#Also I was baffled when I saw my activity today

[iwanttoleavethisblankbuticant]

Vampires.

I cannot escape the idea I had while day dreaming the other day, so now I’m sharing it. Here’s how my silly little thought process went.

vampires suck blood. Cool.

mosquitoes suck blood. Less cool.

mosquitoes use proteins in their spit that make the bite not clot, making sucking blood easier.

vampires don’t seem to have to suck real hard to get blood from their victims, probably also have proteins.

the proteins in a mosquito’s spit is what causes our immune system to react and makes the bite itch.

A vampire’s bite would itch like fuck. On the neck too. With two puncture areas. Ugh.

yeah, that was one of my thoughts on the two hour drive I took to get with my family for thanksgiving. It’s been bothering me because I have no one to share it with.

[orbitsaturn]

"actually?" "yeah, actually."

─ in which you accidentally bump (fall) into someone you might know in an indoor climbing gym

"his arms look really meaty..."

modern au! kinich x reader abt 2.1k words!

final part of part 1 this can be read as a standalone!

your user is sparkling toots in this fic

──────────────────────

"I'M DODGING I'M DODGING!!" you yell over the call, hastily pressing multiple keys and moving your mouse quickly. it's been a while since you played with your friend, almightydragonlord, yes, cheesy username. but still, you enjoyed playing with him as he makes everything easier, really, EVERYTHING easier. he helped you with your builds the first time you met him, albeit much to your refusal (felt insulted when his so-called lizard, 'ajaw' called your characters trash) (it was actually ajaw but you refuse to believe how a lizard can somehow spell out the words l o s e r).

anyways!

the only response you can hear from the other side of the call is loud typing, followed by a brief. "mhm" from the almightydragonlord. he's quiet, the only time he really speaks to you is when he's giving you constructive criticism or the rare times he chuckles when you die during boss fights. which you respond by angrily yelling at him.

"toots, behind you." snapping out of your thinking, you quickly dodge the incoming attack hurled behind your character by the boss you both were fighting. with one more quick setup from the almightydragonlord it was instantly over, the huge numbers brought by his characters becoming more and more like a regular sight for you. welp! at least your daily boss fighting is done for the day.

"dragonlord I'm gonna go now! i'll see you later?"

"mhm, see you"

"as curt as ever i see! bye!!"

and with that, you ended the call. pulling off your headphones and doing your daily routine to hang out with one of your friends later in the day.

───

"hi mualani!" you waved enthusiastically to your friend who was at a distance. she also waved back with the signature smile that she boasts.

as you make your way towards her you feel a sense of suspicion by the seemingly mischievous smile on her face.

"guess what we're doing today!"

"what?"

"rock climbing!" mualani says, clapping her hands together eagerly.

"we're going rock climbing?!" you cried, quickly whipping your head to look over at the outfit you wore today, which was clearly not appropriate for some activity. furthermore, you've never rock-climbed before except for that time in elementary in the local playground.

wait.

you did have some experience in rock climbing. maybe you should just rely on your memories from your elementary school days! but that was years ago.. and your outfit might hinder you from movements that are essential for climbing.

"don't worry. i got some extra clothes in the back of my car." mualani winks upon seeing your worried demeanor "also it's indoors! so we won't be climbing on real rocks! haha!" she pats your back reassuringly.

upon hearing that you breath a sigh of relief. "oh thank goodness" you say dramatically clasping your hands together. you knew you'd actually be fried if it really was real rock climbing. after the brief chat you both share you quickly make your way to her car door, quickly sitting down and buckling up before the car starts.

always. remember. to. buckle. up.

was the mantra you always repeated before getting into a car when you were young. nowadays putting on the seatbelt was just muscle memory for you. whenever you get into a car you put on your seatbelt without thinking. a necessary habit honestly.

the ride was short, it only took a few minutes to arrive at the indoor climbing gym. funny enough you saw a car with the plate "drgnlrd" parked near the gym. who the hell names their license plate like that?! it's also the same name as the username your friend online has.

well, it's probably just a coincidence!

as you both head into the gym with no expectations whatsoever you were instantly baffled by the sheer height of the

fake rock climbing thingy?

you don't know what it's called but you do know you'll be able to conquer it. i mean, you weren't called the ruler of the playground for nothing! you were dubbed "sonic" by your peers back in elementary for climbing super fast on the rock climbing part in the local playground near your house.

it's safe to say you might be the best (worst) one in the room!

as you head your way to the changing rooms in the gym you notice a familiar figure high up on the rock.

"his arms look really meaty..."

"what are you looking at? let's go so we can climb sooner!" a voice from behind you quickly snaps you out of your thoughts.

oh my god. why were you even thinking about how some random dude's muscles look tasty?? get a grip!

as the both of you head inside you remember the time when almightydragonlord sent a video of him skydiving. yes skydiving, falling out of a helicopter type of skydiving. the area he was skydiving at looked really familiar too!

wait.

familiar?

as you retrace back to the video he sent you, the feeling of dread forms in the pit of your stomach.

lush green trees, tall hilltops, and the distinctive sight of saurians.

lush green trees...

tall hilltops.

SAURIANS?!

NATIVE TO NATLAN SAURIANS?!

HE LIVES IN NATLAN?!?

BUT YOU LIVE IN NATLAN TOO??

ugh! you even shouldn't be thinking about him when your supposed to be conquering the climbing wall soon!

"ugh.. let's not think about this today..." you grumble, quickly putting on the clothes mualani handed you earlier. as you make your way outside the room mualani is already there waiting for you,

"hi!! ready partner?" she smirks at you, dragging you to the rock wall (which looks even more intimidating close up) that you have to conquer.

gulp.

NO!! you can do this. you weren't called the ruler of the playground for nothing. you can conquer this. maybe think of it as a necessary level to beat! plus you have a harness attached to you right now! so you won't wall to your death if you fall. and! if the harness fails you know who to sue to get money.

with one more final nervous gulp, you start conquering (climbing) the wall. when you look up you already see mualani way ahead of you. oh dear, looks like you have a time limit to this level.

"wait!!" you cried, starting to climb the wall, with ease actually, this was way easier than you thought!

"heh. I might actually be the ruler of the climbing gym now!" as you smirk to yourself you notice some weird white powder on mualani's hands? "mualani, what's that stuff on your hands?" you yell out above, "oh! this is climbing chalk, it helps strengthen the grip of your hands if they usually sweat." she yells back.

sweat

sweat

sweat

you know that feeling when you're suddenly aware of how your hands produce sweat and it sweats right after? yeah, it's sweating right now when you realize your hands have the function to sweat.

"oh uh! that's fun" you reply nervously, the word 'sweat echoing throughout your head, the feeling of your sudoriferous (sweat) glands activating within your hands right now, it isn't mandatory to lather that white stuff when you're climbing, so it should be fine...

right?

yeah no, it's not fine you can feel your hands sweating right now, loosening your grip, BUT,

it's not mandatory to lather that stuff so...

"hellloooo!! up from above! hurry up!" mualani's voice snaps you out of your thoughts once again as you look up in response, "we're almost to the top y'know!" she yells making you realize that you were really high up.

and that makes you sweat even more.

but you prevail! you grab onto the next wall hold, and the next, but the feeling of your grip getting weaker every second was not concerning at all! (lie) but you were almost there! you're about to beat mualani and claim the title of the ruler of the climbing gym!

"watch i'm going to win," you say confidently, but in that moment your grip was already weak, weak enough to make your hand slip.

the last thing you see is mualani's shocked expression, followed by one of relief and confusion..?

...

..

.

a hand quickly snakes around your waist, making sure you don't fall to your inevitable doom.

"you good?"

a familiar voice brushes against your ear, your stomach dropping. a foreign feeling of heat rushing to your face due to embarrassment.

as you look at the person who saved you, you are instantly dumbified.

a beautiful mixture of green and orange meets your eyes, with long, thick, dark lashes that compliment the brightness of his orbs, creating a stark contrast that makes it difficult to look away.

wait.

beautiful amber green eyes with dark fluffy hair.

no way.

is he..?

"almightydragonlord?" you say breathlessly, staring at his face shamelessly.

"oh?" his arm unconsciously tightens around your waist, a look of surprise painting his face with the utterance of his online username. in a few seconds his face begins light up as he realizes your identity, "sparklingtoots?" a subconscious smile making it's way to his features, which in turn causes you to gawk even more at him.

oh dear. that smile is deadly.

"t-thank you?" you say confused, blinded by his smile. gosh, he was cuter in person, instead of falling to your death maybe you'll die by the brightness of that smile instead.

wait.

shouldn't you be falling right now?

you slowly look down at your waist.

a hand.

his hand.

the hand you complimented earlier without realizing it was him.

snaked around your waist to prevent you from falling, the proximity between you two was worse, your left side touching his right, his fingers gripping your waist tightly to secure you onto him, the feeling of his forearm around your stomach firm.

oh archons, he's built too?

"u-um, aren't you tired?! shouldn't you let go?! uh! I have a harness don't worry! and I must be heavy!" you say nervously, the close proximity between you two was not helping your conversational skills whatsoever!

"oh sorry, it was on instinct, I'll let go if you want to" he slowly releases his hold on you, careful to not make you drop unexpectedly.

wait, wait, wait, wait.

you're still really high up! you might actually faint if you start free-falling!

you instantly grab his hand, positioning it back on your waist again. "wait! actually please keep holding on, i think it'll be terrifying once i start swinging down." you look up at him, eyes that basically read, 'please don't drop me or else I might actually pass out.'

"you think i'd drop you without any warnings?" he looks at you confused, his hand keeping a firm grip on you once again to prevent you from falling. "i mean... you're carrying a full-grown person right now, so you might claim that you won't drop me on purpose but i don't know if your hand is gonna agree!" you say worriedly in response.

"don't worry i'm strong." he replies, trying to reassure your worries "do you see my pocket? there's some climbing chalk in it, use your hand to get some."

"uh, which pocket?! the front or back?"

"any."

you hesitantly reach into the front pocket of his pants, grabbing a handful of chalk which you quickly lather all over your hands. "now use one of your hands to grab onto one of the holds closest to you" he instructs, which you quickly follow. as you grab onto a yellow hold and then grab onto another one until you are free from his hold, you realize just how much your grip has improved, that you should've just slathered on some climbing chalk before you started climbing to prevent this whole fiasco from happening...

"thank you! um, almigh-"

"kinich."

"oh! thank you the almighty dragon lord kinich!" you tease. in response, he lets out a brief chuckle that you've always heard on the calls you had together.

"i didn't know you lived in natlan!" you exclaim, slowly making your way down the wall. "i thought you knew?" he replies confused, keeping watch of you to make sure he'll catch you before you fall again. "shhh.. i know you sent me that skydiving video months ago but i just realized until today! also, do you do that stuff often..? i mean... you had no hesitation jumping off the helicopter!" you ask him in curiosity, it's strange! most people would hesitate for a bit before jumping off! but this dude didn't even look worried at all!

"oh yeah, i do a lot of stuff like that, like bungee jumping, mountain climbing, sky di-"

"HUH?!" you look at him in disbelief. is he one of those adrenaline junkies?!

"i know most people are shocked, but I find extreme sports enjoyable." he says, looking at you with a gentle smile.

oh dear, you don't think you'll get used to that smile anytime soon.

as you both make your way down, you learn more about the almightydra- kinich, how his lizard ajaw was really the one who made the nasty comments about your characters (which you still don't believe), and how many extreme sports he does, which was a lot. and mualani also descended down quickly to make sure you were okay! as you near the start of the climbing wall you swear you're gonna kiss the ground once you make it back down.

"oh my archons." you collapse on the floor, heaving a sigh of relief, at least you know now to make sure you have emergency climbing chalk in your pockets... you really should invest in some if you're planning to climb more in the future...

as you are laying down on the strangely comforting gym floor you feel a cold object against your forehead. "are you free after this?" a voice above you says as you look up to see kinich leaning over you, water bottle in hand, pressing it against you. just as you were about to respond you were quickly cut off by another voice above you. "yeah she's free!" mualani chirps above you, giving a thumbs up to kinich which she then looks down to wink at you. "I'll be going now. make sure to tell me everything after," who then looks down to whisper at you, giving you a mischievous grin before walking away.

kinich then drops down beside you, turning his head to face you.

"lunch with me today?" he asks, which in turn you grin, "are you asking out on a date? the almighty dragon lord kinich! asking me out on a date! can you believe it?!" you tease,

"and what if i was?" he responds, his amber-green eyes meeting with yours.

"h-huh? actually?" you say surprised, taken aback by his forwardness. you knew he was curt but you didn't expect it to translate over to real life! "yeah, actually." he stands up, offering his hand to you. you grab his hand as he helps you stand up before facing him.

"also, don't worry, i don't do extreme sports with my car." he flashes you a grin.

──────────────────────

A/N!! OH MY GOSH HELLO EVERYONE. thank u all for the support from part 1, I hope you guys liked this one as much as the previous one!! I tried really hard to not make kinich ooc... (I hope I didn't..) I looked up his lore and stuff and found out he liked doing extreme sports! and the skydiving from the previous one I wrote was pretty unexpected BUT!! akshually (nerd emoji) "As a core member of the Scions of the Canopy tribe, Kinich is fond of extreme sports, and is said by his companion K'uhul Ajaw to have plunged headfirst off a cliff and lived to see it (LIKE!! THATS BASICALLY SKY DIVING!!)" quote the genshin wiki!! anyways I hope you enjoyed reading this.HAVE A GOOD DAY OR NIGHT!!

[serxinns]

Yandere class1a x aizawa kid reader pt.3 where they all have a summer vacation trip to the beach plz have a good day👍🏽🏖️

A/n: sorry for the long wait, but it's finally here. I hope you enjoy it!! Stay groovy!

