#(at worst I was annoying but I'm also young enough to get away with it)

[erudipitous]

I'm trying so hard not to obsess over every social interaction I had last weekend

[momo-minomo]

Fic Fairy Friday: Batfamily Shenanigans

This week's fic rec post is dedicated to the Batfamily just BEING a family. The snark, the annoying nagging, the overprotectiveness, etc. I feel like we don't get to see the Batfamily together and friendly nearly enough. Some of these would fit in the comics, some are more Wayne Family Adventures coded, and some are full on AU. Enjoy!

The Fic Fairy Friday Masterpost

Code Bat by Listentothelittlebird

Summary:

Within Gotham, the Bats are a tight-knit group - family - that runs like clockwork. Outside of Gotham, none of their teammates know they’re related. This series explores the shenanigans that the Bats get up to, as well as how this distinction would affect canon.

Momo's Notes: This one is a series rather than a single fic and I love it so much. When Dick first decides he wants to break away from Batman's shadow Bruce agrees to keep their affiliation with each other secret, with one caveat. If either of them call a 'code bat' the other drops everything immediately and comes to help. As they add on to the family the secrets they're keeping from their non-Gotham friends and teammates piles up but it serves to keep the younger, less trained members of the family safe from the older heroes' enemies so they keep it going, each new family member agreeing to the Code Bat protocol when outside of Gotham, complete with entirely different hero names and costumes. It's interesting seeing a Justice League, Titans, Outsiders, Outlaws, and Young Justice that has no idea the Batfamily even a thing even as certain team members sometimes act super shifty when dealing with other teams or after getting a sudden, secret message.

I'm not a villain, I swear! by CoyoteFang1987

Summary:

Tim wakes up in a world in which Batman doesn't exist. And by consequence, the Robins never became heroes. Dick is a Talon, Jason is Red Hood (a villain), and Damian is a League of Assassins assassin. And Tim apparently is a hero called Draken, who, frankly, sucks at being a hero. And in this weird alternate reality, something big is brewing and Batman isn't here to keep the Justice League from tearing itself apart. Tim is really really done with everything. Dick, Jason, and Damian aren't helping. Tim really really hates magic as well.

Momo's Notes: Tim, Dick, Jason, and Damian all wake up in a world where Batman doesn't exist, Bruce Wayne might be the new Lex Luthor, and 3/4 of the Batfam appear to be villains working for various organizations. There's a lot of fun shenanigans going on in this one and all four brothers have good relationships with each other so we get to see them being effortlessly badass together. The Dick/Wally in this is also adorable.

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514

Summary:

Bruce doesn’t know what’s wrong with his child, but he’s pretty sure kids aren’t meant to work like this. From the day he had looked up into the tops of the circus tent and saw a frightened mirror image of a boy who had just experienced the worst day of his life, Bruce had instantly gone into emergency mode. The Gotham PD had wanted to pass the boy off into the care of the circus. The circus had mumbled underneath their breaths about superstitions, about not having a boy like that with them, about not being able to handle something like Dick. So GCPD, not knowing what to do, had started talking about one of the handful of overburdened boy homes that handles a majority of Gotham’s unlucky orphans. All the while, the camera lights flash bright and loud, wanting to know everything. Bruce couldn’t let that happen. Not then, not ever again.

Momo's Notes: This is one of the most unique cryptid AUs I think I've ever read. Bruce's only human child in this is Damian and the variety of magical creature the older 3 batbros are is really neat. The way their abilities and nature interact with each other is also really sweet. For anyone who's a sucker for good dad Bruce, this one is sure to make you happy.

Keep Losing Sleep by incogneat_oh

Summary:

“When’d you last sleep?” Jay asks, curious. “Eleven years ago,” Tim says, at the same time as Dick says, “Tuesday.”

Momo's Notes: In a family as traumatized as this, it makes sense that more than one of them would have trouble sleeping. This is super short but a lovely little glance into the family just being there for each other when sleep won't come.

Brightly Colored Adhesive Papers by LuminaStarCrest

Summary:

Tim liked to show people that he loves them by leaving around sticky notes. Or, 5 times Tim left sticky notes for others to find, and 1 time he found sticky notes that he didn’t write

Momo's Notes: Another one that's short but sweet! My favorite part in this is probably the pure sass between Tim and Jason but Tim doing his emotional support Robin thing and making Bruce get some damn sleep is a close second lol

Cannonball by SunnyBlue

Summary:

Why is it always Tim that disappears? If it was any of the rest of them, it would be a lot less concerning. It’s not like Tim can’t hold his own in a fight — he’s a Bat, after all — but the kid has a tendency to form the craziest plans out of all of them, which often ends up putting him in the craziest situations. When Tim goes missing, it usually means he’s in some deep shit, and Tim in deep shit means Jason scrambling every time. Without fail. This fucking kid. Tim is missing and his brothers track him down and bring him home. Also everybody loves each other and isn't so incredibly emotionally constipated because I just want them to be happy and because I'm the author and I said so.

Momo's Notes: I kinda love Jason's pov in friendly Batfam fics. This one is Jason and Dick terrified and furious as they rush to Tim's rescue with bonus points for the quick bit of Tim and Damian bonding the author added.

Loading and Aspect Ratio by JUBE514

Summary:

So, it didn’t start out like this. Alfred would scoff at the statement, about how Bruce was trying to justify the whole situation to himself. It had started out as a simple design, black everything with black outlines and black hood. It got a little more intense as the world went on, got wind of his ghost on the streets, and became scared of The Bat . So Bruce got a little more creative with it, Alfred and him had a good laugh over the name, the scare, and Alfred had a vicious streak of humor that he had passed onto his ward- So now the suit had a visible bat-theme, an insignia to drape in the shadows and to paint across the streets of Gotham. It only took a year into the whole charade of heroism for Bruce to overhear a conversation between some goons- some low level thug hired by the Riddler this week- about nothing at all pertaining to what the hell the Riddler was doing in the sewers but instead: “ The Batman can fly, you know, I’ve seen his wings.” -- A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything.

Momo's Notes: This is another fun AU with lots of Batfamily bonding and badassery. Bruce makes his cape wing shaped to further scare the hell out of Gotham criminals but it's little baby Dickie, freshly adopted and traumatized, who convinces him to make them actual capable of flight. The Batfam never claimed to be metas but the rest of the world, especially the Justice League, decided that's what they were anyway. It came in clutch tho. The main pairing in this is SuperBat and they are freaking adorable.

The Waynes, Damsels in Distress by hitthedeck

Summary:

Roses are red, violets are blue, Bruce Wayne and his kids get kidnapped every other week. Some things are just universal, undeniable facts of life.Or, in which Bruce Wayne is still Batman and his kids are still Robins, but they keep letting themselves get kidnapped because they think it's funny.

Momo's Notes: People forget that Bruce Wayne raised Dick Grayson to be how he is and the two of them share the same warped sense of humor that let them shout puns while beating up criminals and put "Bat" in front of freaking EVERYTHING with a straight face. This fic is just the Batfam fucking with the JLA for their own sick amusement. I love them.

Here's a Reminder (That You Haven't Fallen Through the Cracks) by popsunner

Summary:

If it’s a salesperson, he’ll shove them a hundred dollar tip and tell them to go away, if it’s some religious do gooder, he’ll direct them to Metropolis. If it’s a Rogue, he’ll tell them he’s busy and to please get in the fucking line. If it’s one of his siblings-- “Hey, Tim!” Dick says brightly, forearm braced against the doorframe. Dammit.

Momo's Notes: Finally a fic that gives Cass and Duke some love! This is a short one where Tim's siblings drive him up the wall out of love and concern for their workaholic weirdo brother. The snark and sass is flowing freely and the JLA's best detective/spies are being about as subtle as a brick to the head lol.

To Rescue a Bat by Blueseabird2

Summary:

Batman gets into a situation during an alien invasion and could use a rescue. Unfortunately, Dick and Jason don't think the Justice League is up for the task. At all. So Dick lets the League know that he will be handling the situation and to expect Batman back by the end of the night. He even promises that he won't be going alone. No one should stand in the way of a Batfamily rescue, even if the Justice League doesn't know there's a Batfamily at all.

Momo's Notes: I love the closeness Dick and Jason share in this one. Jason and Dick are two older brothers who both struggle with the towering rage simmering just below the surface at all times and in this fic they've come to lean on each other for support. When most of the JLA's leadership is captured and the ransom video shows Bruce to be on borrowed time Dick decides it's time to let that anger loose a little and Jason is ready to back him up (with attitude of course, but still). With their fellow Batfamily members (both official and honorary) right beside them they decide it's the perfect time to reveal their affiliation with Batman to save their dad. Bruce is SO fucking proud.

Monolith by CharlesWaterloo

Summary:

Diana realised with a jolt that none of them had actually asked him how he knew Batman. And she was just as curious as the rest of them about the “we”. It implied Batman worked with more people. ‘How did you come to know Batman? Does he have any other friends?’ His mouth fell open, and he snorted, which evolved into full-out laughter. ‘I’m sorry. Oh my god - friends?’ Diana felt a little hurt on Batman’s behalf. ‘Are you not his friend?' He shook his head. ‘Did B really not say anything? I’m hurt. No, I’m not his friend. I’m his son.’ (An AU where the Justice League haven't met any of Bruce's kids.)

Momo's Notes: The Justice League isn't aware of Batman's identity or that he's a father. When Dick needs to sub in for Bruce at a JL meeting, though, and he realizes this? Cue the sibling shenanigans! Bonus points for Duke, Cass, and Steph getting some attention and praise in this one!

Batman/men? by Bumpkin

Summary:

Batman wasn’t a founding member of the Justice League, and isn’t known for playing well with other heroes. But he does end up joining, and he does try to get along while still keeping his secrets close. It’s a delicate balancing act. Then comes a mission that requires Batman to be the lynchpin for their success. Except there’s a problem with the execution of the plan, Batman would have to be in several places at once. He’s confident he can do it. The Justice League, for lack of any alternatives, can only go along and in the process learn more about their reclusive teammate.

Momo's Notes: Another fic that's short but fun where the Justice League isn't aware of the Batfam's existence and it's entirely in non-Batfam povs over the course of an important mission where Batman seemingly needs to be in several places at once and… succeeds? Easily?

[lunarriviera]

a few 光・淵 thoughts

okay! so, having now seen eps 1-4 of wowow's cut of jitd, i will say:

1) watching with japanese subs is certainly weirder than i expected, the script not matching their speech does a funny number on my brain, but i'm coping—it does help if you pathetically have mo du memorized, and it really helps to know almost no japanese.

2) wowow HAS made a few idiosyncratic tiny cuts (like 3-5 seconds, in odd places) but i just keep sternly telling myself IT DOESN'T MATTER, what MATTERS is that we HAVE IT AT ALL. am i sad that fei du doesn't get to flip his hair and look away when he's flustered? am i sad that we don't get that one reaction shot from fu xinbo? sure, but you know what made me more sad? I BET YOU CAN GUESS. (and anyway if i were wowow, i wouldn't have bought the rights without first guaranteeing final cut, bc who knows what all was still in there, including rosé from blackpink, who yes has now been excised.)

