, and he wasn’t jealous that you’d never left Eddie’s side once they’d located him. And he certainly wasn’t upset that every time you deigned to acknowledge him it was with a glare, a disgusted look, and a scoff. It didn’t crack his heart when you turned away from him. No, sir.

He just doesn’t understand. He’s wracked his brain countless nights, trying to figure out if he hurt you in some way, if he’d offended you. What could he do that would make you sour on him so completely? What had he done? How could he make it right, so he could see the smile meant just for him, hear your voice saying sweet things to him again?

No, he doesn’t care. You wrote him off so easily that he can write you off too. He wouldn’t spend another minute thinking about it.

That’s easier said than done, when he hears your laugh through the open window and his heart jumps at the same time that his jaw clenches. The door swings open and in struts you and Eddie, hanging off one another as usual. Steve feels his ears going green when he notices Eddie’s leather jacket draped over your shoulders. That should be his jacket. Not that he has a leather jacket. Maybe he should get one. Would you like him better if he did? It’s worth a try—

No. Steve shakes his head slightly to get rid of the thoughts. His anger flares bright and hot for a second but it’s with himself instead of you. He can’t stop his brain from coming up with useless ways to get back into your good graces, no matter how many times he tells it that he doesn’t care.

Your eyes rove over the living room crowd and when they stop on Steve, your lip lifts in a sneer. His stomach falls but he just gives you back a glare, and you turn away with your nose held high. He makes a face at your supposed haughtiness.

Neither of you notice Dustin and Will eyeing each other after witnessing the interaction.

“The gang’s all here,” Eddie crows as he walks into the room, sitting in an open chair. You perch on the armrest, thigh pressing against Eddie’s and making Steve see red. But he pushes it away and tries to focus on something else. “What’s the plan, my little minions?” The metalhead continues.

Steve opens his mouth to say it’s movie night, when El replies, “We were thinking about playing Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

He gives her a weird look, as do the rest of the teenagers. But the rest of the kids jump at the idea, coaxing everyone into sitting in a circle on the floor. Dustin makes sure to sit next to Steve while Lucas secures his spot next to you. They both stretch back, placing their hands back to lean on them, sneakily putting them directly behind your and Steve’s bodies. Mike produces a bottle and puts it in the middle of the circle.

“Let’s see who’s first,” he says mischievously, and spins. It lands on Steve.

He rolls his eyes as everyone “ooh”’s. “Just spin it again,” he says defeatedly, and Mike does.

It stops on you.

You and Steve stare at each other in shock as the group falls into tense silence. “Okay, you two!” Max shouts and claps her hands, startling everyone. “Into the closet!”

The kids start chanting “closet” and the rest of the teens join in. Steve curses the power of peer pressure as he stands slowly, you doing the same opposite him. You both follow Dustin down the hall, and he motions you into the hall closet that is somehow big enough to fit two people. Just before he closes the door on you, he says, “Do us a favor. Figure your shit out.”

You both gaze at the door, finally understanding. “Did they do this on purpose?” You ask in bewilderment and Steve shrugs, remembering too late that you can’t see it.

“Guess so,” he supplies.

You huff. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Steve, whose resolve is quickly draining away with your close proximity and the body heat radiating off you in waves making his head spin, retorts, “Oh, give it a rest.”

“Excuse me?” You’re unpleasantly shocked.

“Get off your high horse,” he replies.

“What high horse?” He can hear you seething in the dark.

“Please, you know you’re the one who started all this.”

“I most certainly did not.”

He feels crazy, inches away from you and finally talking about what’s plagued him for three years. “Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Yes! You did!”

“What did I do?”

“You hated me first!”

“Well, you hurt me first!”

Steve stays quiet. He can tell you didn’t mean to say that, based on the breath you’d sucked in after it’d flown out of your mouth. His thoughts are flashing like meteors, almost too quick to grab. He hurt you? When? Where? How?

“What?” He asks, the only thing he can ask.

You make a frustrated noise and adjust your body, making the coats shake next to him. “Nothing,” you reply quietly, trying to rein it all back in.

But it’s out now. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” you repeat, voice firm but strained.

Steve says your name, letting the desperation he’s felt for so long leak into his tone. “How did I hurt you?”

You sigh. “Becky Miller.”

He blinks. “Who?”

“Becky Miller. She was a cheerleader, your grade? Blonde, tiny, curvy. Laughed like a hyena.”

That rings a very faint bell. “Okay…what about her?”

You’re silent for so long that Steve’s half-worried you’d fainted or something. But eventually you start talking. “You know when I tutored you? In algebra my freshman year. I was a grade ahead of my year and you were in my class because it’s usually for sophomores. You’d gotten a bad grade on a test and when I joked and said I should tutor you, you’d taken me up on it.”

“I remember.” How could he not?

“You had study hall after that class, and I had lunch, so we didn’t usually see each other then. But one day I realized I had your notebook and so I left lunch a little early to bring it to you. I was so excited to see you again. It was pathetic, really. Especially when I walked into the room and saw you flirting with Becky Miller.”

Steve cannot for the life of him remember what you’re talking about.

Your voice turns bitter. “It was so obvious. I wasn’t special. I don’t know why I thought King Steve would change his ways for some random freshman. It was stupid of me to think I was the only one. It really hurt. Like, way more than I ever wanted to admit. But I refused to be another notch in your bedpost, so I shut it all down. The flirting, the smiles. The feelings.” You swallow audibly. “That last one didn’t really work. But whatever. What’s done is done.”

Steve takes it all in, and then says your name very simply and states, “I’ve been in love with you for three years.”

His eyes have adjusted enough to the dark that he can see your head whip up at his words. “What?” You ask, sharp and guarded.

“I'm sorry that I hurt you. But I was in love as soon as we met. I fell more in love as we flirted through tutoring sessions. And I stayed in love even after you hated me, even though I tried to hate you too. That didn’t really work either. So I’ve been in love with you since then. I’m in love with you right now.”

“What about Becky—“

“I couldn’t give less of a fuck about Becky Miller. To be honest, I can’t even remember what she looks like.” He sighs, relieved it’s all out in the open and nervous about how you’re going to react. “It’s always been you. It’s only ever been you.”

He watches as his words, more truthful than anything he’s told himself in three years, sink in, and then he watches as you gently push off the wall and come in close. He wishes he could see your eyes fully, to admire their color and maybe finally see something nicer than a glare again.

“Can I kiss you?” You ask, voice barely there, anxiety lacing every syllable, and his heart just about stops.

“Yes, please,” he breathes out. And then you’re there, lips pressing against his hesitantly, like he might push you away even though he just declared his undying love for you. It makes him love you all the more, and he surges forward to wrap his arms around you and haul you closer. You make a surprised sound but kiss him back, lips moving against his like that’s what they were meant to do.

When you break apart, you’re both breathing heavily. Steve rests his forehead against yours. “Pretty girl, you are such a pain in my ass.”

The most beautiful thing that could happen in that moment happens: you giggle. He sighs happily at it, smile feeling permanently etched on his mouth. You dip forward to kiss him again, but it’s only for a second as the door flies open abruptly. You wince at the sudden light and bury your face in his chest, and he squint-glares into the hallway.

Mike is standing there, looking stunned. “Holy shit,” he says, dumbfounded. “We thought you guys would like, strike an agreement or something, not make out.”

Steve makes a face like he’s stupid. “Go away,” he says, and then grabs the handle and closes the door again. You sigh in relief at the darkness, which turns into a chuckle when you both hear Mike running to the rest of the group and shouting about what he’d seen.

Steve rolls his eyes as he kisses the crown of your head. “God, hasn’t he ever heard of enemies to lovers?”

“He’s like fourteen, of course not,” you reply, and he revels in the sassy, flirty nature of it. He’d missed it so, so much. He’d missed you so much.

“I missed you,” he murmurs.

“I missed you too,” you whisper back. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For jumping to conclusions and not talking to you about it. I didn’t even give you a chance.”

He rests his chin on your head. He could be mad. He had been mad, once upon a time—for about three seconds. “It’s okay, honey. King Steve kinda causes everyone to think the worst.”

“That’s not fair.” He can hear your pout and he smiles.

“I didn’t deserve you back then anyway. Now you have the new and improved Steve. Steve 2.0.”

“I liked Steve 1.0,” you reply shyly. He kisses your head for it and relishes in your giggle. “I love you.”

His heart sings and his eyes close at the joy of it. “I love you, angel.”

“Should we go back out there?”

“Nah,” he answers, and tightens his grasp. You huff out a laugh. “But I am going to get rid of this.” He pulls Eddie’s jacket off your shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

This time, you actually laugh. “Were you jealous?” You tease.

“No,” he says primly, meaning yes.

“Sure.”

“I wasn’t!”

You lean back and look at him with puppy dog eyes and pouty lips. “Even if I wanted you to be?”

He gives you a look, and your mouth twitches as you hold back a grin. “Like I said, pain in the ass.”

“Maybe, but your pain in the ass.”

He sighs in pretend exasperation. “Is there a return policy?” He laughs when you slap his chest, grabbing your wrist and draping it around his neck. “No, no. I’m never giving you up.”

You dig your face into his skin and he presses his cheek to your temple. “Me either,” he hears you mumble.

He closes his eyes and smiles.

Steve Harrington doesn’t hate you, and nothing sucks, because he loves you and you love him too.

