#And granted I've only gotten through the first season‚ but that's the only time I've noticed the descrepancy. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ladykailitha · 11 months ago

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Look, considering I've only gotten involved in Stranger Things after season four and therefore haven't been around the fans during other new season filming starts, but my brothers/sisters/nb in fandom what the honest fuck is going on right now?

I have been a part of other fandoms when new seasons started filming and the worst I'd seen was BBC Sherlock. And you lot are behaving worst then they did.

And Jesus fuck, that's a fucking low ass bar.

(Again I am ship and let ship, kinktomato, and headcanon free for all)

But this is just what I've seen in my small deliberately secluded corner of the internet so forgive me if I get some things wrong.

Ronance fans have turned on Steddie fans.

Steddie fans are trying to eat each other over who tops and who bottoms between two horny, barely out of their teens, men.

Eddie is confirmed dead.

Dustin is trying to become Eddie.

People want Will dead because Noah Schnapps said some stupid shit regarding genocide.

And Argyle isn't coming back.

I'm going to give you my feelings on these so buckle up lets go:

1- Steddie and Ronance fans have turned on each other. And I know this because I doom scroll through steddie tag. That Ronance fans think Steddie fans are delusional and that they're going down after season five airs and there will be more Ronance fans because they're perfect for each other.

Where to even begin on this? First, never tell a shipper that their ship is never going to be canon because they don't care. Just ask all the Destiel, johnlock, and merarthur fans. Steddie fans are just going to ignore all but the most salient parts of season 5 if Eddie doesn't come back and write AUs for the rest of their lives. You know, like they have since the last scene on the Piggyback faded to black?

Secondly, I don't think I've seen much Ronance without Steddie. Granted I only read Steddie, but it seems that the two ships are tied pretty heavily together. The fruity four comes to mind. So maybe it's that they're getting tired of being a side ship next to a massive one like Steddie. Who knows. But apparently they're bitter.

And I say that because they keep tagging their anti-Steddie posts as Steddie to make sure we see it. Honestly, I just block them and go about my day. But seriously, I've never understood people's need to be shitty like posting hate on the tag for that thing. If you don't like it, fine. Block and move on.

Thirdly. Lastly. Maybe. I don't like Ronance. I saw the charms when I first joined the fandom and it was cute. Until the more I read and I realized that most of the time they don't bring up that Jonathan is even a person let alone Nancy's current boyfriend. That most of the time Steve is written wildly out of character about not caring that they're a couple and that he just wants them to be happy. Like, one Jonathan is severely under used in the fics I've read. Like Will doesn't have an older brother anymore. It's all Steve or Eddie. Which considering how you like your flavor of queer for Eddie or Steve (gay/pan/bisexual) Will talking to them about being gay makes sense, but Jonathan showed us in the last season that he is going to protect Will no matter what. Then blip! in fanfics, he's gone.

And then the whole Steve being okay with Robin not only dating an ex-girlfriend of his, but the ex. The one he thought he was going to marry. The one he dreamed a whole fucking future on. That was still hurt by two fucking years later. You either think very lowly of Steve or you just don't care. Because if you think Robin and Steve are the same person/share the same braincell/ride or die for life, there is no way even if Nancy threw herself at Robin would she even consider it. (I can write a whole ass post just on this by the way, don't get me started.)

2- This is the most recent bullshittery due to a current event about Sub Eddie. This is the worst discourse in any fandom and the worst offenders on either side tend say the most homophobic shit imaginable.

And it's pointless. Whether you think Steve is a top or bottom, whether you think he's dom or a sub. Same with Eddie. Everyone has their own flavor they prefer and they won't always match up with yours.

Personally I write them whatever feels natural for the story. But here's the major crux of the matter. I don't believe a little nerd in Bumfuck, Indiana has any idea what flagging is. I'm sorry. Left pocket, right pocket. Doesn't matter. The likely of him even knowing what BDSM is is pretty slim. I grew up in a small town. There will be some people that know, but that's because they know adults in the scene.

Don't like, don't read. Seriously, guys. Let people enjoy what they want to.

My personal feelings on the matter is that Steve is a bottom/sub because he deserves to be taken care of and Eddie would absolutely want to be that person for Steve, in and out of the bedroom. Again, you do you, beau.

3- The tombstone. Sigh. It was hard to see that. Not just because it confirms he's dead, but because it's been defaced. Most likely like fans have said, "BURN IN HELL" the poor bastard.

Having a tombstone doesn't necessarily preclude Eddie's return. There are several ways he can still comeback Kas! theory not withstanding. But the wank here is people jumping on Steddie shippers and Eddie fans in general pointing and screaming "see!"

Like we didn't have campaigns for Barb and Bob and (Billy). If someone's favorite character has died, don't be dicks when they want them to be resurrected a la Jim Hopper. Because that right there is the main reason people will still hold out hope until the final scene fades to black, okay?

I guess this one is just be nicer to each other, okay?

4- *sob* like holy fuck. Dustin you sweetheart. The long hair, the torn Hellfire t-shirt, the rings. The horns and sticking out his tongue. That poor boy needs several hugs STAT! And of course, people can't leave well enough alone on Facebook, I couldn't tell you how many of the comments were "steddie fans are going to make this all about them, aren't they?" Even though there wasn't a single comment by a Steddie making it about Steve/Eddie. But so many eye rolls. The other half were death threats against Noah Schnapp.

Which brings me to...

5- Noah Schnapp said some really shitty things about Zionism and the attack on Gaza. There is no escaping that. He said them. He double downed on them. And while yes it sucks he said those things, let's not forget he's still young and stupid. He's barely 18/19 years old. I remember being that age and saying stupid fucked up shit, and hoo boy does this make me grateful I was well into adulthood when the internet became a thing (24ish).

There are a lot of reasons to be upset by his comments and I get that. But death threats and calls for his dismissal/boycotts just seems excessive to me.

One, because the story began with a kidnapped little boy and a runaway little girl. If you get rid of one of them especially this close to the end it would fuck up the story. Now if there was more than one season left, sure. But this is literally the end. And for all we know, Will's character may already be doomed by the narrative. So calling for it now isn't go to do anything. Especially since they already had all the scripts written and would have finished filming if it hadn't been for the strikes.

Two, one person on the cast said something stupid and hurtful and you want to boycott the entire show for it? Like, what did David Harbor, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Millie Bobby Brown and all the others do to deserve you boycotting their show? If the last season tanks it could seriously hurt their careers, but hey Noah Schnapp said something bad, so fuck them?

I'm going to stop there, because this is another one I can go on and on about, but yeah. Don't hurt other people in your rush to vilify an 18 year old.

6- Eduardo Franco recently said that he didn't get a call so he didn't think he would be back. He was sure that ship had sailed.

Fans are upset, naturally. Argyle was a sweetheart and deserves better than to be cut from the story like that.

But thanks to the incident with David Harbor and Jim Hopper supposedly being dead, a lot of fans are saying he's only saying that because it's a "secret" he's coming back. Which would make sense for Eddie or any of the other character died. Martin Brenner, for example, but not Argyle. There would be no need for subterfuge. Plus, he would already be out in Georgia if he was coming back.

It's sad that he was done dirty this way, but if they split up the filming like they've done before there is still a chance he might get to come back, but as far as the current filming is concerned, yeah Argyle isn't coming back.

***

Just... be kind to each other. Remember that the other people on the end of the URL is an actual person with feelings. That people can like what they like so if they aren't hurting you, don't hurt them, okay?

#my writing #stranger things #ladykailitha rants #tw wank #fandom wank #season 5

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fountainpenguin · 6 months ago

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"Don't care if he's guilty, don't care if he's not. He's good and he's bad and he's all that I've got... He did what he had to do..." (x)

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New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 37 - “Allay Flower (Scott)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

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The art of confronting Mayor Smajor1995 over crude and unusual crimes. End Session 2.

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

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This preview contains major Dog's Life & Pixels Imperfect series spoilers - Read at own discretion

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Smajor1995 - Corrupted Vex; Allay *

Status: In control

Social activist and mayor (with a background in food service and retail)

🖤 🖤 🖤

Time ticks. No one expects him to handle anything right now. He can't reach anyone with his communicator. He'd rather not be caught around his office. Once he's done eating a couple souls more (No longer eyeballing usernames), Scott spends a few minutes tidying papers. The empty player file cases will need to come with him until he can toss them somewhere. Or leave them near the greedy hub flower. He sweeps a stack of fresh files in the bundle he usually uses for amethyst crystals. He ate them all earlier; this is perfect. No one will think it's odd he's carrying something on a full moon night. See, as long as you walk with purpose, no one will question you much at all.

There. He ties the bundle shut. That should be more than enough to get him through the week. Maybe the month, if vex don't need to feed much. If anyone asks, he'll say he pulled the files for safekeeping, then fled so the hub flower wouldn't devour him. He's ill, remember. And Pearl thinks he's in her room. She's logged off by now, probably- She was nearly in phantom hour when she left her place.

Gods, I hope Tango can get the vex code out of me by morning. Tango isn't Etho, but he's the next best thing.

Scott hangs the bag from his belt. When he has the chance, he'd like to remove the 62 amethyst swords from his soul slot. But there's no room for them in the office and it wouldn't be a good idea… Allay are the only hybrids he knows who can carry stacked swords like this, so that would throw even more suspicion on his species.

Those swords are handcrafted. They took him years. They're brittle and fragile. The blades are amethyst to ward off vex, but the hilts are wrapped in leather. They shouldn't sting his hand. He'd like to put them somewhere he can get back to in a pinch. Scott considers the gloves a moment, then strips them off. Oof. He lost a lot of pixels; he can tell where his skin has gotten thin.

He lays the gloves on the table, presses his palm against them, and wills their color and shape out of existence. Pixel manipulation isn't his strength - Bdubs, Joel, and Lizzie are a lot better at this (and probably BigB, though that's an illusioner stereotype) - but gradually, over the course of a few moments, he absorbs the pixels that define the mass beneath his hand as Scott's Gloves and melds them into his form. His body shifts. Scott exhales. Ripples of code carry the pixels where they need to go. He shrugs his shoulders, shakes out his arms, and smooths out his nicks and gashes. There's no helping the glitch. He's not willing to cut it from his body. Or let Tango do that. He asked for anti-viruses instead.

Okay. All done? Yeah. All done here.

So he leaves. He does what he needs to do, he changes to his old Totoro hoodie skin, and then he leaves. After one final look in the office (the hub flower still slithering on the floor), Scott shuts and locks the door. Anyone who wants to get in can chat with him about it. He'll get in touch with someone when the world stops spinning.

He takes one of the side passages from the building. Not the one with his tunnel design that feeds directly into the multiplayer station, but it's close. The echo of his shuffling feet comes off familiar, somehow, and Scott grants himself a much-needed massage up and down his face with one hand. Okay.

Well, he's feeling much better than he did an hour ago. Every breath is easier. He has a clearer head. And he's no longer taking damage ticks, so huge plus for that. Is he back to full health? I mean, with double regen across the station, logic would suggest he's safe again. He almost wants to laugh, one hand pressed to the bundle at his leg. Ah… Yeah. He may still be underground and it may be an exhausting, dreary day, but… The air seems fresh. It's a beautiful place to be.

He walks quickly, but not so quickly that he'll draw attention. At least one sleeve-covered hand grips his hood at all times, pulling it forward so no soul particles will leak from his skin and twinkle in the air. Once he pulls the hoodie off, it'll look like a snow day in the bedroom, but if he can make it back to Pearl's, he's home free. Some of the slimes and blaze hybrids are shouting. Apparently a flag's gone missing. He hears Jimmy's name, but it's not his business. Jimmy broke up with him when Last Life started; he can handle his own issues. He's doing game night things anyway. Hmm. Scott takes an extra street around those guys just for distance. He prefers moving in circles anyway, so no harm done.

New Star Station's never had the brightest streets. The lanterns do okay, but they'll never replace the aboveground sun. Scott pulls out the documents HALO Cobalt gave him, glancing through again as he goes. He did read them while sitting in the hall. He really shouldn't be doing this - walking around with sensitive material exposed - but he just wants to check a few details. He keeps to less crowded streets, checking left and right. See? He's keeping watch. He doesn't do this long. Just enough to get the gist, and it's not pretty. Oof. Yikes. Messy stuff. Busy night. Sighing, Scott hugs the papers to his chest and walks a little faster.

Stupid sensitivity training. Let's hope BigB doesn't find out about that one. Maybe he can sway someone into letting Cleo give him that class. Then he can knock it out while they're building the starter base on their new AFK.

