#I just wanted to kind of put a little explanation why I seemed to disappear

[variberry]

question for the tts famdom:

am i alone in thinking that quirin kinda sucks?

- i mean first and foremost we have the destruction of Old Corona due to the black rocks. given that he’s been a part of the brotherhood since its inception, Quirin is 100% fully aware of what they are. Frederic is an ass but what was Quirin hoping to achieve by lying to him about the rocks? it seemed like he was fine with letting Old Corina be completely destroyed and just moving everyone somewhere else, which he knows WILL NOT WORK because the rocks will continue to chase the sundrop until they reunite!! what was he thinking??

- then we have the withholding information from Varian. i know he’s a kid, but from what the viewers can tell, Quirin is under no orders to keep quiet about what the rocks are. it would not kill him to be like “hey, the rocks are powered by a stone with the power to decay, so maybe don’t mess with them until we collectively come up with a definitive plan of action.” there is so little effort put in to keeping Varian in the loop that it borders on stupidity. of course he’s going to take matters into his own hands if you’re acting like nothing’s wrong

- lastly, and this isn’t necessarily Quirin’s fault (*side-eyes Chris*) but there is no way in HELL that long ass note he wrote to Varian before getting encased in the amber just said “i’m proud of you.” there’s no way. throughout the episode, there are obvious allusions to what Quirin might want to share with varian— 1) the zoom in on the family portrait signifies that it might be something to do with Ulla’s implied death/disappearance and 2) the repeated appearance of the brotherhood symbol on the chest, helmet, and marking on Quirin’s hand, alluding to his role in the current situation. and we see him write a literal scroll of text. there are several close up shots on the letter, so we, as the audience, assume that it’s important and will mean something to Varian later on. fast forward to the season 3 premiere where Quirin is finally freed, and the note disintegrates after Rapunzel uses the decay incantation. well, shit. but now Quirin is alive to explain everything! hooray! but when varian says he needs to know what was in the note, Quirin pauses before simply going: “i’m so proud of you, son.” HUH??!? no. there is simply no way. it’s implied in the finale that Varian is kind of aware of the brotherhood, but there’s no explanation as to how on earth he found out. Eugene even has to remind him that Quirin was a part of it! Varian then gets upset at the idea of his father being affected by the talisman like Adira and Hector, implying that he doesn’t really understand how the brotherhood is connected to the moonstone. he can’t know and not know at the same time. if i’m missing something, please lmk but from what I gathered, Quirin has not explained anything to Varian. it’s implied that he wrote it all down in a letter he assumed Varian would read after his own death, but for some reason, when given the chance to, he doesn’t explain a thing. why? why was Quirin content with Varian finding out in the event of his death but not while he’s still alive? did Chris forget what he wrote???

- extra random gripe, but how old is Quirin? in the present, he looks a little older than Fred tbh but in the ‘25 years ago’ flashbacks to the Dark Kingdom, he looks the same! is the gray streak in his hair just part of his design? idk why this bugs me but it does

in conclusion: Quirin just pisses me off

anyway, lmk what you all think. thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[lsd-astronaut]

Hi ! I love your stuff so much ! I have a request, could you do an one shot (Pippin x fem human!reader) ? And i really loved your nsfw headcanons, so maybe with smut ? Thank you 😽

In a Pippin mood so you get what you asked for! Hope you like it :)

There's someone in this fandom who said they wanted to see more fics with Pippin's sisters but I can't remember their username to save my life, so could any of you please tag them so they hopefully see this? I took a lot of liberties considering we know next to nothing about them, but well.

Like and reblog!

A Normal Day in Tookland (Pippin Took x Fem!Human!Reader)

Warning: bit suggestive? i made pip kind of forward and mature in here which is just funny to me

"Now, are you sure your family is not going to mind?" You had asked the same question at least ten times and yet the answer from the hobbit that walked by your side did not change.

"For the last time, you don't have to worry at all! They're gonna love you!" Pippin grinned at you.

You weren't fully convinced yet. "Even though I'm a human? That's going to be a shock to them, that's for sure."

"Eh," Pippin shrugged his shoulders. "They might be a bit more concerned about why I have suddenly grown a head or two."

"I told you not to drink that water!"

"First of all, I was thirsty. And if I don't listen to my own first cousin, why would I listen to you?" At this, you had to sigh and ruffle his hair with a fond smile. Whatever could have made you choose him of all people? A yell startled you out of your musings.

"YOU BLOODY BASTARD!" And suddenly Pippin was out of your sight. Quickly looking behind, you saw said hobbit sprawled on the ground, a shorter figure on top of him. When had she jumped on him? Two more figures joined the first one as Pippin was left helpless. However, he didn't seem worried at all. In fact, he was smiling widely.

"Oi! Pervinca, that's a bit rude to call your beloved little brother, ain't it?" The taller of the girls huffed and pointed at his chest. "You're no beloved little brother of any of us, Peregrin! You idiot, going and disappearing for a year to Yavanna knows where! And no letter, no nothing, just a small slip of paper to tell us you were bringing company. Do you care so little about us?"

Pippin looked at you for some help that did not come for you were distracted by a tug on your sleeve. Turning around again, you looked down to see an older hobbit with a sweet smile. "You must be the one Peregrin was talking about in his letter, right? It is so nice to meet you, dear, my name is Eglantine," and she signalled to the four behind you. "I'm their mother."

"Oh," you blushed and bowed a bit. "It is an honour to meet you. Pippin has told me much about all of you."

"Has he now?" The eldest of the sisters walked up to you and put her hands on her hips. Noticing your puzzled look, she extended her hand. "Pearl Took, at your service. The one who tackled Pip is Pervinca, and the other is Pimpernel."

You shook her hand and nodded at her explanation. "So, you're all older than him?"

"Doesn't look like it, but I'm fifteen years his senior." Pearl smirked proudly. "He was kind of a surprise for the family."

"A very welcome surprise, indeed." Eglantine smiled. "Girls! Get off your brother this instant!" The two siblings groaned but quickly listened. Pervinca widened her eyes as she set them upon you. "You're one of the Big Folk! Pip didn't say anything about that!"

Eglantine scolded her for speaking so brazenly but you simply laughed. "A fair observation. You're Pervinca, I suppose?" The hobbit grinned, making her look eerily similar to her younger brother, and nodded with enthusiasm. She proceeded to grab your hand and pull you towards what you supposed was the Took household, all while she rambled fast about so many things that had you not been used to Pippin's mannerisms throughout the journey, it would have made your head swim.

The smial was pretty big on the inside, but you expected that, as Pippin had told you something about how he was the heir of a very important position in the Shire. Thain, you barely remembered the term.

Your boyfriend had joined you shortly after entering the main hall, brushing any leftover leaves and dirt from his cloak and shirt. He smiled at you when you reached your hand out to take a branch that was tangled in his brown curls, which made your heart do acrobatics. One could only hope with fervor that this sensation would not change as your relationship progressed.

"Now, now, Peregrin, you're trailing dirt in the house." Eglantine scolded Pippin, who quietly apologized with a smile and proceeded to hold your hand before taking the both of you to the kitchen, where his three sisters were already sat. Of course, a small quarrel immediately broke out over who you should sit with.

"She should sit with me!"

"Why you and not me? I'm the eldest!"

"I think she should sit between Pervinca and me."

"Excuse me? Why are you deciding where my girlfriend is sitting?"

You couldn't help but to giggle at their antics, at least until a sixth hobbit entered the scene, this time an old gentlehobbit. He did not even have to speak for the four siblings to immediately shut up and sit down. Pippin motioned you to sit between him and Pimpernel. Who you supposed was Eglantine's husband and thus Pippin's father, lay his eyes on you and his face brightened.

"Welcome to our home, dear, I hope these four rascals have not caused you any inconvenience." He smiled when you shook your head shyly. "And I also hope the chairs are not too small for you. I must say we did not expect Peregrin to bring Big Folk here, but I assure you it is not a problem at all. I am Paladin Took, at your service."

Again, a shy 'thank you' left your mouth, and finally everyone was set on the table. The onslaught of questions started mere seconds after.

"So, where did you two meet?" Eglantine asked.

"Um... In Rivendell, we did."

"Rivendell! That's mighty far! Just where the hell have you been with the elves, Pip? Stop stuffing your mouth with bread; you can't ignore our questions forever!"

"I must say, you never see Big Folk around here anymore. Where do you come from?"

"Oh, I'm from Minas Tirith, all the way to the east."

"Minas Tirith! That's even farther than Rivendell. Oh, I suppose you have also seen Meriadoc? Esmeralda was awfully worried about him too, saying he had completely vanished. I suppose he left with Peregrin. You can never see those two on their own for more than a few hours. There was one funny story—"

"Mom!"

A few hours later, you lied on the bed of one of the guest rooms, looking at the ceiling. The dinner had been exhausting, but a good kind of exhausting, which you had not felt for a very, very long time. The bed was big, but still thought for hobbits, so a small part of your feet went over the mattress. It was no bother, as you had assured Pippin's mother, for you could just bend your knees a bit and sleep perfectly like that.

Eglantine and Paladin hadn't let you two to sleep in the same room, which you fairly understood as they were on the older side of life, and probably saw these things with a level of tradition that was quickly being lost in younger generations. Not that you wished to do anything tonight, the trip from Bag End here and then the effusiveness of the Tooks, so different from your own family, had left you utterly spent.

A quiet knock on the door snapped you awake and you shook your head, not having even realized that you had momentarily dozed off. You swung your feet over the side of the bed and walked to the door, expecting to see Eglantine, or maybe one of the sister trio. What a surprise, indeed, when you found yourself looking at Pippin. Before you could open your mouth, he shushed you.

"Can I come in?" You nodded and he grinned before walking past you and flopping down on your bed. Closing the door, you walked toward him.

"Your parents are going to get mad at me if they catch you here, you know?" You said as your fingers moved to softly run through Pippin's curls. He smiled like a content cat and opened his green eyes to look at you with such love that almost made you weak in your knees.

"Mad? They adore you, why do you think that?"

Your hand lowered and your fingertips skimmed his cheek, to which he hummed in satisfaction. "They might think me a temptress or something like that." Now, you were lying on the bed, facing Pippin, still continuing your ministrations. He made a noise in his throat and you felt his calloused hand starting to form a path up your leg, your thigh, to your waist. The warmth that came from his skin was a welcome one despite it being summer.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Pippin looked at you with a genuine expression on his face. "But I already love you, you don't need to tempt me."

"You're getting better with your words, Master Hobbit." You accentuated your teasing with a quick kiss on his lips. He did chase after them once you separated, so you gave in and kissed him again. You were merciful, after all. An involuntary yawn suddenly made way, and you blushed furiously as Pippin laughed and moved his hand away from your thigh, letting the fabric of your nightgown drape over your skin once again.

"You're exhausted! You should sleep." And at your pout, he added: "These things can wait until tomorrow, don't worry about it. I know my family can be a bit too excitable, but I hope it wasn't too much."

You shook your head. "They're lovely. You are exactly like them, which makes me happy, for some reason."

At such a confession, Pippin looked at you with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, as he could not believe what was right in front of him. Right now, for him, you were the most important and beloved person in the world, even more than any king (may Aragorn never hear of this).

And that was enough.

Jesus Christ, I hope you didn't notice the utter writer block I got on the second half of the fic (actually the entirety of the fic but I'm delusional). This sounded so much better in my head, but I hope it sounds good enough for you when you read it. Thank you so much for your request and come back whenever you want!

[herofics]

Hallucinating hollows

A/N: I am obsessed with this man, (so more Shunsui it is) and I really need some comfort right now. I'm not doing well mentally, and I just wanted to get my feelings and thoughts out. DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE TRIGGERED BY THE STUFF IN THE WARNINGS

Warnings: Psychosis, delusions and hallucinations

"Captain?" Nanao asked from outside the door. "There's someone here to see you"

"Come in" he said, putting his paperwork aside.

A young woman with an intensely worried expression entered his quarters, seemingly out of breath. She quickly greeted him with a bow and jumped into an explanation.

"I'm from squad 4, and a friend of (Name)'s. They're having an episode of some kind and won't let anyone near them. I'm aware of your relationship, and they are in a terrible way, so I thought you could help. Please, Captain Kyoraku, they were erratic and seemed absolutely terrified"

"Are they at the barracks?" Kyoraku asked, already getting up and heading for the door.

"Yes sir, they're in their room" she said as the captain disappeared.

Kyoraku had felt this was coming for a while now. You had been pushing yourself for so long, no breaks, no rest and very little self-care. Hollow activity had been on the rise lately, and as one of the most proficient healers in squad 4, you had a lot of work. People kept coming back injured more and more often, and your workload had just been growing and growing. In addition to all of that, you hadn't really been taking good care of yourself, and now the dam had finally broken.

He got to the barracks quickly and made his way through the crowd of people that had gathered near your room. The squad 4 lieutenant was keeping people away from your room.

"Alright everyone, there's nothing to see here, get back to work" Isane commanded.