3) we already knew they were cast correctly (yes we did, shut up) but i'm once again reminded that zhang xincheng and fu xinbo are both doing everything in their actorly power to bring these roles to the screen. zxc in particular is just devouring every scene—as i'm fond of saying he didn't just read the novel, he underlined, highlighted, and used sticky notes. he even pulls off the ingratiating peach-blossom-eyed smile that is pure unadulterated weapons-grade fei du. even nearly about to pass out, he leans forward and smiles the perfect bloodthirsty murder smile at those motorcyclists (and at his father).

and fu xinbo is no slouch either. he may not be jacked enough for some but he's sturdy, and he's clearly studied this part. he brings forward the perfect blend of annoying dad/captain china, blustering but secretly soft to tao ran/his team/his (renamed) cat, while also being smart as hell—and best/worst of all, fxb Understood the Damn Assignment when it comes to those tiny reaction shots in which you can see lwz, increment by increment, starting to get it: those stunned reevaluations and shocked recalculations as this sort of dense brash young police captain (but with LAYERS, lwz's got so many LAYERS) starts to realize who he's really dealing with, in fei du.

(just like the bart simpson meme: "if you look closely you can actually pinpoint the exact moment his heart rips in half"—watch! in real time! as luo-dui, previously oblivious! now falls agonizingly in love!)

i'm just so glad all their hard work WILL BE VISIBLE, AT LAST. and finally 4) y'all it's just such a damn well-constructed crime drama? really bien fait—so many subtle deft touches from the novel are worked into the script in all these surprising, delightful, skillful ways and i've MISSED that. and the best scenes are still to come—

[no gifs/screenshots, you know why. just do what has to be done.]

[mr-crawlings-wife]

Hi I was wondering if you could do a NSFW fic for Schneider(eleceed) where they are friends but they end up arguing and the reader accidentally reveals she is actually in love with him. She runs away for a few years she ends up wearing a mask and making a name for herself. She ends up coming to Frame to get commissions from them. She runs into Schneider and doesn't think he would recognise her. He does recognise her and calls her to his office where he confronts her. Things get spicy and he says he's going to make sure she can't run away this time since he's going to make sure her legs aren't going to work after he's done with her.

I'd like to apologize if he appears ooc (he most likely does). Any developments that have occurred in the manhwa after Ian's loss is unknown to me as I have dropped it since then. And I don't really have the time or motivation to dive into it again. Also sorry this isn't exactly what you wanted.🫰🏼

Warnings: yandere, hinting at SA, graphic near the end, kidnapping, keeping someone locked up against their will.

You guys were literally best friends- like soulmates. Others, when they looked at you- if they didn't have prior knowledge, they would always mistake you for a couple. It was as if everyone in the universe saw how perfect you two were for each other... Except him.

It was torturous, having to swallow your own feelings and bear with the pain of seeing him fooling around with women.

And you wouldn't dare confess, from all the years of knowing him, not once- not a single time has he ever settled down or taken anyone seriously. And you're not delusional enough to believe that you'll be the exception.

Both of you are still young during this time, when your infatuation with him truly becomes a burden. Your resolve is cracking at the edges.

As if it wasn't enough to see other people have what you would give anything to get a taste of- him risking his life for the fun of it is when you just couldn't take it anymore.

Because you see how he's been getting injured lately, how reckless he has become, so arrogant yet fragile. You're afraid that this fight will be his last. You're barely resisting the urge to smack him for directly challenging the 50th ranker.

And worst of all, is the way he invalidates your feelings and throws them to the side.

You breathe a heavy sigh through your nose, staring up at the heavens to prevent your tears from gracing earth.

You feel tired, frustration clawing at your nerves. How can you get this man to understand just how risky this is?- that he's basically throwing his life away?

"Schnauder- come on, don't you see how weak you are right now? You won't make it.." your voice is light like a breeze.

And his is loud like a storm, "I don't need your concern! Listen- you don't wanna fight then don't!! Why you gotta be so dramatic abou' it?? I'm fine!- what I need right now is some uplifting! Not someone who's a crybaby and whines all day!!"

He steps away towards the window, clenching his fist in anger- furious that you're bringing up his weaknesses. A twitch in his eyebrow as the bandages dug into the open wound in his palm. Bandages that were too tight- bandages that he wrapped himself- bandages that you wrapped softly but he unraveled. He mutters bitterly. "God! I should have just chosen Gastella as my partner.."

The moment these words reached your ears, something inside you shattered. "What did you just say?" The sudden coldness in your voice doesn't quite register to him.

"what? You wanna hear it? FINE! I SAID, I SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN GASTELLA CAUSE LITTLE DID I KNOW YOU WOULD TURN OUT TO BE SUCH A FUCKING BABY! nO sChNaUdEr~! DoN't FiGhT! yOu'Ll GeT hUrT! sChNaUdEr ArE yOu OkAy? sChNaUdEr HaVe YoU eAtEn? sChNaUdEr this- sChNaUdEr that- SHUT UP! you're so fucking annoying....fuck...I don't even want you around, can't you take a hint? You're so fucking embarrassing to be around... "

He goes on as your heart shatters. Like glass slamming against concrete, pieces finding their way back to you to cut you deeper. The sudden pain between your ribs. The breathlessness. The way you have to hold onto the wall to stabilize yourself before you fall to the ground. All you can do is ask yourself, is this the man you fell in love with?

"-first you're weak and now you're also dragging me down. Like some fucking parasite-"

"Why-"

"you're so fucking useless- like is there a single this you can do right?"

You hide your face in your hands and weep, dragging yourself down, against the wall and towards the floor. "How could I have done this to myself ?" You whisper, sniffling and wiping away your tears.

"hm?“

You slowly turn to look at him. Like really look at him. And you break out into a sob again. "To think...that I love you...how could I? Why did I put myself through this?"

"huh?“

In that moment it really didn't mean much to him as he had responded with a scoff. Walking out of the room and disappearing.

Ever since then you've cut all contact with him.

And in just a month he would come to realize how big of a mistake he had made as he stay laying on the shattered floor, debris mixing with his blood, his opponent's foot pressing down on his heart as it barely beats.

He regrets shouting at you like that. He regrets being such a bad friend to you. He regrets pushing you away and not listening to your words.

He thought that was the end. That this is how his life ends.

When suddenly a masked figure kicked his opponent away, the force of the attack sent him flying towards the wall.

The figure, a woman from what he can tell by looking at her silhouette, brought him to a healer before disappearing.

He never got to ask her who she was.

But she doesn't really matter to him anymore. What matters is you.

Over the next few years he never stops searching for any trace of you.

It's his first priority.

Feeding informants money to search for you.

Putting a bounty on your head.

There's almost nothing he hasn't tried.

He felt lonely ever since you left. Realizing that you were the only one person who truly ever cared for him.

He seldom finds himself talking as if you're beside him and then realizing that you're not there...

You're not anywhere.

As if you never existed.

It drives him mad. Insanity consumes him the more he yearns for you.

At one point he even starts to blame you. His mind has spiralled so far that he becomes blind to his own faults.

Since you've left, he hasn't lookedsomeone else's way.

Since you've left, he barely sleeps.

Since you've left, he's been overwhelming himself with work, just to distract himself from the pain of losing you and knowing that it was completely his fault.

There's a hollow feeling in his chest as he sits on his throne, regal as ever yet....what he thought would make him satisfied...arouses nothing. The only emotion in his ever stagnant heart being indifference.

Winning doesn't matter anymore, everything around him has lost its appeal.

Solely for survival does he sustain himself anymore.

Surviving just for the hope of seeing you one day.

That one day you'll find it in your heart to forgive him.

Then one day, one sunny day, as he's walking through the halls of Frame, passing by the reception desk, does a faint sweet scent hit him.

A scent so familiar. A scent that he's been searching for a whiff of since forever...

Your scent..

It's the perfume that he gifted you for your 18th birthday.

He's so overjoyed that he doesn't even check if it's truly you before he knocks you out.

The next time you wake up, you find yourself in an unfamiliar room. The walls black with empty gold picture frames. Matching with the stain sheets.

As you try to move, you realize your hands are cuffed to the bed. And you feel sluggish. As if heavily drunk.

That's when a person steps into the room with a tray of delicious food. That smell wafts through the air as they approach the bed, and your blood runs cold.

It's Scaunader.

What...what are you doing here?

You can't help but physically recoil when he buries his face into the crook of your neck. Like some animal.

"I missed you so much love....I'm so sorry. Please.... love, take me back. I promise I'll be good...I promise I'll never yell at you-Or make you feel horrible...just-*hic* please!"

His tears fall onto your shoulders and slide down your collar bone. The only emotion it evokes is... disgust.

"get away from me..." You mumbled, terrified.

"what?" He pulled away, seeming alert, a crazed look in his eyes, as if he heard you but is giving you the chance to correct yourself.

Your sputter but only for a moment, "get- GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"no...that can't be right....love... didn't you say...you loved me?" He grips your jaw in a bruisingly tight hold.

"NO! NO I DON'T! LET ME GO-! WHAT ARE YOU-“

He forcefully kisses you, smashing your lips together. Not budging even as you bang your fists against his chest. You can't move your legs, or your body with the way his body is weighing down on yours.

He breaks the kiss, a perverted smirk on his lips as he looks you up and down.

"you're as beautiful as the day I last saw you..." He whispers breathlessly before receiving a jab in the eye.

As he's busy clutching his eye, you jump out of bed jerking your hands and pulling at your restraints to break free.

Trying desperately to break free. Even as the sides of the cuffs slice into your skin as they slide off.

By the time the second cuff has come off, he's already up. You desperately make a run for the door.

Halfway through, you're tackled to the ground. His muscular body pressing into you, knocking the air out of your lungs. The last chance of freedom slipping through your fingers like sand.

He chuckles in your ear. As if you're just some pet cat trying to escape it's overly affectionate owner and not a woman fighting for her life. Whispering in a sultry voice that makes bile crawl up your throat he says,

"Don't worry honey, by the time I'm done with you, you won't have the ability to walk."

[blueberry-lemon]

Getting a kid into Pokemon TCG

There's a lady in the neighborhood who was asking around if anyone had Pokemon cards they were willing to give away, because her young daughter is interested in learning how to play. I do have Pokemon cards, and enough to spare some, so I volunteered.

Then I started thinking...

"Should I be picking cards that are cuter and more appealing to look at? Some of the card art can be kind of gritty or scary-looking, or just hard to see the shapes of, so maybe I'll take those out.

Wait. I don't have enough Energy Cards to properly play. You need like 10-20 of each Type to comfortably make decks. I have like 5 total laying around. Even if you're not being strict about it, you definitely need to be able to draw Energy Cards from the deck to learn how to play. Maybe I'll tell her they can draw them on index cards? Sure, it's not tournament-legal because you'll be able to tell when an energy card is next in the deck, but it'll be fine for learning.

Also, hmm....I shouldn't give her any Dragon cards. They're too annoying to learn to play, require having even more variety of Energy, and if she's going around asking for hand-me-downs instead of buying a starter kit then chances are they'll never get enough Dragon types to really make a deck out of them. I'll take those out.