He does run into BigB, Bdubs, and Martyn on his way. BigB gives him a few furrow-browed looks, so Scott keeps his hood tight and his sleeves pulled as far over his hands as he can. Thank goodness the Totoro hoodie's always been big on him. Plus, it makes his hair look darker. He checked his F5 eyes while getting changed and he's grown a few streaks as gray as vex. They show through his skin design and mark his hair, but there's nothing to be done about that. He's going to show "allay coverage" somewhere on his body unless his next respawn is under a new or waning moon.

Spoilers, though… It won't be. First quarter form forever, so let's get weird about it.

At least the hair's not the only place that's blue. A lot of hybrids don't have hair to match their mob traits - Scar's got brown even though he's an allay-turned-vex - so people don't usually question his head hair. They don't usually question the blue on his chest either. And he looks good. Jimmy has no idea what he ran out on. At least Sausage knows how to make a man feel wanted, even if it mostly with sideways glances. Oh, that smarts.

Standing next to BigB, hearing out Martyn's demands, Scott huffs at the papers in his arms.

Oh, gods. Just look at you… So far in the closet, you can't be touched like you want without coming out to people over and over again. Maybe that's the worst kind of hell- Local bossy gay man who wants to flirt and flounce so much gives himself a hard time. And he knows there's humanity in his otherwise allay soul, because allays probably flirt the worst out of every mob on the list.

But it's safer in the closet. His flickering anti-viruses are fighting the good fight, but Scott still grits his teeth and stands firm as Martyn pushes for the right to leave the station. Tango better fix this soon. By now, the infection's spread from his hand halfway up his elbow and it hurts like setting spawn over Nether lava. And this just lasts for the rest of his life? A billion years and so on? Ah, no thank you. Who would ever want to be a vex?

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

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7grandmel · 7 months ago

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Todays rip: 04/05/2024

FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE

Season 8 Featured on: The Joke-Explainer 7000™'s Highest Quality Rips: Sunset

Ripped by KnightOfGames (@knightofgames)

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Tentative rip name: FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE

Hey everyone - remember Stuck Inside? The Five Nights at Freddy's fan song I covered back in Willievan Afton Polkka, the one pushed entirely by long-time team member KnightOfGames? Back when I first wrote that post, the meme was just beginning to take off, sitting at seven rips total by the beginning of March. We've now reached the two-month anniversary of that post - and in the time since, the amount of Stuck Inside being done has grown exponentially. Not only has the total rip count more than quadrupled - currently at 33 - but the tune has also caught on with more rippers on the team than just KnightOfGames, bringing about a huge variety of more takes on the song. Granted, today's rip is still one from the man himself, but after you've listened to FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE I highly recommend checking out all the other Stuck Inside rips if you haven't already - 12 AM - Maroon GO got a really good chuckle out of me in particular.

But yes, no matter - it's been three months since KnightOfGames first had the idea to start putting a silly fan song into his rips back in February, and it's arguably turned into the most prominent reoccurring tune to specifically debut during Season 8. And like, you'd think that would lead to a sort of overexposure to it, that one would get fed up hearing the same joke in so many places - but this deep into the channel's life, rippers have learned just how to leverage running jokes in a way that keeps them sounding fresh at every turn. Last time it was vocaloid - today, months after my post on SING A SONG ABOUT HOPES AND DREAMS, we're returning to the world of hyperpop, with one of the most cool-sounding interpretations of Stuck Inside that we've gotten yet. To be completely honest - this rip may alone have perked my interest in 100 gecs' music.

Yes, we're at one of those rips again, the kind where I'm woefully unfamiliar with the material that the rip's joke is using. But even moreso to an outsider looking in, there's a whimsy to 100 gecs' music that I just can't help but be allured by, a sound that somehow feels like a nostalgic calling to the early days of internet expression: to be loud, cringe and unashamed of being as such. FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE is in particular using the band's debut single Money Machine as a baseline, both using parts of its instrumental and tuning the original Stuck Inside vocals to that level of distortion and higher-pitch that 100 gecs is known for. It's a surprisingly natural fit (hence why I'm writing about it here) for how different you'd think the two songs are in terms of tone - but then, Stuck Inside had its chorus be sung by a rather filtered voice to begin with...perhaps this combination of tracks isn't as far-fetched as one would initially think?

In truth, I don't know if there's much I have to say beyond my absolute highest recommendation to FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE in particular - I'm just incredibly happy that Stuck Inside is continuing to see use in general. KnightOfGames' passion for the track is infectious, and it's really sweet seeing just how much its caught on with fellow SiIva viewers in the comments - despite how blatantly prevalent it was during the April Fools event in particular, I've hardly ever seen anyone complain about its overexposure the way people did with Grand Dad or Snow Halation back in Season 1. Perhaps that just speaks to how much better the rips have gotten over the years - Stuck Inside is incredibly prevalent, but each rip is made with such care and with such a distinct feel from the last to where it never feels as if the jokes are getting redundant or stalel.

Stuck Inside is just a damn good song - and through rips like FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE, its presence on SiIvaGunner is also helping me uncover my tastes in music in a rather fun way. It's not an inherently funny leitmotif nor something grounded in any sort of meme culture - it is merely a tune KnightOfGames saw tons of potential in, and has leveraged to incredible lengths in the months since. I cannot wait to see what the future of Stuck Inside looks like, but FEEL SO FINE STUCK INSIDE will do just fine in the meanwhile.

#todays siivagunner #season 8 #siivagunner #siiva #KnightOfGames #Youtube #100 gecs #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #hyperpop #money machine #100gecs #fnaf1 #fnaf 1 #five nights at freddys #Bandcamp

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leedollop · 3 months ago

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Hazbin Art Scam

Hey everyone. I've gotten a few of these scam DMs from people pretending to be in the Hazbin Hotel fandom, so I just wanted to share some information and make others aware of this scam. I am sure a lot of people would see the red flags through their DMs with these people, but this is also so you can spot when one of these accounts has followed/DMed you so you can just block. It sucks to get your hopes up about meeting a new Hazbin Hotel fan, only to realize you're talking to a scammer.

So, this is how the scam starts. You'll see someone has followed you out of the blue. Typically they don't like any posts and it is unclear how they found you or why they have any interest in your content. It happens sometimes, but it doesn't stop there. If you look at their page, it looks normal at first because they'll have a Hazbin Hotel related profile picture and banner. It tends to be themed around one character in particular, mimicking how a lot of fan blogs look. Usually they'll say they're an artist, but they either only reblog other art posts instead of posting their own (without tags normally) or any art they post is clearly stolen. They're a bit buried but, if you scroll enough and the latter is true, you will find it.

Their bios, in general, look real enough, though if you look closer there's usually a "nonsense phrase" stuck in there that makes you give it a second glance. They also commonly have hashtags in their bio, showing they have no idea how Tumblr works. Here are two examples from the two I had message me:

They will message you almost immediately after following, saying "hey", "hi", or something similar. They'll start some small talk with you enough to make them seem like a genuine Hazbin Hotel fan before getting down to business (mostly asking your opinions on stuff).

The biggest tell is they always seem to ask two things: They will always ask who your favorite Hazbin Hotel character is (even if that information is extremely obvious) and they will ask you if you want to see their commission work or artwork. It's typically under the guise of having OCs they want to share with you, also asking you if you have OCs.

This is their side of the conversation from one that messaged me recently. I went along with it a little more just to see how it would play out:

I linked the commissioned art they showed me back to a Fiverr account (like, it's literally just the example pictures) they had no connection to. Don't be convinced by them getting defensive when you point out it is extremely bizarre to randomly offer someone OC art when you know nothing about them or their content. It is weird, they just want to guilt you into thinking you're being overly cautious so you'll go along with the scam. If you wanna know how outright bizarre this is, my Hazbin Hotel OC is readily available information in my pinned that anyone can access at anytime, even the slightest look at my page would have told them that.

I didn't see the scam the whole way through for obvious reasons, but. For anyone new to Tumblr, like actual users, just so you know this is not normal Tumblr etiquette at all, especially in fandom spaces. Someone messaging you right after following you isn't weird...granted they actually have interacted with you or your posts beforehand and actually talk to you about this rather than asking questions anyone could ask. Most of the questions these scammers ask is based off of basic knowledge you could find through a Google search (like character names, the fact Hazbin Hotel is getting multiple seasons, and so on) without going into any specifics or normal fandom talk like headcanons or gushing. Any time you mention something specific, they will deflect it or ask another question so they won't have to admit they know nothing about the show or its actual contents.

Plus, if an artist really wants to draw your OC, they'll probably send you an ask or a DM directly asking permission, not try to coax you into it through vague small talk or showing off the art you should already be able to see on their page. Or, if you've made it clear you are okay with people making art of your OCs, they'll just do it and tag you. You'll probably have seen them around in your fandom spaces too rather than them just popping up out of nowhere. If someone you've never heard of or seen before follows you and immediately messages you, especially if they're claiming to be an artist with no pinned or very little information about it, it's best to just block.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel scam

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retrograderesemblance · 11 months ago

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“top 5” 80s shows, top 5 characters and why

tops 5 things! // @timeguardians

80s shows

1. The A-Team (1983-1987) This is the only show on this list that I've finished. It's horribly cheesy when it wants to be, and when you get a bad episode, it's a legitimately bad episode... but I'm weirdly fond of this series. The way the writers sort of drip-feed (?) you overarching storylines and character backgrounds is done in such a strange way that I'm not sure that original viewers would've gotten the same viewing experience as modern viewers who are able to binge the show. The Vietnam War veterans angle isn't something that starts to take proper shape until s2, but from s2 onwards, the episodes that allude to the characters' war experiences are done in good taste and I think make the characters feel more complex. Granted, there's no real payoff for these references, but there's also a sort of silent understanding among the main characters. They all worked together during the war, and they all understand that they don't need to talk about what happened. I think there is an argument to be made to the fact that even tho the characters left the war behind, the war is something that will continue to follow them for the rest of their lives.

2. Remington Steele (1982-1987) I haven't watched past s1 mostly bc I'm not ready for the show to abandon Murphy and Bernice and double-down on the Laura/Steele romance. I really like this show tho. Decent set up, decent episode plots, a good balance of humor and seriousness. For as much crap as I put Laura through on my blog, I seriously do really like her. She was apparently the first female private eye on television too ?? and this show became the blueprint for what would become Moonlighting. So that's cool!

3. Magnum P.I. (1980-1988) This show is at it's best with the Vietnam War-based episode plots. Apparently this was the first tv series to show Vietnam War veterans as protagonists in media; everything before this showed veterans as some trauma-possessed mass killers ?? which feels very '70s, honestly... While you sometimes have to power through half a season of cheesy monster-of-the-week-esque eps, it's worth it for the more serious performances. Tom Selleck was literally the perfect casting choice for Magnum.

4. Booker (1989-1990) Even tho I didn't finish s1, I liked this more than 21 Jump Street. While I like the og series, the concept becomes very wash and repeat after about 20 eps in when you consider the implications of how many high schools exist in the same city. The acting in Booker is a lot better, and it's an interesting setup for a private eye plot.

5. MacGyver (1985-1992) This is not my favorite 80s series by a longshot, but I watched the first 4 seasons and the tv movies, so I feel like I need to mention it. The pilot is the best episode, as weird as that sounds. MacGyver is known for things like being able to escape a locked room with a stick of gum and a lighter... but weirdly he only does that in the pilot ???? The series overall is... not good? *snorts* The plots are half-baked at best, the supporting cast makes you groan when they make appearances, and for some reason every single woman that MacGyver is friends with or in a relationship with, dies in some horribly tragic accident. While I would recommend this, dO NOT watch it expecting some cinematic masterpiece.

characters

1. James Bond (from the book series, not the movies, tho Timothy Dalton is closest to book!Bond) Oh my beloved James Bond, always on the verge of turning in his resignation letter akjdnakjbfajbf. I've only read about half the books so far, but I've jumped all over in the timeline and Bond is honestly a very jaded character. He's the epitome of a workaholic, but at the same time he knows he's not happy. Every time he tries to make some sort of change in his life to seek happiness, all his plans blow up in his face and he's often left lonelier than he was before. It's very interesting to follow a character who sort of just lives in the present, bc he fully expects not to live past the age of 40.

2. Sonny Corleone from The Godfather Love me a slightly unhinged male character who supports women's rights. There's a whole thesis I could write about how Sonny and Michael are essentially foils in the plot. Their father assumes that Michael is the more "Americanized" of his children and they butt heads over that, which is so hysterical bc Michael ends up proving that he was the most traditional of them all; Sonny was the one who was the most "Americanized" despite being g.roomed to take over the business from his father. Hate what the sequel films did to his character and background, but alas, book!Sonny will always be my favorite.