Kyoraku shut the door behind him as he entered the room, and noticed you sitting in the corner rocking back and forth, your zanpakuto on the floor next to you, the sheath nowhere to be seen.

"Why doesn't it leave me alone?" you muttered, raising your head to look at him. "It just sits in the corner and waits"

There was this haunted look in your eyes that made Kyoraku feel uneasy. You had clearly been crying, but now you just seemed empty.

"That sounds scary, my love. May I sit with you?" he asked before approaching.

You just nodded slowly, before moving a little bit to the side to make room for him. He walked towards you slowly and sat down on the floor next to you.

"Would you like to tell me about what's going on?" he asked gently.

"It just keeps staring at me. I don't get how a small hollow like that would have gotten in here"

"Is that why you have your zanpakuto out? You tried to kill it?" Kyoraku asked.

"No, I just wanted it to stay away from me" you muttered, staring into the opposite corner of the room.

Kyoraku was well aware there was nothing there, but he wasn't about to start challenging what you were experiencing, because he knew it was very real for you. He'd been through this with you before, but this time you seemed especially shaken.

"How long has it been here with you?"

"I don't know, I've been sensing it for a while now, but I only saw it today" you shuddered. "I think it wants to hurt me" you added with a whisper, leaning in his direction.

"As long as I'm here, I'm never going to let anything hurt you, you know that right, my love?"

"But what happens when you're not here?" you asked, looking at him with a tired expression.

You were so tired. That hollow had been following you for days, maybe even weeks, but you had been trying to ignore the presence you'd been sensing. You didn't know how much time had passed since that hollow had finally shown itself, but you felt like you had been in this deadlock forever. It was just sitting in a shadowy corner of your room, and waiting. It was waiting for you to get tired and fall asleep or for you to lose focus so it could hurt you. Shunsui had come in at some point and sat down next to you, but you weren't sure how long he'd been there. He was asking you questions, but it all felt like misdirection.

"How about you come stay with me? I promise I'll keep you safe so you can get some rest. You look exhausted sweetheart" Kyoraku said, offering his hand to you.

"You promise you'll make sure it doesn't hurt me?" you asked, looking at his hand, considering if you should take it.

"Nothing's going to hurt you while you're with me" Kyoraku smiled gently, and stood up, still holding his hand out to you.

You took a second to think about it, glanced towards the corner where the hollow was sitting one last time, and took his hand. You let him lead you out of the room and through the Seireitei to his quarters, luckily your squad's barracks we're close to the 8th's. You held his hand tightly, keeping an eye on the shadows that felt like they were following you. His hand was calloused and rough, but it felt warm and gentle as you held it. You could still feel the presence of the hollow following you, but you didn't see it.

When you got to the captain's quarters at the squad 8 barracks, Kyoraku exchanged a few words with Nanao, but you were too focused on checking the shadows around the room for that tiny hollow to listen to what they were talking about.

"Could you make sure no one disturbs me the rest of the day? I think it's better that we be alone" the captain requested.

"How are they? Is it as bad as last time?" Nanao asked quietly, looking past Kyoraku as you were scanning the room with your eyes, still holding his hand.

"I don't know, but I'll make sure they get through it"

"I'll leave you two alone, and I'll make sure no one comes to bother you" Nanao said, and closed the door behind her as she left.

Kyoraku sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. He hated seeing you so scared and tired.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?"

"I don't remember. I've been so busy" you muttered, still looking around the room.

"Sweetheart, you need to take care of yourself as well. Not just everyone else" he slowly pulled you back to him, and you let him. "I'll make sure nothing bothers you, please?"

He had a pleading look in his eyes, like it was the most important thing in the world to him that you got some sleep.

"Fine, I can try, as long as you're here" you gave in and pulled him towards the bed.

You laid down, with him laying down right next to you. You were facing each other, and you placed a hand on his bare chest that was exposed by his plunging neckline. You could just barely feel his heart beating in his chest.

"Just focus on that, it's going to be just fine" Kyoraku said, placing his hand on top of yours.

"I'm tired Shunsui, I feel like I'm gonna fall asleep any second" you yawned as you snuggled closer to him.

"That's just fine sweetheart, you need your rest" he said gently, pressing a kiss on your forehead.

"You promise I'll be safe?" you asked quietly one more time.

"Always, my love"

It didn't take long for you to drift to sleep. Kyoraku stayed with you the whole time until you woke up sometime the next day. He didn't get any sleep, because he wanted to make sure you could wake up to him watching over you. So you knew had kept his promise and made sure you were safe the whole time.

[rjalker]

If anyone wants to read "Through the Dragon Glass," "The Girl in the Golden Atom," etc, and writes to me, I will tell him where they can be obtained. (This is not an attempt at free advertising.) I know several places where it is possible to secure works of this kind and will be glad to assist anyone who doesn't.

1931 book fan solidarity lol. I'm not sure if this is piracy or not. I assume if it were really blatant piracy they wouldn't have published this letter in the magazine but I don't know lol.

I'll continue the tradition nonetheless. Both public domain.

The Girl in the Golden Atom

Through The Dragon Glass

I have not read either of them so I have no warnings to offer.

Oh looks like it's a full sized book, 97K words. So can't be uploaded to tumblr lol. You can read it on the Internet Archive though.

You can however read Through The Dragon Glass here, First published in All-Story Weekly, November 24, 1917.

5.5k words

HERNDON helped loot the Forbidden City when the Allies turned the suppression of the Boxers into the most gorgeous burglar-party since the days of Tamerlane. Six of his sailormen followed faithfully his buccaneering fancy. A sympathetic Russian highness whom he had entertained in New York saw to it that he got to the coast and his yacht. That is why Herndon was able to sail through the Narrows with as much of the Son of Heaven's treasures as the most accomplished laborer in Peking's mission vineyards.

Some of the loot he gave to charming ladies who had dwelt or were still dwelling on the sunny side of his heart. Most of it he used to fit up those two astonishing Chinese rooms in his Fifth Avenue house. And a little of it, following a vague religious impulse, he presented to the Metropolitan Museum. This, somehow, seemed to put the stamp of legitimacy on his part of the pillage—like offerings to the gods and building hospitals and peace palaces and such things.

But the Dragon Glass, because he had never seen anything quite so wonderful, he set up in his bedroom Where he could look at it the first thing in the morning, and he placed shaded lights about it so that he could wake up in the night and look at it! Wonderful? It is more than wonderful, the Dragon Glass! Whoever made it lived when the gods walked about the earth creating something new every day. Only a man who lived in that sort of atmosphere could have wrought it. There was never anything like it.

I was in Hawaii when the cables told of Herndon's first disappearance. There wasn't much to tell. His man had gone to his room to awaken him one morning—and Herndon wasn't there. All his clothes were, though, Everything was just as if Herndon ought to be somewhere in the house— only he wasn't.

A man worth ten millions can't step out into thin air and vanish without leaving behind him the probability of some commotion, naturally. The newspapers attend to the commotion, but the columns of type boiled down to essentials contained just two facts—that Herndon had come home the night before, and in the morning he was undiscoverable.

I was on the high seas, homeward bound to help the search, when the wireless told the story of his reappearance. They had found him on the floor of his bedroom, shreds of a silken robe on him, and his body mauled as though by a tiger. But there was no more explanation of his return than there had been of his disappearance.

The night before he hadn't been there—and in the morning there he was. Herndon, when he was able to talk, utterly refused to confide even in his doctors. I went straight through to New York, and waited until the men of medicine decided that it was better to let him see me than have him worry any longer about not seeing me.

Herndon got up from a big invalid chair when I entered. His eyes were clear and bright, and there was no weakness in the way he greeted me, nor in the grip of his hand. A nurse slipped from the room.

"What was it, Jim?" I cried. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Not so sure it was on earth," he said. He pointed to what looked like a tall easel hooded with a heavy piece of silk covered with embroidered Chinese characters. He hesitated for a moment and then walked over to a closet. He drew out two heavy bore guns, the very ones, I remembered, that he had used in his last elephant hunt.

"You won't think me crazy if I ask you to keep one of these handy while I talk, will you, Ward?" he asked rather apologetically. "This looks pretty real, doesn't it?"

He opened his dressing gown and showed me his chest swathed in bandages. He gripped my shoulder as I took without question one of the guns. He walked to the easel and drew off the hood.

"There it is," said Herndon.

And then, for the first time, I saw the Dragon Glass!

There never has been anything like that thing! Never! At first all you saw was a cool, green, glimmering translucence, like the sea when you are swimming under water on a still summer day and look up through it. Around its edges ran flickers of scarlet and gold, flashes of emerald, shimmers of silver and ivory. At its base a disk of topaz rimmed with red fire shot up dusky little vaporous yellow flames.

Afterward you were aware that the green translucence was an oval slice of polished stone. The flashes and flickers became dragons. There were twelve of them. Their eyes were emeralds, their fangs were ivory, their claws were gold. There were scaled dragons, and each scale was so inlaid that the base, green as the primeval jungle, shaded off into vivid scarlet, and the scarlet into tip's of gold. Their wings were of silver and vermilion, and were folded close to their bodies.

But they were alive, those dragons. There was never so much life in metal and wood since Al-Akram, the Sculptor of ancient Ad, carved the first crocodile, and the jealous Almighty breathed life into it for a punishment!

And last you saw that the topaz disk that sent up the little yellow flames was the top of a metal sphere around which coiled a thirteenth dragon, thin and red, and biting its scorpion-tipped tail.

It took your breath away, the first glimpse of the Dragon Glass. Yes, and the second and third glimpse, too—and every other time you looked at it.

"Where did you get it?" I asked, a little shakily.

Herndon said evenly: "It was in a small hidden crypt in the Imperial Palace. We broke into the crypt quite by"—he hesitated—"well, call it accident. As soon as I saw it I knew I must have it. What do you think of it?"

"Think!" I cried. "Think! Why, it's the most marvelous thing that the hands of man ever made! What is that stone? Jade?"

"I'm not sure," said Herndon. "But come here. Stand just in front of me."

He switched out the lights in the room. He turned another switch, and on the glass opposite me three shaded electrics threw their rays into its mirror-like oval.

"Watch!" said Herndon. "Tell me what you see!"

I looked into the glass. At first I could see nothing but the rays shining farther, farther—back into infinite distances, it seemed. And then.

"Good God!" I cried, stiffening with horror. "Jim, what hellish thing is this?"

"Steady, old man," came Herndon's voice. There was relief and a curious sort of joy in it. "Steady; tell me what you see."

I said: "I seem to see through infinite distances—and yet what I see is as close to me as though it were just on the other side of the glass. I see a cleft that cuts through two masses of darker green. I see a claw, a gigantic, hideous claw that stretches out through the cleft. The claw has seven talons that open and close—open and close. Good God, such a claw, Jim! It is like the claws that reach out from the holes in the lama's hell to grip the blind souls as they shudder by!"

"Look, look farther, up through the cleft, above the claw. It widens. What do you see?"

I said: "I see a peak rising enormously high and cutting the sky like a pyramid. There are flashes of flame that dart from behind and outline it. I see a great globe of light like a moon that moves slowly out of the flashes; there is another moving across the breast of the peak; there is a third that swims into the flame at the farthest edge—"

"The seven moons of Rak," whispered Herndon, as though to himself. "The seven moons that bathe in the rose flames of Rak which are the fires of life and that circle Lalil like a diadem. He upon whom the seven moons of Rak have shone is bound to Lalil for this life, and for ten thousand lives."

He reached over and turned the switch again. The lights of the room sprang up.

"Jim," I said, "it can't be real! What is it? Some devilish illusion in the glass?"

He unfastened the bandages about his chest.

"The claw you saw had seven talons," he answered quietly. "Well, look at this."

Across the white flesh of his breast, from left shoulder to the lower ribs on the right, ran seven healing furrows. They looked as though they had been made by a gigantic steel comb that had been drawn across him. They gave one the thought they had been ploughed.

"The claw made these," he said as quietly as before.

"Ward," he went on, before I could speak, "I wanted you to see— what you've seen. I didn't know whether you would see it. I don't know whether you'll believe me even now. I don't suppose I would if I were in your place—still—"

He walked over and threw the hood upon the Dragon Glass.

"I'm going to tell you," he said. "I'd like to go through it— uninterrupted. That's why I cover it.

"I don't suppose," he began slowly—"I don't suppose, Ward, that you've ever heard of Rak the Wonder-Worker, who lived somewhere back at the beginning of things, nor how the Greatest Wonder-Worker banished him somewhere outside the world?"

"No," I said shortly, still shaken by the sight.

"It's a big part of what I've got to tell you," he went on. "Of course you'll think it rot, but—I came across the legend in Tibet first. Then I ran across it again—with the names changed, of course— when I was getting away from China.

"I take it that the gods were still fussing around close to man when Rak was born. The story of his parentage is somewhat scandalous. When he grew older Rak wasn't satisfied with just seeing wonderful things being done. He wanted to do them himself, and he—well, he studied the method. After a while the Greatest Wonder-Worker ran across some of the things Rak had made, and he found them admirable—a little too admirable. He didn't like to destroy the lesser wonder-worker because, so the gossip ran, he felt a sort of responsibility. So he gave Rak a place somewhere—outside the world—and he gave him power over every one out of so many millions of births to lead or lure or sweep that soul into his domain so that he might build up a people—and over his people Rak was given the high, the low, and the middle justice.