#steve harrington x reader #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fic #mine

[levi-dayne]

anyway i have some more proof for my "mello still would've killed himself if he lost to near" theory. special shoutout to @melloneah for giving me input while i talked my head off about this. ur a real one

first of all, this:

his "great and respected predecessor, the man whose actions were a strong influence on me personally." beyond birthday, the second child much like second place mello. the second child, the backup, the second choice who went off the deep end. he could never succeed, bound for failure. and of course, mello goes so far as to say he's trying not to base his analysis of beyond on his own experience. trying, but not succeeding. he takes influence from B because he understands and relates. he knows what it's like to be second best, to feel like a copy. and the "if this was how i felt, i shouldn't even need to say how bad it was before."

then, there's this:

the emphasis on beyond's failure and loss. but then, mello circles it BACK around to "my poor, poor predecessor," which has a strong undertone of mockery, given what we know about mello and how he views failure. and then he says that B must've "longed for death," and offers condolences for the humiliation that he experienced.

obviously, i can't bring up any of this without mentioning mello's introduction to the story where he knows he's going to die and has accepted that.

mello knows he is going to die because he knows his options are a victory by default if near dies or not beating near and surviving, which as i mentioned before, he implies to be embarrassing and not worthwhile. he studies these actions through beyond as he leads himself knowingly up to his death. but he knows what he's doing. that's why he takes off his helmet. he can't and won't live with the failure and shame. he studied where beyond went wrong in his own failsafe suicide attempt so that he wouldn't make it out alive and suffer the same shame and embarassment.

not to mention the phrasing. "died like a dog," according to merriam-webster, is used to describe a dishonorable or shameful death. he acknowledges that through beyond too, with the embarrassment of failing. he knows his own death will shameful, but he also hasn't died yet, which implies his choice in the matter. he chooses to die a shameful death because he believes it's better than feeling his own defeat. he compares himself to beyond repeatedly and admittedly takes inspiration from his actions all the way until the end.

he references the hardest part of killing someone in one of the paragraphs above, which is important because it's a callback to when he says this:

he acknowledges that killing is hard, and in the part where he makes this callback, he says that humans aren't designed to die easily. so he has to do something more extreme to not make beyond's mistakes. something that would keep him from the same embarrassment of surviving when he meant to die. perhaps even something that violates those natural laws of the universe-- oh, wait, wait.

interesting. very interesting.

i also must point out my own personal views on the labb murder cases book. firstly, i do not think it is canon in the sense that everything in it happened. i do think it is how mello personally views the events that unfolded, but despite his denial i do also think it is largely influenced by his own experiences and worldview. there would be no way for him or L to know the exact dialogue that occurred, or anything beyond the major plot points. a lot of it is left open for interpretation, and mello makes up his own dialogue and perspective. was B or misora really anything like how they were depicted in this story? who knows. most of it was made up. and given he expected near to be the first to read it and the only person to care or understand, i think he knew that near would know exactly what that book was.

mello knew he would die, was yet to die, seemed to know how he would die, foreshadowed it, recognized all of the risks of the notebook and yet continued to show his face, and then all of the connections of himself to beyond especially right before acknowledging his suicide attempt as a power move and the humiliation of surviving through failure. he never had any intention of making it out alive. his case study on beyond was truly an analysis on himself. the labb murder cases wasn't just a story or a fanfiction, it was a suicide note. one last insight into the complexities of mello's mind, and perhaps most importantly, he gets the last word.

edit: i also just realized the full title is "death note: another note the los angeles bb murder cases" but none of the other death note books are called "another note" because the rest of them are not notebooks or notes. but this is. mello says he doesn't want it to be a novel, but it's because it's intended to be a suicide note and that EVEN IF IT TURNS INTO A NOVEL it is always a suicide note first and foremost.

#tw suicide #mello #mihael keehl #labb murder cases #death note #death note another note #mello death note #death note mello #dn mello #mello dn #deathnote mello #mello deathnote #dn #deathnote

[mashithamel]

When I first heard Rand would be working in a sanitarium in season 2 and he’d have a friend named Errol, I was kind of annoyed. Why would they spend precious time in a location and on a character that aren’t in the books, when there is so much ground to cover and so many characters to introduce?

But they used this setting and this character so economically, and so efficiently, that I have been completely converted. They didn’t waste a moment of screentime for Errol, and in only a few minutes justified his creation as a terrific vehicle for exposition and to introduce so many important concepts.

As soon as Rand walks in the door we’re introduced to the Aiel War (specifically—I means we got Blood Snow last season but it wasn’t put in a lot of context). We get a personal view into how much Cairhein specifically was affected by it (the effects of which are mentioned a couple more times this season), as well as giving it a relative timeframe—Errol is much older than Rand, so it wasn’t just a few years ago.

We are reminded that Rand looks like the Aiel even with shaving his head, reminding us about his adoption and that he’s an outsider. Here in Cairhein, even when people know and like him, the citizens are likely to have a gut reaction of surprise or fear when they first see him, something that may contribute to his difficulties ruling the place down the road. We are reminded that they are considered fierce fighters, and introduce that their women also fight and are considered deadly.

We are introduced to sword forms! We didn’t get Lan training Rand in either season (although it sounds like we will finally get it next season!), so it’s nice to learn he’s been getting at least some introductory training if he’s going to be a blademaster eventually. It’s also very consistent with the books for Rand to take advantage of opportunities to learn whatever and from whoever he can. We’re reminded about Rand’s heron-marked blade (before it does its important thing and melts in episode 8) and make the connection that it is carried by blademasters.

So importantly, we see how kind Rand is. He clearly knows and likes this crazy old man who’s calling for the guards. He speaks to him kindly without a trace of annoyance that they’re having the same conversation they do everyday (anyone who cares for people with dementia can probably understand that is really hard at times!). He puts Errol’s shoes on for him. This isn’t quite washing feet, which Biblically speaking is an act of humbling one’s self, but it’s definitely the sort of thing you wouldn’t expect the Promised One to be doing routinely. Right now it’s his job to do, but he does it with the care and compassion you might have for an elderly family member. He defends and comforts Errol when another employee is cruel. At heart Rand is kind and loving. Killing, ordering executions, sending people into danger where some will definitely die are all things he will need to do as Dragon Reborn, and his struggle with this will inform a large part of his arc over the next few seasons.

We see the inequality of the Cairheinin system (and then more blatently at the dinner party). Unsurprisingly the Cairheinin separate their health care by wealth and power, and it sounds like the poor ones may not even have a garden to walk around in? The Two Rivers doesn’t really have this type of inequality, and some of the first things Rand does in the books as the Dragon Reborn is make the elite start treating the poor and lower classes more fairly.

And of course we get PTSD and mental illness. Both PTSD and fears of going mad are important for Rand later, so this early introduction helps define the stakes for him.

It was such a short scene, and I’m sure there are other details those with more skill could expand on (the horse that Rand sets upright? the color palate?). I just really appreciated how much the writers crammed into an original character to help lay the groundwork not just for this season but for seasons (hopefully) to come.

#wheel of time #rand al’thor #errol #wot on prime #wot book spoilers #rambling thoughts

[itsagirlwithglasses]

A Shadow’s Tale

Azriel x Pirate female!reader

CHAPTER ONE

summary: A new arrival to Velaris, aboard of your ship are presumed human legends. After the dead of your father, Captain Hook, who was allied to Hybern, you make the choice to break those bonds and ally with the High Lord of the Night Court in the upcoming war. However, it is easier said than done, for the distrust is big and you must prove yourself worthy of an alliance.

word count: 1200+

a/n: first time writing ACOTAR fanfic, characters do not belong to me except for the FMC, everything else is based on the book series by Sarah J Maas, however this is inspired only, does not relate directly to the actual story!

warnings: none

“As your second, I’m supposed to warn you they will not accept you that easily” Bonny said while pacing in front of your desk, “The High Lord is known to be relentless, and after all your father was an ally to Hybern.” 

“My father’s poor decisions is what led me to do this.” You spoke standing up and resting your hands on your table, “Hybern left us with nothing, but we do have something that even the High Lord of the Night Court can’t say no to.” 

“If he even lets you in his court, what do you think he will say about the fact that pirates do have magic?” Bonny came closer and whispered, “Stolen magic.” 

“How would they know? There’s zero knowledge about our kind and even if there were, it’s most likely rumors created by foolish humans.” 

“What if—“ 

“Enough! Bonny… We should be arriving soon, and I expect your discretion about any private issue regarding our… abilities.” You straightened and adjusted your jacket. Bonny only nodded with a frown and I smiled. “Great, I’ll do the talking, keep your eyes open. I’m sure they already know of our presence in their shores.” 

— 

Navigating through the wards of Velaris was somewhat exciting. You couldn’t help the giddy feeling. Hybern destroyed your family and stripped you of your riches and your life, but gave you something that was by far more important. A way through wards, spells and concealments. Which is how you and your crew entered the City of Starlight through the sea between the mountains. You got a glimpse of the city buildings in distance. The weather was warm and the sky was blue with very few clouds. Two blurs in the sky got your attention and that’s when you knew it was time. 

You went into your cabin and grabbed your hat and tighten your boots. Two thumps were heard outside followed by a couple shrieks and you smiled to yourself. You walked out finding the Highlord’s General and Spymaster with drawn swords pointed at Bonny and Sebastian. Your mates were kneeling on the floor, unharmed, their hands up in surrender. Exactly how you had instructed. Harmless. That’s how everyone should appear to the Night Court. 

You had left your sword back in your cabin as well. You didn’t want to seem like a threat. 

“Where’s your captain?” The long hair general asked with a tone of authority and you simply smiled kindly at him opening your arms. 

“You’re the Captain?” A scowl from the spymaster and you raised your eyebrows at him.

“How did you cross the wards?” The general asked and you smiled at him once more. “Do you not speak our language? How did you—“ 

“I understand you just fine,” you said with your best silky voice, “however I did not invite you to my ship nor do I recall making introductions.” You stepped forward and they directed their swords at you making you stop and lift your empty hands gaining a small chuckle from you. 

“What’s your name and what are you doing here?” The general asked and you noticed the red gems from his suit glowing brighter. 

“I will disclose my name to your Highlord seeing as my business is with him.” 

“You first respond to us, then we decide if you get so much as a look in his direction.” You scowled at them shaking your hand. 

“I’m not armed, my men are not armed, I present no threat to any of you and yet, you doubt my intentions.” You stated innocently.

“These wards have been up and reinforced by every powerful highlord for millennia, you want us to believe you come here with such power to break through and not consider you a threat?” The spymaster’s turn to question you and you blinked. 

“I suppose you have a point, but let me propose a bargain.” You smiled, “I will anchor my ship on your shores while you announce my arrival to your Highlord, request a meeting with him on my behalf, and I shall wait for a response. I will not come near your little village until further notice and we all can be civil.” 

They looked at each other and the general laughed, actually laughed! Your smile fell away. 

“Azriel,” a command from the general to the spy master and a blur of shadows surrounded you tying your limbs close to your body. You grunted and fought against the restraints but to no avail. 

You saw Bonny and Sebastian getting up to attack but you shot them a pointed look that said to stay down. You looked at the two gigantic figures. 

“Is this really necessary?” 

“My men will collect your crew. You’re coming with us.” No laughter left on his voice, another shared look and you thought you were going to fly but the spymaster came close and the next thing you saw was a mist of darkness as he lightly touched your arm. Then you felt yourself falling to the floor your knees and hands hitting cold concrete. 

You didn’t say a word as you saw the spymaster looking at you from the shadows through the bars of a cell. You looked around noticing the cot and the a bucket. You tried to get to your feet but your legs gave out because of the months at sea. You heard Azriel scowling and you shot him a glare. 

“Find it funny do you?” 

“Yes actually,” he said darkly coming closer to the bars looking down on you, “You seemed so sure of yourself in your little boat and now you can’t even get up,” he sighed “it seems to me you’re all talk.” He purred and you crawled to the cot and pushed yourself up sitting on it. 