Also the seashell diverder goes to @h-aewo

Aizawa noticed how you were getting bummed out in the summer with all the hero work, studying, and his brats of classmates obsessing you head to toe pulling you in different directions or wanting attention from you, whenever you came back home with him you looked so exhausted and gloomy so he decided to declare a beach day for just the two of you!

Aizawa didn't like the beach as much as you did he prefers indoors especially in the wintertime when he can be wrapped comfortably in his blanket drinking hot coco cuddling with his cats and you sleeping peacefully in his arms watching another childish Christmas special on TV, but you Loved the beach you loved exploring seeing what kind of treasure you'll find in the sand, resting in the sun, and devouring snow cones! So a father and child bonding vacation will get you in the mood again and he knew exactly how to suprise you

You waved to Nezu as he drove off. Today was a tiring and you were extremely exhausted, your classmates kept bothering pulling you around in different directions just to get your attention or to spend time with them, there was even almost a war in the cafeteria because a group in class 1b invited you to sit with them, training your favorite subject was cut short cause your class again got too brutal trying to show off their fighting skills to eachother and that turned brutal real quick

you just wanted to go in your room, turn off your phone preventing your classmates spam texting you and cuddle with your cats to forget the day all altogether You slowly opened the door to a beach bag on the couch "...wtf" You awkwardly approached the bag grabbing it and looking inside to see a bunch of beach items like sunscreen, a swimsuit and it was in your exact size? "Dad..?" You looked around to an empty, silent living room. You walked toward the kitchen cautiously as you saw another beach bag, and it was a large water gun. Seriously!? What's even going on? You were about to head back when you heard a loud BANG, which sounded like.. party poppers. You turned to see your father holding

"Suprise..! We're going on vacation." Your dad stood there grinning at your surprised and baffled expression. "When?" "Tomorrow, this weekend's my day off so why not they even have a beach~" he shrugged there was a place for a moment as your face slowly lit up causing Shouta to chuckle already knowing what was about to happen next "YAYAYAYAYAYAYA THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU" you squealed squeezing the poor man's lungs out with your death hug "your welcome sweetie" he choked out trying to fight for his life surviving the hug

"Did you pack your clothes?" "Yep! I packed EXTRA early," You replied while coming downstairs and rolling down the suitcase while your father checked everything else. "Do we have the giant medkit" Aizawa looked around checking every luggage "dadd we dont we don't need that big ass kit it's just a 2-day vacation" you groaned as your father shot a glare at you " "Language and of course we need it just because we're on vacation doesn't mean anything villians will still pop out a nowhere" you mentally rolled your eyes obviously not wanting to hear all that "can we go nowww we got everything ready our neighbors will watch the cats, the 23 security cameras are all on and activated lets gooo" you whined carrying both you and your dads luggage towards the car as your dad sighed "what am I ever gonna do with you"

Time skip

Time skip again

"We're here," your dad said softly, waking you up from your nap. You blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the slumber. "Look at the view" he pointed you looked to where he was pointing and he wasn't lying the sunset of the beach was beautiful the mix of yellow pink and orange was plastered across the sky, you almost thought you were in a painting "it's getting late let's check into our hotel and get some rest we'll go to the beach tomorrow morning" you lazily nodded feeling sleepy again as Shouta started grabbing all the luggage and placing it into those suitcase holder with the wheels (if ykyk) and saw you passed out already in the car

he sighed annoyed but not wanting to wake you up so he picked you up and placed you on his shoulder while rolling the luggage holder toward your room ignoring the stares, whispering, and fangirls gossiping, falling head over heels for the muscular man carrying his child towards the hotel room once he made it into the hotel room, he gently place you down 1st tucking you in for the night without forgetting to give you an soft kiss on your forehead then changed into his comfortable clothing there was 2 beds but he decided he sleep on your bed as well not wanting you to fall off of course totally not because he knows youll feel safe in his arms (before yall say something this us strictly platonic) and he so to drifted off to sleep

....

Aizawa was slowly awoken by you staring and smiling down at him he got started and pushed you off of him "Ow" "never do that again he grumbled tiredly looking over to see the clock being 8 AM then looking at you "Can we go to the beach now" "5 more mins sweetie I'm fucking tired-" "I will kick you repeatedly until you fall off the bed then bite you on your leg like a chicken bone if you fall back to sleep" he groaned again glaring at you while you smiled mischievously at him

Time skip again

You couldn't contain your excitement viewing the beach while Aizawa was carrying the beach stuff; you were wearing your (fav color) swimsuit with some goggles and a snorkel while your father had a black Hawaiian shirt and yellow swimming trunks with sunglasses. "I found a spot!" You quickly ran over, claiming the spot. Your father followed you as he placed the beach stuff down; you were about to dash toward the water until an arm yanked you back.

"You need your sunscreen, brat," you pouted, ruining your chance. "I don't need it!" He glared, grabbed the sunscreen, squeezed the bottle to squirt some out, and slapped it onto your face, rubbing it. "Ack! Let go of me!" You try struggling off your grip "You wanna act like a little brat You gonna be treated as one" As he kept assaulting your face with the sunscreen you then managed to push him up and snatch the bottle rubbing the cream over your body while he stared sternly at you "see now wasn't that hard?" "Fuck you" "y/n?" A familiar voice called out to you

There was the class all in their bathing suits staring directly at you. "y/nnnnn!!!!" Hakagure and Mina ran over to you and tackled you with a hug just processing what kind of bad writing fiction was this to make this even possible (hey! >:() "y/n! I see you also here as well," Iida stated while waving his arms around. "Yeah, I'm on vacation for a whole weekend here How are you here?" "We plan to have a beach party here. We were about to invite you, but we heard from you all day and yesterday evening!" Denki whined, leaning on your shoulder and earning a bunch of glares at him. Before you could respond, Kirishima grabbed your arm and dragged you towards them. "C'mon, let's go have fun! We got a bunch of plans for this party it's gonna be fun!"

you signed looking back at your father which he shrugged shooing you off to have fun while you shrugged to yourself and ran along with them

Aizawa, on the other hand, was pissed there was no way that they could go to this specific beach hotel and plan a beach party there. Did they track him and you down? Did one of them spy on you or place some kind of recording device in his or your phone? Thoughts were running through his head he was gonna find the bottom of this and once he did oh his class was gonna be in big trouble

Meanwhile

"Let's play volleyball ball!" Mina shouted, tossing up the ball. Since there are 21 of us, we should be in teams of 3! Let's make this a tournament! The last team wins! Everyone was interested and decided to get into teams

The teams

2 Midoriya, iida, and Ochako

7 Mina, hakagure, and ojiro

8 Shinsou, todoroki, shoji

4 Bakugo, denki, Kirishima

1 Momo, jirou and tsuyu

9 Koda,Sato, and mineta

5 Sero, y/n and Aoyama

"Let the volleyball tournament begin!" Mina cheered, "For y/ns love..." They all thought determined to win this match to gain your affection, teams 2 and 9 were up 1st it was a close battle between the 2 teams with Ochako trying not to float the ball up and Sato trying to keep up with Iida's speed and Midoriya calculating a smooth hit murmuring to himself to try and find a way to win the game when the ball was heading towards him making him missed the ball causing it to hit the ground team 9 won while iida scolded Midoriya as he apology repeatedly

next was teams 4 and 8 and oh boy it was messy Bakugo demanded his idiot friends play better and pressured them while team 1 was knocking it out of the park until Kirishima managed to get a good swing tsuyu hit the ball with her tongue As it headed towards Denki but rather hit his head pretty hard to the point he went into his dumb mode "y-yey!!!!" The electric boy pulled out his thumbs as Bakugo was extremely pissed off grabbing the blonde by the back of his shirt and dragging him off the court in defeat

7 and 5 were up and it was actually pretty hard you tried to make Ojiro hit harder as you tried hitting it the opposite way but he managed to go to that spot Aoyama and Mina were battling it out well it was most Aoyama trying to get revenge on Mina while was just having fun oblivious to the shiny boy's intentions but you somehow won huh

Then teams started battling off winning team 9 loss to 8 with toodrokis super move 1 won your team by an intense battle and now it was all up to your team and 8 the final showdown

After a long, extreme battle between you and team 8, you...lost due to your slipping and fucking up team 8 won the match! Shoto then came up to you and pulled out his hand. "Good game.." he said, forming a small blush on his cheek. You chuckled and grabbed his hand as well. "You too, shoji and Tokoyami killed it out there!" "You too, I never knew you were good at volleyball, y/n san!" Dark Shadow chimed as Dark Shadow nodded in agreement "he's right you also did amazing as well y/n you should be in our team next time"

You smiled, oblivious to more glares the blackbird was earning. "Yeah, in return, teach me those moves!" Thats when you were suddenly dragged by Bakugo going to his squad "We're playing water gun fight you in?" He grumbled. You smiled mischievously as you grabbed your large meta water gun behind your back. "It's on..."

The others watched in jealousy as you and the bakusquad where spraying each other with waterguns untill bakugo slipped and fell into the ground you, kirishima, denki, Mina, and sero surrounded him and started spraying him at once then running away when he started to use his explosions the 5 of you started laughing hysterically when someone tapped your shoulder you looked over to see momo, tsuyu and jirou "me and jirou are heading to the snack shack wanna come?" Tsuyu offered "Oh I didn't bring my mone-" "I'll pay!" Momo said "oh no momo you don't have to-" "no no I insist really!" Momo said with smiled so genuine how could u even say no?

You signed, "Fine, but don't make me forget to pay you back!" Momo was gonna make you forget you didn't need to own her anything. Honestly, your presence was the payment! She just wants to spoil her little jewel! You then got your food and sat on the bench watching the sunset "Man the sunset is so pretty" You were mesmerized by the warm colors in the sky while the 3 girls were mesmerized by your face and how your eyes lit up seemed to relax when seeing the sunset tsuyu was just in awe while jirou was flustered Upon seeing your everything honestly

"Hey, you stole y/n away. We were planning to make sand castles!" Their precious moment was ruined when Koda started walling towards them behind them were Sato and Tokoyami "No we were just gonna get some food and rest" "let's not lie now you know you wanted to get some alone time with y/n" Tokoyami stated glaring at the girls " actually you're all wrong cause ma cheer is coming with me!" Aoyama started grabbing you and dragging you until he bumped into someone and that someone was Midoriya and his crew

"Where the heck do you think you're going with MY y/n?" Izuku stated as Aoyama hid you behind him as they both started arguing everyone else joined in and started a huge yelling match between each other "ok... time for me to go now" You started to walk off trying to find your father to tell him what's going on but you then bumped into someone again seriously how clumsy can you be and where are these people coming from? You looked up to coincidentally see your father just staring at his own students fighting and screaming at each other

"Uh Dad ur here so uh this happened" You tried telling him what had happened but he just kept staring and glaring at his students "Don't worry it's already taken care of" You paused for a moment confused by his statement "Take cared of-?" then a sudden announcement came on coming from outside the hotel

"The beach is now close! Please pack your things and leave or go back intothe hotel habe a lovely evening!"

You heard groaning from your classmates defeated that they couldn't spend time with you anymore they all waved goodbye at you and left in defeat grumbling under their breaths and glaring at each other and at Aizawa who was smirking menacingly at them mockingly waving at them he can finally spend time with you now with no distractions just his vacation with you and only you

"Hey kid, wanna go to this cool restaurant I found while driving?" Your father offered, "Can we order it? I wanna eat in the hotel and watch some movies your father chuckled agreeing that it was a good way to end the day!

[ducktracy]

I love Popeye so much— the franchise is my current special interest, but I love the 1980 movie in particular. I get really pleased whenever you post about Popeye (partially because you're the only one really active in the tag) so if you could continue to post Popeye loud and proud that would be cool as hell

THIS IS SO SWEET OH MY GOSHHHHH!!! i saw this yesterday when you sent it in and meant to answer earlier, but i have to say i’ve spent both yesterday and today thinking about it because THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO HEAR!! THANK YOUUUUUUUU!! i also had no idea i was really the only one active HAHA, amazing!! i assure you, the Popeye posting will always continue! i LOVE Popeye, and i’ve actually only seen a fraction of the shorts compared to those i haven’t. i’m so protective of the 1935-1938 sweet spot with Jack Mercer, Mae Questel and Gus Wicke that it’s really hard for me to move onto the shorts post-Miami move… but i gotta! because more great cartoons await! and so i’m sure i’ll be gushing about those when i discover them more and more :)

SPEAKING OF 1980 POPEYE!! i know i’ve had some followers curious about my opinion on it! I FINALLY WATCHED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME BACK IN JULY! i admittedly forget if i said my piece on it or not, but i will here anyway!

is it good? in an objective sense? probably not. did i absolutely love it and have an absolute blast watching it regardless? ABBBBBSOOOOLLLUUUUUUTELYYYYY!! i had so much fun watching it!! as a fan of physical slapstick, anything “cartoony” translated into live action, Popeye (of course), and many other specifics i’m forgetting but know the film included, i really enjoyed it. the almost obligatory physical slapstick and sheer amount of stupid pratfalls was giving me so much joy. i’m genuinely impressed at Robin Williams’ muttering and him keeping his one eye squinted the entirety of the film. Shelley Duvall is PERRERRRFECT as Olive Oyl! she was the best part of the film for me, she was so darling 🥺 and the songs were cute, VERY AMUSING, very campy, some i liked better than others but they were very catchy. the sound design was very baffling as well but i kinda loved it

i said this when streaming the film in a groupwatch and i still stand by it:

also, evidently copious amounts of cocaine were involved in the production of the film and i can absolutely believe it. SUCH A FUN WATCH THOUGH, very cheesy in the absolute best way! thank you to all who encouraged me to watch it, i’m really glad i did and will probably rewatch it again at some point :) but yes, that’s all to say that the Popeye posting will absolutely continue and i am SO GLAD to hear you enjoy it so much!! that seriously makes my day!! Popeye is really the cure for happiness in cartoon form

[mystycalypso]

Calypso's Hello Neighbor insanity.