"And outside the world Rak went. He fenced his domain about with clouds. He raised a great mountain, and on its flank he built a city for the men and women who were to be his. He circled the city with wonderful gardens, and he placed in the gardens many things, some good and some very—terrible. He set around the mountain's brow seven moons for a diadem, and he fanned behind the mountain a fire which is the fire of life, and through which the moons pass eternally to be born again." Herndon's voice sank to a whisper.

"Through which the moons pass," he said. "And with them the souls of the people of Rak. They pass through the fires and are born again—and again—for ten thousand lives. I have seen the moons of Rak and the souls that march with them into the fires. There is no sun in the land —only the new-born moons that shine green on the city and on the gardens."

"Jim," I cried impatiently. "What in the world are you talking about? Wake up, man! What's all that nonsense got to do with this?"

I pointed to the hooded Dragon Glass.

"That," he said. "Why, through that lies the road to the gardens of Rak!"

The heavy gun dropped from my hand as I stared at him, and from him to the glass and back again. He smiled and pointed to his bandaged breast.

He said: "I went straight through to Peking with the Allies. I had an idea what was coming, and I wanted to be in at the death. I was among the first to enter the Forbidden City. I was as mad for loot as any of them. It was a maddening sight, Ward. Soldiers with their arms full of precious stuff even Morgan couldn't buy; soldiers with wonderful necklaces around their hairy throats and their pockets stuffed with jewels; soldiers with their shirts bulging treasures the Sons of Heaven had been hoarding for centuries! We were Goths sacking imperial Rome. Alexander's hosts pillaging that ancient gemmed courtesan of cities, royal Tyre! Thieves in the great ancient scale, a scale so great that it raised even thievery up to something heroic.

"We reached the throne-room. There was a little passage leading off to the left, and my men and I took it. We came into a small octagonal room. There was nothing in it except a very extraordinary squatting figure of jade. It squatted on the floor, its back turned toward us. One of my men stooped to pick it up. He slipped. The figure flew from his hand and smashed into the wall. A slab swung outward. By a—well, call it a fluke, we had struck the secret of the little octagonal room!

"I shoved a light through the aperture. It showed a crypt shaped like a cylinder. The circle of the floor was about ten feet in diameter. The walls were covered with paintings, Chinese characters, queer-looking animals, and things I can't well describe. Around the room, about seven feet up, ran a picture. It showed a sort of island floating off into space. The clouds lapped its edges like frozen seas full of rainbows. There was a big pyramid of a mountain rising out of the side of it. Around its peak were seven moons, and over the peak—a face!

"I couldn't place that face and I couldn't take my eyes off it. It wasn't Chinese, and it wasn't of any other race I'd ever seen. It was as old as the world and as young as tomorrow. It was benevolent and malicious, cruel and kindly, merciful and merciless, saturnine as Satan and as joyous as Apollo. The eyes were as yellow as buttercups, or as the sunstone on the crest of the Feathered Serpent they worship down in the Hidden Temple of Tuloon. And they were as wise as Fate.

"'There's something else here, sir,' said Martin—you remember Martin, my first officer. He pointed to a shrouded thing on the side. I entered, and took from the thing a covering that fitted over it like a hood. It was the Dragon Glass!

"The moment I saw it I knew I had to have it—and I knew I would have it. I felt that I did not want to get the thing away any more than the thing itself wanted to get away. From the first I thought of the Dragon Glass as something alive. Just as much alive as you and I are. Well, I did get it away. I got it down to the yacht, and then the first odd thing happened.

"You remember Wu-Sing, my boat steward? You know the English Wu-Sing talks. Atrocious! I had the Dragon Glass in my stateroom. I'd forgotten to lock the door. I heard a whistle of sharply indrawn breath. I turned, and there was Wu-Sing. Now, you know that Wu-Sing isn't what you'd call intelligent-looking. Yet as he stood there something seemed to pass over his face, and very subtly change it. The stupidity was wiped out as though a sponge had been passed over it. He did not raise his eyes, but he said, in perfect English, mind you; 'Has the master augustly counted the cost of his possession?'

"I simply gaped at him.

"'Perhaps,' he continued, 'the master has never heard of the illustrious Hao-Tzan? Well, he shall hear.'"

"Ward, I couldn't move or speak. But I know now it wasn't sheer astonishment that held me. I listened while Wu-Sing went on to tell in polished phrase the same story that I had heard in Tibet, only there they called him Rak instead of Hao-Tzan. But it was the same story."

"'And,' he finished, 'before he journeyed afar, the illustrious Hao-Tzan caused a great marvel to be wrought. He called it the Gateway.' Wu-Sing waved his hand to the Dragon Glass. 'The master has it. But what shall he who has a Gateway do but pass through it? Is it not better to leave the Gateway behind —unless he dare go through it?'"

"He was silent. I was silent, too. All I could do was wonder where the fellow had so suddenly got his command of English. And then Wu-Sing straightened. For a moment his eyes looked into mine. They were as yellow as buttercups, Ward, and wise, wise! My mind rushed back to the little room behind the panel. Ward—the eyes of Wu-Sing were the eyes of the face that brooded over the peak of the moons!"

"And all in a moment, the face of Wu-Sing dropped back into its old familiar stupid lines. The eyes he turned to me were black and clouded. I jumped from my chair."

"'What do you mean, you yellow fraud!' I shouted. 'What do you mean by pretending all this time that you couldn't talk English?'"

"He looked at me stupidly, as usual. He whined in his pidgin that he didn't understand; that he hadn't spoken a word to me until then. I couldn't get anything else out of him, although I nearly frightened his wits out. I had to believe him. Besides, I had seen his eyes. Well, I was fair curious by this time, and I was more anxious to get the glass home safely than ever."

"I got it home. I set it up here, and I fixed those lights as you saw them. I had a sort of feeling that the glass was waiting—for something. I couldn't tell just what. But that it was going to be rather important, I knew—"

He suddenly thrust his head into his hands, and rocked to and fro.

"How long, how long," he moaned, "how long, Santhu?"

"Jim!" I cried. "Jim! What's the matter with you?"

He straightened. "In a moment you'll understand," he said.

And then, as quietly as before: "I felt that the glass was waiting. The night I disappeared I couldn't sleep. I turned out the lights in the room; turned them on around the glass and sat before it. I don't know how long I sat, but all at once I jumped to my feet. The dragons seemed to be moving! They were moving! They were crawling round and round the glass. They moved faster and faster. The thirteenth dragon spun about the topaz globe. They circled faster and faster until they were nothing but a halo of crimson and gold flashes. As they spun, the glass itself grew misty, mistier, mistier still, until it was nothing but a green haze. I stepped over to touch it. My hand went straight on through it as though nothing were there.

"I reached in—up to the elbow, up to the shoulder. I felt my hand grasped by warm little fingers. I stepped through—"

"Stepped through the glass?" I cried.

"Through it," he said, "and then—I felt another little hand touch my face. I saw Santhu!

"Her eyes were as blue as the corn flowers, as blue as the big sapphire that shines in the forehead of Vishnu, in his temple at Benares. And they were set wide, wide apart. Her hair was blue-black, and fell in two long braids between her little breasts. A golden dragon crowned her, and through its paws slipped the braids. Another golden dragon girded her. She laughed into my eyes, and drew my head down until my lips touched hers. She was lithe and slender and yielding as the reeds that grow before the Shrine of Hathor that stands on the edge of the Pool of Djeeba. Who Santhu is or where she came from—how do I know? But this I know—she is lovelier than any woman who ever lived on earth. And she is a woman!

"Her arms slipped from about my neck and she drew me forward. I looked about me. We stood in a cleft between two great rocks. The rocks were a soft green, like the green of the Dragon Glass. Behind us was a green mistiness. Before us the cleft ran only a little distance. Through it I saw an enormous peak jutting up like a pyramid, high, high into a sky of chrysoprase. A soft rose radiance pulsed at its sides, and swimming slowly over its breast was a huge globe of green fire. The girl pulled me towards the opening. We walked on silently, hand in hand. Quickly it came to me—Ward, I was in the place whose pictures had been painted in the room of the Dragon Glass!

"We came out of the cleft and into a garden. The Gardens of Many-Columned Iram, lost in the desert because they were too beautiful, must have been like that place. There were strange, immense trees whose branches were like feathery plumes and whose plumes shone with fires like those that clothe the feet of Indra's dancers. Strange flowers raised themselves along our path, and their hearts glowed like the glow-worms that are fastened to the rainbow bridge to Asgard. A wind sighed through the plumed trees, and luminous shadows drifted past their trunks. I heard a girl laugh, and the voice of a man singing.

"We went on. Once there was a low wailing far in the garden, and the girl threw herself before me, her arms outstretched. The wailing ceased, and we went on. The mountain grew plainer. I saw another great globe of green fire swing out of the rose flashes at the right of the peak. I saw another shining into the glow at the left. There was a curious trail of mist behind it. It was a mist that had tangled in it a multitude of little stars. Everything was bathed in a soft green light—such a light as you would have if you lived within a pale emerald.

"We turned and went along another little trail. The little trail ran up a little hill, and on the hill was a little house. It looked as though it was made of ivory. It was a very odd little house. It was more like the Jain pagodas at Brahmaputra than anything else. The walls glowed as though they were full light. The girl touched the wall, and a panel slid away. We entered, and the panel closed after us.

"The room was filled with a whispering yellow light. I say whispering because that is how one felt about it. It was gentle and alive. A stairway of ivory ran up to another room above. The girl pressed me toward it. Neither of us had uttered a word. There was a spell of silence upon me. I could not speak. There seemed to be nothing to say. I felt a great rest and a great peace—as though I had come home. I walked up the stairway and into the room above. It was dark except for a bar of green light that came through the long and narrow window. Through it I saw the mountain and its moons. On the floor was an ivory head-rest and some silken cloths. I felt suddenly very sleepy. I dropped to the cloths, and at once was asleep.

"When I awoke the girl with the cornflower eyes was beside me! She was sleeping. As I watched, her eyes opened. She smiled and drew me to her—"

"I do not know why, but a name came to me. 'Santhu!' I cried. She smiled again, and I knew that I had called her name. It seemed to me that I remembered her, too, out of immeasurable ages. I arose and walked to the window. I looked toward the mountain. There were now two moons on its breast. And then I saw the city that lay on the mountain's flank. It was such a city as you see in dreams, or as the tale-tellers of El-Bahara fashion out of the mirage. It was all of ivory and shining greens and flashing blues and crimsons. I could see people walking about its streets. There came the sound of little golden bells chiming."

"I turned toward the girl. She was sitting up, her hands clasped about her knees, watching me. Love came, swift and compelling. She arose—I took her in my arms—"

"Many times the moons circled the mountains, and the mist held the little, tangled stars passing with them. I saw no one but Santhu; no thing came near us. The trees fed us with fruits that had in them the very essences of life. Yes, the fruit of the Tree of Life that stood in Eden must have been like the fruit of those trees. We drank of green water that sparkled with green fires, and tasted like the wine Osiris gives the hungry souls in Amenti to strengthen them. We bathed in pools of carved stone that welled with water yellow as amber. Mostly we wandered in the gardens. There were many wonderful things in the gardens. They were very unearthly. There was no day nor night. Only the green glow of the ever-circling moons. We never talked to each other. I don't know why. Always there seemed nothing to say."

"Then Santhu began to sing to me. Her songs were strange songs. I could not tell what the words were. But they built up pictures in my brain. I saw Rak the Wonder-Worker fashioning his gardens, and filling them with things beautiful and things—evil. I saw him raise the peak, and knew that it was Lalil; saw him fashion the seven moons and kindle the fires that are the fires of life. I saw him build his city, and I saw men and women pass into it from the world through many gateways."

"Santhu sang—and I knew that the marching stars in the mist were the souls of the people of Rak which sought rebirth. She sang, and I saw myself ages past walking in the city of Rak with Santhu beside me. Her song wailed, and I felt myself one of the mist-entangled stars. Her song wept, and I felt myself a star that fought against the mist, and, fighting, break away —a star that fled out and out through immeasurable green space—"

"A man stood before us. He was very tall. His face was both cruel and kind, saturnine as Satan and joyous as Apollo. He raised his eyes to us, and they were yellow as buttercups, and wise, so wise! Ward, it was the face above the peak in the room of the Dragon Glass! The eyes that had looked at me out of Wu-Sing's face! He smiled on us for a moment and then—he was gone!"

"I took Santhu by the hand and began to run. Quite suddenly it came to me that I had enough of the haunted gardens of Rak; that I wanted to get back to my own land. But not without Santhu. I tried to remember the road to the cleft. I felt that there lay the path back. We ran. From far behind came a wailing. Santhu screamed—but I knew the fear in her cry was not for herself. It was for me. None of the creatures of that place could harm her who was herself one of its creatures. The wailing drew closer. I turned."

