#((I play around and change things up a lot but in a verse she has a box animal she does spoil them periodically yes))

[queenharumiura]

((Memory serving, after the TYL arc the animals could still come out in the case of Mukurou and Natsu, especially. Vongola gear won't stop them from coming out. After the rings fused with the Vongola rings, Natsu has been shown to willingly pop out of his vongola gear on his own to greet Enma. I'm willing to bet the others can too, they simply don't do so.

All this to really say: I'm sure at one point Haru walks up to someone like, when is the last time you let your friend out to have fresh air and give them pats? Let them out.

Translation: Haru will hijack the animals to pamper them at times because hard-working animals need to be spoiled too!!! If you won't do it, she'll do it for you!))

[mirensiart]

Hey Miry what are some fun (or maybe angsty) headcanons you have for the boys, including Chain?

Hmmmm 🤔 ok let me think

Sky: I know most people headcanon Warriors as the field medic, but I feel Sky is also versed in first aids and is really good at it, he has excellent bedside manner. Like the knight academy probably taught him all about it, so the 3 medics of the gang are warriors, hyrule and him. I also believe he has an impeccable stitch technique, like barely leaves scars at all. Really dexterous with his hands too, thanks to his wood crafting and harp playing, he's really good with them hands lmao.

Four: he's a blacksmith sure, and knows a lot about making weapons and maintaining them, but I like to believe he's also really good and making stuff out of leather. Like he knows how to make leather belts and pouches for the weapons his grandpa makes or leather clothes as protection in battle. Idk just a very crafty little guy that offers the entire deal aka a weapon and the leather belts to carry it, all in one service hehe

Time: I like to believe he lost his eye in a very mundane non heroic way, like maybe he fell off a rowdy horse and landed in the worst way possible or a farm centric accident. He makes up different stories about how he lost it, every time someone asks, he changes it, some stories are batshit insane and some others are super normal. He actually has told the real way he lost the eye in between the fake stories, but no one believes him. He thinks it's hilarious btw.

Twilight: I've mentioned before that I headcanon him to be a very sensitive guy, like small things can make him tear up aka a baby animal absolutely makes him want to start sobbing lmao. I like to believe he gossips and talks a lot with his epona as wolfie, like when you're in wolf form in twilight princess you can talk to animals and epona is so sweet with him when you talk to her, they are soulmates man. The guys do something dumb and he turns into wolfie just to walk to epona like "can u believe those guys??" Epona knows everything tbh like he tells her everything, she's the only one who truly knows his woes over losing midna.

Wind: I love to believe the little guy can legit control the winds, like the wind waker is a way for him to channel his magic, but he can control the wind unconsciously, too. When he gets really mad, the winds pick up speeds around him, or if he's happy, a gentle breeze circles around him, etc. His hair is always blowing in the breeze even when he's inside doors, and there's no wind. It just does that.

Legend: Excellent gardener, has a talent for growing plants, flowers, and trees. They flourish under his care. Extremely particular about soil and water and shadow/light for his plants, he not only has an apple orchard, but also grows veggies and rare flowers. Ravio maintains his garden under extreme rules and guidelines lmao ravio is not allowed to sell the apples or veggies from legend's garden, but legend encourages rav to use them for cooking instead.

Hyrule: disney princess aka animals love him lmao typical guy who befriends every single creature he meets, he could pacify a bear if he wants to. His fae part is what makes him have such an affinity with nature in general, I see him as the elves from LOTR who can feel and communicate with trees and they guide him. It's why he never uses maps, he doesn't need them.

Wild: using LOTR as my base for headcanons again lol but I see him like aragorn in the sense that aragorn is a human who was raised by elves so he feels a strong connection to elf culture because of it. I picture wild to be the same, but with the zoras, since he was childhood friends with mipha, we can imply he spent A LOT of time in zora's domain as a child. He is way more versed in zora customs, language, holidays, etc, than the hylian ones. It's also why I feel the older zora are so pissed off with him in botw, like they saw him as one of their own for so long, utter betrayal that he didn't protect their princess (mipha) and failed them all lol he has some zora mannerism in the sense that sometimes, he eats fish raw LMAO when he absentmindedly ate one in front of everyone the first time everyone was shocked for a while lmao

Warriors: absolute nervous wreck, always riddled with anxiety, really low self-esteem, is probably screaming 24/7 inside his head at all times, but is EXCEPTIONAL at faking it, like fake it til you make it is his way of life lmao he exudes over confidence and is always worried about his looks as a way to hide how much of a mess he truly is. Time & Wind has seen him at his worst and know that he's a great actor, which helps him cause he can stop pretending around them for a while

And now my link lmao

Chain: All bark, no bite. He is ironic and sarcastic and shows himself as a tough guy, but he's actually a sweetheart, and things get to him pretty easily. He learned pretty early on than carrying his heart on his sleeve is a really bad idea around the Bounty Hunter guild, since soft nice guys don't last long, so he replies to hurtful comments with sarcasm and a tough attitude, when in reality he's really hurt lmao he also jokes to cope, he'd rather throw a joke or two at you than really open up and talk about his feelings.

[distant--shadow]

Laudna shrouds herself over Imogen's back, their legs intertwined under their shared blanket. 

When they lie so close Laudna can easily believe the warmth she syphons is her own; that the regular, slow and deep breaths that caus her own body to rise along with Imogen are shared and just as beneficial between the two of them. 

If she believes it then it can be magic. 

Magic, she delicately draws the tip of her ichored nail down Imogen's forearm, following a path carved by a lightning strike scar before tangling in the welcoming snare of a knot of green ribbon and red thread. 

She thumbs over the bracelet, aware of how her own is pressed between their arms in one of the many places that their bodies currently meet, aware of how it would leave an imprint on her flesh if it had more fat and elasticity, aware of the feeling of the further fray on Imogen's bracelet verses her own, the worries she has worn into its fabric with her anxious habitual movements. 

(aware that it seems wrong to cast mending without asking.) 

The green of the ribbon is silken, especially in comparison to the unravelling nature of the red twine, a blood-dyed sturdier fiber like threads of muscles tweezered apart, for it must be robust enough to tie skulls to taxidermy, to hang her utilities from her belts, and so it seems fitting, that the ribbon should be silk, be bows of green accentuating softness in all curves and fur. 

Imogen's positioned like one of the things on Laudna's belt; not noosed at giant knuckle but a Ruidian specimen all the same, curled in and alien-in-a-glass-jar fetal - her subconscious laying her prone on their bed roll, her mother's voice in her nightmares, in her dreams

Laudna wonders how far the bracelet frays when she stands in the red storm

how often Imogen counts each braid of it between the pads of her fingertips like a bead for a prayer

if it ever unravels and lays itself out as rope, ties around rock and helps her escape

good thing then, that Laudna’s twine is supportive, that Fearne’s is soft to her touch

if it could tether them there, to her dreams

to where there is the moon

and so is here-

Laudna acknowledges one of the many things she often has to, but would rather she didn't. Subtle as the purple glow from inside of her chest. 

(if everyone didn't know otherwise she could say that the glow was Imogen’s.) 

but they know otherwise. they were there when she woke up, they stood around the experiment-cum-operating table. 

and all of the Hells can see this too

the string of glowing red energy that stretches across the dark natural stone cavern that lends itself as a bedroom. 

ties Imogen to Fearne. 

Laudna parts her hand from Imogen's wrist, reaches out, her bony elbow cushioned by the swell of Imogen's hip. 

Her index finger unfurls, beckons at the god-eating tether as if she could pluck it like a lute string, wonders if the note would change with their distance, grabs at it as if it were a lasso Imogen had cast and that Laudna could grasp and reel Fearne towards them

the mental image of it makes Laudna chortle, her brittle bones surely sooner snapping as a dissonant chord plays-

Imogen stirs

"Honey, did you say somethin'?"  she blearily whispers

"I'm sorry, were you sleeping?" 

"No, I was just thinkin'."

"With your eyes closed?" 

"With ma eyes closed." Imogen turns over her shoulder and kisses Laudna on the end of her permanently broken nose. "What were you laughin' about?"

Laudna's focus darts to where her hand had grasped for unattainable energy. 

"I was thinking about my arms popping out of their sockets after trying to wrangle Fearne." 

Imogen stifles her laugh, her dimples drawing in shadows. 

"There is a lot of her." 

she quiets as from a few feet away, Fearne gently snores.

the scoff Imogen's throat gives is affectionate, a reverberation of rumble travelled between them sympathetic and synchronised.

"mm." Laudna shortly hums. She can't disagree. 

She returns her hand to lay ontop of Imogen's upturned, though it is hard for her eyes to ignore the only source of light in the room, despite her dark vision. 

Imogen's fingers thread between her own, squeeze tentatively. 

Laudna's head is rested over Imogen's shoulder, sunken into the crook of her neck, her soft lilac hair pillowing her castle ruin cheek

their line of sight can't be too dissimilar, surely Imogen can't ignore the spectral tightrope illuminating between them. 

Laudna hadn't done a good job of making it across the one over the river. 

Imogen can most likely feel it even if her eyes are closed. 

The gold of her circlet a juxtaposition of hot flesh meeting cold, a flux permanently balanced between their two body tempratures. 

"You have said before that we're a lot..." 

"We are, but we wouldn't be us if we weren't. It's what makes us right, it's why we work." the hush to Imogen's voice doesn't dampen its affection. 

Laudna props herself up on her left elbow, right arm still draped over Imogen but now her head hovering over the other woman's, their hair a mass of wiry blacks and wavy lilacs covering the pillow

Laudna wonders how the two would look braided, 

of seafoam green-

"And Fearne?" 

Imogen's brow furrows.

Fearne? 

Imogen opens their mental connection to excuse the third woman from their conversation. 

The two of you…

Imogen's cheeks flush, imperceptible to anyone else within their nook or the neighbouring-nook ‘rooms’ (Laudna would know easily how to make a room of them), despite their sleeping, despite Orym’s perception. He can't see in the dark. He can't get to know everything. And Chet-

well he'd probably argue he could smell the blood anyhow.

I am not jealous. I do not envy your posistion. I am glad you have someone-

Laudna, what you talkin’ about? I have you. 

You have both of us, and I really am thankful for that.

[in1-nutshell]

Can I request a scenerio where there's a version Ophelia that lives in the IDW verse? How would life be like for her in the IDW verse? What would IDW Megatron treat her before she eventually defected? And how would she react to Megatron in the trial giving a speech of how the decepticons are over? And how would they meet up eventually on the lost light?

YES!

Time to meet IDW Ophelia!

Hope you enjoy!

IDW Ophelia

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Slight Angst, Cybertronian reader

MTMTE/IDW

Megatron met Ophelia first while he was still a miner and before she even had a name.

After moving to a new location.

After not being able to find Terminus in time…

He had noticed her from afar at first.

She was one of the sparklings in the area that would try and sneak into the caves and steal a couple of shards of raw energon.

The angrier bots would try and catch her, but she always disappears into one of the ssmaller holes in the caverns.