(In honor of the teaser coming out yesterday, here is my Aaron Peterson theory document in all it's baffling glory)

Hey howdy, it’s Calypso, and I’ve been infected with Hello-Neighbor-Loritis. It is incurable and my doctor (Jack in his “Nicky goggles”) recommends that I theory craft to cope.

Bracket Key, by Jack: Calypso: [text] Jack: (text)

So as previously stated, I’m obviously Hello Neighboring it up today after Jack read me the ENTIRETY of their theory thread with @ravenbrookz and @powertooled, and am now taking a crack at it myself. You probably saw my possible Guest appearance in the drawings made most likely by Nicky, though that was only based on what I could see in the image. I can’t exactly say for certain everything I know in the franchise is accurate, as my current pool of knowledge is primarily from the show (and Jack's rants), but I promise that if I COULD read the books, I would. I have just been informed by Jack that the first book is available on Spotify so we may or may not just hunker down and listen to that but I digress. (UPDATE AS OF 5/10/24: The Hello Neighbor books 1-6 all have audiobooks on YouTube, and I will be listening to them for the next several days)

So, into the meat of it, I suppose. This post is to be dedicated to a few of my theories regarding Aaron primarily. Because the theory crafting I’m to be doing is focused on the show, and our information about Aaron and Mya in the show is so limited, I will be pulling some from other sources (HN hide and seek, HN 2, etc) to get a proper read on the situation. 

We know based on the games and books that Nicky and Aaron were best friends. This is why in Act 1 and Act 2 of the first game, Nicky is suspicious of Mr. Peterson in the first place. Logically speaking, if Nicky and Aaron weren’t close (and neighbors, allowing him to witness the crime), Nicky likely would have taken the disappearance story at face value. That’s just how it tends to work in real life as well. People who are close to the victim of disappearance tend to go through the “stages of grief” because they’re more emotionally attached to them and don’t want them to die. It’s sort of a precaution. Nicky, Aaron’s best friend, wouldn’t want any serious harm to come to him, so he’s willing to put himself in danger, as a 13-15-year-old CHILD, to save him.

[I’ll likely be made fun of for how redundant that may sound by Jack]

This is also likely the reason that Nicky is so suspicious of Mr. Peterson in the show. He’s essentially the catalyst for sparking Trinity’s interest in the Peterson house, granted by having her mistake it for his house when he climbed out the chimney in episode 1 [Gotta admire the dedication, bro’s in that place ALL the damn time] (apparently more than he's in his own house /hj). Ultimately, I believe that Jack’s prediction about the reveal of Nicky and Aaron’s relationship being revealed in season 2 is his reason for investigating Peterson as much as he does (which is a lot). There wouldn’t be a reason for tinyBuild to change this, since it’s been established since the first game’s final build. (if you can count that game as “establishing” anything) [Which I am for the sake of the theory.]

Operating under that assumption does recontextualize some of his behavior throughout the show, specifically some of that “hotheaded” behavior called attention to by the Hello Neighbor Fandom Wiki. (that Jack has serious beef with) While he does have a level of agitation towards the others for cutting off his story in episode 3, [of which Jack is actively going on a tangent about as I write this] it’s something that can be explained by a level of impatience or worry for Aaron. (same with his anger of no one believing him in the previous episodes, and even mocking him for his theories) 

[Jack called Mr. Peterson “Mr. Neighborson�� while I was writing this section of the theory, I just want y’all to know that WHEEZE]

We don’t exactly know the full context of their friendship in the media we’ve currently consumed, but again, based on his behavior, it’s likely they were close friends (and if not, honestly he's still justified for being upset that no one else cares about the potential murder of two kids). That brings me to the basement, then, which I’ll likely have the most to talk about because Jack and I have talked about this extensively.

According to Jack and their extended knowledge, it’s been established that the drawings on the fake windows in the room Nicky and the others were thrown into in episode 6 were drawn by Aaron. While possibly this being retconned (unlikely) and the culprit of the drawings being changed, there’s also the fact that we don’t know exactly WHEN these drawings were made [correct me if I’m wrong or smthin]. However, I have theorized that these window drawings were made by Aaron to comfort Nicky. Aaron has been in the basement much longer, but because we don’t know his mental state, operating under the assumption that he was put into the basement for the same reason he was in the games, he was put in the basement 1. For accidentally causing Mya’s death and 2. To protect him from the cult in town. Based on the Pilot for the animated series, we know that the first point is likely true, as in Aaron’s room, the words ‘Omen’ and ‘Cursed’ were written on the walls, likely by Mr. Peterson. I believe this is also true for the books as it was talked about briefly in the Game Theory video where MatPat analyzed the aforementioned Pilot frame-by-frame (like the meme:0). According to this video, Mr. Peterson had grown superstitious that his son was the cause of a bunch of bad things happening throughout the town, the final straw being Mya’s death when Aaron accidentally pushed her off the roof of the house as seen in Hello Neighbor Hide-and-Seek.

My theory is that Aaron likely feels immense guilt for what he did to his sister, regardless of it being an accident. He knows that his behavior in Hide-and-Seek was awful, and that’s more likely the reason he’s crying in the basement; he killed his sister, and as sad as it is, he’s likely under the impression that he deserves this punishment and that it fits his crime, as well as knows that his dad’s investigation into the cult is genuine and that he wants to keep him safe. I’m not sure why I get the feeling that he’s in a better mental space than Nicky is [lambast me in the tags if I turn out to be COMPLETELY incorrect come season 2], but it makes some semblance of sense when looking at the drawings in the basement. Psychologically, children with “better” mental states tend to use more color in their drawings. While it may be out of necessity to draw a happier “outside” for Nicky to view (or to keep his own sanity), it may also be an indication that Aaron may be doing better mentally than Nicky was (despite being there way longer), as we see (allegedly) Nicky’s drawings as well, that being black ink drawings of the Thing, the cat, and the Guest [still not sure of that one it’s still a theory]. This also means that that Aaron and Nicky could have been in the same room at least for as long as it took Aaron to make the drawings. I believe that the reason Mr. Peterson was so willing to keep Nicky in the basement in the games not only because Nicky's investigation made him a liability, but also was because he knew he was Aaron’s friend and wanted his son to have some company? IDK, it’s the first game, that game is a lore NIGHTMARE (reference to Act 3 intended).

While this may seem like an extremely small theory overall, it does wonders in establishing the relationship Nicky and Aaron had, as well as Aaron’s personality as an empathetic person. It could also establish that he was forced into this change because of his actions in Hello Neighbor Hide-and-Seek we see in flashbacks or the like, maybe even just Nicky reminiscing or noting that Aaron has changed. From what I’ve seen in Hello Neighbor 2, Aaron does seem to care about the main character, Quentin, when his father attacks him[Quentin, he doesn’t attack Aaron in the scene lol].

As of right now, I do believe that it was (probably) Aaron getting out of the basement in Episode 6 that had Peterson’s lid flipping. While I would have to double check [I’m gonna probably just ask Jack], the silhouette of the dark figure inside doesn’t exactly look one-to-one with Aaron’s established appearance in photos on the walls, but that may just be a redesign or placeholder. Maybe it’s not Aaron at all and he’s still in the basement, who knows [that’s gotta suck now that his dad’s been arrested smh].

[insert 2 screenshot comparisons here, Jack]

(No because the silhouette is bald and I think they made it as detail-less on purpose)

[Damn it]

(Literally quoting the series to Calypso while they write, I've rewatched it one full time since them starting the doc) 

If I had to guess, Aaron will be in season 2. The likelihood that he won’t be is next to 0 in my mind, as it would break some of the established conventions of the series [That being that Aaron takes an active role in second installments, that being Act 2 of the first game where he unlocks the door for Nicky and in the second game where he asks Quinten to save him via paper airplane]. While this may just be wishful thinking, I theorize that Aaron will be an ‘overcorrective’ personality by the time we see him and that it may be shown through his attempts at comforting Nicky through the window drawings. Him being his friend, that also may have been the sort of push he needed to stand up to his father for bringing his friend into this. Act 2 starts with Aaron unlocking the door to help Nicky escape, and in general, helps him.

[There was a short break here because it was like 2 am and I figured that I really needed context at least for the games before I wrote anymore. I have the context now and am now able to write it lol]

So after watching a breakdown of the games I can safely say that, yes, there’s a level of ‘overcorrection’ going on with Aaron. While it’s not the perfect word to describe what’s going on with him, the best example I can find is when Aaron gives up on running away from the museum with Quentin to help his father, who was trapped under a crow statue[chandelier?] that fell from the ceiling. I’d say that it’s a mix of guilt and attachment making him act this way because, despite everything his father has done, even after traumatizing his best friend, Aaron can’t bring himself to lose another family member. Hello Neighbor 2 leaves off on this as a cliffhanger and we have no idea what happens to Aaron both between games as well as after them, so headcanons away, I suppose.

My next theory is in regards to the Thing. While it has yet to make an appearance in the show, there have been teaser images for Season 2 that include it. The Thing is canonically a manifestation of pure fear as shown in the first game’s third Act. It also isn’t exclusively one person’s fear, as it was shown to be “haunting” both Nicky and Mr. Peterson. Fear in the franchise isn’t exclusive to things like phobias, it also applies to trauma and trauma responses. While not justified, Mr. Peterson locking Aaron in the basement was a trauma response brought on by the fear of losing him as well. The entire third Act is about Nicky confronting his fears inside his head, whether that be school, the grocery store [relatable ngl like bro I feel weird going to grocery stores], and yes, Mr. Peterson. We don’t even really need the context the books provide for these fears, we know that Nicky has anxiety and PTSD from being locked in the basement. He was also middle school age so whether or not he was scared of school before he was kidnapped, it would likely be exacerbated by his struggles.

Some lore bits do seem to imply that the Thing is an inherently malicious entity. While the Guest seems to be a sort of Cryptid for Raven Brooks, and therefore, the rules of things like Chupacabras or Aliens apply to it, the Thing seems to behave more like a ghost, a poltergeist of the mind, it seems. Nicky actively has to fight against it to overcome his trauma, and Mr. Peterson seems to be locked inside with it in the endgame’s whitespace. Us seeing it in season 2 must either be exclusively through either Nicky or Mr. Peterson’s eyes, or… Another person who has gone through similar amounts of trauma.

Aaron.

Now, I know that probably doesn’t initially sound reasonable. We’ve only ever seen Nicky and Mr. Peterson interact with the Thing, and that’s two whole characters that could reasonably (and quite likely) have to deal with the Thing making their lives worse. But the rules that have been established for the Thing, as flexible and subject to change as they may be, do apply to Aaron as of writing. It’s been established that Aaron fears losing his father, as well as vice versa. He wants to be free, but he doesn’t want to lose the only family he has left. Aaron has also gone through extensive trauma, the same as his father, in fact, but on top of that, the trauma of being locked away for presumably months. The push and pull of his thoughts on his father is the best example of this I can find. Their relationship has devolved into a toxic cycle of abuse, but Aaron can’t help but love his father despite it. It SEEMS that people who have experienced this level of trauma and by extension have these levels of fear, they can both see the Thing and be affected by its powers[???].

While I’m still not entirely certain of the extent of the Thing’s involvement in season 2, as a majority of the teasers have been centered on the Guest, I’m very excited to see how things change between my writing this and the release. I look forward to being proved right, being proved wrong, or merely watching the series come to fruition. Thank you for reading my absolutely insane ramblings.

-Calypso

[rivetgoth]

Over on Twitter there was a meme that was like “Post 10 bands you've obsessed about at some point in your life,” so I decided to list the first 10 that came to mind 🤔🤔 Note that this isn’t my current or all-time top 10 bands ever, but 10 that I can remember being obsessed with at some significant point in my life.

1. Skinny Puppy — Duh.

2. Culture Club — A landmark band for me, Culture Club was my entry into 80s pop which would evolve into developing my adoration for the New Romantics, 80s alternative, and eventually industrial and goth music. Also the second band I ever actively went to see live!

3. IAMX — One of my favorite bands of all time since around 9th grade, over a decade now!! One of the only bands I have a tattoo for. I could fill an entire post (or two, or three, or…) on just my adoration for IAMX alone, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

4. Ministry — Inescapable, isn’t it? Regardless of the eternal love-hate relationship I have with this band there’s no denying the incredibly significant effect they’ve had on my life unfortunately. The first industrial band I got into post-Skinny Puppy.

5. The Velvet Underground — TVU (along with TBP, below) was arguably the band that got me into music. Period. I’ll never forget hearing “Venus In Furs” and “The Black Angel’s Death Song” for the first time and just thinking it was like nothing else I’d ever heard before. It was everything to me as a teen.

6. Severed Heads — Another one of my favorites to this day, though I’ve had obsessive periods in phases. They kinda baffle and excite me like literally no other band. Like a puzzle I’m always trying to solve. Love love love them.

7. The Birthday Party — Ditto with TVU. “Mutiny In Heaven” shaped me into the music lover I am today, it gave me a taste for something that was like nothing I’d ever heard before and “like nothing else” has been a significant staple of the most evocative songs/bands for me ever since.

8. Joy Division — Community college circa 2017 I had Joy Division on constant rotation, they really got me through it lol. One of the first GOTH bands that I dove really deep into. I was already listening to goth music at that point but at that point in time Joy Division really resonated. I wore my Unknown Pleasures shirt everywhere seconds before it was cool. I still voted for The Cure on the recent “best goth band” poll tho LMAO.

9. Magazine — A more recent addition, Magazine fucking saved my life when I got COVID in 2021 and subsequent relatively severe psychotic symptoms shortly after. Literally just spent every quiet moment listening to ‘em to fight off some of the worst thought patterns I’ve ever had in my life, for months.