"Winging down through the green air was a beast, an unthinkable beast, Ward! It was like the winged beast of the Apocalypse that is to bear the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet. It was beautiful even in its horror. It closed its scarlet and golden wings, and its long, gleaming body shot at me like a monstrous spear."

"And then—just as it was about to strike—a mist threw itself between us! It was a rainbow mist, and it was—cast. It was cast as though a hand had held it and thrown it like a net. I heard the winged beast shriek its disappointment, Santhu's hand gripped mine tighter. We ran through the mist."

"Before us was the cleft between the two green rocks. Time and time again we raced for it, and time and time again that beautiful shining horror struck at me—and each time came the thrown mist to baffle it. It was a game! Once I heard a laugh, and then I knew who was my hunter. The master of the beast and the caster of the mist. It was he of the yellow eyes—and he was playing me—playing me as a child plays with a cat when he tempts it with a piece of meat and snatches the meat away again and again from the hungry jaws!"

"The mist cleared away from its last throw, and the mouth of the cleft was just before us. Once more the thing swooped—and this time there was no mist. The player had tired of the game! As it struck, Santhu raised herself before it. The beast swerved—and the claw that had been stretched to rip me from throat to waist struck me a glancing blow. I fell —fell through leagues and leagues of green space."

"When I awoke I was here in this bed, with the doctor men around me and this—" He pointed to his bandaged breast again.

"That night when the nurse was asleep I got up and looked into the Dragon Glass, and I saw—the claw, even as you did. The beast is there. It is waiting for me!"

Herndon was silent for a moment.

"If he tires of the waiting he may send the beast through for me," he said. "I mean the man with the yellow eyes. I've a desire to try one of these guns on it. It's real, you know, the beast is—and these guns have stopped elephants."

"But the man with the yellow eyes, Jim," I whispered—"who is he?"

"He," said Herndon—"why, he's the Wonder-Worker himself!"

"You don't believe such a story as that!" I cried. "Why, it's—it's lunacy! It's some devilish illusion in the glass. It's like the— crystal globe that makes you hypnotize yourself and think the things your own mind creates are real. Break it, Jim! It's devilish! Break it!"

"Break it!" he said incredulously. "Break it? Not for the ten thousand lives that are the toll of Rak! Not real? Aren't these wounds real? Wasn't Santhu real? Break it! Good God, man, you don't know what you say! Why, it's my only road back to her! If that yellow-eyed devil back there were only as wise as he looks, he would know he didn't have to keep his beast watching there. I want to go, Ward; I want to go and bring her back with me. I've an idea, somehow, that he hasn't—well, full control of things. I've an idea that the Greatest Wonder-Worker wouldn't put wholly in Rak's hands the souls that wander through the many gateways into his kingdom. There's a way out, Ward; there's a way to escape him. I won away from him once, Ward. I'm sure of it. But then I left Santhu behind. I have to go back for her. That's why I found the little passage that led from the throne-room. And he knows it, too. That's why he had to turn his beast on me."

"And I'll go through again, Ward. And I'll come back again—with Santhu!"

But he has not returned. It is six months now since he disappeared for the second time. And from his bedroom, as he had done before. By the will that they found—the will that commended that in event of his disappearing as he had done before and not returning within a week I was to have his house and all that was within it—I came into possession of the Dragon Glass. The dragons had spun again for Herndon, and he had gone through the gateway once more. I found only one of the elephant guns, and I knew that he had had time to take the other with him.

I sit night after night before the glass, waiting for him to come back through it—with Santhu. Sooner or later they will come. That I know.

[johadamm]

My thoughts before bedtime:

I love Kierabeth, and when I love something, I overanalyze every aspect of it.

Here are my reasons why this ship is 100000000% canon.

First, their interactions are brief and don't contribute much, but there are things that stand out. Starting with their second interaction, Mary-Beth treats Kieran badly, which makes perfect sense. Kieran was supposed to be a "terrible O'Driscoll," and everyone in the camp would have said terrible things about those guys. Anyone would have been defensive if someone with such a tarnished name approached them, not to mention that Kieran looks a decade older than Mary-Beth.

In their third interaction, Mary-Beth is kinder to Kieran. Her kindness was probably due to her regret at having spoken to him so aggressively. This could easily lead to Mary-Beth's entire reaction to Kieran's death being interpreted as simple kindness and pity toward the poor boy. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

After the third interaction, Kieran and Mary-Beth go their separate ways. If you talk to Kieran after talking to Miss Gaskill, he will be happy. Then, we see him contemplating the landscape, probably reflecting on the same thing. Mary-Beth, for her part, goes some distance away from the camp and starts writing in her diary. What's suspicious? If you get too close, she becomes defensive and seems to want to hide her diary. Anyone with a diary would be embarrassed to have their writing read, but after her interaction with Kieran? There's something else going on, bro.

After that, neither of them show up in any more conversations, but there are still more details. At the event where sean head-butts Kieran, Mary Beth goes to a secluded place to write in her diary. It sounds stupid, but why would you write about someone you've only talked to twice and don't care about? Which brings me to my next point.

Gang members greet each other, and when Kieran greets Mary-Beth, he always seems enthusiastic. Why would you greet someone you've supposedly only spoken to twice in such a friendly and confident manner? From Mary-Beth's point of view, why would she allow an O'Driscoll to talk to her as if he were her friend? Especially when you don't let guys like Micah get close to you? Kieran is an O'Driscoll! There is a very simple explanation for this.

Arthur isn't omnipotent, so he doesn't see everything that happens in the camp (either because he doesn't care or because he isn't present) It's possible that Kieran and Mary-Beth have spoken many more times than we know. She may have taught him to read, and they may have fallen in love in the process. This theory is reinforced when Mary-Beth shows great concern at the time of Kieran's disappearance.

This is strange because she sounds too upset. When Tilly was kidnapped, Mary-Beth showed no emotion (perhaps because she was confident Arthur and Grimshaw would rescue Tilly, or because Rockstar didn't want to encourage a reaction). Mary-Beth and Tilly are friends. If Kieran were just a friend, Mary-Beth wouldn't be on the verge of a panic attack.

Now, this is just my imagination, but I have a theory that alcohol wasn't the only thing that led to Kieran's kidnapping. Maybe he and Mary-Beth ended up kissing at some point during the night. Just a little kiss, but knowing how nervous Kieran is, it must have driven him crazy. He got distracted thinking about it; the O'Driscolls caught him—boom!—goodbye, Kieran.

The fact that they focused on Mary-Beth when Kieran arrived without his head can't be a coincidence. Rockstar is fond of putting symbolism and clues in their games, so that focus couldn't have been included randomly. Also,(although maybe I'm just imagining it) while the O'Driscolls are shooting up the camp, it seems like Mary-Beth stares at Kieran's corpse for a few seconds as if trying to process his death.

Lastly, after the "Horsemen and Apocalypse" mission, Mary-Beth approaches Arthur to talk about Kieran's death. If you look closely, you'll see that she's about to cry. Why would you cry for someone you "only spoke to twice"? Additionally, there is a second interaction in which Mary-Beth confesses that she had a soft spot for Kieran. Mary-Beth is too romantic to say something like that lightly, especially when addressing her enemy.

At this point, it's impossible to believe that they barely knew each other or that they were just friends. Yes, I know it's obvious that someone can cry for a friend, but, considering everything I've said, you can't think they were just friends.

In any case, that's all my evidence. go to sleep.

[ro-is-struggling]

Hello Hello & Congratulations

Recently gotten back into some Bucky feels & wanted to ask for him with lyric prompt 2 please! Made myself laugh with a friends to lovers idea where you're cooking for Sam & Buck & Sam slides a magnet into your back pocket cause obviously he's the best wingman (& tired of the pinning). Then I found comic panels with Buck & a little white cat & if that's Alpine!! & that first show prompt is open... Don't want to over ask but just know if it's down to the wire & no one asks for it...someone asked for it >.> Thanks for reading and stay hydrated!

Hi beautiful! Thank you so much for participating in the celebration and I’m so sorry it took me so long to post this! I LOVED this prompt and the little twist you gave it so much I wrote this in like a few hours. It’s short and sweet, I hope you like it💜💜💜

More Than Friends || Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Sam is tired of always getting caught in the middle of the flirting and nervous glances you and Bucky subject him to every time you're in the same room, so he comes up with a plan to give you two the little push you so desperately need to confess your feelings —and laugh at you along the way.

Warnings: set somewhere after civil war where team cap is on the run together, mutual pining, friends to lovers, fluff, humor, Sam being tired of your shit 

English is not my first language

Word count: 2000

Notes: I'm pretty sure this one is gender neutral? but I wrote it with a fem reader in mind so I'll tag it like that just in case some description slipped my tired brain while editing

This fic is part of my 600 followers celeration

Sam was tired of watching you and Bucky dance around the feelings you two clearly had for each other. Sometimes he thought you were doing it on purpose, like some kind of elaborate prank to torture him as revenge for the times he made fun of you. It was the only logical explanation he could find for your attitude. Otherwise he didn't understand why you would continually refuse to face the obvious. You were in love and everyone seemed to see it but you.

Life on the run was torture when he was stuck with the two of you. Watching you two get flustered from being crammed in the back seat of the car, Sam really thought that maybe he should have taken the Clint and Scott route and made a deal with the authorities. Home detention sounded so much better compared to the heavy tension in the air that seemed to follow you everywhere. On particularly bad days - like that time a man flirted with you in a bar and Bucky was in a bad mood all day - even traditional jail seemed like paradise in comparison. 

Sam had tried everything to help you. He used to leave you alone on missions, put you in the same hotel room under the pretense that they had no more rooms, even made you sit together in the back of the car when you traveled. But despite all his efforts, you were no closer to facing your feelings than when he started. Even his subtle comments and pep talks didn't help. Every time he even dared to bring up your feelings, you acted confused and dismissed his words. He had tried it with Bucky and with you separately and you both had had almost the same response, which only proved Sam's point. 

The rest of the team was tired of you too, but since they didn't have to spend half as much time as he usually did stuck with you, they didn't care. Wanda would disappear from time to time to see Vision, and Steve and Natasha were usually together in their own little world, figuring out what the next step would be. Which left him stuck with Bucky, you and the unbearable tension in the air. That's why no one understood his suffering and therefore no one was willing to help him. 

Steve and Nat had told him that he should give you time, that eventually you would figure out your feelings and everything would get better. But Sam was beginning to think that would never happen. You had been dancing around each other since the day you met and showed no signs of changing. He had done everything he could to help you in subtle ways —talking to you privately or creating certain situations without your knowledge— all so as not to expose you and embarrass you, but apparently that was exactly what you needed, for something to expose your feelings and force you to confront them. And he had the perfect idea.

It came to him suddenly as he watched the two of you struggling to get comfortable in the back seat of the car. It was way too small a model, clearly not meant to comfortably transport a super soldier, so Bucky ended up taking up more than half the seat. Sam watched as he fiddled nervously with his hands, adjusting his position every five minutes to make sure his legs didn't accidentally brush yours. And as the sunlight beamed on his metal arm, Sam chuckled to himself at the thought that maybe next time he should give you pants made of magnets just to annoy Bucky. 

It was like a light switched on in his head. It was the perfect way to get back at you while helping you deal with your feelings. A hilarious idea all around that made Sam proud of his creativity. It wasn't hard to execute either, he just bought some magnets and waited for you to leave the bag with your belongings unattended to slip them into the back pocket of one of your pants. 

Not knowing when you would end up wearing said article of clothing added a layer of spontaneity to the situation. Even Sam had forgotten which pants he had chosen and when he saw you emerge from your room in the morning he didn't even realize his plan had been set in motion.

It was the first time in a long time that you hadn't slept in a crappy motel. Thanks to an old contact of Natasha's, you were able to stay in a safe house that had several rooms, good water pressure and a large kitchen. It wasn't the Avengers compound, but it was much better than the places you'd become accustomed to living. So, to celebrate you decided to prepare breakfast for the whole team.

You didn't let anyone help you, the very idea of someone else hanging around the kitchen while you worked on the pancakes made you anxious. You weren't a great cook by any means, but you found it easier and more relaxing to work when you had total control of the kitchen. So you sent everyone to wait elsewhere while you finished cooking. Steve opted to go out for his morning run and Natasha went back to bed, mumbling something about being woken up when there was food on the table. That left you with Sam, who settled down at the kitchen island with a glass of water to chat and keep you company. And not long after, Bucky popped his head through the door frame.

"Bucky! Just the guy I needed right now!" you said with a smile as you saw him enter the kitchen, dragging his feet as he rubbed his eyes to shake off the sleep. "Breakfast is almost ready, could you get the plates from the cabinet, please?"