Might as well take Metal types out too. Those will be hard to find enough of. Actually let's take out Dark types too while we're at it. Now hopefully she'll be getting enough of the main types to put something together.

Actually you know what? I should take out all the cards that have a lot of text or confusing effects with very specific mechanics. That way it'll be easier to learn for a beginner. I'll just keep in cards that have simple effects. This wasn’t a problem back in the 90s but in the 2020s they’ve made the card effects much more scenario-specific.

Wait. Uh oh. I need to make sure I'm picking Pokemon who actually evolve from each other! It's useless to be given a Charmeleon and nothing else. Also sadly in Pokemon, you can't just evolve any Water type into any other Water type, they need to be very very specific Pokemon species.

Is she going to think that this is going to be something that's simple to learn, like Uno? I don't have an instruction booklet on how to play, I'll have to explain that she'll need to either buy a starter kit or look up the instructions online. Also worst case scenario, the kid can just make up her own games with her imagination with the cards-"

[Lady arrives to pick them up]

[I start explaining some of this apologetically]

Lady: Oh my husband knows how to play, he'll teach her. Maybe we print the Energy things off the computer.

Me: Oh. Cool.

[dissociacrip]

this turned into a long adhd rant whoopsie

it really does suck how people seem to downplay autism and adhd now lol. autism has been reduced to people who can mask and have low support needs and adhd hasn't really changed from its status as a joke.

i don't talk about adhd much but it probably gets in the way of me being able to function just as much, if not more than autism does (in my personal situation) when it comes to mental disability. not showering enough. not cooking. not cleaning my living space properly. forgetting to brush my teeth. dishes sitting in the sink for so long they start getting moldy. only being able to maybe do 1-3 tasks a day maximum because my brain can't organize itself enough to do more than that. difficulty committing to things and being consistent in overarching ways. being late to things a lot. highly impaired verbal recall so i forget things people say to me, forget verbal instructions, etc. on top of the other acutely stressful situations that come with memory and regulating my attention span (e.g. locking my keys in my car or locking myself out of my house when i have a very limited support network to remediate those situations.)

my meds barely touch this stuff for me and i'm not especially inclined to increase the dosage after bordering on psychosis when i was taking 40mg of vyvanse. i've just become so accustomed to living the way that i do (because my case is pretty bad afaik) so i can't just will myself to be another way. any efforts i make to change or be more organized and routine and consistent end up getting dashed away because i just cannot do it lol. my shit just doesn't work. adhd is a massive barrier between me and being a functioning person or being able to take care of myself. i'm pretty sure would still be a "gross" and unpalatable disabled person even if my muscles worked and i didn't have POTS/etc. that also get in the way of my hygiene and the cleanliness of my living space.

that doesn't even go into how other people react to it. a good chunk of physical and verbal abuse i faced from my family as a child was related to my adhd symptoms. i was diagnosed at a young age but my parents "forgot" it happened and it was never addressed otherwise. i got constantly called disgusting for my hygiene problems and was threatened with violence over it (on top of the times where i was actually getting assaulted.) people take my impaired verbal recall and lack of impulse control irt accidentally cutting people off or interrupting them personally, accusing me of not caring enough when it's something that is extremely difficult to be aware of or manage when adhd is a condition that distinctly involves impaired awareness of your own behavior.

so when i see shit like "just set alarms" or anything else that amounts to "you're not trying hard enough" or adhd not very much being a disability, especially when it's coming from other people w/ adhd, it kinda makes me wanna stab things with knives.

sure, it's not the worst condition ever, but just like most other disabilities, the way it affects everyone who is it is different and some are gonna be able to manage it better than others. sure, there a lot of really fucking annoying people (usually able-bodied) w/ adhd on social media that have large platforms and who very often profit from or encourage liberal pop psych bullshit when it comes to adhd, but it's still very much a disability. it can affect hygiene. it can affect employment or otherwise means of earning an income. it can affect our social lives and whether we have a support system. it can affect whether someone can keep their house from getting infested with bugs or mold. it is very much something that causes dysfunction in ways that aren't nearly as cutesy as the little comics you might see on instagram are drawn.

just remember that.

[crusherthedoctor]

💜🤍🖤💖

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

mfw I'm Guptill89. He was too based for his time.

Anyway, to be a little more... let's say tactful, I think Elise has a pleasant design that was simply let down by '06's in-game cutscene models. Shahra has a pretty design too, but I've never seen anyone mock hers compared to Elise. If we're counting NPCs as well, I like Hualin's design too.

In general, I think a lot of the game character designs manage to be very aesthetically pleasing... with some exceptions like Silver. Whether they're going for awesome or cute, they're usually nice. :> This is why I get really annoyed when people go "nah, these designs suck, let's make Sonic a real hedgehog and give Rouge a realistic bat face", as if they learned nothing from the original Sonic movie design.

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Already answered this, but I've got another one: Mario.

It's not as common nowadays, but for a long time, Mario got demonized up the ass and was constantly painted as the true villain. This would usually come in the form of being an abusive brother to Luigi (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary), or oppressing poor innocent Bowser (ignore all the things he's done pls).

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

You guessed it, it's Eggman.

"He's not so bad deep down" No he isn't.

"He wants to avenge Gerald" No he doesn't.

"He likes Sonic" Respects him as an opponent, hates the shit out of him as a person and would still gladly kill him without regret. Game Eggman is not Boom/X Eggman.

"He doesn't want the world to be destroyed" Because he can't conquer it if it's not there, and as shown with the Bad Futures in CD, he doesn't care what potential dire state the environments and their inhabitants are in as long as they serve him, with the only exception being his own personal quarters (ie: Metropolis in Forces). Not exactly signs of an altruistic person with good intentions at heart.

"He hasn't done anything seriously terrible like the other villains" Sure, if you ignore the time he fired a missile in a populated city. Or the time he enslaved an innocent alien race. Or the time he showed absolutely no moral grievances over Infinite's sadistic antics and only punished him for being a fuck up. Or the time he broke the planet into pieces... twice. I'm sure his repeated attempts to kill children as young as Cream can also be handwaved away.

Eggman is every bit as messed up as Black Doom, Erazor Djinn, etc. Him acting goofy and some (key word: some) of his actions being presented in a semi-comedic light should not invalidate that, especially when Surge - the so-called Forces game changer according to Evan Stanley - lost to a Motobug and tripped over some bolts.

💖: What is your biggest unpopular opinion about the series?

"All of them" might as well be my catchphrase with how many times I've said it.

I'm serious though, it really does seem that I'm destined to be at odds with the rest of the fandom on virtually everything now. I absolutely hate it. It is not fun in the slightest. You wanna know why I was so happy to join in on all the Vivian gushing when the TTYD remake came out, aside from already loving Vivian as a character anyway? Because I was starting to forget what it was like to actually be on the same wavelength as the majority of a fandom on anything. That's how monumentally unlucky I am with my Sonic preferences.

The characters who are super popular tend to be the ones I'm either indifferent to or straight up dislike, while the ones I vibe towards tend to be largely ignored (Ariem) or criticised for *checks notes* not being reptilian enough (Trip). The most recent games (and comic) that prove We Are So Back are the ones I can't stand, while the ones that actually had my investment are either ignored or placed alongside Colours and Forces as the new Worst Sonic Game of All Time for the heinous crime of having some flaws, by people who unironically white knight '06. There's also the neverending fandom push for Sonamy and all the attention it receives, whereas I remain unconvinced by its alleged chemistry more than ever. And of course, you can compare how I see Eggman VS how the rest of the fandom sees him.

I used to think my fandom status was a tragedy. But now I realise... it's a comedy. *puts on Sonudis facepaint*

[laeliana]

Artemis Fowl Tag

Stolen from @tengirl, since the blog appears to be deleted I cannot repost it directly, so I copied and pasted it:

so, i made an artemis fowl tag forever ago on my old blog & thought i’d made a new & improved version! feel free to tag some peeps who might want to do this too, if ya want. without further ado, the artemis fowl tag 2.0!

1) who’s your favorite character & why?

2) what’s one of your favorite scenes in the books?

3) if you could be any species of fairy, which one would you be?

4) do you read af fic? if so, drop one of your favorites!

5) give your ranking of the books from best to worst!

6) if you could say anything to any of the characters, what would it be?

7) if your comfortable w it, share one of your favorite headcanons about the series <3

8) what’s one thing that you would change about the series?

9) if we’re not counting book one artemis, who’s your favorite villain & why?

10) how did you get into the series/when did you first read it?

1) Artemis and Minerva. I mean, everybody loves Artemis and we all know why, so I'm gonna spend a couple of words on Min. I find amazing the idea of another genius who is a foil of what Artemis could've been was he born in a more normal family. I think most of the problems Artemis has stem from his family, so having Minerva could've helped him realize he could still be a genius, but different, less reliant on his mother and his father. Sad thing she disappeared (Fowl Twins does not exist).

2) I think Butler and the troll. One of the best fight scenes I've ever read, period.

3) But I don't want to, I like being human ç ç

4) Hell yes. altus, alti by @pokegeek151, Artemis Experiments Weird by @eldewinddolly, Different by Opal Roseblossom, All in an Instant and Before by NovaWasTaken, The Face I Wear by @piscespixiewastaken, The Truth About Santa by ArtysSexKitten

5) The Lost Colony - Artemis Fowl - The Opal Deception - The Arctic Incident - The Eternity Code - The Atlantis Complex - The Time Paradox - The Last Guardian

6)

to Artemis: by the love of God GO GET MINERVA, SHE'S THE ONE (everything else I would like Artemis to do will cascade down from that)

to Holly: stop thinking Artemis is something different from what he is. You're only gonna hurt yourself.

To Butler: I'd like to say him "Relax, your charge will do fine", but it'd be a lie :D

To Foaly: get down your pedestal and realize there are others that are just as smart or smarter than you. It's a lot less hurtful than realize it after they've tricked you

To Angeline and Artemis Sr: you owe everything to your son, so leave him be. He'll be himself his own way, not everyone else

To Minerva: go slap some sense into Artemis. You're prolly the only one smart enough to do that.

To the People as whole: you're no better than Mud Men, deal with it.

7) easy: Artemis and Minerva stood in close contact (be them friends or lovers, it doesn't matter), because there's no way Artemis finds the only one person that could stand toe to toe with him in a scientific debate and then forgets about her. It would be like for us to discover for the first time that fandoms exists and that there are other people that share our interests.

8) As you could very well understand at this point, more Minerva (I'm working on that). But also Artemis moving away from his family and Holly staying well away from the LEP. Also I'd rewrite the entire interactions of TAC because come on, that's not how you deal with someone with mental illness. Also I generally think that latter books suffer from too many villains, and one of them per book (Minerva, Young Artemis, the Complex) would be more than enough and would have its time to shine. Also, enough of Opal.

9) Again, Minerva (don't know if t counts, and I've already annoyed you more than enough with her) and baby Artemis from TTP, I think the juxtaposition between him and his older self is one thing I really like from TTP. ANother thing I'd change is dump the entire Extinctionist and Opal subplots, and let yong Artemis be the only villain of TTP. He desperate for the money to save his father, and his older self desperate for the lemur to save his mother. Let them clash.