10. Steam Powered Giraffe — My middle school heartthrobs 🖤🖤🖤 A bit dated now but man, SPG was everythinggggg to me for a short moment and I think this secret part of my past explains some of my music taste to this day tbh lol 😭 They were thee FIRST band I ever actively saw live, and the most significant connection is that Bunny Bennett’s coming out was genuinely the thing that spurred me to soul search and realize I was trans within the same year :’)

What are yours??

[rivkae-winters]

For the ask game 4, 8, 12, 18 and 25 for any fandom

This is part of this ask game :3 Mostly seven with some general and one intentionally unspecified fandom

4) What was the last straw for finally blocking that annoying person?

I’m very bad at actually blocking people, I tend to cause my own problems that way, but the last time I blocked someone it was because they sent me an unsolicited DM basically trying to guilt me into commissioning them right after an artist I’d just recently commissioned posted the piece. I love getting DM’s and interaction in general even if I’m not super active myself because of anxiety so I was really upset about it when I saw the message. 

On one hand I get it, I do- I’m also a commercial artist and I’m lucky enough to have a decently stable W2 Job right now. On the other hand though: maybe make your sales pitch at least more enticing than a Jehovah's Witness knocking on your door. 

8) Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about?

This one got WELL out of hand length wise so I'll be posting my full thoughts on why later today or tomorrow.

The apple game in CC (from the Silver Elite fan club letter) is bs, and it baffles me that people trust what Hojo says as much as they do. 

Honestly, most of the fan mail in the game is bs or has the truth heavily muddied but this example is especially egregious in my opinion. It's not an activity that Genesis, Angeal, or Sephiroth would actually enjoy much. Sephiroth himself would be bored to tears since he has such an unfair advantage since his sword is much slimmer than Rapier and Angeal's standard issue broadsword. There is also the issue of the fact that all of them likely have some element of food trauma (or in Angeal's case are confirmed as such) but the expanded post later today will expand on that.

Disclaimer that you can enjoy and write what you want or believe in the story of AGS playing with apples and swords. Make content you feel inspired to, consume content you enjoy, and don’t let me stop you from having fun. 

12) The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don’t know how unpopular he is anymore but Denzel is great- if you can find the ‘on the way to a smile’ anthology and read ‘episode Denzel’ or the OVA from 2010 his character gets a lot better. He’s a complex little guy with layers and plenty of regret already trying to go forward with life. Post AC he starts working with Reeve as a protege of sorts iirc after Reeve blocks him from joining the WRO’s militia. (Which would not have gone over well with anyone if it went through, Denzel is 10ish at that point.) 

He wants to save people like Cloud saved him, somewhat so he can feel worthy of having been saved. There is also still a lingering of the unintentional toxic positivity his mom instilled in him and it is delightful.

The book mentioned above was finally released in English around a decade after Japan got it but it was $35 USD last I checked. I think there are some readings of it on YouTube but I can’t vouch for the quality of any since I don’t do well with audio books. 

The OVA can be really hard to find because it was only on the AC complete Blu-Ray discs of a certain edition- I’m pretty sure it was the first run of them but I may be wrong. Because of this and the fact that I’ve seen take-downs happen continuously each time I went back to reference it last year it’s to the point where some people are incorrectly assuming it’s just totally lost media. Either way I have a so-so quality copy I saved, I won’t put it on the post directly just to be cautious but if you’re interested DM me or contact me through discord (rivkae) if you have that and I’ll shoot you the drive link. 

18) It’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

In og CC Gillian dies with a smile on her face. In reunion it’s blocked by a vignette.

I’ve never seen it mentioned in a fic dealing with her death yet, the few that there are, so eventually I’m just going to have to do it myself.

This answer is almost pathetically short because every time I start thinking about this I get the urge to write. Since I can't really sit down to write prose right now so I'm not going to get to into it.

25) Common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing? 

(Slightly dramatized for effect, I’m not saying the fandom because I’m mostly out of it writing wise right now but iykyk feel free to send me your guesses)

‘Ewww I hate y and z version of [media]!!! X version of [media] is the only good one- anyone who interacts with y and z supporting posts will be blocked!’

‘I hate this version of my favorite character from x in y and z [complaint that could be very easily interpreted as racism] anyone with art of this design will be blocked! DNI if you have [bastardized version of the characters name to show distaste] content!’

Except then they don’t block you after you DNI, they start following your blog posting stuff for y and z version of [media]

Now obviously blocking is a core part of the tumblr experience, really the entire social media experience but it’s taken more seriously other places. Here though? If they breathe annoyingly it is perfectly fine and normal to block them- encouraged even! I have no issues with a DNI, BYF, etc as concepts I just get a little irked when people don’t practice what they preach while still loudly complaining about [media]. 

Now obviously adaptations make a lot of people angry for good reasons sometimes, I understand that. I dislike many adaptations myself, but it’s the incessant complaining when you aren’t even following your own rules that it gets under my skin a bit. That’s not even mentioning the drama that happens in discord servers with areas about said alternate versions of [media] where most community spaces to discuss said versions die quickly due to the toxicity of comparison and the group norm to conform to being putting x version, the original version, over the other version. You can like y and z but you should like x more- you should agree that x is objectively better. Even if x is also offensive in several ways and dated in others and isn’t as easy to consume story wise- which is how y and z brought new fans to the fandom. 

I’m going to cut myself off there but… Yeah. I hate adaptations too sometimes but it shouldn’t be used to backhandedly bully others into silence. Let people enjoy what makes them happy.

[deepestbluesky]

i was tagged by @minnarr to list my 5 favorite fics i've written! it's actually very funny to me, because i saw one of these posts yesterday from a writer i like very much who i've followed for ages, and then i got tagged today, and i realized the connecting thread is literally just one person in between. anyway!

note: in case you haven't looked closely at my ao3 page (or. not closely tbh. to my eternal regret, it's still my top fandom), i used to write hockey rpf. i don't anymore, because i think hockey and especially the nhl is morally bankrupt and actively harmful, and i no longer feel comfortable writing about nhl players or sharing fic about them. this is all to say: 1, i actually don't think i've explicitly said that before and it's important to me, and 2, i will not mention any fics from this fandom.

LUCKILY, i've somehow???? written a lot????? since then????? this continues to baffle me. how did i get here. (🎶letting the days go by🎶) (if you think, gee, did sky have trouble picking 5 fics? it has been fully half an hour and i'm still at 11 fics. the lengths i go to for tumblr posts that don't matter.) (have now picked fics, didn't take much longer bc i decided to try and go for a wide spread of fandoms, and also to pick the ones in that 11-fic list that had the lowest kudos lol)

give thanks to the broken bones. this is a batfam fic in which bruce wayne gets kidnapped as a civilian and dick grayson comes to rescue him. i have some defensive feelings about this and about the way dick and bruce's relationship is written here, but i often feel like i'm not great at writing complicated relationships that aren't just fluffy, and i feel like i nailed it here. also: gen fics.

tired of waiting for tomorrow to come. another batfam fic! this one a character study of sorts about jason todd and also my love letter about bruce springsteen's music. it's one of the most self-indulgent fics i've ever written and i'm really satisfied with it, even tho there are definitely things i wish i'd done differently too. i wrote a dvd commentary companion too so if you want Even More Of My Thoughts about it, they are on ao3 :D

daydreamers please wake up. there are goddamn NINE fics for this fucking fandom and mine is the LONGEST??? this is a fic for another dc comic, Far Sector, written by nk jemisin and drawn by jamal campbell. i loved far sector, i think it's gorgeous and fun and a cool sci fi story with very fun characters, and so when i had a chance to write a fic for it for yuletide, i was DELIGHTED. and then i realized i had to figure out how to write horror for the first time. it was a lot of work and i think it turned out really well.

don't let the stars get you down. this is a fic for the untamed, and it's jiang yanli and jin zixuan. i have now written TWO platonic marriage fics for the untamed, and i'm personally thrilled about this fact. this one is shorter but also, in some ways, more interesting to me. i really love fics that dig into jyl and what she's doing and thinking and i haven't written as many as i'd like, but that is very much what this fic is. also i just have so much love and affection in my heart for the idea of two people being married and having a kid while not being In Love and in fact having sex with and falling in love with other people.

you're a curious one. this is a word of honor fic, and it is, of course, hanwenzhou. so, to be clear, if you count shl/tyk/qy together, it's CLEARLY my second most written fandom. and yet it ended up with only one representative on this list, partially because i have more kudos in this fandom lol. but that said, if i was only gonna pick one, it had to be REALLY on brand, and this fic is PEAK sky is on her bullshit. inspired by a critical role scene with sexy dangerous vampire attacks. the whole fic is building tension that never quite resolves bc building the tension is way more fun to me than writing sex scenes usually. spoiler: everything is actually fine and there's a happy resolution. this concept still lives in my head rent free.

idk who to tag, so AS USUAL, if you see this and want to play the game, do it and say i tagged you! i am very serious, you can tag me even if we've never interacted. you can also not tag me but say you got it from me! whatever works.

[evelhak]

30 Days of Autism Acceptance 2023

April 4

Were/are you in special education? Regular school? Home schooled? A private school? Did it change over time? Did/do you like it?

I was in regular school, and now I can finally admit that it was highly traumatizing for me. I felt like I was a "borderline case" who should have just as well been in special education than regular class, despite not having a diagnosis and not knowing I was autistic back then. I'm sure partially that happened because I was "threatened" with special education by someone, as if it was something shameful. Because I was "normal" so I should have acted "normal". But I think it was also because I related to the kids in special education more than I related to my classmates. In after school care in elementary school I always played with kids from special ed. The only friends I felt completely safe with as a small child were those kids. I had less significant misunderstandings with a friend with an intellectual disability and a speech impairment than I had with my classmates. But I never had enough time to spend with those friends for us to become really close, because I was only in the after school care for a year-ish and there were very few opportunities after that, because everything was done with your own class, and kids in special education were in a different building so I couldn't hang out with them between classes either.

I don't have intellectual disability, I always had a spiky skill profile but there wasn't any subject I couldn't pass on my own. I didn't really struggle with school work too much, but I for sure struggled socially. I was bullied and ostrasized by my classmates for a decade, through four different schools, from kindergarten to the end of middle school, which I felt highly ashamed about and did my best to hide until adulthood. I did sometimes try to tell someone but I never called it "bullying", or I downplayed its impact on me, or I said things like "oh but everyone gets bullied". Both because of the shame and because no adult saw it or was able to do anything about it, or cared enough to try, anyway. I felt nothing could be done about it anyway, because I was the reason I was being bullied. I didn't so much think it was "my fault" in a moral sense as I just logically figured out the reason I'm a target must be something in me, because I was still bullied in different schools and different cities, the only common thing in those situations was me, so certainly I had to be the reason.

I had one friend in elementary school who I feel forever indebted to, because she didn't care about what the rest of the class thought about me. She was just so cool and strong and her own person. Everyone wanted to be her friend, but she had decided she liked me so much that even when the other "cool" girls came to tell her how much they wanted to be with her, as long as she wouldn't hang out with me, she told them she would rather be with me than be with them without me. I still think about her strength today with teary eyes. She willingly ostrasized herself from everyone else because of me, and even now it doesn't fit into my head that someone could have cared about me so much. She saved me, without her my only friends would have been the class's stick insects. (They were good friends though.) Without her I probably wouldn't have had the strength to even try to make new friends when I suddenly had to move away.

I had friends in my other schools but none that didn't eventually end up leaving me for reasons I never got to hear. Of course, as is common with autistic people I was also a magnet for manipulative and abusive people, so I got my share of that. Thinking back to it, it seems baffling to me that I never skipped school, it was so much more terrible than I ever would have admitted back then. I think I had one saving key aspect again: my folk dance group. Because it was a really healthy environment centered around a predictable activity, and that's how I was able to make and keep friends there for a much longer time than in the class which was an unstructured social environment and that was brutal to me. I was either completely invisible or I was picked on: who wouldn't choose to be invisible then? I remember it still came as a shock to me when we gathered to watch pictures our teacher had taken of the class in different events and I was barely in any of them.

Anyway, end of middle school was such a shit show that I knew something had to change. That's when I basically learned to mask over the summer and made a real "high school debut". In middle school I still hadn't made much effort to hide my weirdness but in high school I made all the effort. I made sure to enter the new school like a different person. I started wearing makeup, my clothes were nondescript but stylish enough. My role model was Rory Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls because she was loved for being a nerdy little bookworm, because she was cute and girly and weird in an acceptable way. I did master that in high school enough, but the price I paid was of course high... Doing that performance meant I had no close friends for the first year, only aquintances. Sure, no one hated me, which was the goal, but also I didn't reveal anything real about myself to anyone, so how could I have real friends? Eventually I did get real friends through another group activity: drama and art classes. (Most of those friends were probably not neurotypical, so we clicked.) But I still suffered the consequences from masking so much that I had no energy to hang out with anyone after school.

I was so burned out from high school for multiple reasons that I became pretty much a hermit in the beginning of university, but that's beyond the scope of this post, I think.

I think the point of my reflection here is that not only was being in regular school traumatizing for me because allistic students didn't understand autism and bullies saw it as the perfect opportunity to target someone, being in a regular class also routinely prevented me from connecting with neurodivergent students whom it would have benefited my mental health to hang out with. I was trapped in regular class, I had no way out of the environment that was traumatizing for me but no one would notice I was in pain, and no one would believe it even if I tried to tell. My classmates called me "the stone" and I suspect it was at least partially because I didn't react to their bullying in a visible way. And I think all this gets at the the key experience of undiagnosed people, people with invisible disabilities: you cannot access what you need, because people don't have you in the right context.

[devilish-hizumi]

I sent it today, like a few hours ago, so you didn't miss it for too long.

I haven't heard from you in almost a year now, I hope you're doing well 💕

I've been alright, thank you.