Sam didn't think much of it, only that he would have to prepare himself for a morning of uncomfortable looks and flushed cheeks since you were in Bucky's way and to help you he would undoubtedly have to get closer to you than he seemed to be able to handle normally. Sam didn't remember his little joke until he felt the unexpected gasp you let out when Bucky's metal hand made contact with your backside as he reached behind you for the cabinet. He nearly choked on his water, laughter getting stuck in his throat as he watched Bucky panic, not understanding what had happened.

"I-I didn't... I mean, I'm sorry, I..." The super soldier tried hard to form a coherent sentence, but his mind was short-circuiting and his cheeks were turning a vivid shade of pink as he pulled his hand away from your body with difficulty. There was an inexplicable pull that drew him to you, making his metal arm move of its own accord, seeking to cling to you again. Bucky had to take a few steps back from you to make sure that didn't happen again. 

"Well, the cat is out of the bag. Finally!" Sam exclaimed with a mischievous grin that told Bucky everything he needed to know. "Although to be honest, I was hoping you'd find a more subtle way to confess your feelings, Buck. Or at least do it in private."

"You did this?" Bucky asked, though he already knew the answer. Sam simply let out a long laugh as he rose from his seat and disappeared out the kitchen door. "You're dead, Wilson!"

“What is he talking about?”

The sound of your voice snapped Bucky out of his angry state, his gaze softening as it settled on your confused expression. The urge to murder Sam faded as he panicked, searching for an answer to give you. This wasn't the way he would have liked to confess his feelings for you, but he couldn't lie to you either-Sam had made sure of that.

"I..." Bucky hesitated, having trouble finding the courage to tell you the truth. He could hardly remember when he had last been in that position of vulnerability, having to search for the right words to express feelings he didn't know how to describe. He was rusty, the skills and confidence that characterized his younger self had been buried in the past and now he had no idea what to say to you.

"Yes?" You spoke as he fell silent, looking up at him with glittering eyes waiting to hear that thing you'd been dreaming of since the moment you two met.

Bucky sighed, defeated. "I like you, doll, like more than just a friend." He said finally, cringing at his poor choice of words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that Sam figured it out and has been pressuring me to talk to you about it and I guess he got tired of waiting and did all this to fuck with me."

Bucky was rambling, talking at a speed that was not normal for him. He was also having trouble making eye contact with you, his eyes looking at everything but you. You'd never seen him this... nervous. He was nervous. His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink with each passing second and he spoke so fast that his tongue threatened to get stuck halfway through each word. He was so adorable that you couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"I'm glad that he did." It took Bucky a few seconds to process your words, his flustered expression slowly morphing into a frown of confusion.

"What?" he muttered and you smiled. 

Reaching into your back pocket, you pulled the magnet out. It rested flat in the palm of your hand as you got closer to Bucky. In an instant, his metal hand was on top of yours, cold against the soft, warm skin. You intertwined your fingers with his, your smile widening as he copied your movements.

"I might have to thank him later because, you see, I kinda like you too. And I've been trying to do something about it for so long but I just couldn't, so Sam kinda saved me there cause I was starting to lose it." You let out a chuckle and Bucky joined you, completely understanding the sentiment.

The room fell silent, but it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable like other times. Although you could still feel the tension in the air as Brucky's gaze traveled from your eyes to your joined hands, lingering on your lips for longer than necessary. He took a step toward you and your breath caught in your throat, your insides vibrating with anticipation.

"Can I kiss you?" His voice was a soft whisper. His warm breath collided against the sensitive skin of your face as he rested his forehead on yours, looking up at you through his eyelashes with a hint of desperation. He was waiting for your consent, needing to hear it from your voice before proceeding.

"Please." It was all you could say before Bucky's lips crashed against yours.

It was a soft, slow kiss. Bucky's lips moved with torturous sensuality over yours, a gentle brush that barely satiated your need for him. But despite that, you let him guide the kiss to ensure his comfort. Bucky wasn't usually comfortable with physical contact —not after all he'd been through— and you knew this was a big step for him. So you embraced the softness of his kisses, quieting that voice in your mind that was screaming for you to grab his face and intensify it. It was tempting, yes, but you would have time for that.

Bucky didn't pull away from you immediately when you broke the kiss. He kept his forehead pressed against yours as his flesh hand traveled upward to caress your cheek. He looked at you with complete adoration, his fingers gently stroking your skin, as if he couldn't believe what was happening, as if he was afraid of being too rough and breaking the fantasy into a thousand pieces. Then he let out a chuckle and a smile broke out on your face as you heard such a sweet melody.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, is just that... Sam is never gonna let this go."

[jealousjersey]

promptober day 2: vampire

prompts by @joshfutturman dividers by @/steddiecameraroll

very rushed ahh i didn’t do any of these in advance

vampire derek danforth x mortal reader

You have been serving Derek for a considerable amount of time, spending nearly all of your waking hours with him. You were cared for... Maybe even loved... by Derek. If that was the case, then why hadn't he noticed it before?Two long, pointy fangs stuck downward in Derek's mouth. Despite its subtlety, you managed to turn it into an excuse to make his self-loathing even more intense.

You were unsure whether to inquire about it. and ultimately chose to carry it out.

You decided to ask Derek about the fangs, hoping to provide some reassurance or explanation for what you saw. As you nervously approached the topic, Derek's expression darkened, confirming your suspicions. He had been hiding this secret from you all along, and now that it was out in the open, you couldn't help but wonder what other secrets he might be keeping. The thought made you question the true nature of your relationship and whether it was built on trust or deception.The next time Derek seemed to be working on plans at home, you sat down next to him, and he timidly raised his hand.

"You know you don't need permission to talk."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You just seemed busy and"

"Go on with it.”

“Sorry, sorry! So um… I recently noticed something, and I just wanted some kind of explanation... It’s probably nothing, but I wanted to know just in case.”

“I’m busy. Hurry up.”

"Okay, okay, so..." Once while you were eating, I noticed you have fangs.”

Derek’s head peaked up.

“It’s probably nothing, but I only ever noticed while you were eating! It’s like they disappeared or something.”

You were interrupted by Derek pinning him to the floor by his wrists.

“Um… W-What’s happening…?” You were flushed, but very confused.

"you have to leave. now." his eyes darken as you've figured him out

“W-What? But why?”

“You know too much.” Derek leaned his hand in and started to clasp it around your throat.

“W-What wait!” You manage to choke out.

“What, do you have a proposal or something you’d like to tell me?”

You loudly gasped for air as his throat was released. "No, I... Are you a vampire, Mr. Danforth?”

“You’ll be gone soon, so... Yes, I am. Though it doesn’t matter much.” He put his hand back.

“Wait!” you locked eyes with Derek. “While I’m more than willing to fill you with the beautiful hope that’s going to come from killing me... I like living around you, Mr. Danforth... I love being able to serve you however you please... I’d never dream of ever telling anyone your secret! I rarely speak to anyone else anyway!” which was the truth; Derek keeps you with him almost always. You didn't have time for other people.

Derek seemed to think about it for a while, then pulled on your leash to bring him closer. “Does ‘However I please’ include using you to feed?”

“Feed…?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Oh…” you gulped. 'He did mean it like that'... “I-I mean… If it pleases you, of course I’ll do it!”

“Good,” Derek leaned in towards you’s ear. “Because I honestly haven’t been getting the nourishment lately.”

You gasped again. “Wait, do you want to do it now?”

“I mean… As I’ve said, I haven’t been able to feed in a while. And at least I’ll know whether or not you’re comfortable with it in the future. If not, I’ll just go on a kill streak as usual.” Derek’s eyes visibly trailed down towards your neck. “Though having my own living, breathing person to feed off of sounds... nice.”

You took a deep breath. “Well, let's do it!”

Derek straddled you, then bent down, hovering over the area between your neck and shoulder.

Derek bit down on your neck, his sharp teeth piercing the skin. You shuddered, his breath becoming ragged.

'This is taking... A little longer than I expected.' you moan out

Derek’s eyes widened, and he hastily got back up to face you.

“I apologize… Blood from a living person just tastes so much better than the blood I usually get from corpses on the street. I’ll be sure to hold back next time.”

“No, it’s completely fine! You, Mr. Danforth can use me however you please."

An uneasy silence fills the room, he sticks his thumb into you and feels your arousal.

He cleared his throat in an attempt to kill the tension. “Haha. Well. It seems that the rumor is correct, then”

“...What rumor…?”

“Oh, the one that vampire fangs releases a chemical that makes the person being bitten aroused. I thought it sounded ridiculous, but..."

“That’s false.” Your eyes widened.

“What?”

“I’ve never even heard of such a rumor.”

you flushed. “I… Um… Haha, well-”

“Are you horny right now?

“I… Um…”

Derek leaned back into your crotch, and your lips tightened.

“So you are.”

“I’m very sorry. Mr. Danforth, you must be disgusted with me... I can leave you alone if need be! No, what am I saying? I should definitely see myself out. If you could kindly get off of me, I'll”

“Do I look disgusted? I’m just thinking... Derek put his mouth near the bite again, muttering against it. “I do need a way to thank you for allowing me to have such a good meal.”

“You… Can’t be serious... I’d never even dream of defiling your amazing body with someone such as myself.”

“Are you okay with letting me repay you with my mouth?”

“I mean, of course, but—”

“Then allow me.” Derek propped himself up on his elbows and started kissing you deeply, making you whine.

“Haah… I could probably finish just from you kissing me.

“It would be quite unfortunate if you came untouched... I want you to enjoy this as much as possible.”

“I’d enjoy anything you do to me, though.” Derek chuckled softly, his lips trailing down your neck as he whispered, "I'm glad to hear that, my love. Now relax and let me take care of you." With practiced ease, his hands roamed your body, igniting a fire within you that only he could quench. As the room filled with the sound of your shared pleasure, you knew that this moment would be etched in your memory forever.

Derek smirked and started kissing you again, this time bringing his hand down to palm you through his pants. You moaned into the kiss.

“A-Ah… I’m so sorry, but I’m close already.

Derek nodded and took his hand away, making you whine again.

“Don’t worry…” Derek started undoing your pants, pulling his dick out of his boxers. He took it in his hand and gave a small lick to the tip, making you gasp.

“P-Please… Keep going, please.” You brought his hands to grip Derek’s hair as you took him into your mouth.

Soon, you grabbed Derek’s hair harder. “I’m so close.. please.”

He came into Derek’s mouth, and Derek swallowed it. He came back up to kiss you gently, then nuzzled into his shoulder. As you lay there in the afterglow, Derek whispered sweet nothings in your ear, his arms wrapped protectively around you. "You're incredible," he murmured, planting soft kisses along your neck. You snuggled closer to him, feeling safe and content in his embrace. With a smile, you closed your eyes, drifting off to sleep with Derek by your side.

“Thank you so much, love. I’m very lucky to have you... I wonder what bad luck is coming for me after something like this. He chuckled.

“The bad luck is probably that you finished so quickly.” Derek tried to joke, but it didn’t really land because of his deadpan voice.

“Haha, I guess so.”

“its alright,… Next time I’ll make you last longer.”

“Ah, alright,” you smiled. As you lay there in Derek's arms, feeling content and satisfied, you couldn't help but think about how lucky you were to have him in your life. Despite his deadpan humor, you knew he cared for you deeply. The thought of future encounters with him made you feel excited and eager for what was to come. With a smile on your face, you snuggled closer to him, feeling grateful for the intimacy and connection you shared.

"did you say next time?" your ears perk.

[wooahaes]

what a cat-astrophe

pairing: non-idol!wonwoo x gn!reader

genre: supernatural au. cat shifter!wonwoo, veterinarian!reader.

word count: 1.5k~

warnings: mentions of magic. injured wonwoo but its not serious. magical chaos hinted at but not elaborated on.

daisy's notes: i had this idea forever ago and im glad i can finally. do something w it lol

Halloween was usually a day you were ‘on call’ at the veterinary office. Of course, you were usually the person on call most days. It was just something for emergencies, and you were glad to help people out—that was why you chose this profession, after all. And, of course, your phone started ringing a little after dinner with a familiar name popping up.

Which led you to where you were now: getting out of your car to see Soonyoung standing outside the building, a black cat curled up in his arms. Once you came a little closer, you realized a few things about the poor kitty: it was breathing shallowly, and it had this tight… something curled around it that dug in enough to restrict movement. In the low light, you couldn’t see what it was exactly, but Soonyoung had already launched into an explanation.

“My… cat has been missing for a few days,” he said after a moment, “and then he came home like this. I didn’t want to touch anything in case it could hurt him, and my friend who could help is out of the country visiting his family, so—”

“It’s fine,” you said, digging out your keys to the building. “I can handle it. What’s his name?”

“... Panther.”

You nearly rolled your eyes at that. Seungcheol had told you back when he introduced you to Soonyoung to be wary of his love of tigers. Sure, it could be cute sometimes, but you were thankful he had enough sense to not name a completely black cat ‘Tiger.’ He could name it whatever he wanted, sure, but you knew that people always had questions in one way or another. Why ‘Tiger’? He’s a black cat. Why not something like ‘Shadow’? And so forth and so on. People liked to question things like that sometimes, and you’d had your fair share of pets growing up with ‘abnormal’ names. 