There were a couple of the miners who hated the sparkling trying to steal their work, while others pitied the little thing trying to survive.

If she was lucky, a miner would casually ‘drop’ a shard.

Megatron was guilty of doing such an action.

Megatron pushing his cart and sees a pair of optics in one of the holes in the cavern. He knew those optics. The miner ‘accidentally' dropped a shard and kicked it near the hole. Megatron: “Go on little one.” A pair of small servos reach out and snatches the shard. The sparkling pokes their little helm out and gives him a small smile before going back.

She was the smallest sparkling he had ever seen and never seemed to get enough fueling.

The sparkling had seemed to take a liking to him too.

She seemed to follow him everywhere, even once he moved into the gladiator arenas, the small sparkling always seemed to find him.

He grew accustomed of having a tiny shadow running behind him after finding out she did follow him so far from the mines.

Megatron writing on a data pad. The sparkling sitting on the ground: “What are you writing?” Megatron pauses before looking down. Megatron: “I am writing to try and change the future of our world little one.” Sparkling tilts her helm: “It must be nice.” Megatron hands her one of his drafts. Megatron: “This is a draft for one of the writings I have done. You can read it if you like.” The sparkling looks down: “I can’t read.” Megatron blinks before scooping her up with one servo and plopping her on his lap. The sparkling looks at him curiously. He points to one of the glyphs. Megatron: “Can you repeat after me?” The sparkling smiled repeating the sounds that came out of his voice.

It was at that moment Megatron had decided to take the sparkling under his wing.

The gladiator would later introduce the sparkling to his companions and coworkers.

Some include Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Impactor, Starscream and Orion Pax.

Orion was someone special to the sparkling.

Not only was Orion one of the best sparkling sitters he could ask for, but in many ways, his sparkling and Orion had similar mannerisms and actions.

Some joked around saying that the sparkling was Orion’s.

Megatron laughed at those as well because the pair did act a lot alike.

Megatron came to pick up his sparkling. He sees her perched on Orion shoulder’s holding his finals. Megatron: “Orion.” Orion and the sparkling turn to him at the same time, both sporting a similar happy look in their optics. Orion waved and the sparkling waved. Orion and the sparkling: “Megatron!” Megatron laughs at the confused look on both the bots faces when they realized they said the exact thing.

When Orion is not an option to look after her, Megatron leaves his sparkling with Soundwave.

The sparkling loves playing around with Soundwave and his minicons.

Ravage has already told the gladiator that Frenzy and Rumble were trying to convince Soundwave to keep the sparkling.

He doesn’t know what to feel about that, but he knows that his sparkling will be safe with them.

Fun fact: Megatron (before the war) did trust Starscream to look after his sparkling, but only for short amounts of time.

It is only for a short amount of time because of what happened the last time he left her with the Seeker.

Megatron coming back from talking with Orion. Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker are all covered with oil, soot, and bits of rock. The sparkling happily slept in Starscream’s sub space. Elite Trine: “…” Megatron: “… Wh—” Starscream in a hushed voice: “Your sparkling is a menace.” Megatron: “What.” Starscream opens his sub space and passes him his clean sparkling before marching out the room. Megatron blinks readjusting his servo. The sparkling simply snuggles closer to his chassis. Megatron: “And what exactly happened?” Thundercracker: “I think its best if you don’t know.” Skywarp: “Just a lot of oil, rocks, buildings, and plenty of warping to put me out of commission till next solar cycle.”

When Megatron gets arrested, Orion is the one to come in and take care of the sparkling.

If she’d had gone with Soundwave or any bot who identified as a Decepticon, there was sure to be a target on the little one’s helm.

With Orion, thanks to their similar mannerisms could easily be seen as his sparkling.

The first few days, the sparkling constantly asks Orion where Megatron was.

He did eventually tell her where he was being held and why it was important to stay with him now.

The sparkling does take some time to get used to… everything, but with Orion’s help it becomes easier.

Orion takes the sparkling with him to meet other bots like Ratchet, Prowl, Chromedome, Jazz, and Roller.

In Senator Shockwave’s place for Outliers  Also known as the Cybertronian version of the X mansion. The sparkling is struggling to sit on one of the slabs in the lab. The Senator is giving Orion and Ratchet the tour of the lab while Chromedome, Skids, Roller, Windcharger, and Glitch are talking amongst themselves. Senator Shockwave patting a machine: “This machine can tell us a bots percentage of being an outlier.” Ratchet: “Why a percentage?” Senator Shockwave: “Because no one knows who an outlier is or when. Sometimes it takes years to even find—” BEEP BEEP! The screen read ONE PERCENTER. Senator Shockwave: “Roller do not touch the slab.” Roller: “I’m not touching the slab.” Everybody looks over at the small sparkling who had a happy smile finally getting onto the slab to sit. Everyone: “…” Senator Shockwave: “By the Matrix… Orion did you—” Orion goes over to pick her up. Orion: “No. And I have no doubt Megatron isn’t any of the wiser.” Roller pats the sparkling on the helm. Roller: “Welcome to the club little outlier.”

The pair had agreed to keep this new secret under wraps, at least until it was safer.

Orion did read to her bits of his manifestos as she was still learning who to read and write, which was coming along even faster with him around.

She loved hearing his voice while he read.

Once Megatron was released, Orion expected Megatron to come for his sparkling.

Yet, the mech didn’t show his face to him or his sparkling.

There wasn’t even any talk from the Decepticons about getting her back.

The sparkling knew this, yet she still patiently waited for her father to come back.

Orion coming back from work to see her by the window looking at the city. She looks over at him and gives him a tired smile. Orion puts his stuff down and takes a seat next to her. Silence. Orion hears a bit of a sniffle from the sparkling. The sparkling continued to look out the window: “Do… do you think he even remembers I exist anymore? It has been a long time…” Orion: “Of course he does. And I am sure he will be fighting any bot who tries to stop him from reuniting with you.” The sparkling clenches her servos: “Then why isn’t he here? Why hasn’t he sent Soundwave, or Ravage or even Starscream to come for me?! He’s been out long enough! Why isn’t he here!?” Orion gently places a servo on her shoulder. The sparkling immediately goes to his chassis and sobs: “Why?! Does he not want me? Why doesn’t he want me?! Orion why doesn’t he want me?” Orion pulls her into a hug and holds her close.

It isn’t long after this interaction that the war starts.

And the sparkling once again has to lose a guardian.

Thankfully this time she wasn’t alone.

It does take time for her to get used to Optimus Prime, but soon enough he becomes another guardian.

He wasn’t quite like Orion, but there was enough still in there.

She had been thinking about joining the Decepticons early in the war, being indecisive of which side to choose or to just leave the planet all together.

It isn’t until she meets Ultra Magnus that she chooses a side.

She chooses to be an Autobot.

She gets a mech suit built for her.

With the combination of the suits force and her outlier strength she soon becomes a powerhouse on the battlefield.

It became a ritual for most recruits to meet her and then see the real her.

That stopped quickly after a few bots defected to the Decepticon’s.

But she did it to the human allies.

Verity looking at the tall bot.   Verity: “Wow, you’re a big bot aren’t ya.” Springer and Impactor chuckle a bit. Impactor: “Hey kid, you hear that? Verity wants to meet you.” A pair of large optics looks down at the human. Suddenly the chassis of the bot opens and a minibot comes out. The minibot holds out her servo to Verity: “Hello, you must be Verity.” Verity blinks several times before placing her tiny hand in the bots larger one. Verity: “Yeah, I’m Verity. What’s your name?” The minibot looked at her: “I don’t exactly have one, but I accept any given nicknames.” Verity: “What? Why don’t you have a name?” Springer: “Its for safety reasons. Her father is a dangerous mech. If he ever got wind about her location—” Impactor: “The effects would be worse than Ironfist not being able to find his data pads, but at a global scale.” Verity: “So… really bad. Okay good to know… but what if you went by a different name? A name from Earth? That way your dad won’t be able to find ya and you have a name?” The minibot looked at her curiously: “I’ve gotten used to all the nicknames… what name did you have in mind?” Verity unslings her back bag trying to get her computer when a small book falls out. The minibot hands Verity back the book: “What is this?” Verity: “Oh its an old book a friend of mine lent. It called Hamlet—I GOT IT!” The bots jump from the sudden noise. Verity points at the minibot: “How does Ophelia?” The minibot tries saying the name: “Oophelia? Ophelia.” Ophelia smiles at the human picking her up and giving her a quick hug. Ophelia: “I love it!”

Ophelia was on Earth when she had received word that the war was over.

It felt so unreal finally hearing those words, that she stayed on Earth for a bit longer before returning to Cybertron.

It was on the way that she had also heard of Optimus taking time to go somewhere now that the war was over.

As sparkbroken as she was, Ophelia still decided to join the Lost Light.

It wasn’t like Cybertron had been her home anyways, maybe amongst the stars she would find a place worth calling home.

Ophelia kept the suit on for most of the time on board, only dawning it when trouble arose.

Part of her wishes she’d stay in the suit because the moment someone pointed out she was the youngest crew member, there always seemed to be something she couldn’t do because she was young.

Ophelia at Swerve sitting with Rodimus and Ultra Magnus about to order some drinks. Magnus: “Ophelia you cannot get that.” Ophelia: “Why not? It’s a good drink?” Magnus: “It contains engex.” Rodimus: “Relax Magnus. She’s old enough to take that drink. It’s just a bit.” Magnus: “Actually Rodimus, she is still young enough for the engex to affect her processor.” Rodimus: “Wait, you’re THAT young? How did you join the crew anyway?” Ophelia facepalming: “Like everyone else Rodimus. I signed a data pad, and I was cleared.” Later… Ophelia talking to Whirl about going to the range. Whirl: “You sure about that Itty? Don’t wanna scare ya or anything.” Ophelia slightly glared at Whirl’s joke. Ophelia: “Whirl you’ve seen me in action with the Wrecker’s. Going to the range is nothing in comparison.” Tailgate appearing out of nowhere: “Excuse me you’re going to the what?! The range is NOT a place where sparklings should be.” Ophelia: “I’m not a sparkling Tailgate!” Cyclonus: “Compared to everyone here you are Ophelia.” Ophelia: “I’m a 1 percenter. I could literally bench press several bot your size and not feel a thing, even more with the suit on.” Tailgate pats her helm: “Shhh…” Ophelia facepalms as the other minibot leads her away from the range and to his habsuite to listen to ‘real’ Cybertronian music.

Ophelia had insisted on staying on the ship when it docked on Cybertron.

 It was something that Rodimus needed to do apparently.

She was at Swerve’s when the news of Megatron renouncing Decepticonism came out.

The minibot didn’t know what to think of it.

Half over her rejoiced her father—Megatron, had found his way.

But the other was in conflict, a bit surprised that he was even online.

The moment Ophelia heard that HE was going to come aboard, she dawned her suit.

She needed to prepare for anything that came with his arrival, from an outburst to bots turning on her if they ever found out her relation with him.