Yeah, just when I had hit "send" I saw that my last activity here has been almost a year ago now and now I'm just a bit baffled how goddamn fast the time flew by.

I'm doing quite well tho! Had a couple flare ups, the usual you know, but I'm doing fairly well, I'm currently trying to get back into some of my older hobbies again that I had been putting on hold before. What have you been up to?

Also, as a random side note, your new haircut looks gorgeous on you. ♥

[eggnogablog]

Sociology has become so weird. Maybe it always was, but I don't know enough about its history to go that far.

I have a friend a few years younger than me at work. One of her majors was sociology. She's an immigrant from Kenya, with most of her family still living there. She came to America first as a high school boarding student. She's never lived in the South.

She saw a picture of her friends dressed up as bedsheet-ghosts for Halloween. The simplest costume you can imagine: a sheet over the head, and orange swim goggles over the eyes and sheet to keep the costume on better. No hats or any extras. She showed it to me and said, "This costume makes me so uncomfortable! It reminds me of the KKK."

I was only surprised for a few seconds. I've known her for a year, and she's ranted to me about how American flags make her feel unsafe because "George Floyd had the same skin I live in" and anyone who flies a flag like that must be racist and not care about black people. (Then we parked at my house, which has an American flag flying out front.) She's also told me that the KKK is very active today, something she learned in sociology classes a few years ago.

I said, "It's just a basic ghost costume. Little kids wear them all the time because they're easy to make. It's got nothing to do with the KKK. Maybe if they had the pointy hat, I could see it."

She kept speaking over me saying that she definitely "saw it" and that it was "traumatizing for [her]." Then she searched for KKK costumes. Every single picture had the tall pointed hat/face mask. I didn't have to say anything else. She said, "Oh, I see, it's about the hats." She even found a picture of a 'reimagining' of the Klan where each person was wearing the costume in a different African print from head to toe.

We worked together the rest of the night without incident. She asked me some questions about American presidential history, because her knowledge of it is very limited. Her favorite president is Truman, but she said that Abraham Lincoln was more handsome. But she didn't know who JFK, Nixon, Madison, Carter, or a bunch of other presidents were. I was surprised since I always perceived JFK as very famous.

I'm glad we were able to get past the issue quickly. She's not so strident in her politics that she refuses to listen or to speak to anyone who disagrees with her. But it's baffling how someone who knows so little about American history overall can claim to be an expert on any part of it.

It's so close to the election so even at work, which is usually so apolitical, everyone's talking around politics in different ways. Another immigrant coworker, an older woman from the Philippines, is able to vote for the first time this year. She's trying to learn about the process and choose for herself who to vote for. She asked me if she could vote for a presidential candidate from one party and the vice-presidential candidate from the other party. (I have NO clue whether this means she wants Trump-Walz or Harris-Vance, both of which are crazy timelines to consider. But in hindsight, I think she's just trying to learn the process and make sure she fills out the ballot right.)

I made a joke about this idea of mixed presidential tickets to a liberal patient, and she scoffed. "Immigrants shouldn't be able to vote if they can't understand our system. [Another Filipina staff member] says Kamala is communista and won't vote for her. Can you believe that?" While I agree that an educated voter is better than just voting for voting's sake, it was obvious that this patient thinks anyone not voting Democrat doesn't deserve the right period.

At least I didn't have to work with the African guy who always tries to get me to tell him who I vote for. In the middle of giving care. Which is wrong for at least 3 reasons. When I wouldn't tell him before, he told me I "looked like a Republican." I'm pretty sure it wasn't a compliment. I've tried to get support from coworkers to enforce the rule about not talking politics in front of patients, but to no avail. Most of them already follow it, but they're not willing to tell those who don't to stop.

[ladyanput]

Ok so this is the third time that I'm sending you an ask tonight. (or is it night time in your country?) I'm being annoying right now but whatever. So I've been cackling about those salt fics you wrote because they are just amazing. I have a request, though it is up to you to write it or not. So, can you write a salt fic where someone got an interview with Ladybug (probably Aurore) and then they ask her why they replaced the old heroes like Rena Rouge, Carapace and etc. and LB is just like I don't work with dumb shits or somethin'. Then there is also a new Black Cat (Probably Luka, Felix, or Damian) because Adrien here is an asshole and this fic is saltier than salt water. Then LB also insults Alya's blog and their school. Those foolish mortals get some lawsuits and the rest is up to you. (This request is probably messed up since it's already midnight here and I can't sleep.)

You're never annoying, I just apologize that it took me so long to get to you. I do hope you don't hold it against me, darling.

A one on one interview with Ladybug was basically unheard of if you weren't the Ladyblog or Nadja Chadwick. Ladybug had made it firm that she wasn't a celebrity, she was a hero. She wasn't there for clout, for attention, for fame or fortune. She just wanted to keep Paris safe.

That's was Aurore admired about her. And why she felt queasy as she sat across from the heroine, who had given her of all people an interview. But she got ahold of herself, taking deep breaths as the cameraman began counting down. And when he hit 'one', she put on her best smile and straightened in her seat.

"Hello Paris! Welcome back to 'Latest Buzz'! I am your lovable host, Aurore Beauréal. Today I am here with a very, very special guest, our very own heroine of Paris; Ladybug!"

Ladybug beamed right at the camera, but gave a shy little wave, giving away the nerves she obviously had.

"Now, Ladybug, I'm so glad you requested to be on the show. You know, I initially thought I had misheard when Estelle told me. Usually you're not big on personal interviews." Aurore gave her full attention to Ladybug, but keeping the bright, friendly smile and perfect posture.

"Well, I tried a few times actually. But when I did, none of them were really great experiences." Ladybug admitted and both girls immediately thought of that disastrous Face-to-Face interview. It left a bitter taste in their mouths. "My issue is that misinformation has been spread around a lot recently. It's made me realize that I need to find more trustworthy sources."

"Ladybug. I vow on my integrity as a host and Estelle's reputation as a journalist that we are people who research facts. We don't ambush our guests, we respect them." She said, placing a hand on her heart. Ladybug saw an honesty in her eyes that she hadn't seen in such a long time. It honestly made her feel.. Respected. "Now, Ladybug.. We both know you have a lot of fans. A lot of admirers. False information can be spread so easily these days, which sources specifically are you telling people to avoid?"

"Well.. With Face-to-Face, I found that I was entirely ambushed in that interview. I wanted to speak about my hero work, but instead Nadja kept trying to needle her way into my personal life. That picture she had shown in largely out of context; when Dark Cupid attacked and Chat Noir was under his spell, it was the only way to get him free."

"Yes, I remember watching that. I'll be honest Ladybug, I felt bad for you." Aurore bit her lip, but smiled a bit when Ladybug nodded. "I mean, Chat Noir wasn't helping either. He seemed to be trying to push this narrative forward that you two are a couple."

"And we're not!" Ladybug burst out before she could stop herself. Everyone in that studio could hear the utter stress and frustration in her voice. "I've begged and begged Chat Noir to stop with the flirting, the 'telling people we're dating', everything! I just wanted him to focus and he couldn't seem to do that!"

"Is that why you replaced him? Because of his slacking off and refusing to take anything seriously?" Aurora sat up an bit straighter, her eyes going wide.

".. Not exactly, no. It was a bunch of issues that eventually piled up and boiled over." Ladybug made some gestures with her hands, trying her hardest to find the words but just letting out a long and pained sigh in the end. "I do enjoy my new partner now. He is more serious, more stable. I know he won't go off and pout if I deny something he wanted. I needed an entirely new team, as a matter of fact."

"Well I am going to say, on behalf of everyone here, that we're glad. We swear on our integrity as journalists that if such rumours were to ever surface again, we will do our proper research." Aurore beamed and many of the staff and crew behind the cameras nodded and gave Ladybug their thumbs up. Honestly, it warmed Ladybug's heart to see such support.

When had been the last time someone had supported her like this? Sure, her parents supported her, but her friends..? Her peers? No, none of them had supported her in a long time.

"Speaking of research, I'd say to stay away from the Ladyblog." It burned to say it but it had to be said. Alya had crossed so many lines it wasn't even forgivable at this point. She had gone too far, had betrayed too many.

"Wait, what?" Aurore nearly jumped out of her seat but quickly composed herself, taking a deep breath. "Pardon me Ladybug, but the Ladyblog has been a vital source of information since the very beginning."

"And I'm not denying that!" Ladybug quickly held up her hands, her eyes desperate now. "But please let me explain. The Ladyblog was amazing in the beginning, but like all things, it started to go astray. It was things like trying so hard to find out my identity. Trying to push that narrative of that whole superhero couple thing.. Ladyblogger Alya Césaire has proven time and time again that she is not trustworthy. I mean, I thought she was my biggest fan. Why does she keep pushing my words aside?"

Many people who watched the interview would agree. If you idolized someone, respected someone, truly looked up to them.. Why would you push aside their words, their wishes to try and push the narrative you're so convinced is true, but isn't there?

"And don't get me started on the whole Lila Rossi craze she seemed to be on now." At Ladybug's mention of Lila Rossi, both Estelle and Aurore had to keep from rolling their eyes. They knew all about the girl.

"You speak as if you are quite frustrated, Ladybug. What an odd reaction to your best friend." Aurore leaned forward a bit in her seat. Everyone else got to the edge of theirs. Ladybug only shook her head, looking utterly defeated.

"That's the thing, she isn't my best friend." It took everything to keep from satin that she hated her, that she had taken away her friends and her life. "The only times she's met Ladybug is when she's been akumatized, which has been around six or seven times at this point. And the other things she's claiming are so outlandish! Saving Jagged Stone's kitten from a airport runway? Clara Nightengale stealing her dance moves? And the Ladyblog just posts it out there, claiming every single story is true. I'm just scared that people are taking this one hundred percent seriously. That's why I had to drop Rena Rouge and Carapace from the team as they believed Lila Rossi over me. They didn't even try to confirm these rumours! And it hurts to think that one day, someone will take Lila's words seriously and get hurt. What if she says it's safe to dip strawberries in bleach? Or tells someone that she found a way to tame some kind of wild animal? Someone would get hurt because they believe her story and try it out for themselves!"

"My goodness, I can definitely see how that is a problem. Misinformation is very easy to spread thanks to the internet, so you being worried is a very relatable thing." Aurore nodded, then tilted her head ever so slightly. "Ladybug, do you know anyone who has taken her word seriously? This is besides the Ladyblog of course."

Ladybug closed her eyes briefly, mentally debating with herself before finally giving in. These things needed to be said.

"Collège François DuPont. Now I wasn't there personally, but I heard about this situation and looked into it. The entire situation was appalling. Apparently a student was found to have cheated, assaulted another student, and commited thievery. But the thing that stuck out is only one person saw her do all of these things; Lila Rossi. No investigation was done, no questioning other students. This student was then expelled immediately. Her teacher and her principal didn't even give her a chance. And from what people have been saying, Miss Rossi's behaviour is actively encouraged in that school. She misses countless days, no, months of school, claiming she's traveling. But when she was supposedly in Achu, doing whatever it was she was claiming with Prince Ali, I was fighting her akuma here in Paris on Heroes Day!"

"I was at school the day that happened. I knew the student that happened to. They're the nicest person in that school! Never a bad thing to say about anyone, always willing to help! I agree with you on how things were handled, it's a level of incompetence that is baffling." Aurore's hands slowly curled into fists as she remembered it all. She slowly shook her head. "The principal, their teacher, their class who backed up Rossi. It must have hurt them so much, made them feel so alone."

"That's why I want people to be more careful with what information they take as fact. It's so important, because stuff like that can lead people to a desperate place. They feel alone, like the entire world is against them. I wouldn't have let the principal and the teacher get away with that gross negligence in their jobs." Ladybug leveled her gaze directly to the camera. "People of Paris, please listen to what I am saying. I am here to be a hero, to protect you from the terror of Hawkmoth and to defeat him. But please, do not be like Principal Damocles, do not be like that teacher and her class at DuPont. Do your research, look up your facts. Do not let a liar lead you to do something dangerous and hurt yourself as well as others. Respect each other, talk and be honest. I swear on my life that I shall do the same. You are the people I swore to protect and I love. I am saying this all to protect you. And I'll hope you'll all forgive me for not protecting you sooner."

...

The interview rocked Paris. Ladybug speaking so openly about her frustrations, about the discrepancies in the Ladyblog and Lila Rossi had many people double checking the sources of everything they learned from that blog.

Alya could barely show her face as she made her way though the school hallways. Her reputation as a journalist had gone down the drain. People had basically started boycotting her blog, harrassing her, or trash talking her on other forums and sites. Even a lot of news outlets picked this up.

What hurt the most from that interview last night was Ladybug's words towards her, both as Rena Rouge and as Alya. Surely the heroine had to be mistaken, she had never beytrayed Ladybug! And that Oblivio incident, it was just to show Chat Noir and Ladybug that they were meant to be together!

Her family was upset with her. No, upset was too tame of a word. They were pissed.

"I can't believe she lied to us.."

"Well what do you expect from someone who keeps harrassing Ladybug?"

Alya flinched when she heard the whispers and rushed into Miss Buster's class. The entire class was there, all seated, all looking utterly miserable. Many of them looked as if they had been crying all night. A lot like she had.

"W-where's Miss Bustier?" Alya asked when she eyed the empty desk. Many of her classmates shot her glares, but didn't say anything about the interview last night. After all, they had no room to talk.

"She and Principal Damocles are with the school board now. We're getting a new teacher." Adrien was the one that spoke up. He looked utterly miserable. So unlike his usual self.

"Lila isn't coming back. She was pulled from school when her mother found out what happened." Alix muttered from her seat, arms crossed and shoulders hunched.

The class went quiet as they all internally contemplated how things had gotten like this. Their eyes focused on the door when it abruptly opened and Marinette came strolling in, carrying a box.