10) Who even remembers lol? It must've been more than twenty years ago

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Round 2

Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

"shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker"

"I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist"

"I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her."

"I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus"

"In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him."

"Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there."

"She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places."

"Listen, if Adrien's here, she needs to be too. I like her, but from the odd stalker-ish behaviour, to straight up lying to adrien and telling him that his abusive father was actually a 'very good person, a hero even and not the main villain of the series I promise', there's no way she doesn't deserve to be in the polls."

Propaganda why Quentin Coldwater is insufferable:

"Quentin is the epitome of self important, entitled young men who think it's okay for their actions to have consequences for other people because he's smarter than them. He's constantly letting his friends (especially the female characters!) take the brunt of his bad decisions (end of the first book, I'm looking at you.) Every time something he does comes back to bite home he goes all "surprised Pikachu face". And he's nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is. Ugh."

"I hated this man so much I stopped reading an otherwise engaging book. I don't even remember all the reasons I just found him so infuriating that my hate for him survived multiple years."

"Affluent white kid, wants desperately to be in Narnia as his only ambition in life, stares at the boobs of nearby women, thinks people without magic are living empty lives even though he's desperately depressed and rudderless with it, cheats on his girlfriend for literally no reason. Also, incel vibes."

"He's a very Depressed White Sadboy about everything. He's got a very asshole attitude towards women especially, and tbh I don't really feel like it gets better, not even by book 3 (the way he "rescues" Alice and forces her to be human again by trying to like. Maker her love him. Was annoying and skeevy. This reddit thread sums it up well: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/s/HlZU4Rb0UG"

[shenrickyz]

seojun the lovesick fool (ft. nct dream)

oh seojun is so in love it's disgusting | when?: nct dream smoothie studio choom behind

"i think that's enough photos, seojunie".

just as those words are said, seojun snaps another photo with camera in his hands. the 02 liner looks up and blinks at na jaemin, who simply gives a teasing smile. "did i get carried away?" he asks obliviously.

"carried away taking photos of jisung maybe".

seojun gasps in offense at the statement. yeah it's true but who is donghyuck to tell him that? he narrows his eyes at his older member, readying his defense for the day. "i was not! it's not my fault he looks exceptionally pretty in every photo and that the camera kept focusing on him!"

"i think that's one of your worst excuses".

seojun's eras redden, and he frowns slightly at the laughs which sound from his fellow members. jaemin throws an arm around him, giving another teasing smile. "you two are so cute! i can't believe it! young love blossoming at it's finest!"

"what are you talking about?" renjun questions judgmentally, looking jaemin up and down.

"he's crazy".

"not as crazy as seojun is for jisu—"

"stop!" seojun whines, his face probably redder than it ever has been in his life. he uses his hands to cover his red face, and jaemin giggles in victory. "this is embarrassing.." he mutters into his own hands, trying his best not to make eye contact with any of his members.

"it's not! nothing's embarrassing about being in love!"

seojun gently pushes jaemin away from him, trying his best to ignore the older's teasings and focusing on the many photos he'd taken on the camera. of course, most of them were focused on jisung. he's pretty, okay? can you blame seojun for taking so many pictures of him?

"jisung looks so pretty here.."

"yah, chenle is in the photos too" jeno scolds playfully, nudging him in the shoulder. seojun blinks, and laughs silently.

"i know! i didn't say chenle wasn't pretty jisung is just.. i'm not explaining it to you!"

"seojun is picking favorites!"

"i am not you guys always say this—!"

as seojun was busy trying to clear his name to his older members, jisung finally turns around to see what the yelling is all about, coming across a red faced seojun whose arguing with jeno and jaemin about.. something. he laughs lightly at the sight, because seojun is trying so hard to get his point across.

"so how did the photos turn out?"

"ah! oh my god you have to stop doing that!" the maknae allows for himself to giggle at seojun's newly startled expression. "seriously, jisung".

"okay okay i'm sorry" jisung hides his giggle behind his hand, laughing even harder at the frown from the older. "ignoring that, the photos, how did they turn out?"

seojun quickly looks back down at the camera in his hands, then looks back at jisung with a smile. "they turned out nice, you looked so pretty in all of them.."

the formerly giggling jisung is quickly reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess as he tries his best to register the other's words. the two are left awkwardly staring at each other for a moment, flustered out of their mind, but seojun breaks the silence by laughing lightly. "what? why are you so silent?"

"you're so— you're so annoying" jisung mutters under his breath, arms crossed and cheeks dusted red.

seojun pokes his cheek, and the youngest pretends to be annoyed by the gesture. "and you are so cute".

"that's not fair".

"um.. yes it is! you can't argue with me, i'm older, so i'm right".

"that is also not fai— hiki tell seojun he's wrong!"

"i am not wrong! you're wrong!"

and just like that, the lovebirds begin arguing. what are they arguing about exactly? the rest of the dreamies have absolutely no idea, but they're equally as flustered as the other.

"ah, young love" jaemin muses humorously, smiling proudly at the sight of the two. renjun, again, gives him another judgmental look, nudging him lightly.

"you're acting like you raised them".

"um because i literally did? i'm the only reason they're even together!"

"that's more of a bad thing than a good thing right now.."

jaemin lets out a snicker, listening to the two youngest argue over something unintelligible as jeno rolls his eyes at their stupid shouting.

[00lari00]

An unexpected phone call (Part 1)

Hello!!! ^^ This story may be a little heavy and sad for some readers because it involves issues such as abandonment and family problems. Some of these things are actually things that my mother has said to me, so this is a bit of a… real event (I am okay now!).

But I hope you like my fic!!! It's the first time I've posted a story like this!!! If you find any grammatical mistakes I apologize!!! I'm doing my best since English isn't my first language.

Characters used:

The intellect trio (Burt, Sven and Pollo) are characters from THSC but from the version of @capturecharlesau and Danny (mentioned) also belongs to her

Brutus belongs to @smoresthehalloweenqueen

A phone rang in the middle of the experiments that Burt and Pollo were doing with Brutus. They were in the clan laboratory, Pollo, Burt and Sven were always there working and building things as usual for the Toppats. It's as if they grew up there, at least that's how it was for Pollo. The laboratory is very large with many boxes and machines spread around, other members of the clan also use the place sometimes but the trio were the ones who were there the most. Brutus is sitting on a stretcher while Pollo and Burt were doing some scientific experiments with him, studying and analyzing, this was a normal thing for them.

Obviously at this point in the tests they wouldn't want to be disturbed, but the phone kept ringing, it was Pollo's phone.

Someone calling him at that moment? Why? 

"Can you see who's calling, Brutus? I have to put some stuff away" Pollo said as he put some medical equipment and chemical flasks away with Burt. Brutus got up to get the cell phone and check who it might be; there were three missed calls from an unknown number. Pollo and Burt seemed visibly annoyed that they had to stop the tests.

"Damn... We were almost at the best part" said Burt, putting the scalpel away. 

After Brutus has analyzed a bit, he picks up the phone, expecting it to be someone selling something and that he could just ignore it later.

A desperate but serious female voice spoke on the other side of the phone, she had an accent, it seems that English is not her first language, but she made a great effort to speak in English.

"Hello, could I speak to someone called Pollo Miller?"

Brutus was visibly confused, someone wanting to talk to his cousin. It didn't sound like anyone he knew, there was something wrong. "Primo... someone wants to talk to you" he said as he handed the cell phone to his cousin, without questioning anything.

The young scientist didn't seem interested in whatever this call was about, at least his face didn't show any emotion as usual. He picked up his cell phone and spoke in the same disinterested and unconcerned tone as always. 

"Hello?" Pollo said into the phone, waiting for an answer.

"Pollo my dear... Is that you?" The female voice spoke with a sad and desperate tone. 

"Who is this?" 

"Pollo, it's me. Your mother, your... Your father is dying" 

Time stopped for Pollo. 

Pollo had expected anything but that, there was no way it could be true, he didn't want to believe it was her. The only thing Pollo could do in this moment of shock was whisper to himself, "M-mom...?", enough for Brutus at least to understand the situation and he looks at the scientist with concern, it seems to have come as a shock to his cousin. He, who had always known exactly what to do and was in control of everything in any situation... Now he knew nothing at all. It's VERY rare to see Pollo in this state.

After so long... After saying the worst things to him; "You're not my son anymore and I'm no longer your mother" and kicking him out of the house just because he wanted to follow his dream career of becoming a famous scientist; "Do you really want to help other people first rather than your own family?! Don't you like us too?! Why do you have to be so unfair to us?!". She put him as a traitor to his family and didn't even try to look for him when he was kidnapped by Terrence. She called him "Ungrateful" or "Insensitive" when he wanted to live his own life, and was NEVER satisfied with what he did... She was too proud to admit she was wrong. He hadn't seen or spoken to her for years because he'd been thrown out of the house.

She came back... and seemed desperate for help.

"Pollo? Who is it? Are you alright?" Burt asked with a confused but also worried expression, why his friend seemed so shocked so suddenly? He wasn't saying anything. Pollo stayed quiet until he snapped out of his thoughts and spoke quickly to Brutus and Burt. "I'll be right back, I need a moment."

He said, quickly leaving with his cell phone to an empty room with no one around, so that no one would be able to hear his conversation.

Brutus and Burt look at each other, both agreeing that something odd has just happened. Better stop the experiments for today.

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

40 minutes of Pollo's cell phone conversation with his mother. 

Brutus outside the room didn't dare interfere or listen to any part of the conversation. He knew it was too personal for Pollo... The scientist left the room visibly devastated, looking angry but also very... Sad, he'd heard things he didn't want to hear. And it looked like he was going somewhere, he put his cell phone in his pocket and walked past his cousin as if he hadn't even seen him there, he didn't want to care or see anything around him, and he picked up the teleporter on the table and put some coordinates into the device.

Brutus hurried over to him, wanting to know what had happened, coming up behind him and grabbing Pollo's shoulder. "Primo? Where are you going? Why did your mother call...?"

He asked, expecting Pollo to give him a straight answer. 

But Pollo immediately pulls away and pushes Brutus's arm, looking as if he almost wants to cry and trying to control it. Pollo obviously wants to feel in control of the situation, even when he's not. Emotions have always been a problem for him, he's never known how to control them and it makes him panic. He grew up like that... not speaking about what he was feeling. He takes a deep breath, not wanting to tell the truth. "Nothing happened... I'm going out for a while to take care of an unfinished business about my past..."; He said as he typed a few things into the device, in a rough and frustrated voice.

"But alone?!"

"Yes, it's none of your business, and PLEASE... Just please... Don't tell Danny where I'm going, I don't want him to worry about me for anything... I don't want him to know that I'm going to see my biological mother because I don't want to see him be devastated and think negative things...I just want to protect him from this headache...

don't you dare follow me... For once do what I ask for once. I don't want anyone to worry about me... there's nothing to worry about. I just... can't take it anymore." 

He immediately clicks the button on the teleporter, and with a flash of green light, he suddenly disappears without even looking into Brutus' eyes.