Ophelia in the suit with Ultra Magnus at the ship’s entrance. Megatron was walking with Rodimus and several guards behind them. Ophelia felt the hungry sparkling that looked at him in fear and curiosity from her hole. She didn’t hear what Magnus and Rodimus had said but slowly offered her servo to him. Ophelia: “Welcome to the Lost Light Megatron.” Megatron looked at her suspiciously and then at her servo as if she laced it with poison. Hesitantly he gave it a quick shake. She nodded and showed him to his quarters, not noticing the felicon also boarding the ship.

[justmochi]

OA ENTERTAINMENT uploaded: EDEN - The Making of 'WHO AM I' Documentary

Eden rubs her eyes with her fingers, checking out her puffy face in the mirror. “Good morning,” She whispers to the camera before pointing her phone screen towards it. “It’s currently four a.m. It is going to be our very first day in the studio recording for my first mini album.”

She quickly brushes her teeth and washes her face. She applies toner pads before whispering again. “I am very excited, but also anxious. It’s gonna be my first release working with an entirely new team, but I’m confident the results are going to be great. I managed to get about three hours of sleep, but we shouldn’t be recording too many vocals on the first day. I’m hoping it’ll be pretty chill as we create a roadmap for what we’re going to accomplish.”

She slouches over the kitchen counter, waiting for her coffee to brew. “I’d usually head around the corner to the cafe near our apartment, but it is four a.m. So I’m just gonna make a quick coffee and order breakfast when everything starts opening up.”

The video cuts to Eden kissing her fingertips, proceeding to press it against the top of a teddy bear. “Gotta give Younghui a goodbye kiss before I leave.”

She fastens her seatbelt before taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s kinda weird seeing me drive, right?”

“We’ve made it to the studio. I’ll see you inside!”

[WORKAHOLIC]

“I look back on my career and decisions I’ve made and always ask myself, “Is this really what I want? Is it worth it?” I may be a bit greedy, but is it so wrong to want more for myself?

“I just really wanted to interpret how young workers are faced with the dilemma of either working hard or enjoying life. So if you’re struggling, just know that I acknowledge you and all your hard work. If you’re not where you wanna be in life right now, that’s okay! Take it one day at a time, and make some changes! Lay out a roadmap in where you want to see yourself in a year and stick to it. Don’t be discouraged from reality and live in the moment. One day, I wanna hear all about it.”

[HAIR DOWN]

“I think this song is, in a way, a continuation of Workaholic. It’s more fun! Sometimes I just need to forget about my deadlines, let loose and live my life. Life is too short so you have to make the most of it.”

Eden has her hands on her hips, putting all her weight on one leg as the producer messes around with the mixing. She notices the studio door open behind him with her peripheral vision. She realizes it’s Jennie with takeout bags. Both of their faces light up when their eyes meet. Eden has to put her headphones on the stand before she can exit the recording room.

“Hey!” Eden hugs her member once she sets the food down. It had been a couple weeks since they last saw each other.

“How are you doing? Is everything comfortable for you here?”

“Oh, I love it. We’re getting a lot of work done.” She extends her hand, patting the back of his chair.

“I’ll let you two chit chat. I need to make a few calls.” He makes a few clicks with the mouse and then gets up to exit the room.

Jennie smiles towards her, opening the takeout bags and reaching in. “I know you’re working extra hard so I got us some good food.”

She hands Eden her favorite cold noodles, while also taking out her own order. They get themselves situated before sitting down and taking their first bite. The girls talk about how good the food is, while making small talk of what the day has offered to them so far.

“So what are you working on now?” Jennie wipes her mouth with a napkin.

“Well, let me show you.” Eden puts her chopsticks down, pushing herself towards the computer and finding a part in the song to showcase to her.

Jennie listens attentively, swaying her head back and forth. The instrumental and voice guide are the only things done but it still sounds very nice.

“And then I have two options for the second verse, one in English and the other Korean.” She clicks away and plays each version of the verse, watching Jennie’s reactions.

“I like it! They’re both very nice.”

“We haven’t decided which one to go for. Which do you like more?” Eden stops the playback, turning in her swivel chair to face the woman.

Jennie purses her lips for a second, pondering. “Well, they’re both very pretty, and I don’t know who’s all working on this one but I think the Korean verse would make it more ‘you’. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I do.” Eden sighs and clicks her tongue, tilting her head before making more adjustments. “That settles it then.”

“You’re using the Korean verse?”

“Yep.”

“Don’t you have to discuss it with your team?”

Eden slides back over to her, smiling at Jennie. “You are my team. And I trust your judgment.”

They both smile at each other lovingly.

“I’m so proud of how far you’ve come,” Jennie squeezes her knee. “I’m so glad you have your freedom now. I’m just happy you’re doing what YOU want to do and it’s not being altered. I haven’t seen you this carefree in a while.”

“Jennie… Don’t make me cry.”

[CAFFEINE]

“The melody was the first thing to come from this song. I made it up in the passenger seat on the way home from a drive-in movie, actually. Do you ever just listen to music and think ‘this would be such a good song to play in the car, windows rolled down and feeling cool air through your hair’. That was my goal with this song. It feels very retro and nostalgic. I’m very happy with the end result.”

[SUNFLOWER GIRL]

Eden smiles, pulling her legs up on the chair to her chest and resting her chin on her knee. “I don’t really need to explain this one. It’s simple and genuine and full of love. And I’m happy. I’m really happy with how it came out.”

[HATE TO BE LAME]

“This song is about wanting to tell someone that you love them but are scared to. For me, a lot of it stems from my past relationships. You give a lot of yourself up when you say I love you for the first time. And the first time for me, it was very real. I thought it was very real for the longest time.

“The ideal way to feel when saying I love you is to be happy. But for me, I was filled with more fear and anxiety. It took a very long time to allow myself to love again. But even longer for me to express my love. I was extremely cautious about the next time I would tell someone I loved them.

“I always wonder what I would say to my past self who just finished writing this. She was so paranoid and small. But she was also very worthy of love, no matter how much she thought she was not. She didn't know that when the day finally came, it would be the easiest thing in the world. As simple as breathing.

“I wrote this many years ago so it’s just been sitting in my notes app, collecting dust. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I reached out to Finneas. I’ve always been a very big fan of his works. The first thing he sent me back was amazing and that’s the take that we use in the song. His verse was absolutely perfect and it really solidified the song as a whole.

{First time listening to Finneas’ take.}

Eden sets up the camera on the table, her hands shaking as she presses on the audio file. “I’m so nervous, I don’t know if I can press play.”

She takes a few deep breaths. “Okay.” She clicks on the play button, staring at her lap as his voice plays through the speakers. Her eyes widen as soon as it sets in that he’s singing along to the melody of her song with his own lyrics. She covers her mouth with her hands, squealing as the clip ends.

“Oh my god.” She replays it. “Oh my god.

“I gotta chill out, I can’t focus on his lyrics.” She stands to her feet, pressing her palms to her cheeks as she plays it once again. She has to replay it six times before it’s engraved in her brain. She looks at her producer friend, giving him a definitive look. “That’s it. Like it’s literally perfect. We just have to record our parts together and it’s done.”

[FIRST TIME]

Eden set up her camera at the kitchen table, soon rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. She let out a sigh and sniffled. “This song is from twenty eighteen or so, the darkest time in my life. I keep on forgetting it exists for obvious reasons. And I know I shouldn’t keep revisiting it if it keeps resurfacing past trauma, but I think in order to heal, I need to tackle it and make something of it. The whole concept of this album is to humanize myself and it would be wrong of me to just lock this song away. There could be someone out there that resonates with it as much as I do.”

She wipes her eyes with her fingers, nodding towards someone offscreen. A tiny smile appears on her face. “It was bothering me all day while recording and arranging, ‘Should this make the cut or not?’ but I think I just needed to catch my breath and think it over, get some reassurance. I feel much better now.

“Well, time to sleep so we can record this track tomorrow.”

[artbyblastweave]

Hey so, thought exercise, how do you think Taylor would fare if she got dropped into the invincible universe? For the sake of mechanics let's say she literally gets dropped in via doorman portal or something.

So one thing about Invincible is that I think it's setting is protagonist-centric in a way that Worm's isn't. To the extent that Invincible's setting has worldbuilding- worldbuilding that isn't, like, ported in from the books's early association with the confederated Image Comics shared universe- it's worldbuilding that exists to convey the impression of a big-two-flavor universe. Here's our spin on the undersea kingdom, here's the riff on the Martians, here are our riffs on SHIELD, on Gotham, on Themyscira, on 70s blaxploitation-adjacent heroes, and so on. This is the entire ethos underpinning the Guardians of the Globe in particular- piggybacking on pre-existing audience affection for the Justice League to convey that it's a Big Fucking Deal when the guardians get blendered in issue 7.

You have flashbacks demonstrating that there was capital-S Superhero Stuff going on in the seventies and eighties, or as far back as the thirties with Immortal, you create the impression of a status quo, a big pond in which Mark is a little fish. And to Kirkman's credit, some effort clearly went into making sure that the non-Mark capes are sufficiently fleshed out that you can believe that they've got other stuff going on in their lives. But at the end of the day, it's the Invincible universe. You don't see a lot of people talking about the Guarding the Globe spinoff. Many of the most interesting characters- Cecil being a big example here- are interesting because of the ways in which they bounce off Mark specifically, the ways in which he chooses to deal with them. The universe is less of a character in the story the way that Earth Bet is- it's just the place where Mark's story, specifically, is happening. If there's a codified setting bible, I'll eat my hat.

Now of course the world of Worm is, in many ways, equally Taylor-centric, because that's what it means to be the protagonist. But owing in part to the themes of the story, and in part to the sheer number of false-start protagonists Wildbow played around with before settling on Taylor, it's very good at conveying the idea that there are many stories happening in this setting and Taylor's is just the one this particular work happened to focus on. There's an actual point to doing OC worldbuilding for what the superhero scene looks like in Wormverse Denver or Seattle or whatever- whereas you can come up with superhero teams for Invincible-verse Denver, but what actually ties them to that universe? What are you getting out of putting them in Invincible specifically, that you wouldn't get from whipping up a barebones MASKS setting to support your OCs? Anyway. This is a really long way of getting to my real point, which is that I think the question is less "how does Taylor bounce off the Invincible setting" and more "How does Taylor bounce off Invincible the character, around whom the setting orbits even when it pretends not to."

This I'm unsure of, because where do you stick her in his life where you get an interesting dynamic? One thing that's interesting here is that Mark's overall character arc already involves learning a lot of taylorisms- the strategic ruthlessness, the shift from a good-evil dichotomy to a helping-not-helping dichotomy-so what about his arc is going to change if they spend time together? Why would they spend time together? Given the different power levels on display, what would differentiate her, in his experience, from the dozens of filler capes that exist for him at the level of "vague acquaintance?" This is assuming she's active as a cape at all, which she might not be if this is Post-GM. Mutual association through Cecil and the Global Defense Agency might be a hook- maybe they're paying for her new arm or something- but would she latch her cart to Cecil's wagon in the first place, barring some obvious crisis situation? Hard to say. If she's depowered, and present in his life somehow in a civilian context, well, that's a fast-track to not being part of the story anymore either, given how Mark's civilian connections slowly fading away was kind of a quiet plot point.