"Good morning everyone!" She said brightly, pretending not to notice the downcast expressions on their faces. She set the box on the teacher's desk before she turned towards them. "Oh? What's wrong everyone?"

".. Did you not watch the interview with Ladybug on 'Latest Buzz'?" Alya stared at Marinette, a bit dumbfounded by her friend's lack of awareness of the situation. She had been expecting Marinette to rush in with support and a fiery vengeance against those who had humiliated her best friend, maybe even a fresh pastry. But instead she was greeted with empty hands and a cheerful hello?

"Oh, well I haven't really had the time to watch much television. I mean, with my transfer papers, needing to plan out my new schedule with all of those new classes. Busy as a bee, that's me!" Marinette just beamed, giving Adrien a playful wink that had his stomach churning.

"Wait, transfering?" It was Rose that spoke up, her large eyes seeming impossibly large now. "Transfer what?"

"To my new school, of course." Marinette giggled and clasped her hands together. "I start on Monday."

"New school?!" Alya was on her feet and rushing towards Marinette. The others quickly followed, crowding around her. "What do you mean new school?! When did you ever say you were going to a new school?"

Marinette blinked, as if stunned, then tilted her head ever so slightly.

"I told you all last week, don't you remember?" Marinette tapped her lower lip, seeming to be wracking her brain before she abruptly snapped her fingers. "Oh! I forgot, you all were deep in conversation with Lila about her upcoming event with Jagged Stone and Clara Nightengale. You know, the one she said she'd be attending with Ladybug, since they're such good friends. Did she ever say how it went?"

All of the students shifted uneasily, suddenly seeming to refuse to meet her face.

Alix murmured something so barely audible, Marinette held a hand to her ear and leaned closer.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Lila was lying to us!" Alix snapped as her cheeks went a flaming red.

"About everything! She never knew Jagged Stone!" Juleka spat out in fury.

"Or Prince Ali!" Rose sniffled.

"And she wasn't friends with Ladybug? They were barely acquaintances!" Alya wailed out as tears welled up in her eyes.

But Marinette hardly reacted the way they were expecting. She just gave them a small smile and nodded.

"Oh, yeah. I know."

Alya sucked in a breath sharply.

"You knew..? But why did you never..?"

"Oh Alya, you silly forgetful thing. I told you the day she returned from her long 'trip', remember? I told you she was lying." Marinette gave Alya a smile that said 'oh you silly thing'. "But you told me that I should really check my sources. And I got tired of trying to bring up any lies, since that was always your response. So I decided to just stop. I mean, since you're such an inspiring, honest journalist you must double and triple check every source you come across and found every story to be true!"

Alya flinched and looked away, feeling the churning feeling in her gut again. No, the Ladyblog had been the only source for the stories. The. Only. One.

"And I'm sure all of you knew what you were doing! I mean, it makes sense; trusting the words of a complete stranger over someone you've known for a while now. Some of you since we were in diapers!" She focused her gaze on Nino and Kim, who had the grace to at least look ashamed.

"Marinette, you really should-" Adrien began, reaching out for the girl, but was cut off by her clapping her hands together.

"But it's alright! I decided that fighting with you all wasn't worth it, so I took Adrien's advice and took the high road! Don't bother exposing Lila, she isn't hurting anyone!" Marinette announced brightly, giving her hands a little wave.

The temperature in the classroom dropped by several degrees.

".. Adrien, she's kidding, right?" Nino glanced over at his friend, his eyes pleading for him to deny it all. But the sight of the blood draining from the model's face and the sweat starting to bead at his forehead told him everything he needed to know. "Dude.."

"How could you?! You knew this entire time and didn't even try to tell me?!" Alya rounded on Adrien, fury in her eyes.

"Now, now, don't get mad at Adrien. I'm sure he knew you all were going to do you research. Besides, it's not like this did anything bad for anyone." Marinette pressed a hand to her cheek, still grinning. "I mean, it's not like you all took her advice without doing any research. You didn't try the things she suggested without actually checking them out to be true, right? No one lost any scholarships or job opportunities. No one's relationships were ruined. No one was hurt."

The nauseous feeling spread to all of the class as the reality of everything caught up with them.

"I'm sure everything will go back to normal, right? I mean, I'm sure that that woman from the education bureau isn't here to fire Damocles and Bustier for their severe neglect in their duties. Expelling me with the most mediocre and shaky proof. Surely that's a school I should feel safe in! That I should be proud to be a part of. But alas, my preparations for my new school are already done, so oh well."

Marinette shrugged and adjusted her purse strap.

"Anyhow, I wish you all luck with the amazing things Lila has helped you to do! I know it must have been worth ignoring me and convincing me I was crazy. With all of the free time I've had, with you guys practically replacing me with Lila in the group, I've had tons of time to spend with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?!" Alya's eyes went owlishly wide as she gaped at Marinette. "But what about Adrien?!"

"Oh Alya, I fell out of love with Adrien forever ago." Marinette shook her head in an almost patronizing way that had Alya's cheeks burning with embarrassment. They didn't even pay attention to Adrien's noises of surprise. "I mean, you claimed I was jealous of Lila getting close to Adrien, that I should let the jealousy go. And you know what? You were right! So I decided Adrien wasn't worth the stress, the embarrassment.. I mean, I couldn't even talk to him straight. I thought he was the most perfect guy in the world! Goodness, did I learn my lesson!"

She giggled as if she found the entire thing amusing. She then beamed at the class.

"Well, ta-ta! I need to get back home and make sure everything is ready to go. I wish you all the best, I really do!"

They all watched, shellshocked as Marinette breezed out of the classroom like it was nothing. Like she wasn't leaving her friends, her school, her life behind. And they all would wonder exactly how badly they screwed up, if she could walk away do easily, without a care.

Permanent Taglist: @vixen-uchiha @ravennightingaleandavatempus @2sunchild2 @crazylittlemunchkin @bee-wrecker @souleateralicestein @loysydark @kceedraws @realrandomposts @alienjoyful

Salt Taglist: @virgil-is-a-cutie @sidessunnybumblebee @persephonebutkore @18-fandoms-unite-08 @suzen23smith @luciferge @theelventhgod @noirdots @space--butterflies @ghostglaceon @magicalfirebird @goggles-mcgee @chocolate1721 @minightrose @bookcrazybby @cupcakeandkisses @mewwitch @adrestar

[yamayuandadu]

I am not able to respond to this ask normally for some reason hence the screencap. I have more issue with what they did to literally dozens of articles than about their presence on my talk page, frankly. I still have not managed to track down all, and there are a few cases where I can’t do anything. Whatever, they left for now, and the epicenter of their activity has been locked for the foreseeable future. I do try to mostly pick sources which can be easily accessed so I'm glad that's working. As for the book, you mean this one? Truth to be told, the author's declaration troubles me. The Epic of Gilgamesh is possibly one of the worst myths to pick as a starting point for learning about Inanna. It presents a non-standard tradition, with Uruk and Eanna presented as Anu’s rather than hers (something that only holds true for the city in the Seleucid period...), and Paul-Alain Beaulieu went as far as arguing the compilers were biased against her, lol. That alone is a bad omen. Detailed analysis of what is available atm regarding the book under the cut.

Let’s start with the profile of the author. Nothing too bad or fringe, and I do not think you need to be an Assyriologist or otherwise tied to the history of Iraq and/or Syria to have something worthwhile to say about Mesopotamian mythology, so this alone is hardly a problem. With that out of the way, time to move on to the article and the fragment of the novel provided there for promotional purposes.

The novel is presented as a "fresh take on the oldest story of all: The Epic of Gilgamesh." Not great - it is not the oldest piece of literature in the world, or even of Mesopotamian literature specifically. In fact, it needed there to be a large corpus and a tradition of intertextuality to even arise. The famous version only goes back to the Kassite period. I do not think any single narrative holds the title of oldest myth, we more or less know what the oldest known piece of literature in Akkadian is (a hymn to Shamash where he hangs out with other judge deities), but good luck guessing which of the Early Dynastic Sumerian literary texts is the oldest. What's next? "In Athens, they call me Aphrodite now. In Babylon, they call me Ishtar." Not a fan of outright equating Inanna and Aphrodite. Truthfully, there are only two factors that lead to the widespread acceptance of this claim online: a) classicists are, let’s be honest, one of the types of historians who are just universally treated as better. Only Bible scholars rival them in that regard when it comes to the ancient Near East specifically. From an Assyriological perspective, even today their output about Inanna is, essentially, trash. Hyperdiffusionism and orientalism, long debunked myths, and so on. I saw an example on twitter just the other day. If Assyriologists wanted to match this quality they’d need to treat Apollo, Helios and Sol Invictus as interchangeable and base their perception of him on Madeline Miller’s Circe. b) goddesses are treated as interchangeable so Ugaritic Ashtart maybe being present on Bronze Age Cyprus and MAYBE influencing the local goddess is basically the same as her being Aphrodite and everyone knows Ashtart is BASICALLY Inanna. Personally I am very skeptical about such claims of direct descent also because ancient Greek authors just consistently show a completely baffling lack of knowledge about Mesopotamian deities, in contrast with their relative familiarity with Egyptian or Phrygian ones. Meanwhile, cultures which undeniably were influenced by Mesopotamia, like Hurrians, do generally show a solid understanding of the basics. Cyprus does show pretty clear merging of a “Levantine” tradition with a local one, but that’s… not really Mesopotamian, and does not really prove much beyond “Cypriots and first the inhabitants of Ugarit and later Phoenicians were in contact.” In particular, making vague claims about Aphrodite based on that is just faulty scholarship. Part of me thinks it’s also an echo of 19th century need to prove gods which did not fit the sensibilities of the era were not truly Greek. Singling out Babylon as a city associated with Ishtar is INCREDIBLY weird too. Why not Akkad? Why not Kish? Why not Mari? There was a distinct “Ishtar of Babylon” especially in the first millennium BCE but she is ultimately of limited importance and, following the modern consensus, was poorly received in Uruk. Does the author think Akkadian was only spoken in Babylon? Is she aware the names were used interchangeably in Uruk itself? Does she even know which cities which deity was worshiped in?

The use of the term Anunnaki non stop is another weird point. Anunna, with later variants Annunaki (ki = "of earth") and Anunna-anna (anna = "of heaven") is, simply put, just a fancy term for a group of deities. “A murder of crows” for deities, if you will. I would go as far as arguing that in many cases there is 0 reason to even leave it untranslated, much like how DIĜIR.MEŠ or other ordinary plurals. It only acquired a specific meaning as a logogram in Hurrian context, where it referred to Enna Turenna, ancestors of other gods, and in first millennium BCE text, where it refers to underworld deities (note that this does not apply to ex. Inanna’s Descent, where Anunna appear in an underworld context but according to Dina Katz are just major gods). That the gods are warring with each other, when coupled with this term, is suspicious too, but more on that in a sec. For now, suffice to say I suspect this is, in fact, not a reference to the "theomachy" seals or anything like that.

The description of Inanna's marriage - one would presume to Dumuzi - is weird. "Forced into a marriage to negotiate a peace"? Political marriage? With Dumuzi? The guy whose mother barely exists outside of texts about him? The guy consistently portrayed as a b list god, who was never a major deity, and whose cult center was a satellite of Uruk of limited importance? Also, is this some sort of deconstruction? Inanna appears in romantic and erotic poetry, that's hardly a topic relevant to political marriage. There are tons of cases which would work for a political marriage story, like deities whose cults were transplanted to new places because of the destruction of their original cult centers who promptly acquired new spouses. the love poetry romantic relationship thing is really hard to miss. Look how many of the Inanna-Dumuzi poems are on ETCSL. And that's not even all there is! A huge red flag is the focus on gods having children with humans. Demigods are EXCEEDINGLY rare in Mesopotamian mythology. Hell, even fully divine children born out of wedlock seem pretty rare. Gilgamesh is, simply put, a rather unique entity. Sex is pretty common in Mesopotamian literature, but it typically occurs between deities, most commonly between couples. There is only one type of source I am aware of keen on this sort of speculation - the writings of Zecharia Sitchin, one of the “fathers” of modern ancient aliens, and all around scummy fraud. A good summary of Sitchin’s absolutely deranged views, as well as a thorough debunking based on opinions of exports in every field he invaded has been compiled by Jason Colavito, see here for an online edition. One of the main topics of his nonsensical work is the firm belief in a "war" between Enki and Enlil, which is why I earlier said the mention of war between deities makes me suspicious. Sitchin pased away a few years ago after like fort years of "research." Sadly, his ideas keep being repeated by the tv show Ancient Aliens (over and over and over again), as well as in similar “literature” - examples are too plentiful to link all, so I’ll limit myself to some funny examples from Colavito s blog like this and this (feat. new age relationship therapists who believe polyamory is the key to defeating the Anunnaki). Sadly, these “theories” pop up in less expected places too. Their fans include musicians such as Nik Turner (to all of my followers also interested in Mesoamerica, this one’s four you, it’s a crossover episode) and Matt Pike, and various other celebrities around the world, as seen for example here (double feature with “if there are still monkeys, how is evolution real?”). Sitchin is also referenced in one of the leaked emails from a certain famous 2016 case (doesn’t seem the sender was anyone important, tbf). Most bafflingly, in 2016 his claims were presented as truth in a speech given by Kadhim Finjan al Hammami, the Iraqi minster of transportation, which was poorly received domestically for obvious reasons (this is presently the best referenced part of his English wikipedia article; no clue what the Arabic version is like). I am not aware of anyone credible spelling the name as NinshubAr rather than NinshubUr. A quick search reveals mostly shoddy self-help books, “goddess movement” literature (or, as I like to call it, esoteric terfism) and the like. Meanwhile, every credible source under the sun, and even books I normally dislike, stick to correct Ninshubur (or variant transcriptions thereof with dashes, diacritics etc). I am also not aware of any source presenting Ninshubur as a warrior deity. Well, source other than Louise Pryke’s Ishtar, a book which dedicated more space to Joss Whedon than to Nanaya. After all, being worshiped alongside Inanna for some 2000 years is nowhere near as important as being a sex pest who wrote some episodes of a shoddy tv show which is like Inanna because...? I no longer remember the logic. It was insane. If anything, an argument can be made that Ninshubur is the opposite of a warrior deity. Her primary role was to mediate and “soothe  hearts” (see here and here) and that's explicitly why she was a popular deity. In none of the narrative texts she appears in is her role even remotely belligerent. The closest she comes to that is Inanna and Enki, I suppose, but it’s still hardly a warrior role. While I have my issues with Olga Tokarczuk’s Inanna novel, Anna In w Grobowcach Świata (I don’t think there is an English translation despite the author’s moderate international success), I actually think it got Ninshubur (my bad, “Nina Szubur”) well, which means it’s something doable even if the author is a self professed Jungian and uses dubious sources. Not a hard bar to clear (with all due respect for Tokarczuk)!