3. Janis Ian from Mean Girls I like Janis for the simple reason that's she's petty. She sees through a lot of the bullshit, but she's also self-aware enough to know that she's not above bullshit of her own.

4. Fanny Price from Mansfield Park I like how she made up her mind and stuck to her decisions and didn't let herself be bullied into changing her mind.

5. Ed Chigliak from Northern Exposure I think his character is really well done, showing sort of a modern Alaskan indigenous experience through the eyes of a character who's half-Tlingit, half-White. He's a nice person and enjoys his hobbies and wants to tell stories. He's not bitter like other characters on this list; he's just happy to be here.

#ooc #top 5s #timeguardians #// thank you for sending this in!!!!#took me a hot sec to think up answers haha

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tsaritsa · 1 year ago

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You’re the queen of asks right now so I crawl out of my lurker status to honor that ☺️ What are you excited to read soon (fic or not)? What are you excited to watch? Do you tend to binge, go slow, cycle through multiple different things for entertainment? Thanks for all you give to the FMA fans ❤️

HAHAHA the only reason it's happening is because i sent out lots to my friends! u only get out what u put in, and i've loved reading all the responses i've gotten back so far <333

right now i'm reading a book called into the drowning deep by mira grant. it's got cannibal mermaids, a vessel not unlike oceangate, and a whole bunch of scientists trying to learn to communicate with said cannibal mermaids. i just got up to this frankly Wonderful line that gave SO MUCH tension in such little time:

The first active shutter drill began at midnight. It ended two minutes later, in failure. The Melusine sailed on.

i love it when humans fuck shit up. ppl are gonna die. it's gonna be LIT.

in terms of watching, i've been rewatching mash, house md, and watching various horror films -- it's spooky season after all! i don't watch a lot of new media, but i might see if netflix has got any new romcom dramas that i can sink my teeth into. i used to binge all the time, but i like pacing myself now, allowing space for ideas to marinate. i think having everything at once moves us away from enjoying something, and instead consume it bc we gotta stimulate ourselves constantly :///

#ask #ty!! a lot of my watching is passive too -- having a video of a pc rebuild while i'm googling how to build a pc -- that kinda thing

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father-time-and-baby-new-year · 3 years ago

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OFF WITH YOUR HEAD

PART 2 OF HEADS WILL ROLL

SYNOPSIS: Whenever school is in session, Eren will just keep finding new places to corner you.

PAIRING: BULLY! EREN x FEM! READER

DEDICATED TO: you guys, always you guys.

WARNINGS: unedited, slight dubcon, groping, degradation, bullying,

WORD COUNT: 2.4K

Gooooood Morning Paradis Birds! Remember to give a big round of applause to the football team for clutching the victory against reigning champion Marley High! We stay undefeated thanks to our excellent and hardworking team. Special shoutout to Captain Eren Yeager for guiding the team to another flawless victory-

You're half-heartedly paying attention to class, sleepily listening to the school announcements over the speaker until the mention of his name douses you like a shock of ice-cold water.

You can't catch the rest of the announcement because your class erupts into cheer, enthusiastically clapping their hands for the boy of the hour.

The only one not joining is you.

Eren's smile is brighter than 100 kilowatts. In the back of your mind, you wonder where he learned to smile like that. When his emotions became so practiced.

Mr.Berner tries to calm the kids down, especially Sasha who bangs on her desks and howls, creating even more hype and ruckus. The class, now in a chattier mode, excitedly breaks into little conversations.

"Man, thank god. That school is so pretentious, I'm glad we finally have something over them."

"Jeez, I know our team was good, but it's this good-?"

"-Bro, year of XXXX is stacked as fuck. It's literally never been this stacked before. We have a whole team of prodigies, it's insane-especially Eren. "

"Yepp. My dad went to Paradis too and he said shit like this never happened during his time. The academic comps were one thing, but these footballs wins? We're being put on the fucking map."

The announcements are still going on, but it's hard to hear over the noise. You're only able to catch the tail end, a useless tidbit about the word of the day.

pre·mo·ni·tion a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant. Here is an example: "She had a premonition of imminent disaster" Have a good day folks, hope it's free of any premonitions!

Overhearing the unceasing praise of the boy who pinched your thighs until they bruise blue and purple was a little painful-but you were used to it. After all, he's putting Paradis on the map. Whatever the fuck that means.

While you didn't love sharing this class with him, he was seated far across the room and surrounded by a gaggle of friends. You might as well have been invisible, the way he did not acknowledge you. Maybe you should treat it as a small mercy.

Unwittingly, your eyelids grow heavy. You're sitting in the back of the class, no one would notice if you took a little nap right? Assured by the fact no one will notice, you lower your head into your folded arms and let your thoughts float.

You dream of vaguely nothing but shadows of smiles, tufts of dark hair, and the smell of the wind at sea until a noise confined to the shape of your name breaks the harmony.

"[y/n?]"

You startle awake with pairs of eyes piercing their gazes at you. Swallowing thickly, you apologize to Mr.Berner who looks worried. He's a good teacher, and one of your favorites.

"I'm sorry Mr.Berner. I had a migraine so I laid my head down." You lie smoothly, with more grace than you knew you were capable of. Course, you could have just said you were taking an unprompted nap, but that would disappoint your lovely teacher.

He sighs, "Guess that can't be helped then. Go to the nurse ok?"

Bingo. The nurse was an understanding lady, she'd let you sleep the rest of the period off. You nod, and start to gather your materials, relieved the class' attention on you was beginning to dwindle.

"Wait, Mr.Berner, let me take her. What if she gets disoriented and falls in the hall?"

Fuuuuck. You should have known. You should have expected this because attached to the request dripping with faux concern was none other than the precious jewel of the kingdom. Eren's intrusion makes your peers perk up again at the scene unfolding in front of them.

You smile, lips tightly pressed, "I'll be fine. I don't want to distract anyone from the lesson and it's a short walk-

"It's still potentially dangerous.", Your teacher interrupts, pinching the bridge of the nose, "And while I'm completely surprised by Eren's sudden streak of altruism, he's right. Something could happen. He'll take you there safely."

A very convenient streak of altruism, all right. You think it over in your head, yeah the nurses' office is right down the hall, and once you're there, he'll leave. Sure, he'll taunt you but you can handle a few minutes worth of cruelty.

It's awkward getting up, and walking in front of the class while Eren props the door open like a gentleman. You know what a sharp contrast it must look like, you and him, you cowering into yourself, not meeting any eyes while he stands tall and confident.

"Do you have everything?" His tone is one of reassurance, and for the barest of the moments, feels too familiar. You know he's not being genuine right now, and for the first time, you question if he was genuine back then.

"You can hold onto my arm if you're too dizzy to walk." He says as you guys slip out of the classroom, purposefully a little too loudly. You hear coos from girls and a stray "She's so lucky!"

He must have heard it too, because he lowers his head to whisper into your ear, "Yeah, very lucky, aren't you?" Wisps of dark hair tickle your cheeks. You see the glint of tiny silver hoops and wonder when he had gotten his ears pierced. The illusion breaks and the performative charming prince's reassuring smile is replaced by a sneer.

"Didn't know you could lie like that, by the way. Some good girl you are if you're trying to ditch class like this." Fingers dig deep into your waist as he drags you along the empty hallway that seems to stretch on for miles.

Your breath gets stuck in your throat, "How did you know I was lying?"

Viridian eyes narrow, "I've seen you get migraines before." There's a knock on your heart. As if realizing he was talking about something far away ago, a vindictive edge laces into words pouring out of his mouth, "I bet you wanted this to happen, didn't you? Wanted to get us all alone."

He's trying to get a rise out of you, that much is obvious. So you ignore him to the best of your ability.

...which quickly proved to be futile, as you suddenly find your arm pinned to your back, and your front facing the nearest walls.

"I asked you a fucking question bitch." He's practically growling, "Fucking answer me."

If there was a world record for the shortest temper, best believe Eren Yeager will have collected that accolade too. He's getting too worked up, and you could definitely feel his harness poking the back on your ass, as he grinds into you.

You manage to crane your neck, wanting to have your face shoved into the wall, and then venomously spit out, "You're not looking for answers. You just want me to repeat whatever you think is true."

This position brings back flashbacks to the library when he caged you in against the bookshelves, and like then, he spins you around to face him quite abruptly.

His smile is full of sharp teeth, "No. I know I'm right."

You don't respond. He moves in closer, his breath fanning on your earlobes. Your body can't help but let an involuntary shudder, and you close your eyes, not wanting to see his pleased grin or the way the fluorescent light makes his hoops gleam like silver bullets.

One calloused finger flicks your nipple, "Do you want to know why I'm right?"

At your lack of response, the dark-haired boy rolls your nipple in between his fingers before pinching it painfully, eliciting a small whimper out of your fuckable lips. "N-no", you answer finally. You're wearing your thinnest bra because of the seasonal heat, and you can't help but regret that decision right now. The fact he's only paying attention to one of your nipples is driving you insane. Not that you want it, but you're so fucking sensitive right now. You struggle in his hold, causing him to hold you tighter, and by now his nails were probably embedded into your skin.

He chuckles at your honesty, rewarding you with a thick stripe of his tongue over the collared shirt of your uniform making you gasp. Did he just-, over your shirt too-, you look down and see a very visible wet spot.

Taking advantage of your distracted state, a eager hand snakes under your skirt until it settles in the middle of your panties. He licks your earlobe before speaking, his voice like ice under your heels.

"You were so fucking wet that day in the library while saying you hated me the entire time," he pauses as his fingers scissor you through your panties, as if to drive the message home, "About as wet as you are right now."

There's a wet spot there too, also caused by him. You crush your eyes shut, "Eren...please just take me to the nurse." You're not even struggling anymore, holding onto him out of your own accord, worried that if you don't hold onto anything-you'd fall on your knees.

The very headache you lied about having seemed not so non-existent after all.

Eren hooks his arms under the plush of your thighs, "Yeah. Of course, that's what I came to do, right?"

You had hoped you'd be granted a reprieve in the nurses' office but you'd forgotten that luck was never really in your favor. Because while you guys had entered the squeaky-clean office, the nurse was nowhere in sight.

Instead, a note sat on her desk in unassuming frilly cursive that Eren read with glee.

Sorry students! Minor emergency to take care of, and I'll be back by the middle of the next period. If you're badly hurt, see Mr.Ackerman in room 203. If not, just sit tight! Feel free to take up the beds.

Thank you,

Ms.Ral

Eren had turned to you with shining green eyes, "Since no one's here, I guess I'll have to keep you company. Don't want you to hurt yourself."

There was something claustrophobic about how Eren stood in front of the door as if to signify to get out of here, you had to get through him.

"Maybe I can get Mr.Ackerman..."

Eren's sudden bout of laughter makes you wince and retreat inside of yourself, "For what? A fake headache? You really wanna inconvenience him like that? Mr.Ackerman?"

You take slow steps backward until the back of your knees hit the school bed, making you stumble as you clumsily take a seat. Eren's been marching forward with every retreating step you took, and it's no surprise when he pushes you down the bed, strong hands on the side of your head, while his muscular legs force your thighs apart so he can settle himself in between.

"We have some time to kill, you know." Strands of dark hair fall into his eyes, and without thinking, you reach upwards to brush them aside.

He grips your wrist before you make it that far, nearly gritting out a "What are you doing?"

You just stare, not really knowing why that was your impulse either. Finally, you mouth out, "I want you to leave Eren."

The grip on your wrist is tighter than ever, and you very well know that you're going to have new finger-shaped bruises before the old ones even finish healing.

"And I want to stay." He punctuates each word slowly, and all you can think is how being pinned to a bed is much less painful than having the hard surface of wood digging onto your back.

You're fully aware of the heat in your core, and having Eren on top of you doesn't make this it any easier because fuck, he is attractive. Maddeningly so. And maybe you want him to go away so bad because you're afraid that if his fingers are caught inside of you, you'll thank him for it.

As if reading your mind, he lets go of your wrist (making a mental note of your sluggish movements and slipping resistance) and massages your warm hole from your panties.

"Eren please" You grit out. He merely chuckles, "What are you asking for, whore?"

You could feel tears threatening to fall. This was so embarrassing. Did you want this? Yes, yes. yes, yes. You were so wet right now and had enough of the teasing.

He alternated his kneading from slow and soft to fast and rough, and you couldn't help but let out the prettiest little moans Eren's ever heard. Since you lose all pretenses of resistance, his other hand roughly brushes against your hardened nipples, straining against the fabric of your shirt.

Okay, he decided. He's going to make you beg.

"Beg." It's announced like a command, and while you hear it, you don't really register it because your hips are busy chasing the heat, and it's all too much of an utter disappointment when his long thin fingers leave.