“Yet you still feel the necessity to keep me in a cell, behind iron bars, while  keeping your distance.” 

“I don’t gamble with my prisoners.” 

“You must be the life of the party then,” you joked. 

“I don’t party either.” He said and you saw a glimpse of amusement on his eyes.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” You tilted your head and you waited for his response, he only scowled and went back into the shadows. “You could at least tell me where I am.” 

“In the dungeons.” He deadpanned. 

“Oh really? And here I thought this was your five stars hotel?” You put your hand over your heart and rolled your eyes, his gaze on you. 

“You talk too much.” 

“You talk too little.” 

“I assure you you will be regretting asking for more on my part.” 

You laughed loudly. 

“What? Are you going to whip me or something?” You noticed him smiling darkly and you swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t…” 

He raised his eyebrows and you only stared as he came closer, you didn’t even noticed when he walked through the bars as if they weren’t even there. You staggered back in the cot and he lowered himself putting each of his hands on either side on you. His face a couple inches from yours. You stayed very still, your eyes not leaving his. His gaze was dark and intimidating as he said: “It will depend on how willing you are to talk.” His breath was cold on your face and it smelled of morning breeze and a hint of cherry. 

You smiled a little eyeing his mouth and then his eyes. 

“You have a taste for cherries,” you noted and his brow furrowed. 

Something shifted in his gaze and you swallowed again. It was probably a terrible idea to flirt with this male. After all you knew of the stories of his tortures. But you couldn’t help yourself as you felt his walls coming down a little.

He was about to reply when a darker presence filled the room and he walked away from you going back to the shadows. The cold gaze back on his face. The cell became colder than it had before and your heart was beating wildly as you felt darkness and talons trying to rip at your mind. 

Your breaths came faster and you were painting when you heard his voice. 

“I do not take lightly unwelcome guests in my Court, Miss Hook.”

Next Chapter

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

Let me know your thoughts and based on those I'l either continue or just pretend this never happened lol <3

If you wanna be tagged on the next one also let me know :)

#azriel shadowsinger #azriel #azriel angst #azriel x female!reader #pirate fantasy #pirate fanfic #Azriel acotar #acotar fanfic #acotar fanfiction #acotar fandom #fic #acotar fic #Azriel fic #Azriel fanfic #Azriel x reader #cassian acotar #rhysand acotar #captain hook #Captain Hook daughter #Captain Hook fanfic #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #night court #velaris #pirate au

[ranahan]

I just read the Republic Commando: Hard Contact and Republic Commando: Triple Zero novels by Karen Traviss. Republic Commando is Legends now, but here are a few points that struck me about arguments I’ve seen go back and forth here on tumblr. Spoilers for the books!

Several mentions of entire batches of brothers “disappearing” for minor variances & clones being more afraid of the kaminoans than their training sergeants. Kal Skirata drunkenly breaking into tears over the poor boys. Very clear that in Traviss’s books, clones were being decommissioned.

Several mentions of clones dying in live fire exercises on Kamino before being deployed & the training sergeants standing by and doing nothing.

There’s a blurb of a retired commando, chronological age 23, biological age 60. Again, in Traviss’s books, the artificial ageing doesn’t stop when the clones reach adulthood. The main characters are also described as visibly ageing between the two books.

Pretty chilling description of the kind of brainwashing that you believe because you don’t have any reason not to when your entire life so far has lined up with it. I would completely believe these boys could execute Order 66 without the chips & all I could do would be to empathise with them.

Troopers telling their concerned jedi to not worry their pretty little head about what happens to dead troopers. Later a reinforcing mention of no bodybags needed in the GAR.

Vau nearly killing a trooper in training & making the troopers beat each other into a pulp in training.

So again, Republic Commando are Legends now but if anyone wonders where the fandom got the idea that these things happen, here’s your answer. They aren’t fandom inventions.

Other notes and personal opinions:

I mostly enjoyed Hard Contact. There were some bits near the end that fell a little flat, but overall an enjoyable military action/military science fiction novel.

Triple Zero on the other hand, not so much. The pregnancy storyline was just icky. Both in how Etain herself makes it her entire raison d’être, how she makes it the reason for why Darman now has a future, and the lack of consent on Darman’s part. She intentionally gets pregnant without ever discussing anything with him (they’ve been together for two whole weeks at this point), whether he wants kids at all, wants them with her, wants them in the middle of a war, or sees having children in the same light as she does. She’s had the most superficial of introductions to Mandalorian culture and has no idea whether or to what degree the clones or Darman as an individual share those notions—given that they probably have an understandably complicated relationship with Mandalorian culture and especially the notions of children, parents, and legacy. For all we know at this point in the series she could have completely misconstrued the whole thing. But there she goes, and decides that this is how she will fix everything and give Darman a future: a genetic legacy to outlive him.

The force-accelerated pregnancy reads like a bad fan fiction and the whole “go undercover to hide the pregnancy” reads like a Victorian novel.

Etain feels like an odd choice for a point of view character in a military science fiction story. She’s aggressively the-girl-next-door, pointedly unremarkable and ordinary. I guess the point is that readers could have a regular person’s point of view, with which to contrast the commando mindset, and to whom things can be naturally explained without infodumping. But it goes overboard and makes her seem incompetent and immature, so you start wondering what the hell is she even doing in the story or on a battlefield or what does anyone see in her.

There are sexist attitudes straight from the planet Earth. It’s in men and females, how Etain and other female characters are seen through their sex first and other characteristics second, and how they are always “other” in comparison to men. But it’s not just the women, it’s young men—the clones—too where I get this vibe. It’s very bioessentialist. There seems to be this underlying thread of pairing up and reproducing being the most valuable thing a person can do with their life. Which again, seems like an odd choice for a thematic storyline in a military science fiction novel. Like, this is not what it said on the tin.

Some of the tactical/counterterrorism side in Triple Zero feels inauthentic to me as well. There’s too much being bad boys for shock value and too little professional soldiering for my tastes anyway. But I don’t kick in doors professionally so what do I know.

No sense of numbers for galactic economy. Exhibit A: Qiilura.

Lastly, fandom: can we get more Corr? This is an EOD trooper who gets both of his hands blown off early in the war, gets stuck in a logistics centre duty while waiting for better prosthetics, still determined to get back into action to fight alongside his brothers, gets accidentally adopted by some commandos, and makes a career change from disabling fiddly explosives to kicking in doors. A round of appreciation for Corr!

#republic commando spoilers #the clones #clone troopers #star wars clone troopers #republic commando #the grand army of the republic #grand army of the republic #karen traviss #repcomm #repcomm spoilers #spoilers #republic commando novels #republic commando: hard contact #republic commando: triple zero #star wars meta #sexism in media

[no1mp3]

Bewitched • Part One

Description: Alex Turner x Actress! Reader

Being the current It Girl of Hollywood had it’s perks. New friends. An awesome (yet inconsistent) job. Invites to the coolest parties. And meeting lots of new people. One award ceremony to support your cast mate changes everything when you meet the Arctic Monkeys and it seems fate can’t keep you away from their lead singer. And after one kiss goodnight, you find yourself bewitched.

Word Count: 3,598

A/N: Hello to all those who read this! There is so much waffling on at the beginning to build into the relationship, and then kinda goes from there on. If the writing comes off poor, I am terribly sorry for that but school and sickness hates me apparently. Also there is not a set timeline for this series, as I don’t want to have to focus on where the Monkeys were and when yaddaya because that is just added stress. However, if I mention past relationships of Alex’s, I won’t refer to by name though it should be quite clear who is who based off descriptions. This is obviously inspired by Laufey’s song, Bewitched, being the first in a 4-parter series, and also takes direct lines from the song into this writing! I would love to know what you guys think, so please tell me your thoughts!! Thank you, and hopefully you enjoy xx

It was one of your favourite stories to plan in your mind when you were alone, trapped in the memories of the past. You weren’t confident on what point blurred the lines of friendship and romance, nor did you know why it took so long to completely forget about said lines. All you knew is that it did, and you had never been happier. While everyone knew that being the current It actress in Hollywood had severe cons obviously, they also knew that it definitely had several perks as well. One which came in the form of introductions to other celebrities – may that be through various award ceremonies, parties or red-carpet events. This particular night was for some stupid award ceremony that you were invited to in LA, one which you weren’t even nominated in a category for! However, your publicist told you it would be good for you to mingle with a new crowd and be there to support your peers. At first you were hesitant at putting yourself into the spotlight for no reason (you knew someone would take it out of context and you were simply waiting for the world of fame to turn against you) but when your cast mate for The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey, said that she was going to be there you realised it would simply be fun if you tried. What’s the worst that could happen?! 

And so, you got ready when the night finally arrived; your make-up artist gossiping away about the rumoured guest list and how many new people you could meet while applying light shades of purple to your eyelids. After what felt like hours listening to possibilities, you were finally able to leave. You looked gorgeous; you always did when you worked with your LA team. When you met with Halle and her sister Chloe on the red carpet, the paparazzi were quick to note the matching themes to your two characters from the movie — Halle embracing her mermaid beauty for Ariel while you wore purples for Vanessa. Posing for cameras was fun when you had someone with you, and all the people shouting your name for a brief interaction all screamed as you blew them a kiss before going inside linked to Halle’s side while Chloe held onto your hand. Thankfully the host of the ceremony sat you three together, as if understanding that the cast mates and their plus-ones should belong together. You originally wondered why Jonah or Melissa had not accepted the invitation, and it wasn’t until the tables filled up that you understood why.  

You have been invited to a music award ceremony. Not an acting award ceremony, but music instead. It’s not like you mind, Hollywood knew of your admiration for musical talent in the industry and your undying support for it especially since working on the Disney live action musical. Yet, it just surprised you to be invited to such an event since you held no significance to it yourself. Perhaps that was why you were surprised when four men sat on the table aside the trio, all murmuring to themselves so that they weren’t overheard about their original topic. Introductions and some small talk later you discovered you were talking to the British band, Arctic Monkeys. They all seemed sweet, though their harsh English accents hard to understand to your posher one originally. While you tried to engage in their conversation, Halle and Chloe babbled along with the band about the music industry and their guesses for each category, you found it harder than normal. You simply sat there attempting to look like you understood, but it was evident it wasn’t true. 

The man sitting aside you who you knew was the lead singer of the band redirected his focus onto you, eyebrows furrowed as he asked, “What about you?” 

“What about me?” You responded hesitantly, looking confused. You hadn’t been completely paying attention to the conversation, and it appears that he had caught you. 

“What award are you nominated for?” Another member asked, longer hair than the lead and you remembered him as the guitarist. Something Cook, if your brain served you correctly. 