[nerves-nebula]

Thinking abt alternate time line Leo

Abt how the abuse became so much worse after the others got away

Or maybe just more noticeable?

Reminds me of how I thought I wasn’t neglected, just poor, until I was the last one left. Half my siblings ran away, the other moved for school. My parents had gotten promotions, raises and even better jobs since when I was little. I didn’t ask for much, aside from having a part time job by then I also just never asked for stuff, wanted or needed. Yet we were suddenly running out of food in our fridge, suddenly they weren’t paying for the one field trip they always set aside money for, suddenly I was getting a winter coat as my only Christmas present instead of as a necessary expense at the beginning of winter since I didn’t have one

We couldn’t see the neglect bc the worst of it was mitigated by our siblings. But when they were gone and things should’ve gotten better (by our parent’s logic) it got so much worse

I didn’t ask for much so I got nothing

Leo followed the rules so he got broken

I didn’t ask for much so I got nothing

um ow haha same ow ow ow. so like why would u do this to me.

no but fr. I ALSO learned that being quiet and obedient and trying to make ur parents lives easier by not being a burden is how you get NOTHING EVER and grow BITTER about it and end up so severely emotionally neglected that no normal relationship ever feels like enough. but then again im young so, there's still time. no need to be defeatist about it i suppose!

but yeah idk it's like. guh. idk. it's not exactly the same on my end but it was always weird that even once she had less and less kids to support things never seemed to get better around our house, like, physically. even though mom worked just as much as always. i thought it was cuz of like The Economy and Money Being Hard but now im not so sure.

and it certainly was strange that despite there being half as many kids at home she didn't make any more of an effort to like. spend time with the ones who still had, heff.

then again this is a woman who's so uninterested in her kids lives outside of what they can do for her, that she just kind of let one of her kids be homeless for a few years. she also doesn't know where I live (this was intentional on my part) but she isn't really concerned about that??? at most she's annoyed I don't want her knowing where I RESIDE. but it's not like parental concern hah, it's like, indigence that I won't reveal my location to her.

ok now i'm rambling, this is making me feel things :')

[adickaboutspoons]

book emoji! (sorry i'm on desktop) (also sorry for stalking your inbox today haha hope you're well, have a lovely weekend! <3)

Technically a WIP since I have about 3.5K words written about it already, but it's been sitting there for... a while now. This is another banger from the Stede Bonnet Defense Squad late night collective storytelling files, so special thanks to @nicnacsnonsense and @poetic----nonsense for bouncing around ideas on this one with me. I'm just including my bits, though I should point out nicnac was the one to first suggest Ed & CJ as fuck buddies and Papa Bonnet's cost-benefit analysis of ransoming Stede factoring in the arrangements he's been brokering with Mary's parents behind Stede's back.

AU where Young Adult Ed meets Young Adult Stede (when Stede is down daydreaming at the docks) and decides to take him hostage and convince Hornigold to hold him for ransom. Ed is in charge of guarding the prisoner while Hornigold starts the process of negotiating. Stede is chatty in the brig. Wants to know all about the kinds of knots that have been used to tie him up, and how long Ed has been at sea and how he got his start and just all sorts of things. Ed is low-key annoyed to have been given this duty and kind of gruff about it, but kind of won over eventually by Stede's enthusiasm and also is shocked that Stede kind of doesn't WANT to go back to his cushy life. And by the way he gets all quiet and sad when Ed says that Hornigold's negotiating with his dad, because he's pretty sure his father would rather start from scratch trying to produce a new heir than bother trying to get Stede back.

And just when Ed and Stede are really starting to bond, CJ shows up, and Stede is like ugh. It's hate at first sight for the two of them, sniping and bickering and abuse and the hey-hey.

Ed & CJ are fuck buddies, and, CJ, consumate reader-of-rooms can see that Stede likes Ed, and worse, that Ed likes Stede. And that in spite of his best (worst) efforst, the two of them keep growing closer and closer.

Stede is asleep at first when CJ comes to seduce Ed. Part of CJ's wheedling is because Ed tries to say they can't "because of the prisoner" and CJ says that he's gonna have to learn about the birds and the bees soon anyway if he's gonna get married (because he knows that's a sore spot for Ed, who is aware of the negotiations enough to know that a big motivator for Papa Bonnet is that he's already started brokering Stede's arranged marriage). (CJ's extra loud and obnoxious about going to town on Ed, too, so Stede can't even block it out, even closing his eyes and covering his ears.) That's the first Stede hears about anything to do with him and marriage. Stede doesn't find out it's a done deal until Ed jealously brings up Mary when Stede is trying to talk to him about how he deserves better than CJ. And Stede is not only crushed that this is the only reason his father is bothering to negotiate for him, he also thinks Ed was purposely hiding it from him and that he and CJ have been laughing at him behind his back.

Eventually negotiations wrap and Stede is supposed to go back to his father. And Stede is trying to be all stoic and dutiful, but Ed hears him crying (and berating himself for crying) when he thinks that Ed is asleep. And Ed is rowing him back, and is all "what if I didn't row you back? What if I just keep rowing? What if we run away?"

And Stede wants to, more than anything, but CJ snuck down one time when Ed was relieved of duty, and "casually" mentioned how Ed is already on thin ice with Hornigold (he's not. he's actively being groomed to take captaincy of the next ship they capture), and Hornigold just needs the slightest provocation to kill Ed in some very exciting and creatively awful ways. And he doesn't want to be the cause of bringing Hornigold's wrath down on Ed's head. So he says no.

There's an exciting third act, but I'm not the one who came up with it, so I'll just leave it there.

[sageandred]

* jotting down some thoughts from old wtFock, seasons 1-3 .... (part 1)

1. Jana

Pros- Jana + Robbe (Belgium Eva + Isak); Girlsquad minus Amber; Zoe + Jana/Zoe + Yasmina/Luca + Yasmina; the first appearance of Senne/Senne + Zoe scenes

Cons- Jana + Jens (Belgium Eva + Jonas), lol

*couldn't remember anything from this og season and the first few eps were fun, then I got annoyed at how the main couple story seemed to drag on; overall it was average-i don't think they changed much and the story was fine, but nothing really blew me away

2. Zoe

*I don't remember much from this og season (gonna be honest, before this, I don't think I finished Noora's season ever, because I can't stand William, lol, and I didn't realize until now).

Pros- Senne feels like a more likeable version of William to me [basing even off of the earlier episodes before both Senne/William's development]. (+ Senne at the beginning of wtFOCK is even still better than William at the end of Skam OG).

Cons- I LOVE Zoe + Senne, but the early ep conflict of her going on a date with him and being in denial is honestly so stupid. It seems like such a simple issue in the world of Skam in comparison to the other seasons for every reimagination. (But I know the later conflicts are gonna break me).

More in depth appreciation of Senne and Zoe

Senne: There were only a few moments in season 1 + early season 2 where I questioned him, but there's just charm and development to Senne that fleshes him out and actually made me love this couple by the end. They don't water down parts of "Senne" that are truly important to his whole "bad boy" personality-like later on (s3) his instinctual crutch of violence towards his brother or his smart-ass comments in season 1, but they also don't make him just a terrible boyfriend like og.

Zoe: could throw water in someone's face for no reason and I would still love her (I'm watching s4 rn although she doesn't do that, so this is kind of in line). She's not perfect and a lot of her push-back with Senne (mainly) can be really unreasonable, but that's what makes her her. I feel like she comes off as more stubborn than og Noora, but I honestly love it and there's subtle changes to her characterization that back it up. She's one of the most headstrong Nooras (obv all of them have this trait), and she's someone that is gonna move in a way that seems proactive to her (ex: her taking the plan B pill before even knowing what happened to her). The only minor thing I thought at one point is that we didn't get enough of Zoe's perspective on things (there are a lot of characters and it's great to see them, but sometimes certain interactions felt it took away in some way, idk). She was just a character I knew I would love immediately in season 1 [& she's great, but as I go on, I do think the writers kind of diminish her potential in some way (even certain choices in s2), but idk how to explain it-although it doesn't ruin her character at all for me, there's just minor minor differences than how she seemed].

Zoenne: I love how they are so different in their points of view; they each are strong in their opinions and it's not resolved too quickly. I honestly see both povs, which is how it should be. And in season 3, I wasn't even mad at the break up (even though it didn't last long)-they are the only Noorhelm imo to address the problem between them (with them being so young + why love's not enough), not make it the end of the world, and still get back together at a later time.

wtFOCK likes to dramatize a lot of their scenes, but for me it works in Zoe's season.

Examples: 1) the text from Senne's brother at the end of the episode revealing the pictures he took per the glass drop; 2) the Senne finds out scene I felt was better directed and acted than the og scene, giving a more emotional feel and lead up to the hallway confrontation in ep 10

other things: Amber is one of the worst Vildes in terms of ignorance, however they've done well with her development and not resolving her problems too quickly [I just know I'll eat my words come season 4/5]. Her seemingly heightened naivety against the other "Vildes" makes so much sense in this scenario.

2 is definitely my fav wtFock season

...not sure I'll watch Season 4, cause I know it's gonna piss me off more than Imane's, but maybe I'll continue for Yasmina only

^ update-started it; I hate it

[lunarcharacters]

final straw

Once again, Hallie couldn't believe she'd put herself in this position. It had been six months since she'd even spoken to her mother and now she was having lunch with her. More time would have passed if her mother hadn't found out she was pregnant. Hallie didn't even know how she'd found out, and Patrice refused to tell her. She could only assume someone who knew her mom had seen Hallie out and reported back. Or, maybe, one of her friends had tagged her in a photo or something and her mother was snooping. She didn't know and didn't care at this point. She just wanted this lunch to be over as quickly as possible.

The lunch had gone fine, for the most part. It was Sunday, so Carter could tag along, and Patrice was being as pleasant as she knew how to be. Which meant, she'd spent the entire time talking about herself and how great of a grandmother she was going to be (or, rather, how great of a Queenie she was going to be because she was "too young to be a grandmother"). Hallie had just sat there and let her mother talk even though nothing she said would happen. She wasn't going to let her mother be alone with her kid ever, but she also knew Patrice didn't usually mean the things she said.

Hallie had picked a deli that she and Carter both enjoyed, so at least they were getting a good meal out of this. Plus, it was a nice day, so they were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun while her mother prattled on about nothing. And then it was done and Carter was inside paying the bill. Hallie hated to be alone with her mother, but what was the worst that could happen in just a few minutes?

"I'm excited," Hallie was saying in reply to the first and only question her mother had asked her. "Mostly nervous, but I'm getting there... I'm kind of worried she won't actually like me or want to be with me but..." She chuckled and shrugged.

"Oh, she'll want to be with you," Patrice said, waving a hand. "You used to hang on me like your life depended on it." Hallie couldn't help but smile a little at that. She'd blocked out most of her childhood and couldn't really remember anything from the time before her parent's divorce. She didn't know that she and her mother used to be close enough that she actively wanted to hang on her.

"Whenever you were being a clingy brat, I'd just..." Her mother clapped her hands together loudly. Hallie's smile dropped from her face. "Smack you right on the bottom until you stopped whining so much..." She laughed like it was a funny joke, but all Hallie could do was stare at her mother in confusion.