"I said beg slut."

"Eren, please, please. I need you so bad." You're blubbering and you don't care. You just want his pretty fingers to shove aside your panties and rub against your folds. You think back to the library, how wet you were, how the stupid fucking phone call from his coach interrupted him pumping his fingers inside of you. And you didn't know if you were happy or mad he left. But now, all you crave is the blissful wave of pleasure- the very pleasure he's been denying you.

Eren looks down at you, green eyes scrutinizing. After a long while of what it seems to be him just staring, he wipes his fingers on your skirt, brushes back his hair with a wayward hand.

"Looks like I should head back to class. See you later."

Too numb to say anything, you watch him leave with a smirk on his face. When you're sure he's walked away, you curl into yourself and cry.

#attack on titan fanfiction #eren x y/n #tw dubcon #bully eren yeager #bullying #toxic eren #yandere eren x reader #eren x reader

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wyn-n-tonic · 2 years ago

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this is going to be a lot. i'm sorry in advance, i just need to get it out of my head.

i'm still getting used to being okay with my diagnoses. it's the first time my life has ever really made sense and i'm very grateful for having finally been listened to but it's also so bittersweet and full of grief.

i started out life very quiet. apparently i didn't really cry and i didn't really speak either. and then i did and people didn't really like it and they made sure to let me know that so i got very quiet again.

i grew up not really feeling like i belonged anywhere - friends, family, community of any kind. i did not (and still don't, really) feel connected to people the way i see them connected with each other.

i isolate a lot because i was always told that my needs were my responsibility to deal with. something that has only been reenforced to me through hateful comments (from those i know & complete strangers) when i have attempted to express them. because in my attempt to find people who relate to these things, people only see it as complaining or begging for sympathy when really i'm just looking to not be so alone.

i've never felt as though i've been enough of anything to be granted true access to those spaces. not queer enough for queer spaces. not woman enough to be included in spaces for women. not sick enough to warrant treatment.

the only place i ever felt like it was okay to unmask and let my brain be the way it just naturally is was with regards to soccer. because it has no off season and the variables are ever changing so at least i'd always have somewhere, was my thinking. and now that's gone because i was never enough for that either and encountered harassment (mostly sexual) and misogynistic abuse on an almost daily basis when i decided to try to participate and finally connect with people the way i've always wanted.

and now i know that i'm autistic and have ADHD and, while it explains so much, i don't even feel like i am enough of either of those to even say that i am and it hurts for so many reasons.

it hurts because i know i'm not enough for this community either and it hurts because i have this knowledge that if people had just listened to me when i was younger and begging for help, i wouldn't have all this other pain built up and compounded. it hurts because i'm very sad for the little girl i was and the woman i could've been and the goals i had that could've actually been achieved had i gotten the help that i needed.

it hurts because i'm essentially having to relearn how to be a person with all this new information that is allowing me now, at thirty years old, to pull apart and rewire my brain. and i'm really afraid that i won't do that right either and it'll just isolate me further from belonging to any kind of community or connecting the way that i have always craved. i'm really afraid that i'm only ever going to be able to understand and recognize the things that i want but those things will never be something i am meant to have.

#personal #long post #when TS said 'where i pace in my pen and my friends found friends who care' i felt that #i have trouble accepting compliments or celebrations for things i've done because of all of this too #nobody even wanted to go to my graduations that's how unimportant i seem to be

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7grandmel · 1 year ago

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Todays rip: 18/10/2023

Yoshi’s Cookie World

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: Neon Lights & Holiday Nights ~ The SiIvaGunner All-Star Winter Festival Collection

Ripped by Expensive Dispenser

Sometimes in making these posts, I like to go hunting inside particular albums I haven't listened to in a while. I can't say I have many memories of Season 4 Episode 2's christmas event, and so I sort of glazed over a lot of rips uploaded during the time...I think I just had stuff happening in real life getting in the way of my SiIva watching time. Looking back, the event had a lot of really neat reveals and really spoiled us with everything from fusion collabs to KFaD awards to more additions to the lore, but...I think I was just ready to move on to the next season by this point.

Its unfortunate that I never really gave the event a sincere chance, because when you peek through all these big reveals, hidden in the bushes and depths of the album release - you'll find Yoshi's Cookie World, one of the best mashups I've yet heard on the channel that I somehow only discovered a week ago. You may recall, long ago, I made a post of another album-exclusive holiday event rip from Season 2 - Battle! The Trainer Inside Your Head!. There's something really special about uncovering these kinds of rips, because you get to appreciate them in total solitude, with no YouTube comments or view count or even thumbnail influencing your opinion. It truly feels like finding a hidden gemstone, a treasure few have gotten to fully appreciate.

Yoshi's Cookie World is given extra favor just for the sheer amount of nostalgia and adoration I already hold for the music of Yoshi's Woolly World - given its laid-back vibe, listening to the rip for the first time felt like uncovering a transcendent music LP nobody had ever heard of. Like a lot of Expensive Dispenser's work, its a hip-hop centered mashup, using Cookie Chips by Rejjie Snow alongside the Up Shuttlethread Pass theme from the game in focus. But in all honesty, it doesn't really matter much to me which songs were used: Expensive Dispenser is an extremely versatile ripper who's dabbled in a lot of fields, yet their ability to create comfy lo-fi soundscapes out of just about anything is really only rivaled by l4ureleye, as I detailed in posts like The Saltwater Mii and SICKO TALE. Not to proclaim that I'm picking favorites of the SiIvaGunner team, of course, but just to highlight that at the level these rippers are at it really doesn't matter what songs are used in the mashup if it results in pure zen soundscapes.

And that's really the best way I can describe Yoshi's Cookie World. Finding it, listening to it, and enjoying it all on my own, in the perfect little bubble its created for itself within one of my more forgotten SiIva albums, made by a ripper whose work I honestly take too much for granted...it's a magical rip on every front.

#todays siivagunner #season 4 episode 2 #siivagunner #siiva #Expensive Dispenser #album exclusive #Bandcamp #yoshi #yoshi's island #yoshi's woolly world #goodfeel #super mario #mario music #hip hop #lofi hip hop #lofi music #rejjie snow #mf doom #cam obi

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fictionalcharactersaremypassion · 2 months ago

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I got you!

Here are some multi chapter fics. If you want oneshot recommendations, I can give you those too. These are all complete, btw

House of Horrors: The Milkovich family is a notorious and formidable presence on the Southside, their name casting fear upon their neighbors. Although the family remains a mystery, the topic of rumors and suspicions. Despite obvious signs of neglect and unexplained injuries, a silence surrounds the house, no one brave enough to intervene. But what chilling truths lie behind closed doors?

Are You There, God? It's About Mickey Milkovich: Ian thought maybe her parents were mean. Maybe they hit her. Maybe they hit each other. And then Mickey Milkovich drove up in his ugly truck, and Ian thought maybe he was the bad guy in the story. But after tonight, after the way he had scrambled to make sure Mandy was okay from whatever their dad had done to her…Ian realized that Mickey and Mandy Milkovich were in a far worse situation than he had thought. They were just two terrified kids stuck in hell.

You Are The Answer I've Waited For: What would happen if Svetlana hadn't gotten pregnant? What if Mickey hadn't had to marry her? In this world, he immediately goes to live with Ian and they get to start their life as a couple, complete with Ian being supportive, the Gallaghers mostly liking Mickey, and the Gallaghers throwing Mickey his first ever birthday party.

Mickey Milkovich Is A "Bad" Influence: Set in the week or so after Ian's first depressive episode (post 4x12). Carl makes it his mission to see Ian through his depression and gains a much better understanding of Mickey Milkovich in the process.

Crossing Over: It only takes Ian about five whole minutes to realize he's probably made the biggest mistake of his life, and boy has he made some mistakes. Cue a certain Mexican banger motherfucker he thought he'd never see again.

Shirtless: Mickey has a new neighbor who's always jogging past his house shirtless.

The Perfect Fit: Mickey Milkovich recently got into an accident and is going to be in a wheelchair for a couple months. He doesn't get along with any of the caregivers so far and keeps letting them go. What happens when he meets a nurse who doesn't take his shit?

That's Not What 'F" Stands For:

"Thank you for coming in."

"Of course Ms. Pratt, what's this about?"

"Yeah man, what's this 'emergency'?"

"We were going through alphabets yesterday and... Yevgeny said a bad word."

"For fuck's sake. We are not the six year olds you gotta tolerate every fucking day. Fucking spit it out and use adult fucking words."

"God dammit Mick."

*Your Wish Is Granted:

The story begins in Season 6, right around E10, after Ian passes his EMT exam. This is a bodyswap fic, so it contains some magic (ala “Big” style), but I’ve picked a darker time in Gallavich canon, so the tone will be angsty at first. Not to worry though. I love our boys, and there will be some fun and growth and endgame Gallavich, so come along for the head fuck!

*(((this is my ultimate favorite Gallavich fic!!)))

Mickey Milkovich's Guide To Flirting:

Mickey Milkovich doesn’t get crushes, fuck you very much

How Mickey Milkovich learned to stop worrying (so much) and flirt with his crush

Only You: Gallavich Prompt: How about Ian was diagnosed with Bipolar really early? He's already friends with Mandy and has a secret thing with Mickey that they're disguising as friendship. He has his ups and downs. During a really bad down period Mickey comes by and Ian actually responds, like starts eating, or Mickey makes a joke about the smell and Ian showers. Ian's family and Mandy are confused cuz theyre just friends, right? Mickey knows about the ups and downs and just treats them like normal moods.

Stocking Fillers: Ian finds out that Mickey has never really had a Christmas... no stockings, no Santa Clause. He makes it his mission to change that.

I need some Gallavich fic recommendations.

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taiturner · 2 years ago

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so firstly there's something about Elliot Page where I want to wrap him in a blanket and give him some hot chocolate. But also I really loved how all of the siblings reacted e.g. saying Viktor had a nice haircut was my favourite part. (I've only seen up to ep3)

This message made me happy and urged me to finish a gifset I've been working on (spoilers through episode 4 if you haven't gotten there since you sent this message!)

Elliot Page & Viktor were stars this season, as always, and I was really, really pleased with the way everyone responded - it felt like it was exactly what Viktor needed, after a life time of desperately just wanting to be seen, validated, supported, and part of the family in general. The comments about his hair in particular gave him that visibility he needed now but also always desired, and they granted us with wonderfully big grins that have felt so rare in previous seasons.

Season 3 was always going to be Viktor's season of self discovery no matter what happened - it's the very first time in his life where he knows all there is to know about himself / his history, no one is hiding anything from him anymore, he finally just has the chance to exist as himself and figure out who that really is, and he's got all of his family's support finally / is no longer alone. When we found out that Viktor was transitioning, it was already such a natural fit for the character and the perfect time for it to happen, so this is one aspect of season 3 I was looking forward to the most.

I loved the siblings' reactions too and felt they were all very in character responses, and it all felt like really good payoff from the end of season 2 when all of them follow Viktor to Sissy's farm and smile proudly back at him as they watch him save Harlan. They really get the chance to see him for him in that scene rather than what their father tried to hide from them all, so their responses in season 3 seem to naturally follow all of that. Episode 2x10 really felt like a promise to Viktor to not only support him but continue to advocate for him in ways they all realized they never did when they were kids, and I loved seeing Viktor be more a part of the family than he's ever truly gotten to be before.

#answered #anniemurphy #viktor hargreeves #thank you for your message <3

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dorminchu · 4 years ago

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ALL THESE THINGS THAT I'VE DONE

The war against Paradis is over. Eren and Annie are forced to confront their mortality in a world that seems to have no need of them, and their significance to each other. [Post-Canon]

I didn't know there was an ereani week this year until a couple days ago, but I figured: cool, I should probably post something. Title comes from the track of the same name by The Killers.

The prompt is: Day 3 (4/12): "I love you" / "I loved you"

[Ao3 | FFNet]

When the war was over, it was Armin who took the glory. That was a new look for him, Eren thought. Smart but eternally overlooked until he inherited the role of the Colossus Titan. Willing to carry the burden of humanity's savior without much complaint, unlike his teenage self who had always been plagued by doubts and fears. Eren wouldn't have thought Armin would be ready to chew the bullet while he quietly slipped into the background—but he was the leader, and Eren had always been accustomed to his status of figurehead.

Their roles had inverted with age.

As part of an overarching deal with Queen Historia, Eren was granted quarters—a cabin ten miles from the border of what had once been Wall Rose—and a modest pension, as long as he held his tongue and did not make any attempt to intercept the negotiations between Paradis and the surrounding countries. Eren put in an application for professor at the local military academy and spent the days trying to record what he could remember of his experiences in Marley.