You cleared your throat, gracefully adjusting your hair with a manicured hand so it fell behind your shoulders just in case the camera snapped a photo of you, “I’m not nominated for any. Just here to support my girls.” 

Halle lent over and clutched your hand, squeezing it tightly as she let out a quiet squeal. You turn back to the band, smiling widely. And that was it, the first moment you ever met Alex Turner. Both of you had assumed that night would be the last because it was rare to meet other celebrities over and over if you weren’t fast friends. Having a conversation at the afterparty whenever you were in close proximity to one another, or him offering you a drag of his cigarette while you waited for the limo back to your flat being the full extent of your relationship. It wasn’t awkward, just simply as it was. Two people in the spotlight who met each other at some award ceremony. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

That was until you met him again in London. It had been maybe a month since your guys first meeting, but it seemed like whenever you went you heard the mentions of Arctic Monkeys. Maybe it was their new single on the radio, or your fans asking if you were friends because photos of the pair of you had been released after the award ceremony. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going away anytime soon and so when you met him again at another smallish award ceremony, you couldn’t help but joke about it. Conversation flowed easily and you assumed it was because you were both back in your home country, a sense of comfort allowing you to relax. You spoke to the band most of the award night as you were seated at their table again, and then one thing led to another, and you saw him again a week later. You didn’t overthink the situation with the man, simply viewing it as two people wanting to become friends. He could offer advice about dealing with fame due to how long he has been in the media, and you could ramble on about Hollywood and its issues for hours if needed. You just found it nice to be able to talk to someone who genuinely seemed interested in what you had to say. 

Yet it wasn’t like that at all. You don’t even remember mentioning work once aside from talking about cast mates, but you talked of them as if you were all old high school friends. You told him about funny moments with Jonah and Halle, or wardrobe malfunctions when you were at your school parties. He laughed at every story of your past, clearly amused with your life. He told you about his own memories with his band, people who he had been friends with since school. You weren’t too surprised there wasn’t much separation from his work and life – you were pretty sure he had been a big deal since he was a teenager. You somehow ended up Hyde Park, stopping at the closest dairy to grab food for yourself and the wildlife. You watched him grab a loaf of bread, stating it was for the ducks.  

“Bread is actually bad for the birds,” you told him, eyeing him carefully. Alex looked surprised at your words to which you responded with a knowing smile, “It’s better to give them frozen peas or natural-like.” 

“Is Y/N a duck fiend?” He quizzed, raising an eyebrow to show he was teasing you. 

You rolled your eyes, a small smile on your face, “I just care about the wildlife. I don’t want to know I was the reason a bunch of ducks died.” 

Alex shrugged his shoulders in agreement, leading you to the freezer section in hopes of a bag of peas. Sure enough there was one which you instantly took. Some fizzy drinks, snacks and ice cream, later you were sitting on a bench at the lake of Hyde Park. He handed you a small amount of peas, before throwing his own into the water to bring the birds to you. You watched peacefully as the ducks scurried to the frozen vegetable, gobbling it with their beaks quickly as if worried their friends would take it. They were basically right because it didn’t take much longer for the pigeons to arrive, landing awfully close to you two. Alex shuffled away from a bird that landed on the back of the bench, a pinch in his eyebrows as he held what looked like a staring contest with it. 

“Are you afraid of birds?” You asked, looking at him with interest. Alex turned to look at you with your teasing raised eyebrows, frowning as he shook his head, “Really? Because you’re basically on top of me trying to get away from a little pigeon. Why are you more worried of them than ducks?” 

“‘Cause ducks are polite. Pigeons would and do steal your food if they got the chance.” He grumbled. You laughed, shaking your head in disbelief as you returned to feeding the birds. Somehow you ended up standing, arms spread in a T pose with your palms flat and facing upwards with piles of peas in them. It took a few seconds, but pigeons flew their way onto your arms, their talons digging into your skin to keep a grip as they scoffed down the frozen peas originally meant for the ducks. Alex watched; his eyes filled with disgust but lips tugging into a small smile at the sight of you laughing at the feeling of the birds on your arms. 

When you returned to your seat aside Alex on the bench, he looked your red arms up and down, “That’s gross. The bacterium from their talons is all in your skin now.” 

You smile smugly, reaching into your tote bag to pull out a small bottle of clear gel-like liquid, “Good thing I carry hand sanitizer everywhere I go then.” 

You guys left each other just before dinner time, being together for nearly four hours just chatting about random topics. It was fun, you had to admit. That’s why when he asked to go out for dinner one night when you both weren’t too busy with work, you accepted it. One dinner led to another. Then another. Then dinner at his flat. Then dinner at yours. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on, you knew it by the third time you two hung out. There was a feeling in your stomach whenever he laughed at your joke, or how you averted your gaze whenever you stared at one another too long. You felt bad about your feelings, just because of the media. What if it just made everything worse for both of your lives? Paparazzi had been following you two around every time you’re hanging, articles of a relationship blossoming being headlines on the Internet.  

It Girl Y/N Y/L/N Finally Belongs to Rockstar Icon, Alex Turner?! 

You had a fit when you read that, complaining to Halle about the lack of identity you got if you were in a relationship with him. It felt dehumanizing whenever it happened around your male friends, because you knew it wasn’t their fault yet deep down you couldn’t help but blame them for it. Damn Hollywood! Halle was polite in calming you down, telling you exactly what you needed to hear about the article which somehow only ended with you being coerced to spill your feelings on your friend. She said she predicted it from your first meeting, because according to his band mates Alex was never that chatty with strangers. You told her to shut up, but you were unable to contain your smile. Perhaps he felt the same way. Just maybe. 

That’s why when he was walking you home from a cute little dinner, you decided enough was enough. On the walk in the late London light, there was a moment where your hands made contact. Brief, but enough to shock you. A few dinners ago you would not have been this bold, but you knew you had to be brave or else nothing would happen. Giving credit to the moment, you decided to entwine your fingers with him — starting off with your pinkies linked. Alex turned to look at you in surprise, eyes wide and a worried you attempted to pull yourself away from him in fear you made a mistake. However, Alex held onto your hand before squeezing it as if to tell you he wanted this as well. His surprise turned into a smile, and your heart soared at the look of admiration. You tried to think straight, but it was like you were coming apart every second you spent around him. It was evident when you stopped in front of your flat, gazing at one another. After a second you whispered: 

“This is me.” 

“This is you.” Alex repeated in a murmur almost as if teasing the way you weren’t focused, yet he gazed at you fondly. Your heart hadn’t stopped racing, and in an effort to look cool you let go of his hand to start rummaging through the back pocket of your jeans for your flat keys. He lent against the hallway wall, head cocked to the side, “Y/N… Can I ask you a question?” 

You pulled out the keys, twirling it around your index finger as you focused your attention on the singer again, “What’s up?” 

He was silent, staring at you. You could see his overthinking by the pinch of his eyebrow, and the faint downward tug of the corners of his lips. That got you concerned. Perhaps you had overthought this. But if that was true, then he would not of held your hand this entire time. Okay… You were definitely the one overthinking this entire situation. Suddenly his face relaxed, as if content with what he was going to ask. 

“Can I kiss you?”  

The words hit you at full force. He spoke them so casually it was as if this was normal, that asking you to kiss was natural. Alex’s face had softened as he studied your surprise; the raise in your eyebrows and the quirk of your lips. You took your time to think over what to say, before you muttered a gentle, “Of course.” 

Alex moved forward with such speed that it almost felt like an attack when his lips caught yours, his hands cupping your cheeks. The world froze around you, but you responded with such enthusiasm that you heard him chuckle as you wrapped your arms around his neck to hold him closer. He tasted faintly of wine, you realised, perhaps the red wine he had at your dinner date. You could taste your shared breath, feel the thud of your combined heartbeat as Alex’s hands moved from your cheeks to rest on either side of your neck, his fingers ran through the hair on the nape of your neck. He realised that you fit into him like a glove, your kiss like the beating of a butterfly's wings, soft until it became addictive. He smelt of wine, spice and lust until it all spurred together in your head to form the dizzy scent of familiarity and comfort.  

And you knew then that you were completely bewitched by Alex Turner. 

༉‧₊˚✧‧₊˚✩彡.˚✩

The first couple months of the relationship were utter bliss, naturally being the Honeymoon period. You both had decided to keep it private from everyone until you were secure with what was happening — and even then, there was no possibility that you were going to announce it to the world anytime soon. The paparazzi and reporters were simply holding onto rumours, not knowing how truthful they were but that was all they were going to get. Confirming the relationship was like adding a newborn into the situation, neither of you were prepared for that stress this early on. Halle was the first of your friends to learn of the update in your love life, squealing louder than you have ever heard. It made you giddy at the response. Apparently, the band had a less loud reaction to the news, according to Alex, but they were all excited to see you around more. That made you feel good, you had to admit, and it only made you feel better when they all sent you a text with congratulations and threats to Alex if he hurt you. 

Then there was Alex himself in those first months. You were quick to learn that his love language was physical touch and gift giving, something which contrasted to your acts of service and quality time. It was the small things that he did for you which started making you believe he was trying a new form of witchcraft. He was simply casting a spell on your heart, whether he knew it or not. Every note he left in the pocket of your jacket, or purse pouch when you weren’t looking, entrapped you to his comfort. You were utterly bewildered with the new feeling soaring through your chest as you read them over, a smile unable to leave your face. The time spent together only grew from random meals together to spending the night at each other’s flats watching your favourite movies in rotation, so it was fair – simply coexisting side by side with one another. 

Yet that honeymoon phase died suddenly, not because you grew out of the euphoric feelings but because life grew that messier. You had been worried endlessly about this happening, preparing yourself for the conversation but it didn’t make it any easier. When you went over to his place for the night, he murmured the information that the Arctic Monkeys were starting their tours in Oceania soon. You rolled over in the bed to face him, frowning slightly. 

“You could come with me Y/N, if you wanted too of course.” His words were so soft, his lips barely moving. If you weren’t so used to the tired mumbles of nonsense with his accent, you would not have been able to understand a word he said. Instead, it only made you feel sick at the idea of you being apart for the fear of the unknown change.

You sat up in the bed, leaning against the headboard as Alex redirected his heavy eyes to gaze up at you with confusion, “I have to go to LA for a modelling shoot and auditions.” 

Alex looked away for a brief moment, it hitting him like a train at what this meant. He reached out and grabbed your hand, entwining your fingers like you had done the first time. Bringing your hand to his lips, he placed delicate kisses on your skin in comfort, “It’s okay. We still have each other even if we are countries apart. Calling exists for a reason, right?” 