There's some configuration of these pieces that could be interesting, but I'm not quite sure what they are. Soliciting input here.

[someplace-darker]

In The Static | Ted Lasso

Pairing: Ted Lasso x reader (no y/n) Wordcount: 2.1k Warnings: panic attack/talks of panic attacks, vague mentions of trauma. That's about it I think, it's a touch angst and hurt/comfort I suppose. Fluff. Summary: Ted thought he was past his panic attacks until he encounters another, and you follow him to make sure he's okay. A/N: "now jay" you might be saying "wasn't the last thing you posted smut almost a year ago?" and the answer is yes. But i've recently become insanely attached to Ted Lasso, and I dipped my toe into writing more than a wip. SO here's my middle aged white man of the month. Enjoy :)

“REFEREE!!!” Keeley stands with a force that causes her to latch onto your arm to keep from falling forward. It continues to astound you that for such a tiny lady, she really contains an insane amount of spunk. One of the opposing team’s men had just slid Sam’s legs out from under himself, causing him to land hard on his shoulder. The game had been a rough one so far, more aggressive and bitter than most. Richmond had been respectful at first (as per usual) but the second their opponents had started playing violent and dirty, that changed.

Roy and Beard were obviously shouting and pointing angrily, though you couldn’t make out what they were saying from your seat in the box. Ted, however, was standing stiffly with his balled fists shoved into the pockets of his Richmond zip-up. You can feel that something is off. Even if you can’t see his face, you know him well enough to read his body language. There’s mere minutes left in the game and the teams are tied.

Rebecca is already standing and gathering her belongings to head back in, gesturing for the lot of you to follow. That’s exactly what you begin to do before the crowd goes ape-shit, jumping from their seats and screaming so loud it makes your head thrum. 

“ROJAS INTERCEPTS THE KICK AND PASSES TO TARTT AND JUST LIKE THAT-”

You turn just in time to watch Jamie kick the ball into the net, the stadium erupting in cheers that shake the ground.

“AFC RICHMOND TAKES ANOTHER VICTORY 2-1 IN A SHOCKING LAST SECOND SCORE”

Keeley, Higgins, and Rebecca rejoice, grabbing at each other in shock. Placing your fingers between your lips you let out a piercing whistle, jumping up and down as thousands of chants echo. You look down to your coaches, expecting to see all three soaking in the sweet relief of not gaining another loss. Instead, you see Ted darting for the locker room, head down with his phone held two inches from his face. It was obvious to you that he was trying to use it as a cover. 

“I’ll meet back with you guys later, I’ve gotta check something real quick.” 

They smile and wave you off, relishing in the buzzing excitement clearly felt throughout the facility. As much as you wish you could join them in celebration, you were pretty sure Ted needed you more. So you slip through the small crowds with ease, having much practice during your time with Richmond, taking the back staircase to the locker room hallway. 

At first you check his office, finding only his jacket laying on the floor. The second spot you search is the right one, opening the door to darkness. You almost turn and leave but a staggered breath gives him away. 

“Ted?” you whisper, stepping into the boot room and closing the door gently. He sniffles almost silently and hums in response, curling in on himself when the lights flicker on at your touch.. You’ve never seen him look so small before, his entire body condensed into half of his height in the corner of the room, the sight moving you to shut the lights back off for his sake.

“Hey,” you murmur softly, walking over to kneel in front of him. He has his head placed between his knees, hands on the back of head with his fingers intertwined tightly. As much as you know of his panic attacks, you’ve never been present for one. Something tells you he tends to keep it that way with everyone around him. 

However, you’re well versed with them yourself.

“I’m gonna sit beside you, but I won’t touch you unless you say it’s okay.”

You lower yourself onto the ground, the floor cold beneath your already freezing ass. England's weather was not kind to the warm blooded. Ted doesn’t lift his head all the way, simply angles it towards you just enough for an eye to peek out from behind his arm. He looks at you with the gaze of a wounded puppy, eyes red and wet, smeared with warm tears.

The silence that follows is deafening, a faint ringing the only thing you hear. Ted looks like he wants to say something, but thinks better of it. It’s not like you can blame him. The last time he opened up to someone he considered close about his panic attacks, it ended up plastered on every magazine and tabloid across the country. Trust within himself and others had been fractured- not broken. No one could ever betray Coach Lasso enough to break that within him, it was fundamental to who he was as a person.

After a few more minutes of silence his foot slides over to yours, just barely nudging it. He lifts his head and sniffles, using his sleeve to wipe the mix of tears and snot off his face.

“I want to tell you about it, I do. I’m just… stuck. Feels like if I tell you, it’ll be too much,” he murmurs, keeping his foot pressed to yours.

“I understand, Ted,” you whisper. “I started having panic attacks before I was even a teenager. I’d been through things- rough things -and they plagued me for years.” He begins to unfurl himself, listening intently to every word you say, the blatant honesty and vulnerability easing his anxiety. “It took me a while to open up to anyone about them, let alone a therapist. I spent so long trying to hide them, that when I finally did get help I felt like a fake.” 

Ted adjusts himself to sit up straighter, shimmying closer so your shoulders touch. You can tell he’s trying to be inconspicuous about it, but the man is known to be anything but subtle.  Outside you can hear the boys begin filing into the hallway, headed for the locker room surely for some type of victory activity. Their shadows dance across the wall in the darkened boot room, slashed into segments by the blinds slanted slightly open. Both of you seemed to have held your breaths as they passed, because as soon as they’re gone there’s a simultaneous exhale of relief.

An amused breath comes from Ted, palm pressing from the corner of his eye to the tip of his cheekbone to wipe away the stray tears. He knocks his knee against yours and dares to glance at you, opening up enough to make eye contact. Here in this room, he looks more human than you think you’ve ever seen him. For the most part he keeps his mood insanely optimistic, tending to care more about others happiness than his own. It gave him an almost otherworldly bounce to his step and light to his eyes. 

But now that he’s sat no more than two inches in front of you with puffy eyes and a chewed lip, Ted is just… a broken man. 

“You’ll never be too much, Ted. It’s normal to feel stuck, and it’s okay to not be able to talk about it yet.” His eyes flick to your hand when you lift it towards him, a lifeline of trust, openness in the form of warm skin and an upward facing palm. Internal conflict tugs at his lungs, his breath hitching as he weighs his options for all of five seconds before taking your hand. You are someone Ted knows he can always find solace in. 

Someone who he could spot in a crowd of thousands, someone who he will always seek out. 

His other hand reaches to pat the top of yours, rubbing his thumb against your skin in soothing circles. A shuddered breath begins to pass his lips, but he smothers it to ashes with the cool press of a kiss to your wrist. 

Humming amusedly at the feeling of his mustache tickling your skin, you lean your head on his shoulder, moving slightly as they lift with the intake of air into his lungs. “I suppose you’re right. I just feel bad that I haven’t spoken to you ‘bout it,” he tsk’s softly to himself, carefully navigating his brain for the right words. 

“I was fine out there, y’know? I’ve been doin’ better, Sharon’s helped a lot. But it just got so loud, and everything felt out of my control- out of any of our boys’ control and I- I just couldn’t breathe. Tunnel vision, boom, just like that.”

You whisper encouragements softly under your breath, murmurs of ‘it’s okay’ and ‘you can keep going’ pushing him gently in the right direction. Voices can be heard from the locker room, loud cheering and chanting from the team acting as muffled background noise for Ted’s moment of vulnerability. 

“After everything that happened with Nate, I learned to mask it a bit better I guess. That’s the fancy word Doc told me about,” the corner of his lips quirks up “I figured I’d be okay in here for a bit anyway, then you walked in.” Your brows furrow and you pull away from his shoulder, opening your mouth to apologize for intruding but he beats you to it.

“No, no, that sounded different than I meant. I am very glad that you found me here. I needed you even if I didn’t know it,” he traces the details of your face with his eyes, not stopping you when you move your head back down to his shoulder. 

“I think you’ve worked on it so much quicker than you realize, Ted. It wasn’t that long ago, yeah? Healing and improving takes time, and it’s okay that it takes time. I certainly took my time,” you muse, channeling your own therapist’s word. “But I think it’s right on par with who you are, who I know you to be, that you got on it as fast as you did. Even if it was begrudgingly at first.”

“Yeah, Doc definitely had her work cut out.”

You laugh, normally at first but then Ted snorts and you both lose it, bodies bumping against each other with the shakes that come with post-meltdown laughs. Soon enough you’re both wiping away tears of a different variety, the air in the room much lighter than before. You take that moment to push yourself up and off the floor, lending a hand to Ted to pull him up.

“I am immensely proud of you, Coach Lasso. So is the team. You have a very large family backing you up, as unorthodox as said family is.” You take one step closer, hand still holding onto his, pressed between your bodies. Taking your free hand, you hold the side of his face and lean in to kiss his cheek, thumb stroking his jaw. 

Ted presses into your lips, chasing your touch even when you turn to the door. Twisting the knob open you find Will standing there, boots tied by their laces hanging over his shoulder, hand outreached to grab the now absent handle. 

He blinks at the two of you for a second, gaze one of vague shock, before curling his lips in an embarrassed smile and stepping out of the way.

“Not a word, Will,” you sing-song when he opens his mouth, pulling Ted down the hall to stand outside of the locker room door. 

You can hear Roy in the middle of a somehow happy/angry sounding congratulation speech that only he is capable of, grinning and turning to face your Coach once more. “Now, get your butt in there and relish in the sweet taste of winning.”

“I mean, relish is pretty tasty-”

“Ted.”

“Yep,” Ted takes a deep breath and nods, squeezing your hand “you coming in with me?” 

“I don’t want to intrude on your moment, Coach.”

He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly and pushes the door open, dragging you with him. The boys’ faces light up, immediately rushing to storm him, all reaching to touch him and jumping up and down. Their team song buzzing and bouncing along with them.

“WE’RE RICHMOND TILL WE DIE, WE’RE RICHMOND TILL WE DIE, WE KNOW WE ARE, WE’RE SURE WE ARE, WE’RE RICHMOND TILL WE DIE”

You slide past the group, safely reaching Roy and Beard without your feet being stomped on. The smile on your face is one of pure joy and contentment, not faltering when Beard slides to your side, bumping your elbow. 

“Thanks,” he speaks, nodding towards Ted. It’s easy to know what he means immediately, always one to be of few words. 

“No need to thank me,” you reply easily, watching your family bond even more “it’s what we do.”

[thewebcomicsreview]

Hamsteak? Again? God, everything happens so much, but at least we're done with Vriska. And I can copy and paste text again. Wowsers. Anyway we're out of hell and now we're with The Moms, in a suspiciously green-and-orange environment.