With the building unlocked, you took Panther from Soonyoung and told him to wait outside while you worked. It didn’t take long for you to gather everything you needed, and Panther seemed rather lax. He merely laid there on the table, letting you work at removing what you discovered to be these weird black vines. 

“It’ll be okay, buddy,” you said softly, giving Panther a little scratch behind the ears. He shut his eyes, relaxing his body against the table. “I’ll be gentle, alright?”

To be honest, you were glad that he seemed to relax, hopefully put at ease by you. You had seen cats that would go feral trying to get away from you when they were injured, and everything in-between that and how Panther was responding to you. If you had to, you would had called Soonyoung in to hold him still while you worked. Instead, you turned your attention to removing the vines first before discovering thorns pressing into the poor cat’s skin. There was this abnormal heat underneath your fingers that made you worry about infection—you’d take care of that, too, for Panther’s health—as you worked. Soon enough, you had a small pile of thorns and vines on the table next to you, and that heat had entirely dissipated by the time you were done. You reached for your bandages, only to find that you must have run out earlier that day.

“Shit,” you muttered. You turned back to Panther, scratching him behind the ears again, “Stay here, buddy. I’ll be back in a minute.” 

He merely slowly blinked at you. You quickly gathered everything you needed to dispose of and disappeared into the back, dropping it into a bin as you began to search for bandages. What a weird cat. Then again, if he was Soonyoung’s cat, it kind of made sense. Soonyoung wasn’t weird, but he would find a cat that’s a little quirky in some way. Intelligent, too, based on the way he seemed to entirely understand you. Almost as if he knew every single word you were saying—

The sound of a crash tore you from your thoughts, and you dropped the bandages to rush back to the room. You pulled the door open, half-expecting to see where Panther had bolted from the table… only to see a man, who must have collapsed onto the ground. Immediately, you let out a scream, and Soonyoung ripped open the other door. His eyes widened upon seeing the man, and he immediately bolted to you, hand clasping over your mouth.

“NONONO–It’s okay! It’s okay! That’s my friend!” 

You nearly bit Soonyoung’s hand before you shoved him away from you, staggering back a few steps. Panther was… gone—Where the fuck was—

Oh. Oh. You stared down at the man on the floor, brain piecing everything together all too easily. You could see the wounds on his skin, peeking out from underneath his clothes. This… was a cat shifter. Fuck, you had no idea what this guy even needed. Shifters were different from ordinary animals—thank fuck you didn’t try to give him any antibiotics or anything, especially if he was the kind that had bad reactions to it. Soonyoung had backed off from you, turning his attention to his friend since he’d begun to rouse again. 

Hold on. Didn’t you meet this guy once…? He seemed familiar, at least. Maybe he was one of the intern’s friends? You’d have to ask Mingyu sometime… After you threw hands with Soonyoung for not telling you about this guy in the first place.

“I didn’t know if you’d help if you knew!” Soonyoung said, reaching out for his friend again despite the way he kept drifting toward you. “And—And he was a cat! You’re a cat doctor, not a people doctor!”

Truly, you weren’t sure how to refute the logic. “You knew he was a shifter—”

“Jihoon said I needed to bring him to you before midnight!” He said quickly, almost tripping over his words. “Magic gets weird on Halloween and it could have trapped him like a cat forever.”

“Wouldn’t have been forever,” the handsome stranger murmured, consciously leaning away from you now. He pressed his hands against the metal table, eyes still shut as he stretched. “Just until someone else could help.” 

“See!” Soonyoung pointed toward him for emphasis, before letting his hand fall back down to his side. “Maybe I should have told you, but can you blame me for panicking? Wonwoo could have been in trouble.” 

With a heavy sigh, you admitted that you couldn’t. If you were this guy’s friend, you would have probably panicked as well. “Fine. Okay. Just… I dunno, just go. I wanna go home.”

Soonyoung nodded. “Right. Wonwoo—”

Wonwoo furrowed his brows, clearly not all present as his gaze fell to you. “Why do I want to rub my face on you…?”

Almost as if on cue, Soonyoung’s phone rang. He picked up, putting the call on speaker without much thought while you pushed Wonwoo into a chair, finding the other first aid kit you kept in the room (for human injuries—you’d been scratched before and liked to have bandages nearby). “We took care of him! Tell my vet friend thank you—”

A new voice (Jihoon, judging by the name) immediately sounded out, “Did you touch those vines?”

What the fuck…? You paused for a moment, taken aback by the question, a band-aid nearly slipping from your grasp. “Uh. Yeah? I had to remove them.”

“Shit.” 

Soonyoung looked down at his phone. “You didn’t tell me not to touch them! I didn’t know they weren’t supposed to!”

“I charmed you already, you’re immune from most things,” he said, “they won’t be. Fuck, I’m packing up and coming home early—”

“No!” Soonyoung said quickly. “Just tell us what’s going on. Wonwoo’s back to normal, he should be fine, right?”

“I’ll explain better when I get back,” he said, and you could already hear the sound of shuffling. “But I sent the picture to Joshua, and he said that anyone who touches those vines gets… connected to the inflicted person. Shifter. Whatever got caught up in it. So now they’re…” He trailed off for a moment. “I don’t know. Bonded. I can break it safely when I get back.” 

“Why can’t Shua do it?!” Soonyoung whined. “He’s in the city—”

“He doesn’t have the ingredients that I do and you’re not letting him or anyone else into my room. Just… don’t let them get too far from one another or it’ll hurt.”

You immediately looked over to the way Wonwoo was leaning into your touch, brows furrowed together as his jaw clenched. Soonyoung just watched, mouth agape at how outwardly affectionate Wonwoo seemed to be with you, a complete stranger, already. 

“Jihoon?”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can be. Just… watch out for them.” The moment the call ended, Wonwoo shut his eyes again. He let out a long sigh, “I’m gonna kill him.” 

Wonwoo pulled away from you the moment you were done dressing his wounds, putting Soonyoung in between the two of you. He didn’t seem uncomfortable or flustered in any way, but he refused to make eye contact with you for more than a moment. 

Which meant you’d definitely landed yourself in something deeper than you ever intended.

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @weird-bookworm

[mainstoryarchive]

Ensemble - 112: Anomaly

Souma: Oh? This sure is mysterious…

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Outdoor Stage

Souma: Oh? This sure is mysterious…

I wonder what it is, why is there a crowd? This place is supposed to be one of the most remote and unpopular places in Yumenosaki Academy!

The amount of people isn't inferior to the other stages—not only that, there seems to be an even bigger crowd!

Does that mean the aidorus performing here are that excellent? Is it even possible for there to be another reason…?

Perhaps it's war. I see, it's war! I'm itching to participate, it makes my blood boil!

Kuro: Calm down, Kanzaki. You're not a dog, there's no reason for you to get excited like this. Also, stop unsheathing your sword.

Keito: Yes. We are supposed to be the ones maintaining the order. So it would truly be like putting the cart before the horse if we were to cause panic by losing our composure. You should reflect on your actions, Kanzaki.

Souma: I got double-chastised!? But this is an irregular situation!

Keito: I agree. Hmm… We went out of our way to overlook the circumstances and send him off, but I'm worried if Isara can even reach the stage.

Well, it might be due to Isara that this situation came to be.

Kuro: I wonder. You can't see the stage from here so you can't be certain.

Nonetheless, you sure were kind there, mister vice-president. To think you would so easily let go of the fighting power you generously took in.

Keito: Never call me 'kind' again, Kiryu. I just made a logical decision.

AKATSUKI is a unit that works with a select few. Adding a wanderer would only mess up our rhythm.

I have countless reasons, both big and small. Even if you needed an explanation, wouldn't it be too stingy of me to express my opinions precisely?

Kuro: Aah, how irritating. Your talks are always way too long, can't you just tell me vaguely?

You must have just 'wanted' to do this. Isn't it fine to leave it at that?

Keito: Hmph… If you think like that, you shouldn't have asked me in the first place. I need Trickstar to be in a perfect condition, I won't allow them to run away after winning.

Sooner or later AKATSUKI will defeat Trickstar fair and square, after they all showed their best performance.

I would be troubled if they disappear before we can. That's all.

Kuro: Hehe ♪ Nice, you're also a man at heart.

Souma: As expected of Hasumi-dono! You properly understand the meaning of the code of chivalry…☆

Keito: You're noisy. What's more important right now is that there is too much of an audience in such a cramped space.

If someone even just trips a little, it might very well turn it into uncontrollable chaos, so patrol with caution.

Good preparation reduces the coming difficulties. Although Eichi and I differ in that aspect.

(Why did Eichi organize the DDD and throw away the largely desired representative title for the SS?)

(What are you scheming? Where is the meaning in all of this?)

(You are causing unnecessary uproar and having everyone make a big fuss for no reason. If that's really the case, you would be a tyrant, you know?)

(Could it be he… No, for now I should avoid thinking about it.)

(I will just solemnly complete the work in front of me. I am Eichi's right hand. A right hand doesn't think, regardless of what results this DDD may bring.)

(I'm sure you must have foreseen this as well, haven't you, Eichi?)

[ ☆ ]

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[quinloki]

𝐵𝓊𝑔𝑔𝓎'𝓈 𝒮𝓅𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓉𝒶𝒸𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓇 𝒮𝓅𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓁!

This is my second costume contest entry for @swampstew's costume contest event \o/

Characters: Buggy the Clown Warnings: None Notes: This is Buggy's event?!? What's he doing trying to JOIN it??

Word count: 689

“Are you sure?” Buggy asks, disappearing into the costume you’re holding open for him. It’s one of those horse style costumes meant for two people. Not that this one looks like a horse.

“I’m positive.” You insist. “You wanted to enter the contest, you thief, and so you have to do it undercover.”

“There’s nothing in the rules that says I can’t participate.” He insists, moving around inside the costume with your help.

“Rules you wrote.” You point out. “No, not that way, put your left foot there, left hand here.”

“Why would I-?”

“Because you lift left and left and then right and right and it’ll look more natural for the costume.” You explain. “You’re holding up more parts by yourself than you’re used to with this, so don’t make it harder.”

“Hmph.” He grumbles, but does as you say. “What is this a costume of again? You said it was flashy.”

“It’s a mythological creature from one of the best stories of the winter season.” You answer, dodging the actual name of character on purpose.

“This is an Autumn event!” He nearly screeches.

“Ah stuff it, it’s an autumn event, but this is a flashy costume, and it suits you perfectly.” You insist, affixing a little reindeer tail to the backside of the costume. “Besides, you sprung this on me a little last minute, buster, you’re lucky I could pull anything together in the first place.”

You grumble the words from behind a row of pins in your mouth. Buggy looks over at you as you’re affixing the last few details into place. He smiles, even though you miss it, forever grateful that you put up with him so much. Putting the head piece on he settles into the costume a little better, but after a few minutes realizes there’s a small issues.

“(Y/N).”

“Yeah, Bugs?” You say to let him know you heard him.

“It’s really stuffy in here.”

“… Hard to breathe?”

“A bit.” He says. You smile, he’s trying to not make your job harder, and you appreciate that, but you’d not only hoped for this outcome, you’d bet on it.

“Lemme pop the nose off the head piece and you can put yours in its place.” You say, moving around to the front of the costume, taking the head piece as he hands it over. A seam ripper and a tug removes the little plastic black nose, and lets you quick stitch the fabric down before handing it back. “There.”

“… It’s not going to ruin the costume?” He questions. You look up at him and see he’s legitimately concerned. Poor guy, always so self-conscious of his nose.

“Not at all, Bugs. Gonna make it more accurate, honestly.” You say reassuringly. “This mythological creature very naturally, just like you, had a red nose.” You’d long since learned a way to mention his nose and its attributes without throwing him into a frenzy. Your voice took on a specific, almost professor-style tone, and it seemed to flip a switch in Buggy’s brain that assured him you were just stating a fact, and not picking on him.

“He’d been unfairly teased for his nose too, but managed to win over those around him and save the winter festival of the time.” You finish your explanation and give Buggy a smile. “Kind of like you and how you’ve won over your crew so much.”

Buggy’s eyes start to water, and you put your hands up. “Don’t cry! I don’t have time to clean tear stains out of the fur! You’ve got to be out on stage in twenty minutes at the most, keep it together for me, okay?”

Buggy sniffles hard, looking up for a moment and taking some deep breaths as he nods a little. You give him a couple minutes and he gives you a small “thanks” as you go back to working on the costume. You don’t have much time, but you’re going to make the best Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that you can.

And as luck would have it, you didn’t have to go about finding a red nose for the costume.

[stevie-finds]

Piper's Desktop - "Sydney" Retrospective

Photosensitivity warning for this one, guys.

I think for this retrospective I want to firmly stand on where I'm at with this whole mystery so far.

I know there's more to come, I took the initiative to look at the folder labelled 'Tapes' in Piper's desktop and lo and behold, there are more recordings of (presumably) Sydney's tapes she just didn't send me. She was hiding a lot from me, I can't help but think that's partially my own fault. I keep looking back on what I could have done, what I should have done but it all leads to this inevitability that we would drift apart, stop seeing one another.