The cabin had been around since the start of the war. About ten or so miles from the nearest village. Perhaps even before Eren was born, when Paradis was just a penal colony in name and the boundaries on inhabitable territory were less strict. The pipes still worked and there was evidence of an outhouse as well as quarters for a small animal—he wondered if it had been a hunter’s lodge.

After growing up in the back end of Shiganshina for the first nine years of his life and living in barracks and halfway houses for the next ten, it was a lot quieter. He felt oftentimes as if he were on a permanent state of leave, awaiting orders that would never come. There was so much time to fritter away now, without a war on the backburner.

ii.

In a bid to lessen the severity of his scarring, Eren tried growing a beard. He couldn't sprout a full one like Zeke could, just the chin-hairs, an innate reminder of his days in Marley. Most often he kept his hair pulled back in a short ponytail or else cut it short in the warmer seasons, though never as short as it had been in his days of adolescence.

He'd regenerated his leg and other limbs since the ceasefire, regained his motor functions in a week-long, agonsing process that he was sure Hanji would've loved had she been alive to witness it—but a day or so after settling into the cabin the old pain was flaring up again. He had a vivid memory of asking Commander Hanji once, at seventeen, after exhausting his father’s journal, but the only conclusion either of them could come up was phantom pain. Even if he were whole and unmarred, he did not anticipate sleep as any source of relief. Colours in his right eye gradually turned dull and it was getting harder to read even by candlelight, disorienting to walk out into harsh sunlight. Eventually he just began wearing a patch for the sake of simplicity. His other eye was unaffected.

He could still remember Ramzi's face better than most of his dead Scouts and it kept him up at night for hours. His way of life—the Titans, ODM gear—was quickly being phased out, trading blades and canisters for rifles and ammunition. His place among the armistice seemed moot.

Eren thought more often of his father. He did not wish to, explicitly, but the memories of him that popped into his head were usually indecipherable and triggered by stress.

The doctors in Marley would define this as shellshock. Other times they left impressions like the outline of the sun under closed eyelids; warmth, family, agony, guilt that would eat away at him for the rest of his remaining life.

Eren was, at least, confident in the fact that he was nothing like his father. He didn't pretend he was doing anything morally righteous, nor had he allowed himself to be molded into a pariah like Zeke. He had only accomplished what those same men were afraid or unable to do. It was nothing to crow about. He did not blame Zeke for that upbringing. Eren had taken action, knowing he would be hated and feared by his own comrades. He could only leave behind his memories in print, and if by some Godforsaken chance they somehow managed to fall into the hands of a like-minded company—well, perhaps one day he would be understood or misconstrued further. Rotting in the ground he could not defend his truth or bias.

But while he was alive, he could not rest. He knew better than most that all of this was fleeting.

It wasn’t as though he was out of shape with all the walking. He still stuck to drills in the morning to keep himself busy; awaiting orders that would never come. It sounded like something Armin might say. But Armin was content to busy himself with the sons and brothers of deceased bureaucrats; the succeeding generation to the brilliant men and women who'd led them right into the mouths of hell and out again.

Commander Hanji was dead. Commander Irvin had been dead four years now. Captain Levi was on his way to retirement and attempting to get Mikasa to replace him.

After seven years of military service his soldier’s inclinations remained unshakeable. He'd wake up every morning, going through the motions as though he were still a stowaway in Marley. He'd never allowed himself to consider a life beyond the pretext of enlistment and eventual expiration within the Scouting Regiment, much less the seemingly endless war between Paradis and the rest of the world. In the best case he had assumed he would die eventually, of old age or a more unheroic death out in the field. He'd never allowed himself to be ruled by that fear of mortality because he had to eradicate the Titans first—it was a child’s logic that had gotten him through military academy. Yet here he was, nineteen, with four going-on three years left to kill. Annie had three, going-on two. That was the only certainty she'd admitted to him without need for prying.

So Eren had to be sharp for the rest of their sakes. The war on Paradis had ended and brought with it economic turmoil. A mourning period that seemed to extend indefinitely. The next decade of prosperity would not be won in a year, nor three, and it would come on the backs of the losing side and breed the same old resentment, and then inevitably the same slow descent towards outrage and madness and oppression. Always in the back of his mind like the learnt urge to drink, or his inherited memories—he could almost convince himself of his hard-won stability. It was a good enough reason as any to stop answering Mikasa's letters.

iii.

The door opened to reveal the very last person he had ever expected to see again. She was every bit the woman he had seen in Marley and little of the girl in the crystal remained. What could he say to a four-year old crush-turned-heartbreak whose face he could scarcely recall among the hundreds of thousands of other casualties? "You shouldn't have come back."

When he moved to close the door, she stopped him with her heel. "I'm no longer a Warrior, nor a soldier. I have nowhere else to turn. You and I understand each other, so there's no point in bloodshed."

He gauged this, chewing his tongue. "Did someone send you?"

Her shoulders stiffened. "No one you'd know."

"I suppose you were sent here to finish the job for Marley?"

"No." Bluntly, she forced herself into the doorway. "I came here on my own. I just—"

"—all right, it seems like there's been some kind of miscommunication between you and whoever sent you."

"I was told you'd be able to accommodate me."

"I don't need anyone else here."

Annie squinted at him. Her hand was clenched tightly on the doorjamb. "You must get bored living up in the mountains. And you could use another pair of hands if you're not regenerating." Eren said nothing. "Did you carve your eye out again?"

"Goddamn you," he growled, and wrenched the door open.

He let her walk past the threshold. Looked at her once, and then away. "I'll set a place aside for you to sleep," indicating a well-worn sofa, "you can stay as long as you need to until you find somewhere you like."

"I don't know why you're so upset. You could have killed me years ago. You've had every opportunity, and yet—"

"—I've moved on." He said it flatly, almost resigned. "You haven't, obviously."

Annie didn't flinch. "So you're just going to stay here and wait to die?"

"I keep myself busy."

"What do you do?"

"I teach the new cadets over at the Academy. It's about two hours from where we are; nothing special, but they seem eager to learn."

"I see."

He turned finally to face her. "What about you?"

Annie hesitated. "Used to work with the other displaced soldiers up until a few days ago."

"How'd that treat you?"

"It was all right. Why, are you too good for it now, now that you're a war hero?"

Eren ignored the barb. "It's been a while since everything settled down, so I wondered how you would fare."

"What, so you just popped up in this house?"

He scoffed. "Of course not. There was a tribunal, and it was decided to let me live on the condition I'd be kept far away where I wouldn't bother with anyone. I can't say the same for the others."

"You sold them out?"

He chuckled. "I didn't have to say much. They did it to themselves. We shared a common goal at one point but never the same ideology. At the very least, I can say I took no pleasure in what I—"

"—Ackermann gave you an out?"

Eren gauged the sharpness in her tone, the stiffness of her posture. "I didn't ask her to." He frowned. "You never told me how you got here. Did Mikasa have something to do with this?"

Annie froze, then averted her eyes. "I didn't have much of a choice. It was either come here or work myself to death doing manual labor. I wouldn't have minded that."

"Why didn't you tell me that she sent you?"

"I don't know. She seemed to pity you."

"Oi, it's not your fault. She can feel however she wants." He sounded bemused, scowling. "What the hell else she she think I'm going to do in four years? I have no plans to start another war."

Annie finally eyed him in her peripherals. "We didn't talk much other than that."

Within the next few hours he'd gotten a few more details out of her. In exchange for agreeing to be quartered here, her record was wiped clean. She had recently reapplied for the MP brigade under a new name and secured a position as secretary in the Karanese district headquarters. She had also admitted to him that she was dying to get back onto the streets again.

As a bedfellow Annie was, in some ways, more than he could've hoped for. Despite the introduction, she talked far less than they had as cadets. She did not seem particularly happy or unhappy, just neutral. She woke up each morning at six hours and left to do her drills. She would come back in an hour and offer to help him with whatever menial tasks needed doing, as if they really were holed up together in the remnants of a cabin lost ten years ago to a threat that would live on in sordid, haunting memory. The kind of life one would find beyond the realm of a weathered photograph.

Unobtrusive without becoming idyllic. The best outcome he could afford her was three years of uneventful domesticity.

They didn't spar anymore. Not for lack of want, or kicking the habit. Eren just couldn't keep up with her the way he used to. His leg was shaky and she pointed it out first. It would have an impact on the kind of punishment he could take as opposed to when he was fifteen and shrugged off every injury like it was nothing. His eye was not healing.

Annie was in better condition. Just by studying her gait it was obvious that she'd taken better care of herself. She had not had to bunk up with a gang of stinking, vulnerable soldiers riddled by shellshock. Trying to communicate with them in German worked, but it got him a lot of funny looks and no end of comparisons to fathers and grandfathers enlisted or long since dead.

Annie wasn't interested in his stories from Marley but she didn't brush him off either. She just tolerated it in a much more polite way than Mikasa or Armin would.

At twenty years old she came up to his chest. Either the crystallization had stunted her growth or she was naturally short. She was also scarred enough down her face but it was of the same sheer consistency as her hair. You would only know what she was if you were paying close attention.

She got skittish and temperamental if he tried to push his luck training with her. Initially it had pissed him off:

"What do you think I'm going to do?"

She'd looked at him bluntly. "You're still recovering. Why overexert yourself?"

He'd never told her about his injuries but the idea of her picking up on it this quickly rankled for reasons he did not care to discuss. "I'm not a kid."

Something flashed in her eyes. "I'm not going to push you."

And that was the end of it. He'd decided that this ritual mattered more to her than him, and respected her space. He still did his own drills.

But every time they locked eyes now he'd get that same, absurd itch in the back of his mind from a year ago. Sharpened his tongue and made him want to speak in ways he didn't think he should attempt to justify whilst sober.

iv.

Days passed. He did not always see her until late in the evening.

In the middle of the night he rolled over onto his bad leg and the pain woke him. In silence he got up, not enough to require medication but still pretty uncomfortable.

“Eren?”

He went still. Annie was up herself, over by the window, staring at him as though he were on his deathbed. In the low light her eyes looked strange and luminous. “Does it hurt?”

“Does—what?”

“Your leg.”

Eren sat up slowly as not to aggravate his condition. She didn't say anything else. “It’s not so bad that I can’t sleep.” He studied her face for signs of age, finding naught but scars, a weariness in her eyes he could speak to. She didn't frown. She just watched him coolly. Eren shrugged. “You can’t sleep either?" No answer. "Thinking about to-morrow?”

“I can get you something for it.”

Eren shook his head. “That's not necessary."

"Don't be stupid."

"This isn't something I can just take pills for.”

"It's chronic." Her tone pregnant with incredulity. "Why haven't you seen a doctor for this?"

"Annie, what the hell is a regular doctor gonna do for either of us? We already fix ourselves. There are other veterans that have been stranded here, they aren't growing their limbs back. They need all the help they can get. Anyway, it's only, what, three more years of living? I can take three. Fuck, I've taken ten."

The more he kept talking, the darker her eyes became. Clench in her jaw, tautness of her shoulders, pronounced enough to notice from a distance—an involuntary reflection of his own revulsion.

"I don't know how you managed to win one war, let alone, if you can't even prevent yourself from running into the ground." Her voice was icy and distinctly contemptuous. She stalked over to him. Cold fingers dug into the meat of his naked shoulder, pushed him upright between the wall and headboard; tight, controlled movements. "Four years later and you still want to pretend you're a fucking martyr. It might've worked on Mikasa, but I'm not your sister. I'm not going to help you hurt yourself."

She kneaded at his leg in a much brusquer way than the way the orderlies in Marley. Eren didn't argue. She was not going to take no for an answer. When it was done she coaxed him to lie down again. He stiffened as he felt her weight join his on the mattress, curled almost tentatively against his chest. She didn’t try to hold him, just huddled as though for warmth. She did not explain herself.

Eren had a vague recollection of the last time this had happened. Back then she came up to his chin, rather than the middle of his chest; their disparity was only thrown into relief. He could feel the human warmth of her through the thin undershirt, the softness of her hair on his cheek. He’d dreamt about this a lot when he was sixteen, while the tragedy of her betrayal was no longer fresh but still painful in his mind. He had no energy left to hate her then, for she was not his enemy.

He heard her breathing even out.

She had stayed this long. There was no sense in abandoning her now.

Sometime after that, Eren started noticing her in more tangible ways. Smell of her hair. The subtle glint in her eyes in lieu of a smile. She'd wait up for him in the mornings before he left. He'd tell her good-bye.

When he came home he’d catch her eyes lingering on him in profile.