ROSE: This is an impressive shield. ROSE: I don't think I've ever seen you make one this size before. JADE: ive been practicing! JADE: if i stay focused i should be able to keep it up for quite a while.

Oh hey, starting us right off with Deepest Lore, as Jade can apparently make shields. We've never really seen her "natural" Witch of Space powers in the original comic, since she was using First Guardian powers the whole time (or no powers and just gadgets like the soothspecs, back before everyone became X-Men). I've been wondering what she could do au natural, and...apparently it's shields? Would not have called that, but sure.

JADE: between yiffys capture and rescue and finding dave... JADE: like that... JADE: i just feel like my life flashed before my eyes and it made me a little crazy! JADE: after being unconscious for a bit things feel way clearer now

It's still weird to me that Dave's "death" was so recent to the characters. That was in the epilogues! We made a sequel series since then! It got cancelled! Then it got revived! It was a long time!

JADE: after being unconscious for a bit things feel way clearer now ROSE: Nothing beats a rump to the skull for mental clarity. JADE: the mistakes we made are so obvious to me now JADE: embarrassingly obvious!

Being unconscious is Jade's natural state, so naturally it heals her. Also I detect a justification for a small change in Candy Jade's characterization here, like she'll be acting differently that she has been and this is the excuse. Lets stick a pin in that thought, though.

JADE: this whole situation is my fault and even though it just keeps getting more frustrating and shitty im going to do right by you JADE: were going to figure this out ROSE: Are you sure it's prudent to keep this amateur marriage counselor performance up? JADE: rose... JADE: youre taking this seriously JADE: right? ROSE: I don't know what you mean by that.

I really do like this characterization of Candy Rose, though (which is apparently also a slight retcon from the original plans, according to the writer commentaries). None of this is real, so she doesn't give a shit about any of it. Her mid-life crisis is worse than John's.

JADE: though playing stupid and cajoling her into slapping me around for catharsis wont work anymore JADE: well have to think of something else... ROSE: Jade, I've been compliant with these clumsy machinations partially because they weren't all that consequential at the time, but you need to cut your losses.

Oh we are hard retconning Candy Jade's personality here. She's not an emotional wreck at all, at least part of it is her clumsy attempt at being Machiavellian. Are they building up to changing Yiffy's backstory, far and away the least popular idea in HS2?

JADE: "ohhhh bluh bluh blah i can see the fruitlessness of all our clumsy insignificant thrashing in fates cosmic current" JADE: dont forget im more than a little versed in future sight myself ok JADE: i dont care how credible it seems, you cant depend on that information!

Opens Homestuck_2_Speculation.rtf.doc.xpf.bro

What information is this, Jade? Is it related to the visions Calliope had that let her build the machine? The only future sight Jade's ever had is the clouds of Skaia

JADE: "abloo hoo hoo, my life is a monkey paw, everything i want hurts me in the end" ROSE: It was a little pathetic. JADE: I KNOW!

Oh man, that's going back deep.

This aspect of Jade, that deep down she's a bit of a wreck but she toughs it out because she hates her own weakness, hasn't really been focused on since Act 4 of the original comic when it got personified in Jadesprite. It's nice to see that aspect referenced again here. I liked Jade's speech justifying Yiffy's existence, it did a lot to make that plot point go down smoother, but I totally buy that Jade herself hated it. Kind of funny that we had six updates of Vriscourse and now I have way more to say about this one expository speech out of Best Girl, but Jade's actually a pretty complex character and her issues are so often glossed over as "Wow she had to live in isolation for three years after her brother and boyfriend randomly exploded and that's kind of sad I guess", so it's nice to spend some time inside her head like this.

JADE: the truth is whatever people WANT to believe JADE: you can either try forcing them to understand your side JADE: leave it completely in their hands and take no responsibility JADE: or you work with their wants and perspectives JADE: and make some informed compromises ROSE: Over the state of reality? JADE: rose i am begging you can you please cut it out with all the cryptic cosmic crap and come back down to earth???

One of my pet peeves of the epilogues is that Dave Strider turns into a Bernie Sanders supporter and keeps talking about "neoliberalism" despite living in a wacky future utopia planet and having never lived through the 2016 Democratic Primary that all his talking points were cribbed from, but we have an explanation for that now. It's his wife. Jade was the neoliberal all along.

JADE: thats whats scaring me! JADE: youre not prepared for how bad it can get JADE: you have no idea at all!!!!!!!!!!! ROSE: If you say so.

That was a joke but this is sounding a little suspiciously like voting discourse, but that might just be me being election-brained. God I'm so stressed, please vote for Harris if for no other reason to make Trump-analogue Jane Crocker feel dated and weird.

Jade has no idea what she’s talking about. There’s not a thing to worry about here. You came out the womb playing defense

You didn't come out of a womb at all. You've never even been in one. Also holy shit this page is called Rose: Ramble and it's early-HS2 levels of Wall of Text, though I think you're actually intended to glaze over it a little.

It doesn’t really matter, in the long run. Important or not, Vriska’s going to fail. Jane’s going to fail, too; really, just about everyone is going to fail to do something that really matters. In an unsuccessful effort to stave off that failure, and perhaps to atone for it on some level, Calliope will sacrifice herself, fruitlessly. You’re not exempt from the firing squad, either. In the imminent battle, you are going to be shot in the head, the bullet burying deep into your moral grey matter and jamming up the works of your conditional immortality, leaving you confined to a hospital bed. You had to pull all kinds of ridiculous, eyebrow-raising Chaos Theory shit to figure that one out. The rat-tail was worth it, your daughter’s anguish aside.

It's generally considered bad writing to have a prophecy not come true, but I think this is bullshit and Rose's Seer of Light powers don't work in a land of pure void.

KANAYA: Those Two Will Not Be Joining Us On The Battlefield Either KARKAT: OH? KANAYA: I Know Such Decisions Are Well Above My Pay Grade And That The Critical Need To Win This Battle Far Outweighs My Marital Discomfort KANAYA: And Being Down Two Gods Isnt Exactly Ideal KANAYA: But... KANAYA: I Cant KANAYA: Sorry KARKAT: DON'T BE.

KARKAT: FUCK ‘EM.

Man, Punished Karkat is cool.

Man, I love how stupid Jane's death ray looks. It's a cake!

Your father never did voice any kind of opinion on your parenting style. In hindsight, he was probably avoiding the subject altogether.

It's hard to talk with your dad when he's not allowed to have any dialogue due to stylistic convention. I have that issue with my uncle.

JAKE: Oh. JANE: chhhhhhhhlmm nnnn. JAKE: OH CRIPES! JAKE: I'M SORRY JANEY!!! JANE: kkkkkkkkaaaaaa?? JAKE: JUST- S-STAY STILL OK?

lmao. This is the absolutely best way this assassination attempt could've gone.

This art is excellent.

Man, this was a great update, Jesus. So much shit is going on, and while HS2 and HS:BC have had good moments this is the first time in a long while I've really had that classic Homestuck feeling that made me fall in love with the comic in the first place.

[wordsbyrian]

First Camp - USWNT x Reader

Summary: Another fic set in the Polyglot!verse! This time its R's first time at senior camp set in November 2019

A/N: Bro, there was so much I wanted to fit in to this one that had to get cut. I think I might just write the cut bits as little drabbles instead

It isn’t every day that people get a call-up to play for their senior national team for the first time.

But as you walked into the hotel lobby, you couldn’t find it within yourself to be excited. The only thing on your mind is getting to your room so that you can take a nap and try to fight off your jet lag.

Unfortunately, that isn’t an option for you, as your flight from Spain had been delayed twice causing you to arrive mere minutes before the first team meeting, with not even enough time to put your bags in your room.

Practically sprinting down the hall to the conference room, you leave your bags outside the door and take a seat in the very back-row moments before Vlatko stands to address the team.

“Okay, ladies, let’s get this meeting started, I know you’re all very excited to get to whatever you have planned for the afternoon,” he says, glancing around the room. “Firstly, we’ve got some fitness testing in the morning, so try to make good choices for the rest of the day.”

The rest of the meeting continues in much of the same fashion, with Vlatko and the rest of the coaching staff running through the planned schedule and what to expect going into the two friendlies.

“Final thing before you all head your separate ways,” Coach says as everyone starts to gather their things, “You’ve noticed by now that it’s Y/N Y/L/N’s first camp, so make sure you show her how we do things around here but let her rest before you drag her into your antics. Dismissed.”

Grabbing your suitcases from the hallway, you follow the wave of players leaving the conference room towards the elevators.

As you stand near the back of the group staring into space you feel a hand place itself on your shoulder. 

Turning around you lock eyes with Christen Press.

“Hey, Y/N, you’re rooming with me, Vlatko thought it would be best to keep you away from the chaos of some of the others,” she says.

“Cool, they uh they look like they can be a lot,” you say, watching over your shoulder as Kelley, Rose, and Sonnett shove each other.

“They can be,” she says, “How was your flight in, I know you arrived just before the meeting.”

Stepping around the squabbling trio that has managed to find themselves on the ground, you wait for the elevator doors to close before answering.

“The flight itself was alright, it got delayed a few times because of a storm,” you say watching as the numbers on the display rise and the doors eventually open.

The two of you are silent as you make your way down the hall and into your room.

Once in the room, conversation flows easily, and the two of you get to know each other. Eventually, though Christen leaves to go hang out with Tobin and you take the opportunity to have a shower and a nap.

This is why you’re not surprised to wake up to someone pounding on the door although when you open it you’re shocked to see Mallory and Tierna on the other side.

“Hey, Chris sent us to wake you up and make sure you get ready for dinner,” Mal says, stepping inside when you open the door wider.

Both of them immediately make themselves comfortable on the edge of Christen’s bed, while you head to the bathroom to change.

30 minutes later, the three of you find yourselves seated on one side of the long table that’s been placed in the conference room.

While you would’ve been more than happy for the meal to pass in silence, the other women on the team have chosen to use this as an opportunity to ask more questions than you thought possible.

Some of the questions are fairly tame, like ‘where are you from’ or ‘what’s your favorite cheat meal’ but once Mal asks who your favorite player is, the wheels begin to fall off a little bit.

It’s partially your fault because you should’ve known that they weren’t going to accept you not naming a female player.

“I watched a lot of United and Barcelona matches growing up so I wanted to be Luke Shaw, Patrice Evra, and Jordi Alba,” you say, hoping that would be enough.

“You didn’t watch any women’s soccer growing up,” Pinoe asks.

“I did.”

“So who’s your favorite player,” she asks, and when she sees how hesitant you are to answer she continues her needling, “Is it one of us? More importantly, is it me?”

“It’s not you.”

“But it is one of the people in this room.”

“I plead the 5th.”

This is when Kelley decides to join in on the needling but after a couple of minutes, Alex takes pity on you and gets her to stop, which gives Lindsey, the only other player to skip college completely, the opportunity to ask you a question.