You knew he was right, but it didn’t stop you from overthinking the entire situation. It would be the first time the pair of you weren’t in the same country since starting this relationship, and you hated how dramatically you reacted to it when he fell asleep with his back to you. You had taken a walk to try and gain back some control you were losing, cursing at the moon as tears rolled down your face. It was like you were consumed by fire, fuming with every emotion but it worked in some way. It was some sort of release. When you returned to his flat, the kitchen light was on. He was sitting at the dining table, eating what looked like a bowl of cereal though he had stopped as you attempted to walk into the flat quietly. A sigh escaped his lips, and it took everything in you to not burst into tears again. The moon (and those who would have unfortunately heard your pleas late at night) had already listened to your fears, you did not feel the need to pressure Alex into the same conversation. 

Instead, he got up from the dining table and walked over, wrapping you in his arms. You held him around the waist, your cheek smooshed against his chest as you blinked away stray tears while looking at the bare wall. He placed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. You wanted to stay like this forever. Neither of you having to leave for your ridiculous jobs that had you missing him already. You knew it was a fantasy, but you hoped for nothing more. You stayed in his embrace for a couple of seconds, the pair of you lingering onto the feeling even though you had a week or so to fully say goodbye for the small period of time. You felt him lean down, his lips right against your ears as he whispered: 

“Keep me in your heart, m’kay?”  

Pulling away from the embrace to look up at him, resting your chin on his chest, you said nothing for a moment. His brown eyes were full of pure admiration, and the same bewildered feeling you got every second you were around him seemed to double in feeling. There was not much for you to say to the singer, so you murmured a ‘of course’ back before he led you back to the bedroom.  

And you knew then that not even distance could stop you from being bewitched by Alex Turner. 

#alex turner x reader #arctic monkeys #alex turner #alex turner one shot #alex turner imagine #alex turner fluff #alex turner fanfic #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n #matt helders #jamie cook #nick o'malley #halle bailey #the little mermaid

[adarkrainbow]

A reaction to reactions - about Pierre Dubois

I made a long time ago (at least considering the short life of my blog) a post about Pierre Dubois, an introduction post about the man so that my other posts about various content of his made sense. You can find it here. Recently this post got a lot of reactions, which I'm glad of course! But there's too many, through reblog-texts or flowing texts, for me to anser all of them at once easily. So I'll make this post to answer everyone in an easy way (or rather "react" and talk further, since I'm not here to "answer per se").

First, @a-book-of-creatures had this to say which I have to agree with but expand upon:

I have so many strong feelings on Dubois. When I started doing research on folklore I used him as a reference because his books were the only thing I had available, but as I found actual research I realized just how unreliable he is.

Probably the best thing would be to regard the books as folklore fanfiction and use them as stepping stones to find better things.

And this sums up why people get Dubois' books and work by the wrong end. You are absolutely right - Pierre Dubois' works are not reliable as resources about folklore and legends and myths. But that's because they do not have to, and they do not have the purpose to be. And here is why I say people take Dubois by the "wrong end" - too many people consider Dubois as a folklorist in the scientific, profesionnal sense of the term. Which Dubois is not. There is a reason why Dubois and those that promote it all insist on his job being "un elficologue", "an elficologist" - a clearly made up and fanciful word with no degree or diploma needed. This is not to pretend Dubois is a new type of folklorist - this is to clearly point out that he is rather someone extremely passionate and informed about elves, fairies, lutins and the like, and who spends his entire work writing about them. But he isn't part of any serious or scientific study of folklore, and that's where people get very confused.

Dubois is an author and a collector, a folklorist and a hobbyist, but he is no researcher as in "archeologist". This is why looking at not only his life and interviews but also the prefaces and introductions and postfaces on his various books - where he talks of his life, how it interweaves with his work and his opinions on several other names - is much needed to understand his approach and angle (but unfortunately too many jump out of those para-texts to just read about the fairies and elves).

Dubois did not went to university, did not have diplomas - to my knowledge. He keeps repeating everyhere all about his childhood among manual workers - his father worked in a factory and he was part of those poor factory-towns. I mentionned it before, about how his father reproved and dislike his interest in things like reading or literature. So he did not find out about mythology and folklore by a scholarly or professional mean - he rather had to make himself up, and stayed with an approach through any and all kinds of books he could find about. And the problem is that back in the 20th century, most of the professional study books we have access to today where no disponible in libraries and bookshops like that - they were niche things for university-people and high-ups of the thinking world. Dubois devoured the content of numerous libraries - but this meant he read literature, and poets, and fairytale collections, and outdated books about folklore and legends, and this was his approach to the fairy-world and this is the kind of feeling and ambiance he tried to give back through his books.

In fact, Dubois does not hide his lack of interest for any actual scientific, literary or current folkloric study. In general he is not a man of science - the same way he seems to have gotten a disdain for all too modern technology thanks to his own life in a community dominated by the 20th industries in the shape of the crushing factories, and thus always preferred the countryside, the forests, the ruins, he also has no interest in making books that could be used by universities or for reading expert's books on fairy-folklore and their evolution. Because he has the approach of a storyteller, of an author, of a poet, in the line of all those that either collected all the pieces of fairytales and folklore they could find without questionning or doubting them ; or that either knew of folklore and wrote fairytales, but still wrote them in a slightly edited and reshaped way. I mean for example one of his favorite books is Les contes d'un buveur de bière, which is a compendium of fairytales inspired by the folktales of Northern France - a folklore the author was very intimate with - but is still not traditionally listed among fairytale collections like the Grimm's because they were slightly rewritten in a more literary and modern style, with a few modifications and meta-references in the text. A bit like Andersen's fairytales if you want - they are still folkloric tales with folkloric background and inspirations, but they are a bit too literary to be considered fully "folkloric" tales. And this is the same approach Dubois has to it all.

Through his books, Dubois wanted (and managed) to translate and convey his own experience and feeling of going around France, checking everything about fairies in every library he could have, asking countryside folks from all regions what they knew about folklore or fairytales - an effusion, a boiling confusion, a sprawling chaos of so many things all at once, side-by-side, so different and varied, and yet all tied by these common links, these similar motifs, these evocations and cousin-ship. This shows for example in his various invented genealogies and "species evolution" in his books - fanciful pseudo-scientific inventions, they are not meant to be reflective of actual historical evolution of legendary figures, but rather convey the relationships and echoes he himself perceived when putting all the books and references side-by-side. His view on myths and folklore as a whole isn't the one of a scientist who tracked down a genealogical tree ; but of an everyman who read and saw everything and points out the links and references he perceived just as a reader.

Of course, this makes his work absolutely non-professional and useless in any serious folklore research (or almost as we'll see later)... But it is also the reason why it made his work so successful, and why he is an unavoidable name today. Still in a recent compendium about the evolution of the fantasy genre, he was evoked as one of the great names of fictional fantasy in France, but put on the same way as Tolkien - not because he was a scholar like him, but because his reinvention of traditional folklore and legends will be as impactful and inspiring as Tolkien's own reinvention of elves and orcs and dwarves. Dubois's books are educated entertainment and scholarly fun - but not a scholarly study, if the nuance makes sense. Imagine this as a bit more extreme version of Neil Gaiman's own fairy-books, like Sandman or Stardust or Coraline. And one has to put themselves back into the context of 80s and 90s France and imagine this situation.

For a long time, all encyclopedias of supernatural creatures and folklore were just these dry, scientific, university-like books not meant for regular audiences - and if there were books for your random Joe, they were oversimplified, childish things. And then comes Dubois's "Encyclopedias", which on top of having this extensive enormous collection of so many tidbits of folklore and lore nobody heard about, makes it a fun and entertaining read by bizarre illustrations, by mixing factual descriptions with folktales, by talking about the weird little habits of these creatures like what baked goods they like to cook or what underwears they wear or how they participated in said historical event... This was a revolution because it was a fun, entertaining and poetic read, a book that went beyond simply dryly listing endless variations, but rather used the encyclopedic knowledge to build an entire sprawling world of inter-connected entities, with a full epic history and all sorts of strange civilizations hidden right behind the garden's wall... This was and always has been Dubois' intention and he is clear about it in his text - revitalize the passion and interest in fairytales, make people interested in folklore and legends again, make people consider that maybe there is something interesting in the old-storytellers knowledge... Again, Dubois came from this very industrialized and modern side of France, marked by the World Wars, not caring about literature or magic or folklore, and where all good fairy-related books were pushed back in the dusty and moldy cellars of libraries. Dubois' prime interest was always to make this whole thing revive, in one way or another - and just like so many previous folklorists (even the Grimm themselves) who rewrote, and reshaped fairytales and folktales and invented things to make folklore live on, so did Dubois, in a more extreme way than his predecessors...

That's his own advice for how to become an elficologist - and he keeps insisting upon it when he talks about what people have to do if, like them, they want to become a searcher of fairies or elves. Go outside, walk among natural landscape, go into remote villages, search in old books and grimoires, do not reject anything (except too scientific and materialistic approaches and non-believers), mingle among those that live the folklore, and yourself get lost in the wonders of the overlooked countryside. This sums up very well what was his angle, and why he is located at this strange edge where he can't exactly be pin-pointed. When, in his books about seasons, he keeps referring to the embodiment of winter as "La Vieille", The Old Hag of Winter, the Elderly Witch of the Dead Season, the Queen of Cold and Darkness - he is establishing a fact that comes from looking and comparing European traditions. There is an habit and tradition of depicting the winter as a hag, as a divine crone, under a witch-like figure or monstrous woman. This is attested, and as such Dubois does what he does best, bring the essence of a comparative tradition (Dubois is much more comparative mythology than anything else). But on the bad side, it comes at costs of confusing and fusing together all the various female "winter hags" together ignoring their individual traits. That's always the win and lose of Dubois.