The focus on there being only twelve deities plus Inanna is… incredibly weird. Mesopotamian pantheon was huge, with a lot of local variation. God lists typically enumerated hundreds of deities, with An = Anum, the most extensive known text of this sort, having over 2000 entries, though obviously many are epithets and not individual deities. The humongous numbers show up in Enuma Elish too. When it comes to actual active worship in individual locations: Paul-Alain Beaulieu’s study of the pantheon of Neo-Babylonian Uruk has entries for around 60-70 (give or take a few since regional hypostases are listed separately), I’ve seen a similar figure given for Early Dynastic Lagash. So I think it’s reasonable to assume that this was the norm for a city pantheon. Not all of these will be big shots,naturally, but a pantheon cannot only consist of gods representing the main cities and a couple of natural forces or celestial bodies. Understanding why the mediators, the personified professions, the spouses and children, the foreign imports and the weird leftovers who do not fit any category are there is pretty significant and I’m not a fan of just glossing that over. Myths actually do reflect that. Even the famous ones! To use just the example of Epic of Gilgamesh: Sumuqan, the one actual “fertility deity” (he was responsible for, quite literally, the multiplication of animals) is namedropped when Enkidu is first introduced; Ennugi, a courtier of Enlil, is mentioned in the flood section of the story (there’s an incantation which credits him with creating grubs, to illustrate what caliber of deity are we dealing with here), as are Adad’s sidekicks Shullat and Hanish (a pair of twins with a penchant for destruction), in the Old Babylonian version Humbaba’s master is Wer, a distinctly “northwestern” weather god, Aya (“dawn”) plays an active role when Ninsun negotiates with her husband Shamash, and obviously Ninsun and Siduri are both deities (contrary to what some online hot takes presume; the need to demythologize mythology is kind of tiresome). There’s even a goddess only attested there, Silili. Thirteen does not seem to be a number associated with Inanna anywhere. She does have a well attested numerical association, with 15. The numeral 15, if preceded by the dingir sign, the “divine determinative”, could be used as a fancy logogram to represent her name; hemerologies assign the fifteenth day of the month to her. The logic was basically just “30 is the number of her father (because moon god = lunar month), so a half of that makes sense”, though, it had nothing to do with the number of worshiped deities. Have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen either 12 or 13 treated as a religiously significant number in any Mesopotamian text, now that I think of it. I guess there are twelve gods in the curse formula of the Code of Hammurabi? For more see here (it’s old and in German though).

Wait, this is just a “well there are twelve olympians and it’s BASICALLY the same” thing, isn’t it? Oh wait, no. How could I forget Sitchin’s obsession with Mesopotamian deities corresponding to “twelve planets,” with Ishtar/Inanna as a "bonus" without a planet (it does not take much familiarity with Mesopotamian mythology to see the problem). It’s likely just ancient aliens again. Troubling! There isn’t really a single equally well attested grouping in Mesopotamia, while figures such as 7 and 50 might show up as the number of “great gods” (with no list provided), they are uncommon. Add to this major gods could vary between locations - even between the “core” cities (Nanshe in Lagash, Nanaya in Uruk, Zababa in Kish…), let alone “peripheral” ones, where Dagan, Inshushinak or the pair Teshub and Shaushka appear side by side with “truly Mesopotamian” deities. Given that dealing with this reality was a major aspect of Mesopotamian theology, I think a good modern adaptation should at least try to address it in some way. To be fair, the variability is also true for Greece and its neighborhood, take into account how popular Helios was in Rodos or Hecate in Lagina. As a side note, where is Utu? Was Inanna born without her twin? What the hell. How does this work. Is this setup for Sitchinesque "the sun is Apsu actually"? Tl;dr ancient aliens/10, sounds awful.

[bonky-n-steeb]

𝑆𝑊𝐸𝐸𝑇 𝐷𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑀𝑆

PART TWELVE

𝘽𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙔 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙭 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍 | 𝙋𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙀𝙍 𝙭 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬: Your daily routine involves waking up in the morning, going to work and sulking at night. But then you meet the man you’ve fantasized about for your entire life, Bucky Barnes. At the same time, you've caught someone else’s eye and his first step in winning you over is to cook you breakfast. But will you be welcoming of that person’s affections?

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: yandere, obsession, stalking, violence, cursing, death. If you find any of this triggering, please DNI. Also inform me if I left something out.  

ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ, sᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ

SERIES MASTERLIST || MASTERLIST

“I have to tell you something.”

Steve looked at you quizzically as the words left your mouth. Bucky knew what was coming and braced himself for it. He didn’t know what exactly, but he was sure it was about your stalker.

“Someone made me break fast every morning in my kitchen. Or someone used to, he has stopped now.” this wasn’t the difficult part, the difficult part was your next accusation. “And I think the stalker is an Avenger.”

Steve’s mouth hung open for a second before he closed it off. And the reaction he gave next made Bucky want to beat his friend for the first time in his life. Steve squinted and looked at Bucky with an accusatorial glance.

So now even Steve was on the blame Bucky train. Bucky clenched his jaw and stared back at Steve with the same intensity. Steve looked away from him at you momentarily before looking at Bucky’s way again. Bucky rolled his eyes and that’s when Steve finally looked away.

“Why do you think so.” Bucky finally asked the sensible question. “There are a lot of points, firstly the precision and work ethic of that person is highly secretive like an Avenger. Also remember the time I said I wanted a dog during that lunch meeting. Well a dog was dropped into my house just days later. And it all began just as I started working for the avengers.”

You justified your answer as Steve thought for a moment. He was 75% sure it was Bucky. He still remembered the time in gym when he had teased Bucky about it.

Bucky could hear what Steve was thinking. He knew Steve saw Bucky as a suspect, and well he did have a reason to. He was known for his secrecy once. He knew he had to explain everything to Steve.

He debated telling you the whole truth. But he thought it was better not to at the moment. You had gone through enough shocks for the day.

“We will both look into it. Whoever it is, must be caught. This is heinous and a crime.” You stopped him as Steve continued. “Well, actually he has stopped visiting as much as I know. So not much to worry about. I just wanted to share it with someone, so I told you.”

“So you don’t want us to dig in?” Steve asked baffled. “Not really. Whoever it was simply lost interest and I’m thankful for it. And I don’t think it would be anything but waste of our times.”

“Alright. Let’s go then.” Bucky said rubbing the palm of his hand. You packed a few clothes and your other essentials and sat behind Bucky on his cool bike.

Bucky didn’t directly take you to the tower. Instead he gave you a late night ride of New York in order to take your mind off of things and relax you. And it did have the desired effect.

By the time you finally reached the Avengers Tower, you were relaxed and calm. Steve had arranged one of the rooms for you till then. Not caring much, as the day’s activities started wearing down on you, you fell asleep in that comfortable bed.

~~~

Bucky wished you good night and left your room. Though his heart told him to stay with you, he knew it wouldn’t be right. As he walked back upstairs to his own suite, he thought about all that had incurred today.

And somehow he was thankful for those idiots that attacked you, otherwise you wouldn’t have had confessed your feelings. As he entered, he noticed the TV was still on and some match was playing on it just the way he had left it.

Just one thing was different, Steve sitting on his couch. He had a stern look on his face like he was there to give Bucky an intervention, which he probably was.

“Nice to see you here Stevie!” Bucky drawled. “Is it you?” Steve said without wasting a moment. Over the time, Steve had grown protective of you like a brother over a sister. Though you said otherwise, he was going to look into the matter.

“Not at first.” Bucky shrugged as he sat down besides Steve on the couch. Steve turned towards him with confusion written clearly across his face. “What do you mean by not at first?”

Bucky sucked in a deep breath before starting to narrate the entire saga. He began from when he was suspicious of the dog to how he caught Peter. He told Steve the threats peter gave him and also that Stark was supporting Peter. Also how you had become sick and had told him to stop. Gladly Peter had listened. But he did voice his doubt on that subject to Steve.

Steve was stunned after hearing it all. Apparently there was a lot going on behind his back. He couldn’t ever think that Peter would do something so treacherous and stark would support him. If Peter and Tony were going to play, he and Bucky weren’t going to sit back and watch. After giving everything a thought, Steve said,

“I have a plan.”

~~~

“This is all because of you.” Peter said stomping his feet. “If I had been there, nothing of this would’ve had happened. This. This is why I used to go.”

“You would’ve got caught before you would’ve saved her. When will you learn peter?” Tony was irritated that Peter had knocked his door at 2 in the night, only to rant about how Tony was wrong and how he should’ve let Peter continue his idiocy.

“I wouldn’t have. I’m Spider-Man. I...” Tony clenched his jaw before replying. “Why can’t you see? She sees you like a friend that’s all. She clearly loves Barnes. It’s better that you understand. It will hurt less later.”

Peter banged his hand on the door and sucked in a breath to control his anger. “If something happens to her, it’s on you.” He angrily said before walking out of the door. Tony just hoped Peter would come back to his senses before even he couldn’t save him.

~~~

You were woken up by the incessant ringing of your ringtone. Groaning loudly, you pawed at your nightstand to find your mobile. Your squinted after being exposed to the bright screen, only to see your mom calling.

“Hello.” You muttered sleepily. “Hello. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is everything fine?” You mom asked hurriedly. “Yes. I’m absolutely fine. Bucky saved me.” You were trying your best to stay awake.

“I know.” You pursed your lips as if your mom could see them, “you know?” You asked amusingly. “Yes. It’s all over the news.” At that you tried sitting straight in your bed.

“All over the news? You mean everybody knows?” Your mom sighed from the other end. “It doesn’t matter. Now you tell me what happened in detail.” You did as ordered and narrated every single event.

“Mom, can you believe? Bucky loves me too!” You chirped happily. But what you got from the other end was a dejected sigh. “Sweetheart, I think you should leave the job. You’ll get a job anywhere you want.” Now that was unexpected. You couldn’t believe your ears, “What?”

“Your job is too dangerous and risky. I had warned you of this day before.” Your mom replied. If you were stubborn then so was your mom. “Mom, I love this job. And you know that too. I can’t just leave it.”

“Please understand me. If something happens to you, I won’t be able to live. Please leave that job. You are smart enough to get an even better one. Please think about this.”

Mom.” You complained. “Please try it for me?” You huffed out a breath and left the topic. You knew how head strong she could be. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Take care of yourself. I love you!” She happily said after your agreement. “You take care of yourself too. Love you.”

~~~

“My mother insists I should leave the job.” You said with tensed eyebrows and sad eyes. Sitting in the kitchen while Bucky made you hot chocolate, you told him of your mother’s request. “Why?” Bucky asked. What would he or possibly any other avenger do if you were to go?

“It’s too dangerous. She is not wrong. It’s just that I like this job, wait no, I love it!” Bucky raised one eyebrows slyly as if expecting you to say something more. You chuckled and replied, “And I love you Bucky.”

“I love you, too.” Bucky said booping your nose. Just then both of you heard a loud clatter of plate, only to see Peter standing in the hallway. His plate had slipped from his fingers and it was all a mess on the floor. You wondered why he was behaving so weirdly.

But instead of talking with you or helping to clean it up, he stormed off. While you still stared at the place where Peter was standing minutes ago, Bucky said, “I’ll look after it.”