“You left high school early to play for Barcelona, why,” she asks.

“School sucked, home sucked, playing football for money decidedly doesn’t suck,” you say plainly.

“That is the most teenager response I have ever heard,” Alex says.

“I’m 17,” you tell her, “I’m not sure what you were expecting.”

That sends a shock wave through the team, even the ones who were further down the table seem to have heard what you said.

“You’re practically an infant,” Kelley says with a disbelieving grin, “Even compared to Tierna and Mal. When do you turn 18?”

“Next month.”

A look of pure glee comes across Sonnett’s face and it makes you kind of nervous because as the seconds pass it only gets bigger and bigger.

And then she says, “Congrats Baby T, you’ve been promoted to little kid; Y/N is officially the team baby.”

Tierna begins to celebrate from her seat on Mal’s other side and while you are nervous about Sonnett possibly planning to kill you, you do your best to put on a show of moaning and groaning. Besides, it does feel pretty good to know that you’ve been accepted into the fold so quickly.

The rest of the meal continues in much of the same manner, with the entire team taking the time to relax and get to know each other better.

At the end of the meal, you and Christen make your way back to your room and get ready for bed.

Just before turning off the lights, she asks the one question you haven’t heard yet tonight: How are you feeling?

“Nervous but excited,” you tell her, staring blankly at the ceiling, “I want to play well and show Vlatko that he didn’t make a mistake calling me up.”

“I remember seeing you at the U-20 World Cup last summer, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that too much. You’re talented and everyone who doesn’t know it yet will soon,” she says, flipping the lamp off.

The next few days pass in a way that makes it easy for you to adjust to the rhythm of camp.

Practice is hard, of course, and Columbus is fucking cold in November, but you do your best to push through everything and make sure you show what you have.

You also use the time to continue getting to know everyone both on and off the field, it’s hard because they all play on the same teams and in the same leagues. Even Cook who plays in France has an advantage over you in that she did go to college and has played with or against others on the team.

It’s all made a little easier by the fact that Tobin and Christen have taken it upon themselves to take you under their wings and with them comes Mal, so by the first team bonding activity you find yourself to be the newest member of their makeshift family unit.

It’s weird but it works besides with everything going on you don’t have time to worry about it. 

By the time you turn around, it’s the day of the friendly against Sweden.

Even though the game has a late start time, you still find yourself waking up at your normal time of 8 a.m., so that you can complete all of your game day rituals.

A lot of athletes like to lie about not being superstitious but you’ll admit it proudly: Your entire mood on game days rests on whether or not you can stick to your schedule, even if you aren’t in the squad.

The weirdest of your superstitions and the one that usually requires the most explanation is the fact that you refuse to speak at all before pitch inspections on game days. A routine that you have always accompanied with a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

So before you leave the hotel room, you write two notes explaining the situation. One to keep in your pocket and one for Christen to find when she wakes up. Her note also has instructions saying that she can find you by the pool doing your morning meditation.

Which is exactly where she finds you roughly 45 minutes later.

Looking up at her you can see the slightly annoyed look on her face as she begins to rant but you can’t hear anything she’s saying. Eventually, she huffs angrily and tosses a scarf and hat at you before pulling you to your feet.

At breakfast you watch as the team passes around the note, most of them immediately agreeing to leave you to your routine but there are a few moments where Sonny tries to get you to speak, only to receive blank stares.

After that, the rest of the day passes smoothly.

You don’t get any minutes against Sweden but that was to be expected, it is only your first camp after all.

The next morning, you along with the rest of the team are on your way to Jacksonville, Florida.

The flight is just as chaotic as every other experience you’ve had with these women, they’re inability to relax is both comforting and agitating at the same time.

Originally, you had sat on your own but now 30 minutes into the two-hour flight, you find yourself surrounded by the younger group of players.

“Y/N/N, have you ever been to Florida,” Rose asks, pulling you back into the conversation.

“Nope.”

“Are you excited," Andi questions, leaning over the seat in front of you, "Do you have family coming?"

“I mean, I’m always excited to play but Florida isn’t really doing it for me,” you answer. “As for family, I doubt that my parents are gonna fly in to watch me play when we haven’t spoken in over a year.”

That seems to have gotten everyone’s attention because suddenly it feels like all eyes are on you.

“You’re 17, why haven’t you spoken to your family in a year?”

“Running away to play professional football kind of puts a strain on relationships,” you say casually.

If all eyes weren’t on you before they definitely are now, especially if the number of gasps you hear is anything to go by.

“You ran away to play in Barcelona,” Becky asks from her spot near the front.

“Not technically but I was told not to go and then when I did I was told in no uncertain terms to not return unless I decided to quit playing entirely,” you explain.

Everyone stares at you shocked until Ashlyn says what everyone's thinking.

“Dude. What the fuck?”

“You would've been what 16,” Christen begins, “Aren’t there a ton of FIFA laws about that sort of thing?”

“Yea but it would take too long to explain how I got around them,” you begin casually, “Besides don’t you like having plausible deniability?” You see a look pass through the faces of each of your teammates that lets you know that the answer is yes. “Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies,” you finish.

Some of the girls still look slightly uneasy but they all seem content to just let sleeping dogs lie. 

So, the rest of the flight passes with relative ease, and everyone returns to their own activities. You find yourself drawn into what is easily the most competitive game of Uno you’ve ever played.

The remainder of the day, and the next for that matter, pass with the same ease.

On the day of the Costa Rica game, you go through your routine with little stress.

You do your meditation, eat breakfast, take a nap, grab an afternoon coffee with Mal, Sonny, Rose and Lindsey, do pitch inspection and then it's game time.

The first 45 minutes of the game pass incredibly fast and as you make your way back into the locker room, you’re already up two-nil.

Vlatko’s half-time speech isn’t anything special and if you’re being completely honest, you haven’t heard a single word he’s said.

At least not until one of those words is your name.

“Y/N,” he says.

“Yes, coach?”

“You like to play on the left side, don’t you?”

You nod.

“Good, you’re going in for Sonny, go get warm,” he tells you.

You stare at him in silence for a moment before a shove in the back from Rose gets you moving.

You don’t remember much of the match, but that’s a common occurrence for you. Your adrenaline is always pumping way too strongly.

What you do remember makes you think that you played well. A couple of strong tackles, crosses that hit their mark, and no goals were given up as a result of any mistake you made, so it had to have been a pretty decent game.

Your beliefs are further reassured by the way the team gathers around congratulating you on your performance, some of them patting you on the head or back.

Back in the locker room, after you've all spent some time greeting the fans and after coach has given his little postgame talk, you find that the energy in the room is slightly different than what you’ve been getting used to. Everyone is still making noise but now it seems as though they’re all shaking with anticipation.

Then suddenly, Becky is trying to get everyone to calm down so she can address the team.

“Alright settle down girls,” she says, waiting for silence. Once she gets it she continues, “Three players made their senior team debuts today and since they’re all defenders, it’s my job to give them their game balls. Midge, Cookie, the two of you started and kept the right side locked down for the full 90 minutes.” Then she turns to you. “And Y/N/N, you put in 45 and are the only person I’ve ever seen talk trash after taking a cleat to the stomach. But most importantly, the three of you along with Sonny and Sully made life easy for our keepers and no balls found the back of our net. Good Job!”

As the girls break into applause, Becky tosses each of you a ball.

Everyone disperses a bit after that, headed to press conferences and the showers but you take a moment to stare at the ball.

It must last pretty long though because eventually, you feel someone taking a seat next to you. And since you can still hear her attempting to sing from the showers, you know it's not Rose.

“Are you okay,” Mal asks.

“Yeah, I’m good,” you say, “Did I really get kicked in the gut?”

She nods, “It was pretty bad to watch. Does it hurt?” You shake your head slightly so she continues, “Well you took it like a champ and I didn’t hear what you said but the Costa Rican player looked pretty pissed.”

“I don’t know either but I have a feeling I’ll never live it down,” you laugh, finally looking at her.

“It’s probably already all over the internet, so maybe not.”

“Great.”

[plan-3-tmars]

Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart.

Hey I think the framing of this scene is really fucking cool and I wanna talk about it because I haven't seen anybody do that. yet so. yahooo!! let's get into it

BUT FIRST. Symbolism:

an empty chair can symbolise the absence or memory of someone dear who has passed away. This is very obviously meant to represent Hinako in this scenario

In my interpretation, this scene is Kazui saying goodbye to Hinako and apologising for the circumstances of her death.

The lyrics that play are:

"I’m sure nothing will change and we’ll laugh together and call each other stupid names, so many things I wish i hadn't known, I'm just a coward."

The first part of this verse sounds like he's wishfully thinking about what could've happened after he told her the truth - if anything a bit naively.

Kazui wanted (and still wants) to get the weight of his lies off his chest, but he wasn't ready to face the consequences of that confession, most likely making Hinako's death hit even harder.

Here, he bows to the chair before turning around leaving, a silent goodbye.

~

But what about what's going on in the background of this scene? Well!

As Kazui leaves, these two scenes flash in the background. On the table in the first shot is our good friend the green apple, and Background Kazui picks it up, analyses it, before biting it.

So let's go for another symbolism refresher!!

Green apples can sometimes represent platonic relationships, like friendship, but in Kazui's case this takes the form of a sin - as not loving Hinako romantically is what he's lying about - making it a reference to the Garden of Eden story.

Going from that, biting into an apple can represent feeding into temptation.

My interpretation of this scene is Pre-Marriage Kazui indulging in his 'sin', which in my opinion is the fact he's gay.

Let's go back to that lyric shall we:

"I’m sure nothing will change and we’ll laugh together and call each other stupid names, so many things I wish i hadn't known, I'm just a coward."

So many things you wish you hadn't known huh.. Not knowing you were gay would sure make lying to your wife a whole lot easier wouldn't it?

"What I gave up a long time ago, why is it questioning me now? So many things that I should now have known, I'm just a coward"

Woohoo evidence for Background Kazui being Pre-Marriage Kazui!!!

I think this scene is the last time Kazui let himself be free before marrying Hinako. This could possibly have been when he noticed she had a crush on him at their work.

He's indulging one last time. Embracing his sin instead of hiding it away one. last. time. before giving it up for good, almost like a. goodbye.

~

So. I think this scene is framed this way in order to show the parallel of Kazui giving up his sin, and Kazui mourning Hinako's death.

As established, they both have a "goodbye, I'm sorry things turned out this way" atmosphere to them. Kazui is apologetic, in a way, that he has to give up on being his true self and he is apologetic of his lies murdering Hinako, so Milgram conveys this by showing the two scenes posed the same way in front of one another.

This framing also gives the scene a Beginning Vs End feeling that I think is really cool, and the use of Dark Vs Light colours only heightens that! (Though that's slightly off topic rip)

Conclusion? I love this scene it's awesome and amazing and super cool

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

😈 🎂 🎄 ?

Thank you for the ask!