I already evoked it before, but in terms of fairytales for example, while Dubois is a massive fan and praises the brothers Grimm, and traditional French fairytale collectors, and other "folkloric collectors" like them, he strongly disdains and rejects the literary 17th-18th century fairytale writers a la madame d'Aulnoy, and also Perrault (though he does admit his work as part of France's national culture, though still heavily criticizing it). That's because on one side, Dubois had contact with folklore through actual village-people and countryside-folks and other fairytale collectors who like him did a tour of France's remote areas ; meaning he of course disdains those that rewrote fairytales in a too "distant" and "far-away" and "folklore-killing approach" - Dubois rewrites too fairytales heavily, but he rewrites them with the intention of staying faithful to the folklore and bringing out its "essence", which might seem paradoxal, but makes sense when you take this angle. He is the kind of guy who will hate on Perrault for cutting off the part of Little Red Riding Hood where the wolf makes her eat the grandmother's flesh and blood ; and will for example not mind at all expanding on this detail by describing a lush feast of the grandmother's corpse turned into various dishes while evoking all sorts of vampires and ghouls when describing the consumption of the meal... On the other side, this also shows something very true and clear about Dubois - he is filled, imbued with and a carrier of the strong 19th and 20th century fairytale and folklore theories that are now recognized as wrong and outdated. He is clearly a "product of his generation" - and I evoked it with the Sleeping Beauty theory. He is the first contact I had with the theory that Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Donkeyskin were all embodiments of an old literary solar-myth and all symbolized the sun or summer threatened or devoured by night/winter before returning to life. I thought he had made it up in his usual "poetic comparative mythology" kind of way, but then I discovered it was an ACTUAL theory that had been claimed and held by numerous folklore and mythology experts and was accepted during most of the 20th century - when Dubois made his own research - before being debunked at the dawn of the 21st century. Dubois doesn't want to actively misinform people, he just shares what he received, what he knows and what shaped him, and as such he is a most important testimony of how folklore was received and perceived up until the mid 20th century.

In many ways he is the Robert Graves of folklore - interesting, poetic, influential and inspiring in his treatment of mythology/folklore, but highly unreliable, misinformed, biased, and ultimately not a serious source for modern research. In fact, it was thanks to Dubois' works that a new wave of (more reliable and serious) fairy encyclopedias, monster encyclopedia and other folkloric compendium started to be released in the early 2000s - aimed for regular people, while still being well-informed like a university work. Dubois clearly launched a new wave of interest and fashion for fairytales - and all the reblogs' affirmations that Dubois' books had shaped them or fashioned their care in one way or another is proof of that (@it-is-phlump oerfectly translates my own perception and reception of Dubois' books, which shaped my childhood, and even though you are mad at him for being so unclear and confusing and unscholarly, you can't be mad because he brings you a whole fascinating poetic and truly "fae" world). Dubois has the same aesthetic credits as for example what Del Toro did with Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies and more - make people rediscover the magic, eerie, eldritchness, monstrousness, marvels and oddity of what fairies and elves are about. Creature an aesthetic and a world that would produce later works such as for example the excellent Changeling the Lost. But the same way Guillermo del Toro's movies or Changeling the Lost cannot be taken as serious folkloric sources...

With one nuance.

Still going on from @a-book-of-creatures comment, but also @feyariel reblog - about the sources and inventions of Dubois. Dubois has one STRONG interesting thing which makes him a fascinating resource of folklore study - or literature study. His own sources. Dubois invents a lot of things but he does not invent everything - if he presents one specific creature, it means he read or saw about it. He doesn't invent the creatures, he invents the lore about them or fills in the gap of his own sources. I am pretty sure he did not invent the Pillywiggins, because again he doesn't like inventing things - but if you can't find anything about them, it means that either his sources are lost, either his sources might have been literary more than folkloric. And here's my point.

Have you looked at the HUGE bibliographies at the end of each of his volumes? Dubois does NOT want people to stay in the blind about folklore or to be unable to find the same things he did, and he has THOUSANDS of books listed at the end of most of his books about fairies or ghosts or seasonal folklore. But here's the problem - his bibliographies are a confusing treasure.

Dubois, as I said before, did an extensive and complete tour of all the libraries he could find during his travels through the French countryside (so not university-only, higher-up libraries, but the bulk of village and small towns or province towns libraries of the mid-to-second-half 20th century). He collected all sorts of books from bookshops, and as such he read so many books he used for his own works... Many books which today are actually rare or lost books. Sometimes there are books in his bibliographies with clearly no research result when you try to find them today, and you might be led to think "Oh he made it up". But then you see by their side some books who, as it turns out, also lead to no research result, but because they are rare old books, out of print and that you can't find anywhere except by extreme chance... This already puts in perspective some things - he explored the depths of old libraries and private collections, but this means he also likely came among some very rare or old books that are unreachable today or completely lost. Or that are overlooked by people today...

It doesn't help however that in his research, he didn't split things at all. I mean he clearly got better with time at bibliographies - his most recent ones are much clearer than his older ones - but he still mingles and mixes things together, and especially literary and truly folkloric things. You will find Poe's work alongside the Grimm in his bibliographies, and among true beings of folklore in his Encyclopedias he places the literary inventions of Jean Ray or Andersen... Dubois is again, a "random Joe" in this aspect because his bibliographies were literaly him just noting every reference he had, every book title he saw, every author he read about, and putting it together in a list, but without a scholarly rigorism or without questioning his sources. This led for example to another problem of his sources - referential mistakes. A very prominent case happened with the story he collected of the "Ogress Queens" that I talked about here. He collected the tale right in his collections of witches and ogresses - but he made a mistake when giving the name of the source. He wrote the "abbot of the chapel of Apchier" - when in fact, the author full name was "Alix de La Chapelle d'Apchier". Very clearly, when he took his note down, he miswrote the author's name, or he misremembered it, and so confused "Alix" with "abbé" (abbot) and misunderstood "la chapelle" as an actual title instead of a family name... A typical error showing that, once again, it is important to stress out Dubois does not have a scholarly training or treatment or his sources. He is just a guy who reads a lot of everything, and tries to collect everything, and share all he finds, but with a carelessness typical of someone in a non-scientific approach. It is just like how when you write down a reference you spot on a piece of paper, later you type it down but since you carelessly wrote it down, you confuse an "a" for a "o" or "e" and thus mispell the name.

But this carelessness is balanced by, once again, the fact he gave a great care and love for many authors and books overlooked or forgotten, either in his time or by today's time. Again, I evoked the case of the Ogress Queens - this tale, even though wrongly credited, allowed me to discover the works of Alix de La Chapell d'Apchier". Take again Alix de la Chapelle d'Apchier - if it wasn't for Dubois I would have NEVER heard of her work or book of fairytales, because again as located halfway between folkloric and literary tales, she is overlooked and forgotten by both sides. Another example would be Jean Ray. Very recently, a few years ago, Jean Ray was rediscovered by the French book-industry and reprints of his clasic tales appeared on the shelves of every library (around the same time French edition re-discovered Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea series) - but before that, Jean Ray was completely ignored, talked about by nobody, forgotten by everyone... At most people remembered "Malpertuis" but couldn't tell anything else done by him. And yet Pierre Dubois kept referencing him and claiming his love for him and putting tales of his in his own compilation of stories. In fact maybe it was him pushing forard so much the Belgian author that led to the French printing industry "rediscovering" him... Who knows?

In conclusion... Yes, there are many reasons we can be angry at Dubois and reject his books - but there is just as many reasons for us to adore him and buy and reference his works. Ambiguous, polarizing, unperfect but still proving great efforts, a deep passion and having marked cultural and literary history, Dubois is one of those men who are not be taken as a serious source and should not appear in actual fairytale studies (except as a passing reference - for example I evoked him briefly in my paper about ogres) - but who should not be forgotten or ignored due to the importance and impact he had on the reception of fairy folklore, elves legends and other dwarves myths. Again, a bit like Robert Graves with mythology - it can be read as an entertaining side-read, and it has to be considered due to all the movements, theories and groups it spawned, and it was part of the reception of mythology for a time, and it highlighted all sorts of important points - but we still gleefully point out the innacuracies and use it as a source of inspiration and comparison more than any serious reference or resource.

Or rather... A better comparison would be the Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy. His compendium of demons and devils is a load of bullshit, with so many invented, excentric, unserious things, and that is no serious resource of information... And yet it marked the history of literature and art, and yet it is still invoked and used today, and yet people keep referring it as a source of demonology.

Overall it reminds me of this question and subject that is sometimes brought up... What is the best way to make folklore live on? For some, it is collecting all folklore and folktales we have, and printing them, keeping them exactly as they were, with no edition, but just side-commentary and explanations, and keep these bits as immobile and frozen as they were before. And for others, like Dubois and the like, the best way to maintain folklore is rather to make it alive again, collect it yes, but also allow ourselves to twist it a bit, to retell it, to link various folktales and unify the various legends and myths in one whole show, and extend it into new stories and new tales. Of course there is no right or wrong answer here, both approaches are needed - we need true folklorists who will collect folklore as it is and bring it in its original truth, as much as we need author, artists and poets who will make pieces of fiction out of this folklore and spin new tales out of these old ones. But it is still a strong debate, and people that keep blurring the lines between the two are often not very well-received - for good or bad, right and wrong... And Dubois is clearly one of those very polarizing figure, with as much blame as praise. However it cannot be denied that he did a bit what Walt Disney did in America - revitalize and bring under a new and fresh form a fairy-world to an audience that was massively uninterested and unknowledgeable about folktales and folklore. Starting once again a love for fairies.

#pierre dubois #fairy folklore #fairy lore #folklore #fairytales #french things #discussion #elves #elf lore

[yumeka-sxf]

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 10

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

----------

Before Anya gets her first stella, we get another scene of Twilight pressuring her to study after he sees her poor test scores. While he's still a bit strict here, he catches himself soon after chiding her, realizing that pushing her too hard will only hurt her motivation (meanwhile, Yor is once again the encouraging mother and compliments Anya on her good math test score).

Rather than keep forcing his agenda of making her an academically inclined scholar like he did before, this time Twilight makes noticeable effort to try to understand Anya's side of it, as he and Yor discussed previously. He tries various activities to see which one she naturally excels at, and though she doesn't do well in any of them, he tells himself not to get too worked up, since she is only a first grader and Desmond won't be making his move right away.

Even when Anya continues to screw up when they volunteer at the hospital, he doesn't get mad at her. However, when she does end up getting a stella, he doesn't hide the fact that he feels genuinely proud of her. He pats her head (one of his rare displays of affection) and tells her "nice work," all the while thinking to himself that he felt the same sense of pride when he stopped a terrorist attack during a mission. We get two "softly emphasized" panels of Twilight smiling proudly at Anya, and Anya beaming back at him. The fact that he's allowing himself to feel a genuine emotion for this child that he originally felt no qualms about returning to the orphanage, shows his growth not just from a parenting perspective, but also from an emotional one, as slight as it is.

Of course, Yor has no problem giving Anya a big hug and telling her how happy she is. Looking at Anya's face, Yor is probably still learning how to hold back when hugging Anya and was squeezing her a bit too tight. Thankfully she didn't break anything like she had done with Yuri!

When Anya decides that she wants a dog as her stella reward, Twilight and Yor's initial ideas about dogs are fitting. Since both of their lives have revolved so heavily around their work, they never got to know many "normal" things, including a normal relationship people have with dogs. The ever-paranoid Twilight imagines a burley guard dog trained for security purposes – someone like him could only imagine getting a dog because it would be useful for his missions, not for something "trifling" like emotional support. Yor sees dogs as dangerous, likely because many of the criminals she's sent to assassinate have attack dogs for their protection.