"You hit me?" Hallie clarified, not sure she understood correctly. Her mother rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand.

"Spanking is a normal part of childhood, Hallie." Her mother laughed again. "It's not like I beat you."

"I was a baby..." Hallie said, her hand moving protectively to her stomach. "I wanted you because you're my mom and you punished me for it?"

"You were annoying, I had things to do!" Patrice defended. She wouldn't take a single ounce of blame, just like always. Hallie stood up from her chair, shaking her head. Carter was coming out of the restaurant at the same time. He hadn't heard what her mother had said, but he was catching Hallie's reaction to it.

"What'd you say to her?" He said angrily in her mother's direction. Hallie put her hand on his arm.

"We're done," Hallie told Patrice calmly. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore, okay?" This time she meant it. She was less than two months away from having Halston and finally brave enough to put an end to this shit. "I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to see you, and I don't want you anywhere near my baby... do you understand?"

"You're being silly," Patrice laughed again. "Overdramatic, as always." But Hallie had never been the overdramatic one. That had always been Patrice.

"I'm serious," Hallie's tone was one of finality. "Bye, mom..." She took Carter's hand and let him lead the way to the car. When they got there, he turned the ignition but didn't start driving right away. He waited a few long seconds while she gathered her thoughts and then asked again what her mother had said.

"She hit me," Hallie told him. Carter's eyes went wide with surprise and then darkened to anger. He started to get out of the car to confront Patrice, but Hallie stopped him. "Not today," She clarified. "When I was a baby... she said I was too clingy, so she'd spank me to make me leave her alone."

Hallie didn't have any actual memories of being that young but she just felt that she'd spent most of her time alone. Probably crying in her crib, starved for attention by the people who were supposed to love her. Why did they even have her if they weren't going to love her? Hallie hadn't always wanted to be pregnant, but she always knew that she would love any baby that she carried and delivered.

"I'm so sorry, babe," Carter murmured, rubbing a soothing hand across her shoulders. Hallie shrugged, trying to deflect the pain. Sure, it hurt like hell, but there was nothing she could do about it now. The trauma had already been inflicted, she was already living with it.

"We'll have to change my number," She said instead. "Blocking her won't be good enough." Hallie had tried that before and her mother just used other numbers to contact her.

"We'll do it tomorrow," Carter agreed. He still rubbed little circles into her shoulder with his thumb but didn't push her to say anything else or talk about her feelings. She would but not until later when she'd had enough time to digest it all.

"Thank god she doesn't know where we live," Hallie sighed, reaching for her seat buckle. She'd never told either of her parents where she was living and they hadn't ever asked. Neither of them gave a shit about whether or not she was safe somewhere, clearly. "And I'm really done this time..." She said to Carter.

"Good," He said, nodding. She'd said that before but this time was different. It felt different being so close to motherhood herself. Hallie didn't want any negative energy in her kid's life. She'd no doubt pass on some of her own trauma, even in the smallest ways, and there was no need to let Patrice come in and pile on more.

Hallie stared straight ahead, still lost in her head, and waited for Carter to start driving home. When he didn't move, she looked over at him. He reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear and smiled softly. She leaned into his touch and smiled back to let him know that she was okay.

"You're going to be nothing like her," Carter promised, leaning across the console to kiss her. Hallie nodded because he was right. She might not be the best mother in the world, but she sure as fuck would be better than Patrice was to her. And if she were being honest, being a better mom than Patrice wouldn't even be that fucking hard.

[justanintrovertedweirdo]

The Angel and the Imp

(THIS IS REALLY LONG YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ ALL OF IT. I just wanted to share this introduction to some of my ocs that I did a while ago. I'm honestly really proud of it! Anyway, hope you enjoy if you are gonna read it!)

Hell. Some believe in it, some don’t. But all know it’s a wasteland of nothing but suffering and agony. And they wouldn’t be wrong. But a lot more happens in hell than most people know of. You see, mortals aren’t the only ones who suffer in hell. Down below the Earth’s surface, close to its core, is where the barren wasteland known as hell resides. And also where sinners, demons, and the deadly sins themselves call home. But there’s one specific demon that will be the focus of this story we tell today, some don’t even see them as demons. These are the little creatures known as imps. Inside the temples and homes in hell, they serve their masters, even through the severe abuse they are put through day after day. Other than mortals, imps have the worst lives in hell. And of course, when there are conditions like these, there are going to be some who rebel, and those who do are either severely punished, killed, or kicked out. Those who are lucky enough to be kicked out or to escape hide away in the parts of hell where no one looks. There are little communities of these rebellious imps scattered all over hell, where no one will find them. And in one of those little communities, is where one side of our story begins.

This certain community is hidden in a part of a town that has been long forgotten. It is one of the more improved communities, each of the residents has their own place to sleep, there’s a small pub in the middle where everyone gets their food, and most of them even have a make-shift roof to put over their heads when the weather gets bad. The imp we will be following in this story is an imp with many piercings, and a giant scar from his shoulder and across his torso called Cyrill. He was currently sitting in his make-shift hut which was made up from the rubble of the old buildings around them. The walls were made of old broken pieces of stone, the ceiling was made some-what functional thanks to some old wooden planks, and a large piece of cloth was used as a door. It was small, and it wasn’t comfortable, but it was something. He sat on the pile of straw that he used as a bed and held a small poorly made doll in his clawed hands. It was made of simple brown fabric, like his clothing was, and was stuffed with straw, just like his bed. It didn’t have many discernible features, aside from its poorly sewn in button eyes and its strange looking stitched mouth. The doll was his little brother’s, before he got separated from him at a young age due to him being sold off to a different master. His little brother gave it to him so he would remember him, not that he could ever forget him. It is the only thing he has left of his family, so he keeps it hidden in his straw bed so no one ever steals it or it gets ruined. He looks at it longingly as he gently holds it, it’s in even worse condition than when his brother gave it to him. He doesn’t know how to sew so he’s afraid if it breaks he’ll never be able to fix it. He stays on his bed holding the doll until suddenly his cloth door swings open.

“Hey! We’re start’in the party soon. You come’in or not?” It was Brutus, a strong imp that had many tattoos along his arms and legs. He was bigger than most imps, mostly because of his muscle. Out of all the imps in the community, he was some of the few who had the most scars.

Cyrill nearly jumped to his hooves at the large imp’s rude entrance. He instantly hid the doll back in his straw bed and looked at Brutus, clearly annoyed.

“For the love of Satan! When will you learn not to do that!” he exclaimed.

“Look, you come’in or not?” Brutus said, promptly ignoring him.

Cyrill sighed and stretched as he got up from his bed. “Alright, alright. I’m com’in.”

Brutus smiled, showing his sharp fangs as he held open the cloth door for him. “Good! Come on, they just got out the piano!”

They both walked past many other small huts, most of which looked the same, until they got to the center of their little village. It was built inside the least deprecated building and looked better than the rest of the village, which was saying a lot. This was where the imps in this little community got their food, which was all mostly stolen. It was also where they all gathered for meetings or parties, such as tonight. It was basically a small pub. The beverages they served were all stolen, much like the food. Lanterns were placed on the walls to light up the place, and there were a few tables, and a small bar, which is where an imp called Adonis worked. It’s not like he made a salary, he basically was there all the time in order to serve the imps any food or beverage they currently had. You could say he was the leader of this small community. He knew all the imps and everyone listened to his word more than anyone else’s. Nearly every imp was in this small pub tonight. As he and Brutus walked in, Cyrill could see many had already started to eat and drink as they talked and joked with their friends. There were a few that were taking turns playfully playing the piano, a very prized pession of theirs. When they walked in, a group of imps immediately called Brutus over to join them at their table.

“Oh, that’s me! Gotta go. You go have fun, alright.” Brutus patted Cyrill on the back and smiled at him again before going off to join the other group of imps. Cyrill smiled a little back at him before heading straight to the bar and sitting down on a stool. Adonis, seeing him sit down, walked over to him.

“You want the usual?” he asked in his usual gruff voice. Adonis tended to look very unaproachable, but he actually cared a lot about all the imps here. He knew a lot about them all too, since he was the one everyone usually came to talk to. No one knew a lot about where he came from or how he ended up here, but everyone knows that he despises demons more than anyone, and never wants to get involved with them ever again. Thanks to his injuries, it was clear why he didn’t want to. His broken horn, the worst kind of injury for imps, told them all they needed to know.

“Yeah, thanks” Cyrill rested his head on his hand and got more comfortable in his seat.

Adonis nodded and went off to get his drink. While he waited, Cyrill looked around at the other imps as the party really started off. Brutus looked like he was already making bets with his friends, probably about how much he could drink. He was someone that always had a big toothy grin on his face. It’s said he used to help make weapons for a demon, but when he rebelled and refused to do any more work for them, he was scalded with hot metal and thrown out onto the streets. He bears the scar proudly on his upper arm, he never seems to let anything bring him down. He always takes any bad thing as a lesson and gets right back up after. Another imp, Damian, was being the usual social butterfly he was and was chatting up everyone at his table. He was a skinny imp with lighter skin that didn’t have too many scars. His tall horns were a bit scratched up though. He said that he had worked for a demon under Asmodeus, the embodiment of lust. They used him mostly for chores and errands, though sometimes they’d sharpen things using his horns, just to show how little he meant to them. They abandoned him in this realm when they deemed he wasn’t useful to them anymore. He’s now gotten better but he’s still not fully recovered. Cyrill knows that he still doesn’t believe he’s worth much of anything. But he is getting better. Slowly, but surely. Before Cyrill could watch much more of what the other imps were doing, a scarred imp with an eyepatch sat next to him and started to talk.

“Hey! If it isn’t Cyrill! I thought you weren’t gonna show!” The imp was already holding a small drink in his hand as he leaned his body on the bar counter. His name was Atlas, and he was the most rebellious imp in this village. He was also some of the few who had the most scars, like Brutus. His most defining feature of all though, was his eyepatch that he wore over his left eye. Or at least his left socket. Atlas had once worked under a very brutal demon, not a day went by without him punishing any of the imps that worked for him. After finally having enough, Atlas lashed out at the demon, which responded by clawing his eye out. He then threw him out onto the streets and left him to die. Even so, his rebellious spirit never faltered, and he continues to want to get back at the demons who had all wronged them. It’s the reason he usually leads groups of imps when they go out to steal supplies.

“I wasn’t, but then Brutus practically forced me to.” Cyrill responded with some annoyance.

“Well, now that you’re here, you should lighten up a bit! Come on, let’s go have some fun!” Even though Cyrill was clearly not interested in doing anything right now, that didn’t stop Atlas from trying his hardest to get him to join in. He always wanted Cyrill to have fun since he barely looked happy most of the time.

“I think he’d just like to have a few drinks” Atlas and Cyrill turned to see that Adonis had returned with Cyrill’s drink. He sat it down in front of Cyrill who quickly took a hold of it and gave Adonis a thankful look. Atlas could see that Cyrill wasn’t interested but he still tried one last time.

“Aw, really? Come on, at least watch Brutus drown himself in beer” He gestured to Brutus who seemed to already be on his second glass. He was cheered on by the imps around him as he continued to down his drink.