😈 From the next chapter of young blood:

It might be the coward’s way out, but Charles has kept himself busy in the kitchen for the entire visit. They’re going to have to sit down and talk about everything at some point—the pointed looks Mary keeps throwing in his direction make it clear she hasn’t forgotten their phone call yesterday—but first, they’ll eat butter chicken with rice and veggies and pretend that this is just a normal family dinner. If Charles has to use Edwin, Crystal, and Niko as a buffer to make that happen, then so be it. “I’m surprised,” he hears his mum say. “I’ve heard good things about that one.” “I fell asleep reading it,” Edwin says. “It wasn’t half as clever as it thought it was, and the writing was abysmal. But I read another one recently that you might enjoy.”

🎂 From the next chapter of Let's not overanalyze:

“Crystal, you made it!” she hears Maren say behind her and her head whips around. It’s the first time she’s seen Crystal since the night she stayed in Crystal’s guest room, though they’ve texted a lot over the past couple of weeks. She looks less haunted than she did the last time Niko saw her. As she hugs Maren, her eyes meet Niko’s and she smiles. “I like your hair,” Niko says as Crystal approaches. The blond streaks in her hair are now a vivid red. “I needed something different.” Crystal reaches up to run a hand over her curls. “It was time for a change.” “It’s good to see you, Agent Surname-von Hoverkraft,” Edwin says. Crystal rolls her eyes at him. “If you won’t call me Crystal unless we’re running for our lives, just call me Agent Palace. I’m changing my name.” At Niko’s surprised look, she shrugs. “I needed a few changes. And I was getting really fucking tired of that signature.”

🎄 From the holiday fic set in the MSI-verse:

Edwin’s pupils are enormous, his eyes fixed on the blinking lights of Charles’s Christmas jumper with an expression of childlike wonder that Charles has never seen on his partner’s face. When he reaches out to touch one of the little lightbulbs, he actually giggles, swaying towards Charles. Charles catches him by the arms to make sure he doesn’t tip right over, which only makes Edwin giggle harder, his head lolling against Charles’s shoulder. “What’s the matter with him?” Charles asks Thomas, a little frantically. “Oh, I don’t know,” Thomas says. “It looks to me like he has a case of do-I-look-like-a-fucking-doctor-to-you-itis.” Charles glares at him over Edwin’s head. “Maybe it was the eggnog.” “No, Edwin’s not a giggly drunk, he’s more likely to spend an hour telling you about the role werewolves played in the Boer War.” Thomas puts a finger under Edwin’s chin, tilting his face up so he can gaze into Edwin’s eyes. Edwin smiles dopily up at him, an expression that would be bloody adorable if it wasn’t so terrifying. “No, this is some kind of mind fuckery. Probably a spell.”

Make Me Write

[gloomysoup]

another edition to the nickelback chronicles, brought to you by my missing chad kroeger hours (i promise i'm bringing you other content soon). this is also set in the secrets universe, so i think that's just what these are gonna be from now on. oh, and the song today is far away from all the right reasons (2005). enjoy !

when eddie left, he knew he was going to write a song. well, he knew he was going to write a lot of songs, but he had one in particular brewing in his brain. It would be a slow ballad; something dedicated to steve just like everything else he wrote in those days after leaving. this song was a little different though. this one took him months to finish, which wasn't like any of the other songs he'd written to that point. he wanted to apologize. he wanted steve to know how sorry he was, how much he loved him. it took him a long time to find the right words. the melody came easily, strumming chords on the beat-up old acoustic in the back of the van while one of the others drove for a while.

when the song was finally released, eddie took a chance. he didn't send it to steve directly. he didn't think he deserved to do that, since he's the one that walked away. he sent it to wayne, hoping maybe he could get it to steve, or anyone. he sent it to dustin too, with slightly less hope in him. he knew he didn't deserve anything from them. he wouldn't have blamed anyone if they ignored him.

he never knows if anything came of it. he just goes about his career like it was nothing, like he wasn't putting his entire heart out there for everyone to hear. part of him could never let it go. he needed steve to hear the words, even if he wasn't actually there. they put it on the setlist of almost every tour. eddie fights tears every time, wanting nothing more than to go back to steve. maybe that's why he wrote the second verse of that song, promising to give it all up just to hold steve one last time.

he didn't know that steve listened to that song all the time. every day. later in his pregnancy with their pups, he would sit on the living room floor while robin was out and play the song over and over. the tears always roll down his face as he listens to eddie singing through the speakers, singing to him about their love and how much he misses him. and every time, without fail, the twins follow the sound. they move and kick and push to get closer. after their born, steve stills plays it. it always calmed them down when nothing else worked. as toddlers, he'd sing it or play it when they had nightmares, or weren't feeling well. it was a comfort for them, and for steve. he always told them their dad wrote it for them, even though eddie didn't even know they existed.

when eddie comes back, when he learns that he has pups, when he and steve finally work things out, steve still doesn't tell him about the song. he tries to stop playing it. he doesn't want eddie to know, but he doesn't really know why. it shouldn't be a secret, but for some reason, he keeps it that way. but that all changes early one morning, when gracie crawls into their bed with a stomach ache and a fever. it's around 3am, and she creeps into their room on quiet feet. she climbs in on steve's side, and then crawls over him to get to the middle. she burrows into his chest, her little face pressed into his neck. it wakes steve up. he asks what's wrong, and then he notices the tear tracks on her pale cheeks.

"gracie, baby, what's wrong?" he asks softly, thumbing away her tears and brushing back her sweat-soaked curls. her face was burning up.

"don't feel good," she murmured, pressing herself deeper into steve's chest.

"i'm sorry, honey." he wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed the top of her head.

eddie groaned softly beside them, his eyes fluttering open. "wh's goin' on?" he muttered hoarsely. "everything okay?"

"gracie doesn't feel good. i think she has a fever."

eddie sat up quickly, suddenly much more awake. it was his first experience with sick kids, but steves done this song and dance several times before. the pups are like disease magnets, and when one of them gets sick, the other is never far behind.

"what? a fever?"

"ed, she should be fine. it's probably just a stomach bug."

"but she's sick, steve."

"i promise it will be fine. it should hopefully break in a few hours, and even if it doesn't, she'll be back to normal in just a few days. they're kids, eddie, they've been sick before."

eddie sighed and looked down at gracie, who was still crying and shaking softly in steve's arms. "what can i do to help?"

"uh, can you get a bottle of water, the kids tylenol, and a, um, damp washcloth? oh, and check on oliver while you're up? if she's sick, i doubt he'll be far behind."

eddie nodded and started pushing the covers back to retrieve what steve asked for. he was only gone for a few minutes, and neither steve nor gracie had moved. steve was brushing his fingers through her hair, shushing her softly. when eddie came back, he sat up against the headboard and pulled gracie into his lap. she refused to take the medicine. steve was trying his best to convince her.

"come on, gracie, please? i promise you'll feel better if you take it."

"i want the song."

"which song, honey?" eddie asked, leaning over and rubbing her back. "maybe i know it? i can sing it for you."

steve sighed, knowing he had to tell him. it was probably the only way gracie would take the medicine. it would be the only way they'd get her back to sleep.

"it's one of your songs, eddie," steve whispered. "i used to play it for them all the time."

eddie frowned. "you did? which one?"

steve looked down at gracie, playing with her hair to avoid looking at eddie. "far away. i've been playing it for them their whole lives. i wanted them to know you loved them, even if you didn't really know."

"i never knew you even got that song."

steve glanced at him with a smile. "you gave it to wayne. of course i got it."

"well, that's easy, then." eddie grinned at gracie, brushing back her hair. "why don't i just sing it for you, honey? will that help you feel better?"

gracie nodded, so of course eddie did just that. he sang softly, the whole song, while steve fed her the medicine. then he let her curl up into his chest, rocking back forth as he kept singing. he didn't stop until she was fast asleep again, snoring softly against his bare chest. steve leaned over to kiss eddie's cheek with a smile.

"i love you," he whispered.

eddie smiled back. "i love you too."

"i'm gonna go check on ollie again. you okay here?"

he nodded, reassuring steve they'd be fine. steve came back in several minutes later, carrying oliver in his arms.

from then on, eddie took every chance he could to sing that song for his family. if the band was on tour, eddie would sing it to them on the phone every night before they went on stage. it was one of his favorite parts about being their dad. he loved to sing to them. he loved singing his songs to them. he thanked the universe every day that he got this chance. he wouldn't give it up for anything.

[physalian]

X-Men First Class Appreciation Post

I own this on BluRay courtesy of thrifting. Can I just gush about this amazing piece of cinema for a moment? Does anyone still care about this movie?

So much of why this movie works is expectation and precedent. Had these characters been drawn up out of thin air for this movie, never before seen in any other medium, it still would have been amazing, but the history of how this movie came to be just pushes it over the top.

I grew up with the OG trilogy and while I know Last Stand is not good, I used to watch it if I saw it on while channel surfing. I have X2 also on dvd because I saw it while thrifting. Completely new actors, save for the Wolverine cameo, but the same old song, just a new verse. This movie will never exist in isolation, so while Erik’s arc is amazing, knowing that people who don’t read comics are seeing the main villain from the movies they know now an anti-hero with a gut-wrenching backstory, who’s right, is fantastic.

Knowing what these characters will come to be later in life as you watch it all slowly fall apart and their fundamental, philosophical divide on the nature of humanity and their place in it, is fantastic.

—

But beyond the history that bolsters this movie (which I think is the best X-Men movie, above DOFP and Logan), it’s just a fantastic screenplay.

The script: It’s such a tight script with only a few odd things here and there, like Emma Frost just existing after she’s served her purpose in the plot. It’s longer than I remember every time I watch it, too, kind of two movies rolled into one that splits into the second half after the CIA base attack. The setup and payoff of Erik’s “rage and serenity” moment with the dish, is the highlight. The backdrop of the 60s, weaving in real politics kind of like Forest Gump as if this all really was a shadow war going on, helped it feel more grounded than the plots of the OGs.

The characters: Obviously pulled from decades’ worth of groundwork, First Class does so, so well establishing the dichotomy of Charles and Erik, while also not leaving the rest of the team as one-note (mostly, the tornado wind dude doesn’t have a single line in the whole movie). Shaw as a villain is just hammy enough, with a ridiculously sinister comic-booky plan, it’s great.

The music: Standout here being the leitmotif for Erik, which you can hear shift as his attitude shifts from “rage” to “serenity”. The difference in the music when he’s on screen between the Villa Gessel bar scene and the sub lift. This is Erik’s movie. Charles supporting him, and everyone and everything else supporting them, and the music reflects that.

The acting: A refreshing set of faces that bring a lot of subtlety in gesture, I particularly like Charles feigning massaging his temple at the bar when he meets Moira so he can focus on her thoughts or how is attitude changes around Raven and her “cosmetic issue”. Fantastic representations, both in presence and face, of what a younger version of the OG cast might’ve been like.