Maybe it's because my parents' passings were in such quick succession that I just... I dunno, shut off? It's not like my older sister and I are close enough to talk about it. Whatever, this isn't a diary blog.

I want to find my friend.

But as I file through each of these entries, the likelihood of that happening gets slimmer and slimmer. The only means of getting her back with any sort of credibility to me is if I try to find Elmsbury-Gallows, since I'm now pretty sure that's what Piper did.

I've been focusing on my friend's mystery first and foremost, of course, but still the idea of a town you can only reach by driving in a certain pattern- drawing some sort of sigil with your car, almost- really fascinates me.

All of Piper's tapes now lean less and less toward being some kind of psychosis, or elaborate prank to connect us again, and now seem to me like something genuinely unknown was happening not only to Piper, but to Sydney as well. I don't think it's the exact same thing, but I think these events are reflections of each other somehow. It's hard to explain: they rhyme.

This brings me onto the appearance similarity. I'm still a little lost on it- not totally ruling out insane coincidence- but if it is coincidence then why would Sydney want to contact Piper in any way? And through such strange means too. Did she plant the tape recorder in the shop specifically so Raj would give it to Piper? That sounds ludicrous, which is crazy to even say because in a vacuum that would be the most rational explanation for all this. Are they related? Why would a relative go about reaching out in this way? And if they're related then how come it's as if Sydney doesn't even exist, nor does the town she supposedly hails from (at least according to any traceable documents).

I do believe that Sydney went missing somehow, though not in the traditional sense. She literally vanished- left no trace of herself in the past, present, or future; and the town she came from seems to also have never existed at all. I don't know whether Elmsbury-Gallows disappeared from time when Sydney did, or whether Sydney disappeared because she never existed at all.

I'm gonna move on, just to keep myself on track. My train of thought tends to spiral when I think about this for too long.

Is Sydney contacting Piper? I don't know. I don't know if it's Sydney on the tapes who is 'appearing' to Piper, or if it's something pretending to be Sydney. It seems to have an ability to manipulate, effect, and communicate through electronics- speaking with Sydney through what looks like a hand-drawn pseudo-Ouija board in MSPaint, of which there is only one saved instance. The only evidence that Piper may have contacted Sydney this way more than once is in the video above.

I don't think that the sporadic text in the notepad tabs was this Thing in the computer, I think it was Piper doing the writing. However, I do think that the array of dots coming together to create an eye is less likely her. I also don't believe that the sounds at the end of this video were put there by Piper- why put overlays of audio from previous videos in a document only meant to be read and understood by you?

I don't believe in ghosts, or demons, but I'm not an atheist per-say. I actually lean more towards the idea that 'ghosts' are not the souls of the dead, but rather parallel universes crossing at their weak points. Anyway, whatever is communicating with Piper in these instances is comprehensive and intelligent. It feels a few iterations from human, and is able to communicate in a human-like way.

And I think it's drawn to the music.

Piper played the tape with the musette recording on it in order to summon 'Sydney', and in return what I think is the 'radio broadcast' in Sydney's own voice described back in tape 1 plays through a speaker in her room.

And now, in the act of watching the video of said summoning, I have played that music too. And the likelihood is, you have now as well.

[2af-afterdark]

I might reveal myself and send in some drawings when I feel a little braver...I'm a little shy, but I'll try my best to gather some courage to maybe render the outfit digitally before sending it in. But I can give some of my ideas here right now.(and also because I'm not 100% satisfied with the current outfit design...)

I tried to keep it vague but also have enough detail that it makes some sense(I'm also very bad at explanation...), but it might not so I'll answer any possible questions.(also I'm not a writer so it may suck...👉👈)

P.S. its a lot longer than I expected

In my version, instead of MC just suddenly get revealed that they've became God, they have to go through a process, where after they break the last contract, they starts to feel more fatigued than usual, and no amount of devil or human energy can give them their energy back. The Seraphim haven't been in the way for the last few weeks and something happened (I don't exactly have a solid reason yet) leading to all of the angels fill the sky, maybe they want to end everything all at once, hence the reason why they've been away to restore their number, train and such. This is also when MC is back by Satan's side in Gehenna, but they haven't chosen a king yet.

Then when the Seraphim descend from heaven, the closer they are to hell the more they can sense a Godly aura around, causing them to panic and look around frantically, when the Seraphim laid eyes on MC, all three froze since they can see that MC is the one radiating said aura. Giving them an entirely different goal, "Save God" basically. And the dynamic of the angels I used are based on your way of including them, so Gabriel is the main pursuer of MC. Then things happened, Gabriel disappeared, leaving Michael and Raphael to fight against, Satan, Belial, Astaroth and Sitri, while Ppyong, Paimon(he's carrying MC, bridal style), Leraye and Zagan protect and try to bring MC into a neighboring country to get more protection while they wait for further reinforcements. But the amount of angels overwhelmed them so Paimon has to put MC down but not before making sure that they're somewhat at a dead end so no one could ambush them from behind. After Paimon put MC down and started firing away, Gabriel appeared and flew straight at MC, none of the devil could shoot at him since his angel underlings are taking hits for him, so in one fell swoop he snatches MC and just started to fly up, making eye contact with Michael and Raphael signaling it's time to retreat, while MC make eye contact with Satan. Satan's anger fell as fear struck his heart. (My MC is a bit of a softer MC, so she just smiles and mouthed 'I will be fine' at Satan to reassure him that she'll survive, but he doesn't seem to be taking in none of that.) The other two Seraphim maneuver around Satan and his subordinates to return to the sky to retreat.

MC faint as they ascend to the sky and when they wake up the Seraphim are just staring at them. Then Gabriel mention about Devil and Human Energy, and how MC would need Angel Energy in heaven, so we had to fuck him. Then a few more days goes by and we fucked Michael and Raphael as well(hate fucking if you will). After a week up there MC just get encased by a cocoon of some kind, starting their "reborn into a God" stage. While they sleep in the cocoon, the devils came up with ideas to invade heaven and sensing the threat, Gabriel brought cocooned MC to the original God's "throne room"(Idk why I imagine he have one, but he have one) since its a little far from the main angel land, he think it should be safe. So when the day come where hell invade heaven, while the 72 devils rage war upon the lower rank angels, the 7 kings go searching for MC.

Something happens that lead the three Seraphim to guard cocooned MC and something lead the kings toward the throne room, making a 7v3 situation but before anything can happen, the cocoon cracks and crumble to reveal MC in a new outfit but with no extra addition or changes(I was planning on adding half and half wings, as well as a decorated halo and horns but I felt like that's too much, so I stuck with the simple designs of God we can see), who's kinda waking up, after the cocoon is completely off of MC and they're completely awake, they just wanted to end the war as quick as possible so they just hurriedly demand both the Seraph and kings to go out and stop the battles. Even though Michael and Raphael still have doubts, they follow MC's command anyways since they're outnumbered if they try to argue.

After the war ended, MC learns to move and create materials to rebuild any broken down houses n such. And while they're at that, they also tried building a whole court room for the judgement of the angels so that all of the devils that have suffered from the angel's actions could give their ideas, but in order to save their pretty asses, the devils can't kill the Seraphs, since they are needed to keep the human world in balance, because MC was tasked(during their time in the cocoon, a mysterious force gave them some tasks that they must do as the new God) with reviving or creating 2 more Seraphs to restore the amount to original. (My MC forgive the angels for trying to kill her several times, but did not forgive them for hurting and killing the people around her) so the final decision was sealed and the Seraphim have to serve their punishment for quite some time.

And that's all I have for now, I hope it wasn't hard to read (*´∇｀*)

You're good. I followed it.

I love that you made your own story inside the god!mc au! Honestly, I have one too, but I am still developing it based on what we learn about the angels (like, Raphael is way nicer to MC than Michael or Gabriel which is not what I expected at all).

But, ummm, 🦩anon send me their art off anon and I just post it without putting their name on it. You could do the same? Or I could just reply to you privately if you want? Honestly, we can do whatever you want (if you want to do anything at all).

I'm just a greedy little thing that wants to see what people make >w>

[disturbeddynamo]

Hey Dynamo, what's your opinion on the other KGN numbers (+ Astro and Tengu) ?

Ugh geez, where do I even start...

Well, let's start with Cold Man. Cold Man is probably one of the more tolerable out of them. He's actually a pretty, no pun intended, cool guy. He's not hostile, not a dumbass (he's a bit slow, but it's nothing too serious), and he's pretty thoughtful. I guess it's the fact that he used to belong to that Light beard guy before being taken by King. But I like him enough to talk with him and hang out. We're close enough for him to let me rummage around inside him too, something he allows Astro, Magic, and of course King, to do....it's like a dog letting you rub its belly as a sign of trust. It won't let anyone get close to it's internal organs since the belly is one of the vulnerable aspects of the animal..

Pirate Man...This guy is, brutal. Like, bloody "Spartan 300" kind of brutal. This guy honestly sort of scares me for the fact that he would not hesitate on getting what he wants. A pirate is a pirate after all, so I guess it's inherent, but...seriously. I would not be there on the day of "Bolts n' Chase". Brief explanation of what that is. As a way of "entertainment", King makes up some of the most bullshit ass games. This is one of them where it's like spin the bottle, only it's King spinning his axe and wherever the blade points to the near Robot Master, they are it. And the "it" is the prey and has to survive for exactly 2 hours from being dismantled from the other members. The game is also a way to test endurance, stamina, ability, and cunning. Now with that, Pirate does not hold back. He will do anything, even if it means killing his own member just to get to the top. At the end of the day, it's just a game. Pirate is just some crabby Pirate guy who speaks in old sea shanties.

Burner Man....I hate him. With a passion. For so many reasons I will not list here, that is for another day. But to put it simply, he just does not. Listen. He's a total, uncompassionate jackass. A personality like his does not mesh well with mine. A robot like him can't even comprehend a piece of paper towel stuck to his face even if you pointed it out to him, he's so fucking blind. But...even though I hate him, I also sympathize with him. My heart aches for him for sooo many different reasons, I don't know how to explain. And it's one of those reasons is why I'm probably socially inept, why I don't chose to feel happy, because this problem still lies within...him.

Moving on. There's Astro Man. Another one of which I consider to be a little more tolerable. I won't lie when I say that I sort of feel bad for the guy. He did not want to be here, but King forced him to join. I am glad he was here though, not by any cruel means, but I'm glad to have met a guy like him. I relate to his struggle for being at the hands of King. I think we are closer because of this shared pain. Despite his more skittish nature, Astro is also very thoughtful. It may also sound a bit...funny to say this, but I may have a(n) Astro crush on him too, but I don't really know. I could just be clingy to anyone who gives me the slightest bit of soft affection...but, even then, I don't think it would even be possible since I suspect him and Tengu already have something between them. I don't think anyone would date someone like me though, but I shouldn't get too sentimental.

Tengu Man. Iiiiii- honestly have not much to say apart from what I mentioned about him and Astro. But maybe aside from that, I don't see him as the "romantic" type or anyone interested in relationships. He seems to pay attention more to himself than to others. I guess his confidence is what makes him charming, but I wouldn't know. I don't pay much attention to the guy. He does have a pointy nose though :3

Ground Man is, who I'd describe, a quite solidarity philosopher. He seems to disappear wherever, whenever. Then he pops out of nowhere with something new to say, or as I'd like to call, his "sermons". He spends all his alone time just thinking up these kind of thought-provoking philosophies. They're all either about the social unjust between humans and robots, among other things that may change your perception in life. I may not take half of what he says in consideration since they all also sound like something I've heard of before in Greek mythology or old poets, which is amusing in within itself. He's a contradiction. He's hostile while also allowing me to ride on his shoulders, but I guess I should be grateful that I'm not ran over by his treads.

Last, but oh no certainly not least, Magic Maaan. This guy can be annoying. Just annoying. With the how he interrupts times when it gets really serious, he pulls out a magic trick out his ass and it completely throws off the entire mood. I don't hate him, don't get me wrong. Some of his tricks are impressive, but I feel like he was just recruited as a King's number just to preform and entertain. I wanted to mention other things, but I also don't want to think about it... I hated that he treated me like a little kid though, I tell him that I don't like being called pet names or I don't want my hand being held for reassurance, but he does it anyways. I just let it happen and honestly I stopped caring since um..King does the same thing to me (T/.//T

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Have a nice day.

[theserenebean]

2003 Mikey slips inside, looking like he's been running from someone

The door swung shut behind him, the little bell chime announcing his arrival. He had a greeting for April on the tip of his tongue, but it disappeared as he took in his surroundings.

"Hi welcome to The Serene Bean, let me know if you have any questions," a voice rattled off with practiced friendliness.

Mikey stared at the girl at the counter, a human teenager with her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Definitely not April. And that was not the smell of antiques, it was the smell of coffee.

And this human girl was just kind of watching him neutrally. Was he dreaming?

"Okay," he scratched his head, "This isn't where I expected to end up."

"Most people don't," she replied. "Or, uh, turtles either," she added a bit apologetically.