“Really, I’m fine. Go ahead, have fun. You don’t have to worry about me” Cyrill waved his hand and gave Atlas a reassuring smile.

Atlas sighed, “Alright. But seriously, this is a party! At least try to have some kind of fun.” With that, Atlas got up and walked over to the table Brutus was at, where he had just finished downing his second beer, to the delight of everyone watching on.

“Atlas is right you know.” Adonis spoke up again and Cyrill turned to face him. “I’ll get you whatever you want but don’t just sit here look’in sad all evening.” He left Cyrill alone at that and headed off to serve someone else.

Cyrill sighed again and drank his beverage. He knew they were all right but he felt like he couldn’t have fun after everything that’s happened to him. He felt so guilty for not trying to find his brother after they got separated. He felt like he could never really help anyone. Someone started to play an actual song on the piano, which slowly caught everyone’s attention. Some listened, some danced, and some even sang along. With that, the whole pub got even more lively. There was laughing, singing, dancing, and cheering. Even though their living conditions were some of the worst in all of hell, they all knew this was so much better than living under any demon. Here they were free. And they were happy. Cyrill genuinely smiled as he watched the mood become even lighter, even starting to tap his finger on the bar counter along to the music. The rickety door of the pub then swung open and the voice of a small imp echoed through the room. All the chatter, laughing, and music stopped instantly.

“The angels are coming!” the small imp shouted, as loud as he possibly could.

The whole pub went dead silent. No one said anything in response. The small imp then calmed himself down and spoke again, more quietly this time.

“The angels are coming” fear could be seen all across his body.

Adonis walked over to the imp with a serious look on his face. “How long do we have?”

“An hour. I overheard some demons talking about it in the streets.” The imp was obviously holding back how frightened he was.

And he was right to be frightened, angels are extremely powerful beings. They’re more powerful than any demon or any of the deadly sins. They’re so powerful they could kill Lucifer himself, not that it would be easy, but they could, and that scares those in hell, demon or not. They come down to hell every month or so to either deliver a message to or to talk with one of the deadly sins. No one is to come close to them when they arrive, or they risk getting slashed with one of their spears. Every angel in heaven’s army has one. They were made with the intent to kill beings of hell, so most know better than to get in their way. Imps know they could easily be killed by an angel, it would be like simply killing a pest for them. That’s why all imps stay hidden when angels arrive. It’s the safest way to ensure they won’t be killed.

Adonis raised his voice in order to make sure everyone in the pub could hear him, “Everyone needs to go back to their huts. I’ll inform all of those who weren’t here with us tonight.”

There was a slight sadness in the pub from the party ending early, but they still immediately followed Adonis’ instructions. Everyone quickly left the pub, nothing was really cleaned up but that didn’t matter, they could clean up after the angels had gone. They were in an abandoned part of their town, so there wasn’t much of a chance that the angels would come anywhere close to them. Still, they were angels, and they were imps, it was much better to be safe than sorry. Cyrill heard a lot of chatter among all the imps as he quickly got back to his hut. While some showed it and some didn’t, they clearly were all afraid. It made since. He was too. He entered into his hut and plopped down onto his bed. He knew they were very safe here, but he couldn’t help but feel terrified whenever the angels came. And he hated that feeling. He hated feeling terrified of those who were stronger than him, it made him feel so weak. It couldn’t really be helped much, he was an imp after all. He pulled out the raggedy doll from his bed and held it close to him.

“Stay safe little brother,” he said.

Heaven, once again, it’s a place where most are not sure exist. But it’s where they would like to go to meet their loved ones, and live the rest of their afterlife in peace. Peace, you would think heaven is full of it, and it mostly is, but even so, it has the strongest army in all of creation. All who oppose it have fallen beneath it. The only time this army has ever come close to losing, was when its own soldiers fought against it, rebels that were led by Lucifer. But that happened a long time ago, and Lucifer and all those who fought with him have long since fallen. Even so, heaven’s army still stays strong, awaiting their next attack. Irene, a young angel with yellow eyes, is a part of this army. She is a second rank, as seen by her two pairs of wings. Every angel earns their own wings at different parts of their life, but when an angel joins heaven’s army, their wings double in size. Everytime they get promoted, they gain a new pair of wings. The stronger the angel, the more wings it has. Irene has had four wings for a while now, she is hoping she will get a new pair soon. They were currently practicing their stances with their spear before another angel came up to them.

“You about ready to go, Irene?”

It was Alexis, a third ranked angel with purple eyes. Her and Irene had known each other for some time now.

Irene steadied herself with her spear before turning to look at Alexis. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good, let’s join the others.” Alexis motioned with her hand for Irene to follow, and they did.

They walked through the training fields, neither of them talked much with each other. The fields were green and the sun was warm, just like always. The buildings were clean, it seemed like even the training grounds for an army were perfect in heaven.

“Are you nervous?” Alexis asked, breaking the silence between them.

“Yes. But I believe I’m ready” Irene looked at Alexis with a confident smile as they said this.

“I believe you are too,” Alexis responded.

This was Irene’s first mission in hell. She was going with Alexis and two other angles in order to deliver a message to Beelzebub, the embodiment of gluttony. Luckily, Alexis was going to do the talking, but Irene was still very nervous. They arrived at the point where they could enter hell and joined the other two angels that were waiting for them. Both of them were second ranks, like Irene. Only second ranks and above were allowed to go on missions to hell. Most say you had truly dedicated yourself to heaven’s army when you became a second rank. The four of them were extremely high up, they were at one of the highest places in heaven.

“Alright, all of you are going to follow my lead. Irene, you follow behind me. Apollo, you follow us and Eros will follow last. Got it?” Alexis explained, pointing to each of them appropriately as she said their names.

“Understood ma’am” they all said in unison.

With that, Alexis nodded and turned toward the edge, revealing the clouds that held heaven. She spread her six wings and took off before diving down toward the earth. Irene followed after her, then Apollo, then Eros, just like Alexis had told them to. They dived head first with their wings tucked in tight. They kept going faster, and faster, until heat washed over them and they spread their wings, safely landing in hell. Only an angel is able to do this, they have to reach a certain speed while they dive down to earth in order to reach hell. It’s the only way for angels, while for anyone else, it’s death. They looked around where they had landed, their white skin, clothes, wings, and weapons were a great contrast with the rest of their surroundings. Alexis and Eros looked around for any danger while Irene and Apollo did the same but mostly gazed at their surroundings. This was the first time these two had been to hell after all. It was exciting, but also extremely terrifying. This was the domain of all of the fallen angels, of Lucifer. This was where all demons were born and where all sinners on earth were brought to be tortured for their sins. It truly was a terrifying place.

“Alright, the cost is clear, let’s start moving to her domain. Be sure to stay on your guard.” Alexis told the group, showing just how many times she had been down here.

The group followed Alexis’ lead as they walked through bloodied stone streets lined with houses and temples. Irene could feel how unsafe this place was, she even swore she could hear screaming every now and then in the distance. There was no sky, no sun, just stone and thick air. Irene almost felt bad for all the beings that were trapped here, but she stopped herself, they knew every single being down here deserved to be here, it was their rightful place. Irene shouldn’t feel bad for what she couldn’t change. They all continued to walk through the strangely quiet and empty streets. It came as a surprise to Irene to not see any living creature in sight, even though they were told that hell’s citizens usually hid away when they came down to their domain. Irene found it a little strange, but she wasn’t about to start asking for a fight in hell of all places. But as if it had read her mind, a flying creature then swooped down and scratched her wrist, seeming to try and snatch her bracelet. The scratch felt like it was burning through her skin. She winced and looked toward the creature and then to Alexis for confirmation. They were told if they were ever attacked by anything in hell, they should kill it immediately.

“Go ahead, we’ll continue forward” Alexis said to her.

Irene nodded and flew up into the air and began to chase after the creature. It was small, which meant it was weak, but it also meant that it was quick. But it only had two wings, and Irene had four, which were also much bigger. They both flew quickly past and through many buildings and strange plants until they got to a more ruined part of the town they were currently in. Irene was about to catch this small demon until she accidentally bumped into a ruined building, which made her pause the chase. The demon quickly flew away and before Irene could resume chasing it, she heard movement behind her. Her eyes widened as a big piece of rubble began to fall right on top of her.

Chatter and arguments filled up the air in the pub. Everyone was worried, not because of the angels, they were told they had left hours ago, they were worried about their supplies. Atonis had just announced to everyone that they were running low on food and some imps would need to go in search of more. This was by far the most dangerous part of living here. Homeless imps had to steal food from demons, and if they were caught, they’d most certainly be killed. It was a risky task, but it was necessary in order to keep everyone fed. Atonis stayed in his place on top of the bar counter and raised his voice once again so everyone could hear him.

“Everyone, listen! The unexpected visit from the angels has delayed this restocking of our food much more than I would’ve liked. At least four of us are going to have to go out and find as much food as they can.”

“You know I’m always glad to go, Atonis” Atlas stepped forward, not unusual of him in the slightest.

“I’ll also go, Atonis” Brutus stepped forward soon after Atlas. Brutus was very good at protecting others, so it was a relief to everyone to hear him volunteer.

“I’ll go as well” A young imp stepped forward as he raised his clawed hand.

No one else proceeded to step forward after that. The room was silent as everyone anxiously awaited for just one more imp to volunteer.

“We need one more imp. I’m afraid we can’t do this supply run without at least four.” Atonis said, growing impatient.

Cyrill raised his clawed hand and stepped forward, “I’ll go.”

Everyone looked at him as walked next to the three other imps. Cyrill hadn’t gone on a supply run for sometime now. Everyone was surprised but also very grateful when he stepped up. The other three imps gave him friendly smiles as he stood next to them, Brutus once again giving him a light pat on the back.

“Good, thank you Cyrill. Now, you all know the drill, find as much food wherever you can and make sure to stay together if you can. Above all, stay safe, your lives are much more important than food.” Atonis got down from the bar counter as he talked to them. He had said this many times to many imps but he still meant every word. He’d much rather have everyone come back alive than have them sacrifice themselves for food. With that he took out four bags and handed them to each of them.

The four imps took the bags and all nodded to what Atonis said and after waving farewell to all the others, they left. When they got to the outskirts of their little village, Cyrill started to walk in a different direction than the other three were. The three imps noticed this and Brutus called out to him.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

Cyrill turned his head to face them, “I’m going to the ruins east of here. There should be some good food growing there that I can bring back.”

The other three looked at each other, concerned.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come with us?” Atlas asked.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come with me?” Cyrill asked back.

The other three thought about their response. They were going further into town, they needed to stick with each other there. No one was usually in the ruins, and they could bring back more food if they all weren’t together. Due to how much food they needed, the other three agreed that Cyrill could go to the ruins on his own.

“Be careful alright?” Atlas said, still looking a little worried for Cyrill.