The story: Yes the overarching plot of nuclear war is fun and all but the meat of the story is Erik and Charles’ relationship and their approach to mutants in human society, as it always is, and the interactions with the newer recruits. There’s plenty of quiet moments that take themselves absolutely sincerely, no half-assed awkward jokes to laugh at itself before the audience can because the writers are insecure. You know how it has to end, and this movie doesn’t for one second pretend it won’t. It never asks if they’ll end up as enemies, it spends the entire time showing you how they became enemies, which is what a prequel should do.

The climax: The last, gosh, 45 mins of this movie? Fantastic. The Americans and the Russians being played as equals but opposite, neither side being vilified because both are victims of Shaw’s plans. They’re just innocents caught in the middle (the sailors on all the boats, not the greedy higher ups). The coin, the setup and payoff and Chekhov’s gun of the goddamn coin that Erik first flicks into Shaw’s picture’s forehead at the start of the movie. Charles screaming as he still holds Shaw frozen because he feels both Shaw’s pain and the horror of what Erik’s doing. Also the choreography incorporating the various mutant powers. All of it. No notes. 10/10.

—

Smaller things, too. Making sure Charles and Erik have their little chess matches. The multi split-screen during the training montage and the era-appropriate music beyond the score. Dancing around the love triangle between Erik, Raven, and Charles without having it be a huge piece of the plot. Without any romance distracting from the plot, just dressing on the side. Erik being such a tired dad already around the younger mutants. The "yes we do" sonar moment. Raven still getting to use her non-combatant powers in the finale to trick Azazel. All of Michael Fassbender’s languages, rather long conversations that aren’t in English. The nods to the story at large with Charles’ hair comments, Wolverine’s cameo, cheeky origins for their hero names, the jet from the OG movies, the other significant characters popping up.

Also the balance between conflicts that do and don’t rely on powers. The final fight isn’t a fistfight and for a comic book climax, that’s kind of rare (and no blue sky beam). This is a climax that can only happen in this story. Erik doesn’t just punch Shaw into submission, he magnetizes a coin through his skull. That’s how it’s done.

I love this movie. I just watched it before making this post and I already want to watch it again.

[foxglovepng]

Random Headcannons 1🌼🥀

Requested: No

CW: Slight mention of drugs & Alcohol in Deuce's, mentions of panic attacks, TW mention of Donut Daddy, Gets a little deep in some of these.

Characters: Heartslabyul

I made some random headcannons to try and get myself back in the writing mood so I hope you like them. If you don't agree that's fine you can scroll and these are just my opinions. <3

I have a fun time writing these and I'm considering posting more headcannons until I finally get the motivation to write more.

Not proofread

🌼

Heartslabyul

Riddle

When it comes to Riddle I have a hard time with him because he is one of my least favorite characters, but in a way I feel for him because the way I describe him is Mommy Issues with a side of anger issues. (Also here his dad at?)

Behind Riddle's back everyone shits on his mom and tries to help Riddle with acknowledging his mom is a bad person and tries to help him see that.

When Riddle get's older I can see him being able to stand up to his mom and will slap back at her (Not physically) he also gets therapy to be able to cope with what she put him through.

A bit more positive, but post NRC Riddle gets a hedgehog and names it Rose or Heart.

Trey

He has personal deep beef with Donut Daddy on tik tok (Don't look him up PLEASE) he literally is that one Euphoria verse when he sees this man. When he got introduced to this man he was like "What the fuck is he doing to those PASTERIES." and now he holds a deep grudge and actively shits on him.

Weird head cannon but Trey is buff because I said so I MEAN LOOK AT HIM at his family's bakery he must be lifting some really heavy stuff right so he has to be buff in some way or another.

Cater

Cater moves around a lot from his father's job and currently resides in the Land of Pyroxene (If I am correct) I feel like it's possible Cater could have met Jack, Vil, and possibly Epel at sometime in his life he either doesn't remember or he does and doesn't mention it.

Cater goes skateboarding and he also knows how to roller skate and has ones with the light up wheels.

He's also very musical and can play the guitar so by this knowledge I am saying he can play Electric, bass, Acoustic, and the ukelele.

"Is that a baton in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" He sung to Trey (It's cannon because I said so)

Deuce

In his delinquent stage he definitely dabbled in drugs & alcohol with his gang (Via Cigarettes and weed). He turned down anything that was super hard although he probably got laced sometime and swore off weed but continued Cigarettes.

Whenever he gets urges to smoke he uses a nicotine patch but that's on rare occasions he chose to be an honor student and he gets panic attacks on occasion from his past as he wants to become better for his mom.

Some more positive headcannons him and Ace play video games a lot together and even though he tries to be an honor student he's still a teenage boy who wants to have fun so sometimes these video game sessions can go very late into the night and they fall asleep during class and start beefing on who's fault it was.

Ace

According to his Phantom Bride Vignette he loves roller coasters and horror movies meaning he probably loves Junji Ito and I will die on that hill. Another thing I want to add is he loves Jojo and different anime's that have a lot of fighting (Jjk, black clover, soul eater, seven deadly sins, demon slayer, castlevania) although I heavily believe his favorite is Jojo. He's an avid TPN and My hero hater.

Another thing someone on tik tok made casual wear sprites and said Ace was a closeted emo he listens to Pierce the Veil because I said so. I also feel like he occasionally goes skateboarding with Cater just to hang out with him.

(Updated on 5/12/24 to change Banner and title)

[forgotten-retrouvaille]

okay i think i've fleshed something out for this

I would have initially kept her military history but that would mean changing a lot of things about how this specific au would go just because of that skillset she would have (and i wasn't sure if i could see a feasible way for delta force jill to be incapacitated so easily & then not turn out to obliterate half the island the second she gets her hand on a gun ) , so I decided to lean more towards another part of her history with her mechanics instead . So , in this specific timeline Jill would have primarily had been a mechanic - in her younger years she pushed to do things that weren't always typical - she forced some of the Secret Service agents to teach her her way around a pistol / hand to hand or at least the basics . She doesn't have formal training but often practices , and often goes out to gun ranges in her spare time . Jill's gained quite a notorious reputation for being hard to manage in general - in her main verse she was a troublemaker as a teenager and only really mellowed out on that after the military , and in this verse she's pretty similar - she's pretty rebellious and doesn't like constantly being supervised . Jill's already quite well known for running circles around them in general and disappearing for long periods of time - both because she enjoys hiking and because she'll often lock into fixing a car for days on end without coming out of her garage .

Jill would already likely have recently picked up a broken down car from some or other autowrecker as of late and would have been in the process of trying to fix it up in her garage a fair while away from the White House . Her garage is more out towards the countryside , close to an area with a lot of trees . There's already a set precedent for her unexplained absences , so in this case the Secret Service would likely have showed up in the middle of her project , gave her some claim/alibi , and it would play it pretty similarly to what initially happened to Ashley Graham only in that Jill wouldn't have taken off her mechanic toolbelt and would likely have gotten a few very good hits in once she figured out something was wrong and when it came to defending herself against being subdued via pistol knock to the head .

Same thing with Ashley , she was taken and smuggled to Spain . Initially she had been cuffed and restrained because gods was she a pain to deal with , but in this verse she still has her escape-artist tendencies & taught herself how to pick locks & break out of places from when she was a kid and wanted to evade the Secret Service .

The members of Los Illuminados very much had their hands full for the first while that she was there - she was locked in the church , like Ashley , and reacted a lot more through her temper rather than fear , though it was still present. The rest of it plays out like similar to it does in canon , but Jill is far more willing to take a direct action role even with minimal training .

[autisticempathydaemon]

hi i’m here for the redacted matchmaker thing! :))

What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why? - freak by lana del rey, it’s such a beautiful song plus the transition to art deco is 😍😍, i’m not really in love with a specific lyric or verse but the way she sings ‘we could slow dance to rock music, kiss while w do it, talk til w both turn blue’ is really satisfying 🫶

What is your Enneagram type? - type 2!!

Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why? - sort of, i really like ones about the placebo affect

Tell me about your childhood imaginary friend. - a cat named daisy who used to come around w me everywhere

What is your go-to way to fall asleep? - listening to music under 20 million blankets

If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why? (In tandem, if you have changed your name, why did you pick that one?) - not really sure, maybe to something like lottie? i’ve always loved that name

What is your favorite of Redacted’s audios, and why? - any of regulus’s audios, as creepy as they are they are amazing to listen to, or geordis valenweek vid :)

What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? Like, not the one you hate but the one who you don’t get the hype for. (I won’t judge, I promise.) - david and vega, nothing against them just they never appealed to me

Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to. - mean girls, i can quote basically the entire movie

Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? Like- forget dating, which dude do you want to be your best friend? - hush, he’s just a creepy little guy

Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you’re tired, and if so, what is it? (For example, my boyfriend knows I’m ready to sleep when I start talking about space.) - i don’t think i do? i pretty much go nonverbal when i’m sleepy

Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo. - i’m british 💔💔

Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment. - hush’s he is definitely one of my favourites, i can’t wait to see where his storyline is gonna go, also the balance

What’s your guilty pleasure media, and why? - mha 😞😞😞 it’s so comforting to me and the character development is so good imo

And whatever else you think tells me about who you are! - ENFP, i love cats n wombats, my friends are really important to me, i love pink, i can’t survive w out music, i play the piano and i love lana del rey 🎀🤞

tysm!!

Babe, you’re a piano playing BNHA fan. Who else could I give you other than our resident DJ and Redacted equivalent to Present Mic, Hudson?

Obvs, those aren’t the ONLY reasons. Type Two’s are motivated by a desire to be loved and understood; Hudson strikes me as an openly loving and affectionate person. You’re an extrovert; he’s an extrovert. You’re British; of the Redacted bois, Hudson strikes me as the most enthusiastic to have a partner with such a fun accent so different from him. There’s lots of reasons of varying sizes and significances, but your love of music and piano is definitely a major factor.

Hudson is a truly fun person to be with, especially for an extroverted partner. He strikes me as the type of guy who has tons of friends, very popular, and his friends easily become yours as well- especially since he talks about you on air so much. (Maybe he calls you Lottie as a radio pseudonym, before he asks whether you want your real name broadcasted!) Eventually he gets you in the studio with him, maybe playing piano backing tracks or honestly just to hang out with him. He loves sharing his partner and your lovely voice with the world.

Song:

We live in cities you'll never see on-screen/ Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things/ Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams/ And you know, we're on each other's team/ I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air/ So there

Thank god for Spotify and their algorithmically generated Artist Radios! This song was in the line-up, and it feels right somehow. It’s one of those “late night driving turn up the radio let’s pretend we’re the only two people in the world” songs, but I love the beat in the chorus, so I can also imagine him playing it on air and dedicating it to you. (It’s also funny to me because you figuratively live in a city that you’ll never see in the screen- at least, the empowered part of the city lol)

Runner-ups:

Milo is a runner-up for you because one, I love to stick cute motherfuckers with cute accents together- it’s fun. Two, extroverted cat lovers unite. Geordi was another option for you because I think you two would like the same media and he is so smitten with the way you play piano~

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