“Mom or Peter?” You were genuinely confused. “Both.” Came his reply.

~~~

You rubbed off the sweat from your forehead as you packed the last box and kept it in the living room. You jumped back into the couch and cherished it’s feel. It was probably the last time you were using it.

You were going to miss this house. You were going to miss watching TV till odd hours and falling asleep in uncomfortable positions on the couch. You were going to miss your library and you own bed.

Bucky had somehow used his magic and convinced your mother that you should keep working with the avengers. You were pretended to be hurt at the fact that your mom listened more to Bucky than to you.

She just had one condition, you would move into the Avengers Tower. There you would be safe and also would be able to work. After some pushing from Bucky and your mother you finally agreed.

Just as you were lost in your thought, you heard a loud thud coming from the library. Apparently someone must have tripped from the boxes of books.

It took you a minute to realise, but you did. Bucky definitely wasn’t coming until tomorrow morning and neither was anyone else. And right now, ‘someone must have tripped...’ there was someone in your house. For a whole minute you pretended that nothing had happened.

But you couldn’t withhold your curiosity anymore. Standing up, you approached the door of the library and said with as straight a voice as you could,

“You know I’m moving away, don’t you? You probably won’t be able to do your sneaky business up in the tower. This, right here is your last time doing it. So why don’t you show yourself.

You know I won’t tell. I just want to know you. I was curious that day too when you were under my bed, but fear overtook my curiosity. But now, I’m probably ready, mentally and emotionally to face you. So why don’t you come out? Please?”

You didn’t expect him to come. He hadn’t come out all this time, but then why would he show himself now? But apparently he lived to contradict you. You almost got a heart attack when the door opened and you saw him standing in all his glory. Slack jawed and empty brained, the only response you could muster was,

“You!?”

[atsuminthe]

Anyways, here it is. I was in the middle of my drawing break when i saw ur post ksshgsjshsjbsjsbs and I'm back to romero brainrot again. Ps. Everytime i see u in my dash i think of romero.

Mafia hq got me thinking of blackbellied romero (if u don't know what blackbelly means, it refers to someone who looks nice outside but is actually quite sly) who has a gentle smile when he talks to u, is always so soft in interacting with u. Plus, with the fact that he has a child makes u lower ur guard around him. When he said he'd go through hell for u, he means it.

lainey you spoil me,,, also this ended up so much longer than i anticipated

cw — mafia!au, fem reader, slight yandere tendencies, mentions of violence, implied murder, this one’s suggestive

he’s so sweet to you, always bringing you some sort of gift and smiling brightly as he listens intently to whatever you’re rambling. it doesn’t even matter what you’re talking about, he just likes it that you trust him enough to turn your back to him as he sits in one of your kitchen chairs, waiting to eat your famous brownies. he’s not entirely sure if you know who did you just invite into your home with no regard of their background—your innocence baffles him, makes him grin. that’s when he decides you’ll be his, one way or another.

rubens is almost always accompanying him whenever he visits, wanting to see you and tell you all about his private tutor and how they “don’t let him write things the way he wants to” or “that one time i fell asleep during history”. you entertain him, telling him how important learning is so he’s prepared for what life will throw at him alter on—he pouts, whining that nobody sides with him, but hugs your leg nonetheless and asks you what you’re cooking.

“papai loves your cooking!” he exclaims as soon as he sees the hand-rolled sushi plated. “and that’s his favorite dish too!”

“oh! really?” you giggle, and for a second nicolas considers that maybe he’s died and he landed in heaven, before resuming your activity. “that’s great. i don’t have too much energy left today, unfortunately.”

both of them quirk an eyebrow and nicolas is the first to break the ice, “how so? if you don’t mind me asking.” you just let out a breathy huff and place the sushi tray on the table, rubbing an eye.

“work’s been a little hectic lately. my boss wants me to finish a project two weeks before the initial deadline and i haven’t done much progress with how stressed i am.” you pause, gently worrying your lower lip between your teeth. “and... this guy from another department has been pestering me for a while. it’s not too much, but i’ve rejected his advances for a while now and it got tiring, so i gave up,” you explain, not noticing the flare in your handsome neighbour’s breath as you keep talking. “i... already have my eyes on someone,” you whisper as your cheeks darken and suddenly, you can’t look him in the eye. he doesn’t want to misinterpret things, but curiosity pushes him to ask a few guiding questions. when you answer positively to all of them, he smirks—things seem to be so much easier than he anticipated initially.

with rubens tucked in safely on the couch and you washing the dishes, nicolas takes his chance to wrap his arms around you, pressing his chest on your back. you squeak, your cheeks darkening again from the warmth his body provides. “so... you have your eyes on someone, huh?” you know that tone. it’s demanding yet sensual and, now that he’s so close to you, you can feel his hot breath on your neck as he gives you a little peck right under your ear. “that’s interesting. can i guess who they are?” when you nod one of his hands moves to glide along the smooth skin of your arms and you shudder in his embrace. “it’s not the guy down the street that brings you fresh bread... nor is it the doctor two houses away... maybe the lawyer? he seems like a good fellow.” you shake your head at each mention and his smirk grows wider. “no?” he asks, his other hand slipping to lace his fingers with yours, the one gliding on your skin dropping to wrap around your waist and tug you into his chest as you gasp—he almost groans at the way your plush ass presses against him, but that’s something for another time. “then who is it?” the demanding tone is back and your gut knows better than to lie. you raise your hand, the one laced with his, to your lips, gingerly kissing his knuckles—he can feel the contrast between his rough, calloused skin, hardened by years of fights and illegal business, and your smooth one, the product of the many skincare products he’s bought for you over the two years you’ve been in the neighbourhood—and whisper, just loud enough for him to hear.

“you. it’s always... been you.”

another kiss under your ear as nicolas turns your head around, placing a sweet, loving kiss on your lips. he won’t do anything more—not now. there’s plenty of time for that later. he flashes you a grin and nudges your cheek with his nose. “see? wasn’t so hard. i didn’t eat you. now let me help you clean up, querida.”

the next day, your “pestering coworker” doesn’t show up to work. what does, however, is the news of his death the previous night—seems like he was tangled with the bad guys and didn’t pay a debt in time. even though you were sad about his passing, it did give you some relief that you wouldn’t have to endure his nasty remarks and dirty jokes. and to your surprise, your boss (who was visibly shaken, but you blamed it on the cold weather) told you to take your time with the project—he changed the deadline to the initial date, so you have plenty of time to work properly.

you don’t have to know it was all nicolas’ hand. he’ll pick you up like the good boyfriend he is, take you out for a nice dinner and check in on his henchmen as they take out the body, dump it into the river and make sure your boss doesn’t mistreat you again.

a little reminder for the whole world that you don’t hurt what’s his and expect to get away with it.

[nebulus-frd]

Jealous and protective Rowan and oblivious Aelin in a modern established relationship au

Hi!!!

Thank u so much for the request. I loved your prompt and also love Rowaelin deeply. Hope u enjoy it ♡

If you liked it or not, let me know. Leave a comment, compliments and especially, constructive critics, are always welcomed.

Wanna request your story? Come ⋆⭒ here ⋆⭒, tell me everything. ----------

The beach. The sea. Them.

Synopsis: Modern AU where Rowan and Aelin finally get a deserved vacation. But he isn't enjoying all the attention given to his wife during the first day of it.

Rated: T

Warnings: implied sexual content. If I forgot anything, let me know.

Words: 1700+ (oneshot).

1/1

It was their first time back at the beach after being married.

The life of a military couple was hectic, to say the least, but Rowan and Aelin were rather used to the chaos. This explained why Rowan found himself alone in bed on the first morning of their vacation. Although his wife had always been a late riser, he knew better than anyone how hard it was to break their routine and if he himself hadn’t take medicine to fall asleep, he wouldn’t probably have slept at all.

Not bothering to properly dress, Rowan moved to the kitchen only to find it empty. Did she go grocery shop? But to his surprise not only was the fridge completely packed, but three sandwiches also topple each other on a plate next to a note.

Good morning princess, did you sleep well? Not even a true love kiss was able to break from the evil medicine spell. I’m training on the beach. Join me… Or not, if you feel like sleeping throughout the entirety of our vacation.

Love,

Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius.

Rowan didn’t even feel the smile that broke through him. God, I love her. Of course, she was training. His wife always called him a workaholic and a military freak, only to always prove herself one. The food was warm enough for her not to have left for too long. And in half an hour Rowan found himself heading to their hotel gym.

Where was Aelin?

He had circulated the gym area twice without success in the mission of joining his wife. Could she be at the beach? It wouldn’t be a surprise. Aelin loves the sea, the sunny weather, and the heat on her skin.

Eight years ago, if someone said to Rowan that there were people who loved those things, he would have straight-out laughed in their faces. He couldn’t anymore. He had learned to appreciate each of these unlike anyone else.

Rowan loved the smile Aelin would have while watching the sea, loved the glow her eyes would reflect under the sun’s light, loved the heat from Aelin’s heart.

His wife had changed each perspective he had in his life.

And while at the beach, once again he asked himself how the hell, he was deserving of the woman he married to?

Aelin was coming out of the sea, dressed in a swimsuit that covered a lot more of what he was used to seeing, looking like the sea god herself had descended in the mortal world to bestow her beauty upon mortals. Thus, Rowan was hindered breathless and as soon as their eyes locked up, he could listen to her thoughts through them.

“Are you delight with the view?”

And the smile that broke in her lips made his knees go weak. She pointed to a small pile of clothes at his right and he could recognize the tennis beside it. As soon as they met Rowan girdled his arm around her hips and kissed her.

“Missed me much?” Aelin asked holding a smirk while still in his arms. Her turquoise eyes nailed on his green-forest ones. The only answer she received was a grunt and a heavy head dropping in her shoulder. “You know you could use words, rather than growling like a beast”, which made Aelin feel the smile coming from her husband, she could picture it too: the perfect set of teeth accompanied by two fangs that were borderline not-human, which had left so many marks on last night's activities, she had almost come to the beach in a diver suit.

“I can’t be bothered. There are a lot of more interesting things to do with my mouth… And my tong…”, Rowan’s impure statement was interrupted by the sound of Aelin’s phone ring, it took a moment for the woman to snap out of the mood her husband had put them in. Poor object, it earned a glare that, if possible, would have transformed it into ashes.

“Oh hi!... Yes, of course, I’m coming… Right, next to the bar… Yes, be there in a few”, she said on the phone friendly. With whom she could have made prior appointments?

“Where are you going?”, Rowan asked confused, involuntarily holding her tighter, Aelin didn’t hide the smile at her husband's unwillingness.

“WE are going to a functional training, apparently the hotel holds them every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday”, she said while putting on a pair of shorts and her tennis, Rowan just nodded in answer.

Once they were in the central area, the closer location between the hotel’s pools and the beach, the equipment could already be seen as well as 10 people roaming around it. Soon enough a man came up to them greeting Aelin, too friendly to Rowan’s likeness, although he could only spot the top of his head.

“Miss Galathnyius, it’s good to have you with us today”, the strange said while avoiding looking at Rowan’s side but he did not miss a beat.

“It’s Mrs.” his accented and low voice seemed to reverberate, earning him an alarmed glance from the instructor, as he had taken from his clothes and name tag.

“Yes, of course. Mr. and Mrs. Galathnyius it’s a pleasure to have both of you here”, the smaller man seemed ready to bolt as he alternated his looks from Rowan’s face tattoo and Aelin’s mirth-filled eyes, she just nodded and that was very well what he did. She knew it wasn’t jealousy from her husband, more like his inability to not correct a mistaken person.

Oh, how wrong she was.

…

Half an hour throughout the class, Rowan was calculating how much trouble would he be if he were to beat three civilians. As the training was open to anyone at the beach, around fifteen more people had come to enjoy the activities. Including a group of four men, who seem too inclined to help Aelin with her training.

Which had made Rowan seeing red since he heard the first suggestion in correcting Aelin’s posture during a core exercise. Whilst his wife seemed completed oblivious as not only agreed to a few suggestions and gave tips of her own. Rowan didn’t mind that both were right.

Nonetheless, at each suggestion made by a stranger, Rowan would casually assert his territory. Moving closer to Aelin, helping her with the weights and holding her during an exercise that required it. Of course, there was the possibility that none of the people participating held any second intentions towards his wife and were only trying to be helpful. He seriously doubted it, even though that was what Aelin seem to think.

Usually, Rowan had never been one to bluntly be jealous and if he found it necessary to discuss attitude with someone, he wouldn’t do it in front of Aelin. But he’d gone apeshit when one of the guys from before made a move to touch her while he went to grab for water. Fuck this. He had been by her side every single moment. What’s with these disrespectful motherfuckers?

The man whose hands extended to help Aelin in moving the piece on her waist only caught a movement in corner of his eyes before a mountain of a man was before him. His eyes caught a glimpse of a wicked tattoo on the man’s face, which had been hidden by the cap he was using.

Rowan’s intimidating demeanor and the fucking gold ring in his and hers left hands were more than enough for assholes to grasp the situation.

She is mine, I’m hers. Fuck off.

Either it was the rings or himself didn’t matter. Apparently, with one look everybody understood his warning.

…

However, nine hours later, he’d been left baffled as his wife complained how, after he glued himself to her side, nobody had talked or interacted with her anymore.

“Well, if you weren’t such a territorial bastard today, we could have made some friends that could introduce us to the town”, she said as they had clearly lost themselves while looking for a Japanese restaurant.

“I beg your pardon?”, Rowan answered seeing red all over again just from remembering the previous event.

“Oh, come on, you thought I did notice? You were just asserting your territory for the heck of it”, she said not bothering with more than an eye roll, still searching the street’s name on their map.

“For the heck of it?”, Rowan was bewildered. Aelin thought he was doing that out of leisure?

“You couldn’t possibly be jealous of those guys from the beach, right?”, she said finally dropping the stupid map that had put them in their current predicament and looking straight into his eyes. Whatever she saw there gave Rowan his favorite smile. “You were….”, she laughed, loud and uncaring. Beautiful. “You are unbelievable”.

Like the viper his wife was, she stealthy approached him in that dark alley. “My cranky husband was jealous of some gym dudes?”, her voice was surrounded by arrogance and seductiveness. Reminding Rowan just who he had married with. The most confident, assertive, dazzling woman he had ever met.

Their eyes were locked on each other as she stalked him like a snake ready to consume her prey. His response to her provocation was nothing more than a grunt. “You know what you should have done?... You could have kissed me right there, ravished me, really… And I would’ve said thank you”.

After many years into their relationship, one would think that Rowan had become numb to Aelin’s advances. However, it was very much the opposite of it. He would be scandalized, shocked… And excited, she burned him with bold words and even bolder actions that made his head spin. His calloused hand didn’t miss one second into holding Aelin’s by her backside and his mouth went to her neck.

“Ditch dinner, Fireheart, I will show you what I would like to have done”, Rowan could feel Aelin’s thundering heartbeat, like his own due to their proximity. It would never lie to him, he affected her just as she did him.

“Oh, why, when you say with such gentleness. I suppose we could make something at home”, she smoothed her hand at Rowan’s ringed finger each word, handing him a bright smile by the end. “I love you”, albeit the sentence was said in a soft tone, it swept bothering feelings between the two, such as sea waves that accompanied their evening.

“To whatever end”, he said holding her left hand and as they walked toward the ocean. Free, unrestricted, and vast. Much like their love.