Twilight even goes so far as to have WISE supply their own trained dogs to the pet shop. But much to his dismay, Anya doesn't like any of them, causing Twilight to reluctantly decide to try the adoption fair instead.

When Anya wanders off, Yor panics when she can't find her. More of her naivety about the world shows when she assumes that Anya was kidnapped in order to be some shady character's bride because she had just seen it on TV.

When she finally does find Anya with the terrorists, we once again see her scary "mama bear" mode that's strictly reserved for anyone who threatens her loved ones. Similar to how Twilight is willing to quickly cast aside his "for the mission" philosophy if someone he cares about is in trouble, Yor will quickly cast aside her desire to act "normal" for the same reason. She and Anya then share a sweet moment where Anya apologizes for running off and Yor gives her a hug.

I'd also like to mention that both Twilight and Yor were threatened by the German shepherd, but both of them chose not to actually harm him even though they definitely could have. Instead of giving him one of her deadly kicks like she does to anyone else who's about to harm Anya, Yor chose to instead give him an intimidating glare (which worked).

Twilight could have shot him, but instead he chose to shoot off his vest containing the bomb. Even when the dog was biting him, he chose to trap him in a nearby dumpster instead of shooting him. He even apologized to the dog, both for having to put him in the dumpster and for the more general reason that dogs like him have to suffer for human conflict.

As much as Twilight and Yor see dogs as dangerous creatures, they choose not to harm a dog that was actually a threat to them. Yor even showed concern for Bond (a dog she just met who was supposedly allied with terrorists) when she thought Anya was being too rough with him.

Anyone who shows compassion to animals always gets points in my book! (there was also the time at the Eden interview where Yor chose to subdue the rampaging bull by hitting its pressure points when killing/injuring it would have been easier for her – she even said that she wasn't sure such a thing would work on a bull, but took the risk anyway).

Of course, Twilight and Yor's initial concerns about dogs disappear once they bring Bond into their home and see what a gentle boy he is.

Continue to Part 11 ->

<- Return to Part 9

#twiyor #spyxfamily #spy x family #sxf #spy family #loid forger #loid x yor #loidyor #sxf meta #sxf analysis #yor forger

[percyaugod]

@bunnieswithknives My apologies, but the rot spreads. This one isn't even connected to the others, not much angst either I'm afraid.

So when David was first making his puppet self we saw it moving around right? Just, what if it didn't stop? David trying his best to hide the fact he accidentally has another him running around from Rowan. Which is made very hard considering they're also David and would very much like to spend time with Rowan too.

Puppet David does get along better with Roy and Lesley, especially since they let Lesley boss them around. After the rough introduction started going on about "showing the new guy the ropes". David doesn't particularly like it since it almost seems like a parent teaching a child.

David also doesn't like The look on Lesley's face now that she knows she has leverage on him. Lesley not knowing much outside of the house mostly asks for things like candy, new clothes, and games. At least Rowan seems happy that he's "trying to be kinder to the others".

Cue weeks of David and Lesley having close calls of Rowan almost seeing puppet David and looking extremely suspicious as they try to cover it up. Lean at odd angles to block views, quickly closing doors, "accidentally" knocking over entire bookcases, Lesley ripping off a limb and asking Rowan to get David to help reattach it, etc.

It gets to the point where Rowan is more annoyed than worried about what's going on anymore. He gives the others a surprise visit and walks in on Lesley changing the rules of a card game so she's winning. Roy just looks happy to be playing and Puppet David seems amused at her antics.

Puppet David notices Rowan and practically knocks the poor man over with how fast he runs into him. The puppet hugging him and talking so fast and excitedly that Rowan can barely understand what they're saying. Rowan picks them up to get a closer look at them, they long stretch like a cat, but no matter how he looks at them the puppet looks and sounds so much like David it's uncanny. David has so much explaining to do.

#dhmis #two of us au #Rowan #Lesley #David

[allovesthings]

Donna and Dick comic recs

@tired-teddybear asked me to do one and here it is:

New Teen titans (1980):

This was my first introduction to theirs friendship.

Specifically Issue 14: where Dick is the first (and only) to realize that Donna is not okay after seperating for a few days.

Issue 16: which is Kory centric but Donna and Dick spent almost the entire comic together investigating.

Issue 21: This is the arc that introduce Brother blood and I would suggest also reading 22, it's also very good (although it is not really Donna and Dick centric just Dick centric). The arc is really good in general

Issue 29: Donna tries to talk to Dick and have a heart to heart, It's cute but also Dick is being stubborn and punishing himself but we love drama and trauma so (it's also a brother blood thing). Also I think Roy makes his first appearance in the New titans run and it's fun.

Issue 38: my beloved or Who is Donna Troy ? This one is probably one of the best Donna and Dick issue out there, . it is centered around Dick using his detective skills to figure out who Donna's family are. It's a fun mystery but the center of it all is just theirs friendship and this is is THE issue I would recommend for Dick and Donna's friendship.

Tale of new Titans:

Issue 42: The beginning of the Judas contract (I mean honestly the whole arc is just really good in general), they have some really cute moments.

Issue 50: sigh...the wedding. On one hand, I just don't like who she is getting married to but it's worth it for the Dick and Donna moments, he is the one to walk her down the aisle <3. It's very good.

New teen titans vol 2:

Issues 18-19: if you want angst and drama, that's the one. They are fighting on this one.It's sad but you know, we love angst and drama.

Issue 32: This is genuinely one of my favorite. The titans are having fun. It's fun and I love it (also there is a murder mystery..sort of but I don't care, it's so fun)

Issue 36: One hand you've got the weird Raven doesn't understand her feeling and her crush on Dick is about to spill on him due to powers, On the other , Donna and Dick are having fun together training at the begining of the issue and Dick almost dies.

Wonder Woman vol 2 (1987): issue 164-168 Gods of Gotham:

Honestly the entire arc is fun if you want to see some of the Gotham villain being godified and a team up between the Batfam and the Wonderfam of the time.

But especially issues 165/167/168. Dick and Donna come together and just stay together almost the entire time and it's just fun.

JLA/Titans:

Okay listen, this is the perfect story if you want to understand the difference the JLA and the titans. It's great for both of them

Issue 3: It's so sad yet so good. Poor Donna.

Titans (1999):

There are some things around original Titans happening in this run that I didn't like but I think this is one of the best comic if you want to see the relationship between all of the fab five (also not Donna and Dick related but Roy is just so great in this, I love him so much).

Issue 15 (my beloved): The Fab five are stuck on an island and it's great for both the entire group and for Donna not being able to resist meeting a certain someone of Dick's past (It's great, I love it so much).

Issue 25: Who is Troia: Donna centric with time travel shenanigans. Older Dick taking the time to reminds Donna of her strength. We love to see it. 10 Out of 10.

(honorable mention:11,28-29 where the titans sort of becomes guardians to a bunch a superpowered children).

Titans secret files (2): The titans decided to show up in Bludhaven and make fun of Dick and in the middle of that, both of them get a heart to heart and it's great (plus a hug <3 )

Batman Chronicle 7:

Since it's several stories, the Dick and Donna one start at page 21. They are hanging out, out of costume, they are great and we get another hug.

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation day and Dc special: the return of Donna Troy:

Those two should probably be read together. What happens to Donna in the end of Graduation Day really mark the beginning of a terrible period of time for Dick both because of that (see Outsiders) and for other reasons (Devin Grayson) the dc special is an important sequel to that. However, I will say,in my opinion, if you are reading for Dick and Donna the return of Donna Troy might be a bit of a disappointment because while the two other of Donna's relationships that were emphasized in Graduation Days (Cassie and Roy) were followed through, I felt like Dick was a bit relegated back to the group.

Titans (2008):

I haven't read it because it seems to be a bit of a..mess and Dick leave 10 issues in. I know there are some Donna and Dick moments though ?

JLA v2:

Donna and Dick are co-leading the Justice League as Batman and Troia. It's great, they are great and really competent and I kinda love it.

Issue 41: Donna meets Damian with Dick. It's so fun, she is so amused, I love it.

Issue 60: The end of that era. It's a good goodbye that isn't a goodbye because it's Donna and Dick (but also it is a goodbye, this is right before New 52 when Donna doesn't exist for a long time and Dick has no friends)

Titans hunt:

reuniting of the fab five, Bumblebee and Lilith. They are paired together with Garth from beginning to end and are mostly fighting side by side. It's great

Titans rebirth (2016):

I actually didn't like the run and had to stop when the team is dismantled for the first time by the Justice League. It feels too impersonal for the Titans. That said: There are 2 issues that are good:

Titans Annual 1: Which is another compare and contrast between the Titans and the Justice League done well (it isn't Donna and Dick centric but it's good and I thought I would still mention it)

The Titans special: It has a really sweet Donna and Dick moment as he is trying to recruit her into a new Titan run (that said they made Donna says that Wally was her best friend to Dick's face and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive it for that)

Batman/Superman: World Finest:

honestly I just recommend this run in general, it's the only one I'm currently following and the arc is great but it's not really Donna and Dick centric, the Teen Titans are in it in issues 8 and Donna is worried about Dick and it's really great.

World Finest: Teen Titan (the spin off).

I'm a bit divised on that, I think it's fun and has a really good take on Batman's relationship with Dick. I like the foil between Dick and Roy but it feels a bit tone deaf when it comes to the case, also stop making Donna kiss one of the boy that isn't Roy on theirs team. I'm begging you. That said, Donna and Dick are kinda the confident of the other with Donna being the one who will calls out somone else if they go too far and Dick motherhenning when he learn what Donna has beeen doing.

Convergence: Teen Titans:

If you are mad about the ending of the New Titans (1989), then you are going to love that, Kori and Dick are married and the Titans have to protect theirs New York and Dick fucked up but also get to hold hand with Donna and that's a plus for me

(Also, please read convergence Titans just for the fix-it of it all even if Dick isn't in it.It's great, Roy got Lian back we love to see it)

I think I forgot some, if you have more, feel free to ad to this

#dick grayson #donna troy #dc comics #dc comic #nightwing #troia

[niki-phoria]

i would love to see a heeseung x m!reader fic that have an academic rivals to lovers trope when they're both fighting for the valedictorian spot and both realizes their feelings for each other🥰🥰

he's so AKNENSKLNS sir pls have mercy i beg of you

pairing: student!heeseung x student!male!reader (he/him pronouns) genre: fluff word count: 1.4k

warnings: mentions of internalized homophobia

includes: reader being bad at math (specifically calculus), heeseung being good at math (specifically calculus), pls notice how i tried to reference the beginning at the end of the fic lmao i hope the self insertness of this one isn't too obvious

got a ton of inspo from this prompt list by @urfriendlywriter !!