Just one day too many of the same quiet inactivity. The fact that they had slept in the same bed was just a catalyst of how familiar they were with each other already.

She woke up an hour later than usual and, fuming, went out to train. A light rain had started. Eren made breakfast. Over the next twenty minutes the light sheet became much more torrential. Annie came back in about half-an-hour, dripping water all over the floor. He would've told her off but she grabbed his wrist. He turned as she leant up and took his face in her hands and kissed him like her life depended on it.

Maybe the situation had always been building to this. He had forgotten about its immediacy until the moment presented itself. But now there was nothing left to say. So he gathered her up and placed her on the counter, kissing her breathless, bunching up her threadbare shirt, palming her tits through the military-issue brassiere—he muttered, "see, I thought you were just being nice," and she scoffed, set her heel to the small of his back even as he put his mouth on her. She was chilled from the rain; it was not yet summer. Half-dressed and needy, he took her right there on the countertop. Afterwards, there was no shame or lingering uncertainty that would have been present as cadets. She pressed her cheek to his.

"I'm going to be away for a while. It's higher pay if I stay in Karanese. Maybe two or three weeks." She looked up at him. Her eyes were bright but her tone was stoic. "I just…" She trailed off because he was only looking at her face. Eren smoothed her damp hair away from her cheek.

"I love you." Then he stopped. Like he was finally coming to grips with the idea. Annie blinked rapidly. A crease formed in her brow. Her mouth worked but no sound came out. Eren kissed her chin. "But, if you're gonna be trackin' mud everywhere you'd best clean it up after yourself."

She finally came back to herself. Shoved him lightly in the chest. "Fuck off." Then hoisted herself off the counter, fixed her trousers, and asked in a dry voice where he kept the washbasin.

vi.

On his own the cabin felt distinctly empty. Sometimes he'd wake up hard and just—take care of it. Annie on top of him. On her knees. Pulling him up to her. He missed her a lot more than he'd care to admit to her face and it wasn't just in the sense that she was available. She'd probably just smirk at him anyway.

But when she returned it was nice to have her around, even for a little while. She kept to herself and he gave her space; it was as though she had never left.

It was still morning. He was working when he felt her come up behind him, hands slipping over his wrists. “Oi,” he muttered, “I’m a little busy.”

“You’re just sitting there.”

He scoffed. “Really? How would you know what I’m doin’?” No answer. Eren closed the book. “You really are demanding, ain’t you?” Faux-annoyance. But he turned.

She looked prettier in uniform. Hair pulled back into less of a bun, more of a severe ponytail. She was looking him up and down as though deciding something for herself.

She leant down, kissed him firmly, nipping at his lip until went with it, half-amused. She stepped back, breathing evenly, eyes glinting. She cupped his face, a vestige of tenderness he did not anticipate.

Then her eyes shifted, something empty, strange. A harsh crack against his jaw he could not anticipate and he took it, worked his jaw, blinking rapidly. “What the hell are you—?”

Annie jerked her head back slightly, fixing him with the same expectance he realised he’d completely misinterpreted. “Hit me.”

Eren didn’t move. Her jaw trembled, then set. He caught her wrist. “That’s enough.”

“Why?” She sounded annoyed. “It’s all right. I can take it.”

“What is this?”

“I’ll be dead before you anyway, it would be easier just to take—”

“—I said that’s enough,” he said, terse. “I’m not going to do anything to you."

Her brow furrowed. "I thought you understood.”

Eren just stared, fighting to keep himself calm when he wanted to grab her shoulders and demand her to justify why the hell she wanted to be hit. "What am I supposed to understand?"

Annie’s eyes darted over his face and then to his wrist. “I want you to hit me back.”

“I’m not going to do that.” He cupped her jaw and she almost flinched; his stomach twisted. “Do you understand me?“

Silence built up between them. "I know you’d stop if I asked you to.”

“I’m not going to wait until after I’ve hurt you to stop.”

Annie pressed her face into his chest. He took her by the shoulders, watching her stiffen.

“Do you hear me?”

She nodded.

"Why d'you want me to hit you?"

"Do you want a list?" He gripped her tight enough to make her flinch and immediately regretted the look of fear that came across her face. He let go of her. "I’ve been complicit in the death of your comrades.” Her voice thickened. “And I’ve taught you everything I know. You don't need me here for anything other than your own gratification.” Returning to the facade of impassivity with unnerving ease. “So, there’s no point in comparing our tallies.”

“Annie—"

“Are you stupid?” Annie spat, the most emotion she had exhibited thus far. “You've taken my country and my life and my father and you—now you want me to love you back. You want to marry me as if we're ever going to—I'm the one who killed your friends, why would you ever want to be reminded of—"

"You love me." She looked helpless in her vulnerability. "What? What's the matter?"

"Why would you want me? I—I can't even have children. I'm going to die in four years. I'm going to watch you die unless I kill myself fir—"

"—Annie—"

"—you could fuck anyone you wanted!" she exploded. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Because you don’t have to earn anything from me! I just want to be around you—can’t you accept that?”

Annie kissed him hard. He trembled though he was holding her.

“Take me to bed." Eren opened his mouth and she kissed his chin. “I want you to take me to bed. I—”

Even then, he was hesitant to touch her. She led the way, stripping down to skin and splaying on his bed. He caressed her when she asked him to, a gentleness in his hands that betrayed his own sympathy; for once she didn’t chastise him.

Her scarring was far more pronounced in the light. He'd noticed before, briefly on the counter and more clearly with enough attention, but not like this. It clustered around her sternum and down her spine. He wondered, briefly, if that was why she'd wanted to do it quickly. Now her eyes were bright and shimmering but she took him into her, reached for him.

"Is this OK?" His voice was a croak.

Her eyes flickered to him. Cautious, sure. "Yeah."

He was on his knees, lifting the small of her back, working her towards a much sweeter surrender. He slid one arm around her waist to support her and touched her breasts, the side of her neck, cupping her jaw. His thumb ran over her scarring.

“Annie.” She gasped at the sound of her name. “Ann. Look. Come here.” She was biting her lip. Head fallen back, her hair was almost diaphanous in the light. He murmured her name and she was shivering with emotion. She turned into her elbow and told him in an unsteady voice to go faster, and the bed creaked to match him.

Her body arched, jaw slack. She wouldn't stop shivering. Her voice did not rise in expectation. It just wavered, edgeless.

He took her wrist away from her face and—she flinched. This serrated, ugly, sound that jerked out of her body. He pulled out, holding her. “Look at me,” his voice hoarse and horrified, “please.”

Annie curled up against his chest and shook. Eren just kept apologizing. She didn't push him away.

Eventually she stopped. Raised her head. Their eyes met and she lost composure again. He brushed her hair from her face. “Stay,” she croaked, “please. I need you.”

He kissed her brow. She almost flinched. He tucked his chin into her shoulder, arms around her back, until she’d calmed down.

"You don't have to do anything," he said quietly. "Do you understand that?"

"I know."

Laying prone, she only came up to his sternum. Annie sat up first. She got to her feet and went over to the window. Her shoulder was parallel to the glass. His attention stayed firmly on her profile. “You’re gonna get colder than hell. Come back here.”

She turned and glanced at his forearm curled half-surreptitiously against his stomach. Scar tissue along her breasts was prominent. In the dead light of this cloudy, April afternoon she finally looked her age.

There was a naked uncertainty in her eyes that made him freeze. "You're not my father and you never will be. You've been kinder towards me than I deserve, given the circumstances. I wish I could despise you."

Eren rolled his shoulders. The silence held for a while. "I don't know if what either of us have done can be forgiven. But, as long as you’re here, I want you to know that I don't hate you." All she did was stare, a slight crease in her brow. “I never could.”

“You love me,” she said. Not with scorn. Like she was testing the idea in a way they would have shied away from as kids. She averted her face towards the window.

She watched him get up and tensed. He limped towards her in a couple strides and draped the blanket around her shoulders with the same tentativeness. She did not put her arms around him. She pressed her face into his shoulder. His arm came around her back and she closed her eyes, just existing in the cold slats of wood against her feet and the rise and fall of his breast.

He put the blankets around her and laid beside her.

He’d always supposed he would heal with enough rest. He didn't know how to put what he felt into words, but eloquence had never been his forte. It was not unlike laying on your deathbed, mulling over all the things that hardly seemed to matter until there was no time left to spare.

There was no pain now, just certainty in the presence of another—the old urge to drink was absent.

This is a cleaned-up version of a couple tumblr WIPs + some old/new material blended in for fun. Think of it as a pilot episode for a much larger fic.

For what it's worth I did like the ending of AoT. Elements of that ending will likely factor into the aforementioned larger fic. I am totally disinterested in arguing about ships or wasted potential—at this point, I’d rather write whatever seems interesting, and leave it at that, canon or not.

And hey, if you think acknowledging canon will override my crippling addiction to the "morally challenged antihero/problematic blonde" dynamic… I really don't see that happening. Even after exiting this fandom, it's like, ALL I've been writing for a year (looking at YOU Insult to Injury) and I feel like I'm going insane. Back on topic though: Now that AoT has concluded, I find I am far less stressed at the prospect for writing for this series again. It won’t be my main focus, but I do like this fic’s concept enough to flesh it out.

#ereaniweek2021 #ereannieweek2021 #eren jaeger #annie leonhardt #ereani #ereannie #snk #aot #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #apologies for any disparity between canon #I'm a bit behind but I have the jist of what happens #fanfic #fanfiction

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imaginationintowords · 4 years ago

Text

Folklore [song series]

the last great american dynasty

Modern Day AU! Bucky Barnes x OC!Reader; Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years.

Word Count: 4658

Warnings: maybe some swearing (don’t really remember), mentions of deaths, sadness, loneliness.

Previous Part

Series Masterlist

Age: 17

Year: 2012

Location: Brooklyn, NY

The last few months haven't been the greatest for Elizabeth.

She never did get to run for Student Body President during the months of October and November. Steve ended up running and winning. Elizabeth had even decided to leave student body council once campaigning started. She found no point in staying, everyone in the club didn't like her.

She had kept to herself. She no longer felt the need to make new friendships or continue the ones she had. The rumors made sure of that.

This was not how Elizabeth had thought her senior year would be. She thought she'd be crossing out he dates in her calendar feeling sad with each passing day, but now she's counting down to when she will never see these faces again.

She had also been approached by the principle right before school was dismissed for Holiday break. Principle Alvarez had told Elizabeth that she was the front runner for valedictorian. Elizabeth politely declined the offer, but Principle Alvarez told her to take the next three week holiday to think over it.

Elizabeth promised she would, but that was a lie. There was no way she would go in front of her classmates and give them a fake speech on comradery.

These people wouldn't know the first thing about that.

Instead she focused on anything besides school.

Her parents weren't oblivious to Elizabeth's sudden change in personality. At first they thought it was because of her breakup with Bucky. But Elizabeth had told them it was a mutual decision. They wanted to believe her, but they knew their daughter. They knew it was not what she had said.

They knew something must've happened, especially with the way Bucky has been actively avoiding running into them. Even going as far as running inside whenever he saw Mr. Sanchez get home from work.

Even Steve stopped coming around. That was another red flag.

Then they had found out from Sarah Rogers, Steve's mom, that Steve would be running for student body president, after Elizabeth stepped down and left the club.

They were shocked to hear the news.

How could she not tell them. Her parents had debated back and forth whether or not they should have a conversation with her.

She had been keeping this a secret for months. Whenever they would bring it up, she told them it was in the works. But she had lied. There was clearly something bigger going on.

They then received a phone call from Principle Alvarez the day before winter break started. She told them about Elizabeth becoming valedictorian but turning it down. Another secret her parents had heard nothing about.

"Mrs. Alvarez, we had no idea," Caterina, her mother, said.

"I figured which is why I called. I told Elizabeth to take the break think it over."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Alvarez," Brandon, her father, thanked, "Actually we were just discussing Elizabeth and her sudden personality change. Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

"Well," she cleared her throat, "I'm assuming you both know about her breakup with James."

"Yes, but she told us it was a mutual decision, somehow we don't think she's telling he truth," Caterina explained.

"I suppose she isn't. Unfortunately, I don't think it's my place to say. Her grades are not falling behind, she hasn't done anything that would create a cause for concern," she half lied.

"But she quit student council. She isn't even talking to Steve," Caterina explained, slightly frustrated with the situation.

"Yes, well," Principal Alvarez pauses, "There was some rumors going around at the beginning of the year, surrounding James and Elizabeth. Sadly those rumors favored James."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" her father asked.

"I have spoken to Elizabeth, she had asked me not to say anything to you. In order to keep this a safe place for her and other students, there's some things that need to stay confidential.