Cyrill nodded and they went their separate ways. The three imps went further into town as Cyrill headed east into the more desolate parts of this domain. The streets were still pretty empty from the angel’s visit a couple of hours ago, but there were some demons around. Luckily, Cyrill had done this many times in the past and he easily and quickly snuck past the demons. He walked past what looked like a demon couple as they interlocked their arms and silently walked the streets, seeming to enjoy the rare calmness. It wasn’t long until the buildings started to get more ruined and less and less demons could be seen roaming around. Vegetation started to replace stone as Cyrill went further into the ruins. He wandered around for a bit until he found a group of mushrooms nested in the ground. Cyrill was able to tell they were safe to eat thanks to how long he’d been on his own. You learn a lot when you’re forced to survive off of everything around you. He put them in his bag and wandered around a bit more until he found a berry bush that he happily picked the berries from and placed them into the pouch with the mushrooms. He was feeling good about how much food he was finding until a strange noise made him stop in his tracks. It sounded like grunting, or at least it sounded like someone was struggling. There was also a sound of metal scraping against stone. Cyrill hesitated for a moment, but in the end decided to investigate. He thought that he’d just quietly take a peek to see what it was. If it was another imp, he’d help them, if it was anything else, he’d just leave it alone. Cyrill got closer to some old ruins as the sounds got louder. He quietly crept around to a hole in the wall where he could see what was making the sounds. He then instantly ducked back behind the wall as he did. He didn’t really believe what he had just seen. It had looked like an angel, but that was impossible, the angels had left hours ago. Cyrill froze as a voice called out to him.

“I know you’re there. Are you gonna come out or leave?”

The voice sounded stern, and powerful. Cyrill felt his blood run cold at the sound of it. He was about to run but something made him stay. And that same something made him look through the hole in the wall again, despite every single instinct in his body telling him to run for the hills. As his eyes laid on it again, he knew he had indeed seen what he thought he saw. It was an angel. Cyrill had never seen one this up close before. He got even more terrified just looking at it. It’s many sharp yellow eyes met his. Cyrill had felt weak before, but this was something entirely different. No demon in hell could make him feel the fear he was feeling in this moment. Its large wings were half folded out at its sides, it looked like it was about ready to attack him. Cyrill questioned why it didn’t, but then he realized. Its bottom right wing was trapped under a large piece of rubble. It looked like it was trying to lift the stone off its wing by pushing its spear under it and pushing on it. It didn’t seem like it was working too well.

“Are you just going to keep staring at me?” the angel spoke again, its voice just as stern and cold.

Cyrill’s ability to speak seemed to have abandoned him. He couldn’t find or get out a single word in this moment. What was he supposed to say? As he continued to not say anything, the angel sighed heavily and once again tried to push the piece of rubble off its wing with its spear. Cyrill stayed where he was, not daring to get anywhere near it.

“Are you… trapped?” Cyrill was finally able to form a sentence. His voice was quiet and fearful, but also curious.

The angel looked back at him, an extreme hate filled its eyes. “Of course I am. What does it look like?”

Cyrill stepped back a bit in fear. It was strange for him to see such a powerful creature like an angel trapped like this. “I was just asking,” he said, still very fearful.

“Look, just leave me alone” the angel already seemed to be tense, and it seemed Cyrill’s presence wasn’t helping.

Cyrill continued to watch the angel before he did something he never thought he would ever do. He climbed through the hole in the wall and got closer to the angel. He kept his distance from it, making sure even with its spear it couldn’t touch him. Cyrill had always seen angels as these untouchable beings. But now that he saw one trapped, he felt like he could approach it. He wondered if an angel could be trapped this easily, how easily could they be hurt? He’d never seen an angel get injured before. Maybe when they do get injured, it makes them incredibly vulnerable. Cyrill’s thoughts were broken when the angel spoke again.

“What are you doing?” It sounded more like a command than a question. The angel was fully tensed up now, it tightened its grip on its spear, looking ready to attack.

Cyrill couldn’t find a good answer no matter how hard he tried. “I don’t know” was all he could muster out.

The angel was obviously not happy with this answer. It brandished its spear, staring him down. “If you get any closer to me, I won’t hesitate to kill you” it said boldly.

Its many eyes felt like they were searing through Cyrill’s body. Even though this was the worst fear he had ever felt in his life, he felt like he couldn’t back down. When was he going to come across another chance like this again? When was he going to find an angel in such a vulnerable state again? Despite his better judgment, he took a step closer. He then quickly dodged out of the way as the angel threw its spear at him with no hesitation. The spear lodged itself into the wall behind him with incredible force. Cyrill looked at the spear, then back to the angel with intense fear. The angel looked back at him, annoyed that it had missed. It then looked back at its spear and realized something as it let out a groan and put a hand to its face. It took a second for Cyrill to also realize this, but when he did most of the fear left his body. The angel had thrown away its only weapon, and there was no way it could get it back. Cyrill began to laugh when he realized this, which only made the angel more aggravated.

“Shut it! I can still kill you even without my spear!” It tried to lean closer to Cyrill but stopped when the piece of ruin pulled on its wing painfully.

Cyrill stopped laughing but still smiled at it as he saw just how helpless this angel was. For once in his life, he finally felt like he had the upper hand on a being that could usually crush him with ease. He then looked back at the spear and smiled more as he got an idea. He got up and walked toward the angelic spear in the wall.

“Don’t you dare touch that!” The angel was furious now.

Cyrill looked back at it, grinning as moved his hand closer to the spear. “And what are you gonna do about it?” With that he placed his clawed hand on the spear. It felt strange. It felt like he was touching metal, but it was warm. It wasn’t warm from its surroundings, it was emitting the warmth by itself. It looked like it slightly glowed from his touch. His thoughts were once again interrupted when the angel spoke again.

“You can touch it?” the volume of its voice had lowered. It now sounded more confused than aggravated.

Cyrill turned back to the angel, his hand still on the spear. “Yeah. What do you mean?”

The angel’s words came as a surprise to Cyrill. He had heard it felt like your wound was burning when you were struck by an angelic weapon, but he found it a little strange how the angel thought it would burn him just by touching it. Cyrill then placed both of his hands on the spear and began pulling it out of the wall, its warmth emanating from itself to his hands. The angel watched him, confused.

“What are you doing?” it said, tilting its head slightly.

Cyrill let go of the spear to take a breath before trying to pull it out again. “I’m gonna try to hold it,” he said, grabbing onto the spear again.

The angel narrowed its eyes at him, “are you going to try to steal it from me?” it said.

“Maybe, I guess we’ll see.” Cyrill said as he continued pulling on the spear.

He kept pulling on the spear until finally he pulled it out of the wall. He then quickly fell backwards underneath the weight of the spear. The angel held back a small laugh when he did. Cyrill tried to pick up the spear again but it was obvious that a small imp like him wasn’t going to be able to pick up a spear carried by an angel trained in heaven’s army.

“Well, guess that’s not happening,” he said, giving up on the spear.

“You tried,” the angel said, seeming to enjoy how Cyrill struggled with its spear.

Cyrill looked to the spear and then to the angel and back again. He sighed.

“I guess you can have it back,” Cyrill said as he reluctantly dragged the spear across the ground before sliding it back to the angel.

The angel quickly grabbed the spear again, though it looked a bit confused as it did. It looked at its spear, and then back to Cyrill.

“Why did you do that?” it asked.

“I’m not sure,” Cyrill said, as he sat down on the ground.

“You seem to not be sure about a lot of things,” the angel said back to him.

Cyrill chuckled a little, “that sounds about right.”

The angel still looked confused but it wasn’t about to question him further. It went back to trying to lift the piece of ruin off its wing with the spear, it still didn’t work. Cyrill watched as the angel tried and failed once again.

“You need more weight,” he said.

The angel let out an annoyed sigh, “thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

Cyrill paused for a moment before getting up and slowly making his way towards the angel. “Why don’t I try-”

Before he could get anything else out the angel quickly removed its spear from under the rubble and pointed it right at him. Cyrill had thought the angel had calmed down but it was obvious he was wrong. The angel had its spear back, and it was ready to try and skewer him a second time if needed. Cyrill put his hands up and tried to look as unaggressive as possible.

“I’m not gonna hurt you” he said, trying his best to make the angel believe it.

“And why should I believe what you say?” the angel asked, its spear never faltering.

“I guess you can't,” Cyrill said. “But how bad could I really hurt you? I’m only an imp after all.”

The angel lowered its spear a little. “That’s right. You are.” It then cocked its head, “what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be serving your master?”

Cyrill grimaced slightly as the angel said this. “I don’t have a master. I haven’t had a master for years.”

The angel’s eyes widened, it now looked more confused than ever. “What? But how? Isn’t that a whole imp’s purpose?”

Cyrill snickered, trying to hide how much those words hurt him. “Guess I’m pretty useless then, huh? Which only further proves my point. How badly could a useless, masterless imp like me hurt you?” He held back his anger as he grimaced and clenched his fists.

The angel almost felt sorry for the imp. It stopped itself before it actually could, though. This was a being of hell, the first being to ever be made in hell for that matter. It didn’t deserve sympathy.

The angel sighed, “alright, you can help me. But if you try anything, I won’t hesitate to kill you” it made that last part very clear as it pointed its spear at him one last time before lowering it, still keeping a tight grip on it.

Cyrill slowly walked over to the angel, making sure to not show any signs of aggression. His heart beat got quicker as he got to the point where the angel could attack him and quicker still as he got closer. The angel was so much bigger than him, that was only made more abundantly clear as he got closer to it. Even when sitting down it was still taller than him. The angel never stopped looking at him. It took a second for him to find his voice when he got close enough to it.

“Okay, I’ll push down on your spear with you when you have it under the rubble. Maybe then it’ll be enough to lift it off your wing” Cyrill explained.

The angel nodded and put its spear under the rubble once again. Cyrill cautiously put his hands on the spear, feeling its warmth on his hands once again. They both began to push down on the spear. Cyrill needed to put his whole body weight on the spear before it actually started to lift the large piece of ruin off of the angel’s wing. They kept pushing and as soon as it could, the angel pulled its wing out from under the rubble with a pained expression. The angel quickly pulled off its weight from the spear once its wing was no longer trapped, and Cyrill quickly followed suit. They both looked at the wing. It was definitely broken. There wasn’t blood, but it was clear some bones were broken. After examining its wing, the angel stood up, making Cyrill be at about waist height of it. There was silence between them for some time before the angel spoke up.

“Thank you” it said, almost sounding reluctant.

“You’re welcome” Cyrill was surprised to hear this angel thank him, but he still received the angel’s thanks.

There was silence again before the angel said something else, “what is your name?”

Cyrill didn’t know exactly what to say for a second. Was this angel really asking for his name? “Cyrill,” He said finally.

The angel gently put its hand to its chest, “Irene” it said.

Silence fell over them again. Neither of them ever thought that they would be exchanging names with someone like this.

“It was… interesting to meet you, Cyrill,” Irene said as she turned to leave.

Cyrill didn’t know what to say back. He didn’t know what to say about any of this. “Yeah, you too” was all he could get out.

After that, Irene took off with her one remaining pair of wings, blowing some dust against Cyrill as she did. Strangely, Cyrill didn’t seem to mind. He watched as Irene flew away, confused about the interaction he had just had, much like her. Both of them were asking questions, and both of them were wanting answers. But neither of them were sure if they wanted them answered.