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i really like the rivals to lovers trope but this is mostly pining oops this idea is really cute :)) i hope you like it <33

requests open !! read my rules first

lee heeseung.

you’ve been competing with him for the acclaimed position as valedictorian since he first arrived at your high school with big brown doe eyes three years ago. despite never really interacting with him, an unspoken rivalry had formed between you over the years. his presence alone seemed to drive you into wanting to be better than him. 

which is exactly why your current situation was less than ideal. 

“i’m sorry, y/n,” mina sighs. she had been your seatmate for the past month. you almost envied her ability to master any subject without studying nearly as much as you did. “i don’t really understand it either.” you can barely hide your disappointment at yet another failed attempt to find a study partner for your upcoming calculus test. math was never your best subject. “maybe you can ask heeseung. i’ve heard he’s really good at it. and he does tutoring on the side!” 

“yeah, maybe.” you glance over your shoulder at said boy. he’s sitting at his desk, flipping through a textbook as you wait for the bell to ring and officially release you from the class. 

you glance down at the set of problems you need to learn before sighing once again. they’re too complex for you to learn in time for your final exam and you can’t risk losing top spot. not when you’re so close to graduation. 

the shrill ring of the bell confirms your decision for you. you quickly shove the textbook into your bag before walking over to heeseung. “hey,” you say. 

he startles, looking up at you with wide eyes. they mirror the nervousness you had first seen in him on the first day of school when he awkwardly stumbled through the various hallways in search of his classes. “hi.” his voice is sweet as he greets you. 

“i’m really sorry to ask but i could use some help on the latest unit,” your hands anxiously play with your backpack straps. “mina said you tutor people on the side and i wasn’t sure who else to ask.” 

“i’d love to help,” to your surprise, heeseung agrees immediately. he smiles at you as he stands up. “when are you free? we can meet up at a coffee shop or something.” 

“i have some time tonight. i’ll meet you by the south doors?” 

“sounds good. i’ll see you there.” 

“great!” you watch as heeseung slips away into the crowd, making his way to his next class among the sea of students. you’re quick to follow his lead, clutching your bag a little tighter as you walk across the school to your own classroom - history. 

after a short introduction, your teacher writes down a group of pages in your textbook to take notes from. as you scan through the various different paragraphs to search for any relevant information to write down your mind drifts. 

your building anxiety about your math final is soon overtaken by heeseung. you’ve always found him handsome - ever since you first saw him when he was accidentally late to your science class because he had gotten lost in the school’s corridors. you had drowned yourself in your studies in a poor attempt to forget about him, soon replacing any concerns about making friends or potential romantic relationships with hours of meticulous notetaking and practice quizzes. 

heeseung had gotten taller over the years you had spent in school together. he had grown his hair out from a blunt bowl cut. the strands framed his face perfectly; even when disheveled after a rough gym class or a long night of studying. his voice had gotten deeper, too. you had slowly watched his interests evolve in the form of rotating keychains hanging off of his backpack. 

despite all of the changes you had noticed, some things remained the same. heeseung had kept the same friend group throughout the years - six other boys you often found yourself jealous of, though you were never fully sure why. he had taken choir and music theory every year. sometimes you passed by him playing basketball while you were walking home. during your brief interactions, he had remained the same quiet, kind, studious boy you shared a few classes with. 

your thoughts are interrupted by the final ring of the bell. you make a mental note to finish taking your notes once you get home as you quickly shove your things into your backpack before making your way to the south entrance. 

heeseung is already standing there by the time you arrive. he shoves his phone into his pocket, greeting you with another sweet smile. “ready to go?” 

“yeah.” you walk side by side in silence as heeseung leads you to a small local coffee shop you hadn’t noticed before. vines crawl along the walls, creating a calming atmosphere as you sit down at a table in the corner. quiet ambient noise plays from unseen speakers. 

heeseung slides a cup over to you before sitting down across from you. you take a small sip from it, pleasantly surprised at the taste. “it’s good,” you say. “thank you.” 

“i’m glad,” he smiles, pulling his own textbook out of his bag. “so, which concept do you want to start with?” 

you quickly find yourself falling into a routine with heeseung. every tuesday and thursday you meet him by the south entrance of school before walking to the same coffee shop and working through a new concept until you’ve mastered it. 

over time, your meetings had become less about studying and slowly turned into time you spending time laughing and joking around with each other. you had memorized his coffee order after your second meeting. by the fourth you had moved to sit next to him. 

you were increasingly aware of your upcoming math exam as the weeks went by. though you’re grateful for the help, a part of you was disappointed at potentially not seeing heeseung as much as you do currently. it had been nearly two months since you had first begun meeting up. 

your hands accidentally brush against each other, causing a spark of electricity to pass through your body. in the corner of your eye you can see a growing flush spread across heeseung’s cheeks. his reaction makes you smile a little. maybe he also gets nervous around you.

“sorry,” he whispers. 

you shake your head. “don’t be.” 

heeseung turns to face you, staring until you turn to look at him as well. he doesn’t look away as you make eye contact. instead, he shifts slightly so he’s a little closer to you. 

something about him makes you nervous. at some point during your meetings your pristine perfect student persona slipped away, exposing you. the real you -. a teenage boy desperate to be the best, even when your social life suffered and after you lost count of the countless amount of nights you had spent staying up far too late to study. 

heeseung’s eyes just barely flicker from yours down to your lips. the flush on his ears deepens when you unconsciously lick them. he leans in a little closer; almost as if he’s testing the limits of your relationship. you don’t pull away. instead, you reciprocate heeseung’s actions, further minimizing the small space between you. 

“heeseung,” you whisper. 

his eyes shift back up to yours for a second. “y/n,” he raises a hand to cup your cheek. “can i kiss you?” 

you don’t trust your mouth to say any of the words running through your mind. your feelings make sense now. the jealousy over heeseung’s friends, why you’re so nervous around him, the sparks when you touch him. 

years of denial and repressed feelings are ignored as you refocus on heeseung’s lips. they’re tinted a light pink. you desperately want to know what it would feel like to love him. to be loved by him. 

finally, you nod, letting your eyes flutter shut as heeseung slowly leans forwards to pull you into a sweet kiss. his lips feel soft as they gently press against your own. the small sparks of electricity you got from touching his hand are amplified. happiness courses through you. it’s a feeling stronger than you ever thought was possible before. 

you’re nearly panting when he finally pulls away, staring at you with a small smile. you can’t help the way your lips quirk upwards into one of your own. “i love you,” he whispers. 

your response comes in the form of another sweet kiss. you’re both smiling into it, though neither of you mind. suddenly it feels like everything makes sense. love. 

you’re in love with lee heeseung.

#heeseung x reader #enha x reader #enhypen x reader #heeseung fluff #enha fluff #enhypen fluff #heeseung x male reader #enha x male reader #enhypen x male reader #heeseung x you #heeseung x y/n #enha soft hours #enha x you #enha x y/n #enhypen x you #enhypen x y/n #heeseung imagine #heeseung one shot #heeseung drabble #heeseung scenario #enha one shot #enha imagine #enha drabble #enha scenario #enhypen imagine #enhypen one shot #enhypen scenario #enhypen drabble #male reader #kpop x male reader

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

Love at first strike

It all started on an average Tuesday. He hadn't thought much of it at the time. How was he to know his life would be changed in an instant that day?

Dali couldn't help it. Really, it was inevitable. There was no running or weaseling his way out of it. He had fallen and fallen hard.

He could still remember it all vividly. The chatter in the halls the sunlight pouring through the windows. Walking into the library and ready to greet the newest suck- Librarian that was hired.

***SMACK***

He never saw that broom coming. He's hit directly in the face and falls backward. Staring up at them from his spot on the floor, he watches them chasing some creature around the aisles.

"GET BACK HERE YOU MENACE!!! LITERATURE EATING PEST!!!! OUT!!! GET OUT OF THIS LIBRARY!!!" They scream repeatedly, swatting it with the broom.

How was Dali supposed to know that the beating on his heart and the flushed face he wore were signs of love? He thought he had been caught off guard! Surprised!

All he could say was he never regretted stepping into the library that day. He remembered laughing his ass off as he watched the chase. How the rage in their eyes shone brightly.

The cute way their tail twitched. The cry of victory they had let out once they had successfully disposed of the creature. A furious little imp with a mighty swing to match.

A little psychopath on a rampage as you got everything organized. Forcing your will onto him and making him help. All without introductions or an apology for hitting him.

"How can anyone find anything? This is a learning environment! You're supposed to help the children find things they have an interest in or have trouble understanding, not hide everything!"

Tossing rags of cobwebs away and disposing of long forgotten snacks left on the shelf. They continued ranting vividly about strangling the previous caretaker of the library. So cute!

Their furrowed brows. The puffed cheeks. The frustrated huffs as they vigorously scrubbed the library clean from top to bottom.

It looks like a reverse hurricane sweeping by. Leaving nothing but order behind instead of chaos. How amusing!

At this point, Dali had forgotten his reason for coming and just handed them things on occasion while watching them do the impossible. "Flithy! Disgusting! When was the last time this place was clean?"

That was a fair question. He watched as they swept clouds of dust into the air. For as long as he could remember the library if babyls had been a mess.

More focused on gaining knowledge than organizing it. Yet here, this newcomer was only a few hours into the job and halfway finished cleaning. He wondered if it was some kind of magic.

"And none of these are organized! It will take days to sort out!!! Do we even have a master list of the books here?!?"

Dali can't help but chuckle mischievously at the biting remark thrown his way. "Oh... I'm sure we do. Somewhere around here..." Casually leaning against one of the shelves as he drawed out his words.

That, of course, earned him a new smack. This time with a duster. What was it with them and constantly hitting his poor face?

***SMACK***

Speaking of which, he snapped out of his reminiscence by a familiar ache. He stares at the demon in question. The imp has the nerve to smack him again with the paperwork in their hand.

"Just look at all this paperwork! I didn't take this job to sign papers all day long! I did it to relax in a cozy place with books!" They huffed.

"Awww, don't be like that, dear." He wraps his arms around their waste, admiring how their tail gave a small wiggle. "Why don't I sit with you to pass the time?"

"I feel like you're just hiding from your own mountain of papers." "Mmm, I do have many essays to grade." He rests his head against theirs.

"But I'd love to do my work with you by my side." He purrs softly, making them blush and shove his face away. "Alright, alright. So needy."

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #reader #dantalion