"I didn't sense any danger and the rumors died down. Yes, she did quit student council, but you wouldn't be surprised by the amount of students who leave a club senior year." she explained to them.

"We have had no idea any of this was happening," Caterina, sighs softly, her eyes getting teary. Her husband softly rubs her back.

"What do you suggest we do? Should we confront Elizabeth about all these lies?" Brandon asks.

"I think Elizabeth is trying to protect you guys and herself. I can't tell you what to do. This is your child. But I can offer some advice," she says, "Give her some time. When it comes, I'm sure she'll open up, it might not be now, but it will be when she is ready. I've seen this a lot with seniors who get thrown a massive curve ball and it just throws them all off.

"It's what I like to call their first taste of the real world. How they get through it shows how they will handle these kind of stressors in the future. Some just go right off the handle and turn to some bad things to cope. Some repress their feelings, and let it all boil until they have some sort of snap. Some, learn and grow from it. Those that learn and grow, take it quietly, figure out what's to come afterwards. They stop worrying about what's happening now, and are ready to move on. The reason I haven't reached out is because I can see how Elizabeth is handling it. Yes, maybe she has changed, grown up a bit, but I still haven't gotten any major danger signs from her that say she isn't handling this in an unhealthy manner.

"Elizabeth has been meeting with our guidance counselor, about once a week. And that was something she had chosen to do on her own. We aren't necessarily obligated to tell parents that because of confidentiality reasons. If there was any cause for concerns you would've heard by now."

"So we should just wait?"

"Yes," she sighs, "I know it's probably not what you wanted to hear, but just know you have a wonderful daughter, who seems to know how to take care of herself in a healthy mature manner."

The conversation they had with Principal Alvarez brought some peace to their minds. Not completely, but enough to know that if Elizabeth really was in trouble she would go to them.

They had decided that it was probably best to get away for the winter break. Brandon and Caterina were able to work remotely during the holiday season, so they decided to take a trip to the family's cabin.

Elizabeth was excited to head to the cabin for the holidays. It meant that she wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone from school. And any reason to spend more time with her grandmother was exciting. Especially since she would be heading off to college soon.

Elizabeth had decided that Christmas to break the news to her parents that she had decided on the University of Stanford. She would be going as a Pre-Law student. The school was on the other side of the country. When she and her parents visited this past summer, Elizabeth fell in love with the campus.

Her last two choices were Stanford and Columbia.

With some talking to her guidance counselor and some major thought, she decided she desperately needed a change in scenery. A change in people.

For the first time since returning home, she had never felt more free. She was excited about the possibility of the future. She could no longer worry about what the hell was happening in Brooklyn.

Her parents were excited to hear about her choice. They were glad that she wasn't keeping this from them. They had decided that Principal Alvarez was right, Elizabeth was becoming such a strong woman in front of their eyes, and they had to trust that she knows what's best for herself.

Elizabeth and her grandma stayed that third week of break, while her parents were sent away by her grandma so she could have some quality time with her only granddaughter.

Elizabeth and her grandmother were currently sat in the living room going through some old photos. Elizabeth was helping her grandmother put them in some new photo albums she had gotten for Christmas.

"So, any new boy in your life?" her grandma, Sophia, asked.

"No, I'm done with high school boys," Elizabeth said, carefully going through the old photos.

"Good, high school boys are nothing but trouble."

"You're preaching to the choir," Elizabeth joked.

While grabbing another small box of photos, Elizabeth opened it up to reveal some very old letters and photos.

"What are these grandma?" she asked softly turning the box over for her grandma to see.

"Oh, I've been wondering where those went," she softly smiled, going over to sit next to Elizabeth on the couch.

Elizabeth handed her the box, and she pulled out a light yellowish envelope, the color from old age.

"Who are those from?"

"My old friend Rebekah," she said looking over at the letter.

"Rebekah? You've never told me about a Rebekah before.

"Well she was an old friend," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a black and white photo of two young girls. One was her grandma and the blonde next to her must've been Rebekah. The photo was dated 1965.

"How did you guys meet?" Elizabeth asked.

"In junior high, we were both 12," her grandma handed her a photo dated 1960, it was of two even younger versions of the young teens.

"Oh, wow."

"From 12 to 21 we were inseparable."

"Woah, what's this?" Elizabeth asked, showing her grandma a photo of a quickie style wedding.

"Ah, that was Bex's first wedding."

"First?"

"Yup. Right out of high school, freshly 18. Adam Grant. Bex's high school sweetheart. Prom King and Queen."

"What happened?"

"Young love doesn't always last forever. Why do you think I was always so insistent with you not to worry about marriage until after you've graduated college and started your career."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "Just thought you thought I was too young, and you were right."

"Aren't I always," she winked playfully.

"What happened between them?"

"Adam wanted Rebekah to be a stay at home wife, to start popping out babies. That wasn't Bex at all. Bex was always the life of the party. She was a social butterfly, but she had dreams of making it to Broadway. Adam was set to take over his dad's mechanic shop.

"The marriage had only lasted a year, before they pulled the plug. After the divorce, Bex started to go on more auditions, while she waitressed part time, and once a month she would sing at a lounge in Manhattan. Now when I say she could sing, I mean she could sing. I believe she really could have made it," her grandma reminisces.

"What happened?"

"Bill happened," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a photo of a man who appeared to be in his late 40s early 50s.

"Who's he?"

"Bill Carter. The richest man I have ever met. His family had oil money. He and his colleagues were in attendance at the lounge on one of the night's Bex was singing.

"From what Bex told me it was love at first sight. After that night Bex couldn't talk about anything but Bill. They were both so smitten over each other. I don't think I've ever seen Rebekah act like that. She started to clean herself up a little bit, to try and appease his family. But Bill loved her just the way she was when he met her."

"They were engaged two months later. This was both of their second marriages. Bill's parents desperately wanted him to have a prenup, but he was completely against it. He said that unlike his first marriage he knew this was the one. Plus Rebekah didn't care about all of that. She had had many opportunities to make some heavy cash by being a few married men's mistress, but that's not what mattered to her."

Elizabeth glanced down at the photo. It was a photo of the bride and groom surrounded by their friends, all of them have drinks and cigars in their hands, with big smiles on their faces.

Rebekah's hair was a everywhere, doesn't look like she bothered to comb it for the big day. Bill's tie was undone, along with his shirt being halfway unbutton, no suit jacket in sight. Her lips were dark in the black and white photo, which meant she probably was wearing a darker lip, judging by the lipstick marks on Bill's lips, cheek, and neck.

"Was this at the end of the night?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, this was just after the ceremony," her grandmother smiled, "Bex and Bill started the party after they said I do."

"The limo we all rode in together were filled with laughs, drinks, and cigars," she laughed.

"You guys knew how to party," Elizabeth smiled at her grandmother.

"Hey it was the late 60's," she shrugged her shoulders, handing Elizabeth another photo from the wedding.

"This looks small," Elizabeth remarked.

"Yeah, Bill's parents decided they weren't going to pay for the wedding when Bill refused to have Rebekah sign a prenup," she said, "So Bill and Bex decided to have a small wedding. Free of judgment. Just those that loved and supported them."

"That's nice," Elizabeth smiled at the thought of a small intimate wedding.

Elizabeth had never really given much though of how her wedding would be. I mean she and Bucky used to talk about getting married, but that was it. No plans were every truly made. Elizabeth also never truly saw herself as a big ballgown type of gal.

All that had mattered was her and Bucky. Now that's no more.

She felt her eyes get a little teary, she cleared her throat.

"So where did they go to after?"

"Rhode Island."

"Rhode Island?" Elizabeth looked at her grandmother, "Why Rhode Island?"

"They took a trip out there when they were dating, and fell in love with it. Plus Bex has always wanted to live on the sea. She said it made her feel free."

"Did his parents ever accept their marriage?"

"Sadly no," her grandma said, "Especially not after Bill's doctor told him to settle down with the party."

"Did he get sick?"

"Yes, around year 7 of their marriage, his doctor told him if he continued down this path he wouldn't live a long life."

"What did he do?"

"Bill told him he'd rather live the rest of his short life filled with happiness then become a boring old man who lived forever."

"Did he die?"

"Yes he did. He lived another three years, he and Bex were able to spend their ten year anniversary before he passed a week later. The summer of 1979."

"A week later?" Elizabeth asked shocked.

"Yeah," her grandmother sadly remembers.

"Rebekah was never the same after that," her grandmother says, "She never fully recovered from Bill's death."

"Did they have any kids?"

"Not together. Bill had two kids from his first marriage, but the kids only cared about their inheritance, that they never got."

"What?"

"Turns out Bill had changed his will when the doctor had first told him to slow down. He left everything to Rebekah," her grandma says, "That did not help Rebekah after his death either,

"Rebekah wasn't a heartless person, she made sure his children were taken care of, she created a fund for both kids. She never wanted Bill to do that, she didn't even know until the will reading two days after his funeral. All Bex wanted was her Bill. She would've given up all that money just for him."

"That's so sad," Elizabeth commented.

"Very. Even though Bex acted like none of the rumors bothered her, it did. Because that town was painting her to be this horrible woman. Calling her the most shameless woman they had ever seen, saying she enjoyed ruining everything. So she gave them what they wanted. She gave them the most shameless woman they would ever see. From what I had heard the partying got worse. She had parties every day, the house was filled with people from the city. She even got in a feud with one of their neighbors and stole his dog and dyed it green."

"What do you mean 'from what you heard'?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"Well, Rebekah and I weren't close anymore. The last time I had seen Rebekah was the week of Bill's funeral. Before then we hadn’t seen each other in almost 8 years.”

"What happened?"

"Well after I graduated in 1970, your grandpa and I decided to get married and settle down in Brooklyn," her grandma said, handing her a photo of their wedding day, "We were done with the whole party scene. We were ready to begin our own lives. Grandpa and I had already had good jobs lined up. We were ready to be adults. We were ready to start our family.

“Rebekah never understood that. She claimed ‘kids ruined everything’. She and Bill were living this extraordinary life. Kids didn’t fit the picture.”

“What about his kids?”

“They’d visit once per season. Their mother didn’t think that lifestyle was for them, and Bill never fought it,” she told Elizabeth, “And after I had your Uncle Eric in 1972, Rebekah couldn’t put her own feelings for children aside. It put a strain on our friendship, causing me to realize that I couldn’t be her friend if she couldn’t support what made me happy.

“I had supported Rebekah in every aspect of her life. When she wanted to marry Adam right out of high school, I supported her, hell I drove them. When she wanted to divorce Adam, I was there to hold her while she grieved her first failed marriage. She wanted to become a Broadway star, I was right there cheering and supporting her. When she met Bill, and everyone was against their relationship, I was their only support. When they decided to get engaged and married only 5 months after meeting each other, I was there, every step of the way. Did I have time? No, I was busy with school, but I made time.

“I was there for everything. I supported her through everything. But when I was ready to begin my own life, Rebekah couldn’t be there,” her Grandma sighs, “It made me question everything about our friendship.”

“It wasn’t until Bill’s funeral that I fully realized, she was just scared of being alone,” she says, “His funeral was filled with people. But not one of them was there for her.”

“How sad.”

“Rebekah and I finally talked that night,” her grandma says, “She told me all about the nonstop adventures she and Bill had.”

“Did you guys makeup?”

“Yes and no,” she says, “Rebekah was still against kids. She apologized for what she had said, but at that point I had already had three kids. We knew that our friendship would never be the same. We knew that the only way we could be in each other’s lives was if we kept our distance. If any one of us needed each other we knew we could call. But sometimes people come into your life only to be a small part of it. They don’t stay forever, but they make an everlasting impact.”

“Do you know what ended up happening to her?”

“She died, 9 years after Bill’s death. She was only 40 years-old,” she tells Elizabeth with a glimmer in her eye, “She died alone. While on vacation in Italy.”

“I’m sorry Grandma,” Elizabeth sympathetically says, she places her hand softly on top of her grandmother’s.

“It’s okay sweetie, time has come and gone. We all have to go through it someday.”

“What happened to that big house of her’s?”

“It’s still there. It never sold.”

“Why?”

“People claim it’s cursed,” she says, “so now it sits empty on that hill in Rhode Island.”

“They claim a crazy woman lived there, that anyone that were to live there would end up in the same fate as she,” her grandma says, “She wasn’t crazy. She was heartbroken. That whole town exiled her. Blamed her for everything. Made her out to be someone she wasn’t.”

“I get the feeling,” Elizabeth mumbled, looking down at her hands.

“She wasn’t crazy. She was a woman who lost the love of her life. She traveled the world to find anything to fill that void in her heart, and she never did. So she made sure to give that town everything she had.

“She was a very scorn woman. Filled with hatred, and anger to those that did her wrong,” her grandma says, clutching Elizabeth’s hands, forcing her to look into her eyes, “I don’t want you becoming like that Elizabeth.”

“I know whatever is going on in school, is not the easiest. But please, don’t let your heart be filled with so much hatred. I don’t want you becoming like Rebekah. She never learned to forgive.”

“It’s hard to forgive,” Elizabeth sniffled.

“I know, but it’s even harder to carry around so much darkness in your life,” she explains, “You should be able to go to college with nothing weighing you down. Not having anything negative reminding you of back home. You shouldn’t dread going back home, you should be filled with joy. Don’t exile those around you, just because they haven’t figured out that part of their lives.”

“Don’t let these last few moments of your high school life be filled with what those kids are saying,” she squeezes Elizabeth’s hands, “You know who you are. Those closest to you truly know who you are. We love you and support you. And are so incredibly proud of the woman you have become.”

“So please find it in yourself to forgive,” her grandma pleads.

“It’s hard being the bigger person,” Elizabeth sniffles again, silent tears streaming down her face, “they hurt me so much.”

“I know sweetie,” she pulls Elizabeth into her arms, “But let them regret what they have done. Don’t let them win by seeing you become this mad woman. Let them look back in their life, regretting the way they treated you.”

————————

Once Elizabeth went back home, the weekend before she was due to return to school from winter break. She had a lot to think about.

Does she listen to her grandma and forgive everyone for everything they’ve done. Or does she continue down the path she started on months ago.

She had to admit to herself, the path she was on was lonely. She didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t like what they made her become.

She decided to take her grandma’s words, and promised that once she returned to school on Monday, she would go back to being who she was. Not entirely, but at least not filled with so much hatred. She had to move on. For her own soul.

The first step, forgiving Bucky.

She knew that that was the only way to start. She wasn’t ready to talk to him in person, she’s not sure if she ever will be. So she sat at her desk and wrote him a letter:

Dear James,

(Yes, I called you James). I don’t know how to begin this. My grandmother told me I should forgive those that hurt me. You know my grandma, filled with nothing but wisdom. She told me a story about a friend she had, one that let the rumors consume her with hatred. She died alone.

I don’t want to be that person.

I know you don’t believe me to be that person, even after the things I’ve said to you.

But, I do feel myself becoming that person. Hating everyone around me, aside from my own family. (They still have no idea what’s going on with me)

So my first step in letting go, is forgiving you.

Letting all the pain and hate you’ve caused on me go...

I forgive you James.

I forgive you for everything you’ve done.

I don’t think I’ll fully understand why you cheated on me.

I know that’s not who you truly are. So I hope, that whatever you’re going through you come out on the other side.

This is harder than I thought it would be...

I loved you so much. I really thought we would end up together. Maybe that was just a childish thought.

Does anyone even make it out alive with their high school sweetheart?

But I want to thank you. For being my first love.

We were best friends to begin with, so falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

Being in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve done.

It was just so effortless. And now I’m starting to wonder if that’s not how love is supposed to be...

But thank-you, for loving me the best that you could. You might not think it was the best, but it was.

You’re a part of my life forever. Even if you’re not physically a part of it.

You, James Buchanan Barnes, have left a forever imprint in my life.

So for that I want to thank you and forgive you.

I will always remember you as the 7 year-old boy who taught me how to ride my bike.

-Elizabeth “Betty” Sanchez.

Elizabeth walked across the street and placed the sealed letter in the Barnes’ mailbox.

As she walked back to her house, she felt this heavy weight lifted off her shoulder.

Come that Monday morning she was going to accept, Principal Alvarez’s valedictorian offer. She was also going to talk to the student council and see if there was anyway for her to rejoin student body. She was also going to apologize to Steve. He was just an innocent bystander that got caught in the crossfire. She couldn’t blame him for standing by his best friend’s side.

Monday, her life will officially be going down a different path. One filled with less hatred, and more understanding and forgiveness.

————————-

Age: 35

Year: 2029

Location: Rhode Island

“We haven’t had any interested buyers in decades,” the relator tells the happy couple, “Because of that, the house is basically a steal. The family that owns it just wants it out of their possession.”

“Now, it is a bit of a fixer upper, since no one has lived here since the late 80s. But that shouldn’t be any issue for you since you’re married to the youngest recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.”

The couple shares a brief smile with each other.

“But if I might ask, no one has every showed interest in this house, especially not a young family like yours. Why do you want to buy this house?”

“I think this house has been empty long enough. It’s time someone filled this house with lots of love and happiness. Like before,” Elizabeth smiled, small crows feet forming around her eyes.

“Well what better way then a family like yours,” the relator smiled, “There’s plenty of space for lots of kids.”

“This one is out last,” Steve smiled, putting his arm around Elizabeth, placing his hand on her growing belly.

“Three is enough for us,” She playfully poked Steve’s side.

They followed the relator to the back where two young children are running around playing.

“So what do you think?” Elizabeth whispered to Steve, looking up into his eyes.

“It’s definitely a fixer upper, but I love it,” he smiles, “Like I said before, wherever you go. I’m there.”

Elizabeth presses a soft kiss to Steve’s lips.

“Diane,” she calls out to the older relator who is running around with mini-me’s of Elizabeth and Steve.

“We’ll take it,” she smiles broadly.

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webbedphantom · 10 months ago

Text

He didn't need to worry. He'd been through some crazy things, but never anything like that.

... Not yet, anyway-

"Oh, he'll definitely be enough!" Aaron chimed in, clear excitement on his mask.

"The world we're going to isn't even in the 2100's, so even though worlds with super people tend to be far more advanced than worlds without them, it shouldn't be an issue for him."

Man, just the idea of working with a sentient AI was making him all giddy. Sure, he'd already met one, even if poor Sophie was trapped in Futaba's armor systems, but that didn't make this any less cool.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the other's apology. Is this what it was like for everyone else when he argued with Arsène?

"It is pretty handy... Though, it kinda freaked me out at first. Before I accepted Arsène, I didn't have any control over it. So one minute I'm enjoying my lunch and talking with Ryuji, the next I'm having a minor panic attack after seeing that my legs were just gone-"

Yep, even the small amount of darkness beneath the table was enough to activate that power. And the rest of his abilities had been similarly disorienting.

He marveled a bit at his explanation of Shinigami. It was very different from the Personas he knew, though he supposed that it made sense. It's not like the Metaverse was the only supernatural thing in existence.

"Well, either way, let's hope that your little friend can't set off their danger senses from whatever ethereal plane he calls home."

He didn't think that he could, though it's not like he knew how it all worked, both the creature in question, as well as the sixth sense they were trying to avoid.

"Don't worry! I've made something similar in the past." He remarked proudly. "Though this particular iteration is going to need some chemistry knowledge. Thankfully, I happen to know a certain student council president who's an expert in the field~"

He was so lucky to have such smart friends. Between his engineering skills, Makoto's chemical know how, and Futaba's computer science wizardry, there was almost nothing they couldn't make together. Sure, it wouldn't be too fancy, he was limited on parts, not to mention his budget for said parts, but it'd get the job done.

"Awesome! See ya next week then!"

With that, he headed over to the window by his bed, lifting it open and preparing to swing away.

"Oh, and feel free to hang around here for a bit if you want. Just be sure to take your glasses off if you head downstairs. I don't really wear mine anymore, so it might raise some suspicion for anyone not in the know."

Granted, Sojiro and his team were well aware of his counterpart's situation, but he was more worried about the regulars or his other neighbors... or Tae for that matter. Having to explain the multiverse to the doctor did not sound fun-

"Oh, and don't touch anything on my desk. Some of those projects are a bit sensitive... and explosive-"

"... anyways, I gotta patrol. Catch ya later!"

He fired out a webline, before tugging sharply on it and swinging away.

____________________________________________

Shibuya Crossing - Rooftop

Saturday - December 23rd

One Week Later

Things had gone fairly well since the two had last met up. He'd gotten a little distracted spending time with his friends, and his Aunt, who'd come to visit him for the season, but he'd still managed to gather what they needed.

However, due to his adoptive mother-figure's surprise arrival, they'd needed to move their meeting elsewhere. She wasn't exactly privy to his other life, and since he'd planned to keep it that way, he didn't want to risk her running into him.

He swung onto the scene, his bookbag hanging off his shoulder as he landed gracefully in front of the other.

"Sorry I'm late. Ran into a guy robbing banks with a very large wheel... But I got the gear!"

He took the bag off his shoulder, before opening it up, tossing two metal bracelets and two dark red cartridges to his counterpart.

"These are webshooters! Makoto came in clutch with the formula to make the actual webs, should be near identical to what the Society uses."

He'd be sure to explain how they worked, as well as the function of those odd red pieces, but for now, it was best to focus on the task at hand. The infiltration plan.

He pulled out a small projector, switching it on before tossing it on the floor, allowing it to display a holographic map of their target. Earth-928's Alchemax Tower, the main headquarters of the Spider-Society.

The tower was impossibly tall, over twice the height of the Empire State Building. Along the building were orange lines and bright red areas, as well as their destination, the Go-Home Machine, marked in yellow.

"Hobie did his best to fill in the patrol routes and public hangout spots from memory, but he doesn't know if they'll still be accurate. What he does know is that most members should be in their home dimensions for the holidays, meaning we won't have nearly as many Spiders to sneak around."

"Lastly, the security seems less worried about keeping people out, and more about keeping them in, especially on the higher floors. Meaning that our best way in will likely be towards the top of the building."

A lot of the patrols seemed to focused around the prison area, which was a good ways away from their target. If they could avoid being detected, they might not even have to worry about the guards.

"So... What's the plan?"

"I'm up for swapping stories if you are." Seakira chuckled. "Though I admit it wasn't so much 'sun' as... very white. To the point Arsene was white. White and gold, and myself as well. White hair, white skin - porcelain-like, not... you know. Caucasian."

"Anyone who knew about Yaldabaoth would probably have probably thought I was one of his minions." It also hurt like the damned, and wasn't something he hoped anyone else had gone through. Certainly not his alternates, that was for sure.

And certainly not this one. Seakira liked this Joker, and didn't want to learn he'd ALSO basically temporarily fried his soul to help a world not die.

"Not sure who Nichole is, but my guess is probably, yeah~! If Nichole is a little mechanical lifeform with a mind of her own~" He knew Sonic, but never really payed attention to the series - Seakira hoped that wasn't gonna get him roped into a watch party.

Or did he? It had been a while since he'd watched any television... Hm. Something to think on later.

"Kenzo's usually enough, hacking-wise - his worlds time period was..." Seakira trailed off, at which point, said little droid happily chimed in to help-

'The last year I was aware of it being, it was 3234. Then I was... caught. And stuck with The Spider for a while...'

"Ah, yes, thank you - 3234 was the last date he was aware of back in his home world, so usually he's more than enough, hacking-wise. Most machines and codes in modern day just aren't robust enough to be much of a challenge, according to him."

'Of course they aren't! Most systems outside of my world have a single security check and that's it - they don't even have a basic VI to-'

"Okay, okay, calm down, we can rant about 2000's security not being up to the standards of a 3000's machine lifeform later-" He could feel the little droid huffing in the back of his... mind, resettling into whatever silent corner he usually sat in. "Sorry. Anyway, where were we... Ah. Yes, mildly jealous of the invisibility thing since I don't have that yet, and... Shinigami isn't a Persona, per say. He's a creature I met in another world, made a deal with him. It's effectively a more mutualistic 'I give you power and you give me things' contract, but I've never been sure if he's on my person or just reaching through realities." He might've been hitchhiking in his body, now, come to think of it - alternate realities might be too far for even a Voidsent to reach...

"All that aside, a grapple that they'd tune out sounds like it'd be very handy - if it's not too difficult, of course. I've been sent into places with less advantage. It all sounds good to me, though - an EMP might be a bit tricky, but I'm confidant I can come up with one. So... Yeah~! Sounds good." He took a breath - trying to tamp down the excitement he was feeling - breaking into a place full of heros, AND possibly finding a way home?

One hell of a Christmas gift, for everyone involved.

#q'd #late reply #extremely long post #sorry this took so long #sailingmakai #we fight as one - second semester mv;#thought I'd make it a bit longer since I kept you waiting for so long #don't feel pressured to match the length of this! I just wanted to make up for the wait #I didn't mention it in the post but Aaron would be SO down for that Sonic watch party #Also I kinda pictured that whole thing taking place in Aaron's bedroom in Leblanc. Hope that was okay #The dark red cartridges are filled with his curse energy webs so he can use those if need be

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