Mikey's face split with a huge grin. He didn't know how he'd ended up wherever this was instead of Second Time Around, but that was a problem to wrap his head around another time. The important immediate situation was: a stranger was being polite to him and that meant he was making a new friend.

He laughed, glancing surreptitiously at her name-tag. Red. "Yeah, I guess you don't get a lot of turtles around here, huh?"

"Actually--"

A new voice cut in as a worker appeared from around the corner. "It needs to be filled to the line," he called over his shoulder, "And don't leave the--oh."

He had turned to face Mikey fully.

"You'd be surprised," Red finished matter-of-factly.

"I didn't realize we had a customer," the other worker, who was also another mutant turtle, fussed. "You should've called."

"He hasn't ordered anything yet," Red replied. "Besides, I don't really trust Jones by himself back there."

Her words were punctuated with a loud crash.

The turtle sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "I don't really trust Jones period, to be honest."

Mikey's mind was reeling. He was staring at a walking talking in the flesh not one of his brothers for real mutant turtle, and a human who seemed completely chill with his existence--with their existence.

"Did you have any questions about the--"

He lunged forward, practically on the counter before he could think about what he was doing. "What's your name? How did you get a job here? Are there any openings? Not that I'm looking for a job, but like is that a thing that's possible? Can mutant turtles have jobs? Are you a mutant turtle?!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm actually--okay this might be a bit overwhelming--"

"Where do you live? Do you have to stay hidden, because it doesn't seem like you're staying hidden. We have kind of a community who's chill with us, too. Have you ever been to Second Time Around?"

"Whoa, whoa," the other turtle held up his hands, motioning for Mikey to slow down. "Take a deep breath, Mikey. I don't think--"

Mikey screeched, stumbling backwards, then moving to the other side of Red, as if the human he'd known for only one minute longer could or would protect him from this mysteriously familiar stranger.

"He knows my name!"

"This is why I'm up front," Red put her hands on her hips. "You and Jones always try to rush things."

The other turtle looked mildly indignant, then shrugged. "I'm just gonna get started on his drink. Mikeys always order the same thing on their first visit."

He turned around and busied himself with a blender, leaving Mikey to gape at Red, a hundred more questions in his eyes.

"So, do you want the short version, or more details?"

He blinked. Okay, that was actually a really thoughtful question. He kind of wanted all the details, except now that he was pausing to think about it he realized that his brain was buzzing way too much to take in any details at the moment.

But that was, like, a thing about him that his brothers knew. It was kind of weird for Red to know it.

"Short version," he decided, already planning to drag his brothers in here and get the detailed explanation together.

"I'm April, that's Donnie, Casey Jones is in the back. There are a bunch of versions of us, we're at kind of a mobile connecting point. So you could meet a bunch of versions of your brothers here if you come back a lot. Also, we have a loyalty card." She slid one across the counter. He scooped it up.

"Okay, I think I get it," he leaned back, stance slowly relaxing. "Kind of like the Battle Nexus, but for turtles and with coffee."

Red blinked twice, and shrugged. "Sure."

"So," Mikey was trying to process it all, make it fit more neatly in his head. "So, that's your Donnie?"

"Oh, no, that's not my Donnie. That's a different Donnie. Not that I have a Donnie. And my Casey isn't a cop. Not that I have a Casey."

She seemed oddly flustered.

"You don't have a Donnie? Or a Casey?!" He wished he hadn't brought it up. He would hate to learn about a multiverse where a bunch of versions of him had friends he didn't have. He was more determined than ever to be this April's friend.

"No, I do," she clarified hastily.

The other turtle, Donnie apparently, turned back to face him, drink in hand. "Her Donnie and Casey both have a crush on her."

"Ohhh," Mikey nodded as her odd behavior clicked into place. He didn't really know what it was like to have a crush or be crushed on, but he did have a lot of secondhand experience through his comic books, and man, love triangles were the worst.

"I am sorry you have to deal with that," he said sincerely, "But I'm not gonna lie, it's a big relief from what I thought you meant!"

"Yeah," she brushed her bangs out of her face, even though they fell right back in place. "Sorry. That did make it sound pretty bad, huh?"

He chuckled, hoping to lighten her mistake. It was only, like, his second time making friends with an actual human teenager, and she seemed crazy nervous. Not as nervous as his April had been, but she was also frazzled from being chased by Mousers and, well, not a teenager.

Maybe he'd drag Angel by later, too. She knew how to put people at ease.

"Can you imagine a world with all of us, and no Donatello?" he asked. "It would probably turn into, like, the bad ending of a video game."

Donnie's eyes crinkled fondly. "I think you'd be surprised how many people would say the same thing about their Mikeys." He pushed the drink across the counter.

Mikey blinked at it. "What's this?"

"Undue Harm."

He gave him a look. "Dude. I just gave you a compliment and you're giving me Undue Harm?"

He shrugged apologetically. "If you want something else--"

"No, no, wait," he snatched it up. "What's in it? How much does it cost?" He studied the menu.

"Hey, wait a minute. There aren't any prices on this menu!"

Donnie and Red exchanged a look.

"Everything comes with a price," Red explained, "But we can't always predict what it will be."

Mikey squinted at them suspiciously, but nonetheless took a noisy sip of his drink.

It was weird--and it was good! He felt almost indignant that they knew his tastes so well, when they'd only just met.

"I'll be back," he said mysteriously, walking backwards towards the door.

"Watch out for--"

He rolled across the table Red had been about to warn him about, then slipped back into the streets of New York.

[the-quiet-blogger]

"The Giggle"

You know it's been a while since I've gone truly absolutely batshit over a Doctor Who episode, but here we are. Spoilers, obviously, under the cut.

First of all: UNIT

While I'm not a huge fan of The Doctor working for/with Earth-based Space police, I think it's a great idea to have the companions in a safe environment where they have a place to use all of the knowledge they've gathered during their journey throughout the starts. They get paid to continue doing what they love and while it does set things up to have future (LIVING) companions to make little cameos (or even an option for a spin-off series, I think that it's ultimately a good choice that RTD decided to let the companions have a space where they can live, grow, and continue to help.

One problem I have with this is that this is exactly where Martha and Mickey went at the end of 10's run -- and yet absolutely 0 (zero) mention of them or their whereabouts. They're the OG companions joining UNIT, so where TF are they??

Also this guy?? The Vlinx?? I both love and hated that we didn't get much explanation for this Guy in the Chair. Just "Oh you're helping?! Sure! Absolutely no reason to think that this new alien and the weird thing that's happening are related ANYWAYS--"

A bit like Panda from JJK where it's just "yeah and this is Vlinx, it works here, moving on,"

LOVE the jab about antivaxxers using the narrative of the Zeedex. It DOES help, but since you're asking the masses (who all wholeheartedly believe that they are right and everyone else is wrong) to put this on, it becomes a bit harder -- we saw how Kate reacted the moment she willfully put it on. Also return of our #Queen for her role as the News Anchor. Glad she has a name now.

Secondly: Donna <3 my absolute beloved. She has grown so fucking much. From yelling at the world because that's the only way to be heard to quietly asking The Doctor what is wrong. She has grown into her own woman, though of course still missing a lot of main action before the metacrisis was resolved (I could write a whole other deep dive about that episode too). When she noticed that the laughter was notes -- "The Giggle" hiding behind the screen, I was so proud of her. This is why the Doctor needs an "every day" human -- and Donna is so blunt that she won't hold back on her observations, though I have to wonder if the whole recorder conversation with Rose was how she came out. I hope so, that's just so chaotic.

I've seen some people argue that there is still some TimeLord in her because of how smart she's been in these last few episodes.

To that I say

"bitch, do you not remember the bees disappearing???"

Donna Noble is a genius and an idiot. Both can exist in the same person, in the same character, and that's exactly what they proved with the previous episode.

and SPEAKING OF her being a genius

She loves The Doctor, not romantically, but in a "platonic soulmate" kind of way that makes my heart full. When she realized that The Doctor never mentioned Mel or any of their adventures, she pointed it out. Not only that, she told The Doctor point-blank that there's always something that the Time Lord seems to be running from. There's never really been a moment when he's stopped and talked about any of the shit that he's been through and she can tell that it's starting to wear on him.

"Maybe that's why your old face came back. You're wearing yourself out"

and he immediately changes the subject and charges forward despite her telling him a harsh truth. She's travelling with him again, sure, but it was supposed to be some short little trip and I think the main reason she went with him in the first place (whether or not she will admit it) is because she saw her friend in crisis and wanted to be around to help -- to figure out what exactly he needed from her. With each episode, she's tried to guess why his old face came back, but nothing stuck.

The fucking puppet show.

Now, I feel like this is a great way to catch up new fans with any old Doctor trauma that they may have missed. It was also a way to shove it into The Doctor's face just how many of his loved ones that he was responsible for killing.

Now, before I hear any one say "but what about ______??"

Rory wasn't as close to The Doctor as Amy had been. "The first face this face saw" and while they did become closer later on, he would always have a special place in his heart for Amy. He watched her die for fucks sake.

Martha wasn't mentioned because as far as he knows, she's still alive and kicking ass. That's part of the reason he will up and abandon certain companions, so he doesn't get them hurt.

The Fam - left behind and alive. Remember 2/3 of the original Fam chose to step away from the TARDIS and Yaz was left before 13 could regenerate as she "needed to do this on [her] own". While, yes, I'm sure the Doctor feels guilty about leaving them behind, it's not nearly as bad as getting them killed.

Anyone else had either survived as far as The Doctor was aware, or hadn't been as close as those particular companions. That is why those 3 were chosen.

Now, back to the puppet show

Mentioning not only the lost companions but also the Flux

God I do not have the time to go into this half-assed recreation of a tragedy trying to be as big and bad as the Time War and Gallifrey. I feel like Chris Chibnall felt snubbed with a female presenting Doctor and gave us the most half-written mediocre bull shit he could have. RTD is already having to fix it with mentioning it several times and exactly what happened in the aftermath. Just looking up "Doctor Who Flux" you get so many results that all try to "explain" it.

If your audience has to look up how your writing makes sense, you aren't smarter or cleverer than the masses, it's just shit writing.

However,

While the actual Flux episodes and following regeneration made it hard to understand not only what happened, RTD breaks it down.

There was a terrible decision to be made. The universe was dying. The Doctor had to choose and a lot of deaths now lay on the Time Lord's shoulders.

BUT! That was also the only piece of The Doctor's trauma that couldn't be waved away with

Which is when The Doctor challenged the Toymaker to a game.

Back too 2023, we get...quite honestly one of the best scenes I've seen in New Who, only rivalled by Here Come the Drums with the Master dancing along. No, Rasputin doesn't come close to this cunty rendition of Spice Up Your Life.

Amazing, cunty, terrifying, entertianing, and fun.

"I think they're still falling" -- BITCH?!?!?! Ugh. I want more of the Toymaker. What a fun villain and Neil Patrick Harris knocked it out of the goddamn park. No matter what you thought about this episode, this dance routine was a highlight.

I also love the reference to when The Doctor had tried to reason with The Master, asking to go amongst the stars with fun filled adventures, taking on the burden of being their jailer and caretaker for the rest of eternity if it meant that humanity was safe.

Of course, we all know what comes after the Toymaker refuses the call to the stars.

I immediately started crying. Before The Doctor even started with those last words, I wasn't ready to say goodbye. We went from "I don't want to go" to "allons-y". From him dying alone in his TARDIS to being immediately surrounded by loved ones

"He's not dying alone"

And he didn't have to.

I choked on my crying so hard I almost died myself. I know David Tennant had always said that he thought The Doctor was asexual to some degree, but this is just ridiculous. /pos

But, when you consider the salt line at the edge of the universe and how that myth became a reality because of The Doctor's actions -- the fact that bigeneration was once a myth and now a reality suddenly opens up a whole door of possibilities for this upcoming season with Ncuti Gawa.

Now, The Doctor(s)

14 was consistently surprised in their actions, their off-the-hand comments. Something that 10 always struggled with was saying how much people meant to them.

And one thing about 14, they are filled with love. They openly say "I love ____" whereas 10 never did.

"Rose Tyler, I--"

Having to leave those he loved behind, never wanting to admit when he cared more than he did. As long as he spun and ran away from his feelings, they could never catch up to him. Right?

14 is different, always saying "I'm here", "You're okay" and slinging around the word "love" as if they would never grow tired of it. 14, obviously, is The Doctor after Amy, Clara, Billie, and the Fam. After avoiding a family with the Ponds, losing Clara after realizing they were toxic for her, a friend who never expected anything more from them, and Yaz's fam who only wanted to be a safe space for them to be able to turn to. Yaz, the last companion that was pushed away by The Doctor, had loved them and told them so and gotten nothing in return.

And there were so many different ways that 14 showed this love. So many hugs!! So many reassurances!! And so much love that The Doctor was sharing amongst everyone who could hear them -- and yet not a drop of that love or compassion showed inwards.

I am so emotional about this hug, it's not even funny. Literally healing their younger self. The love, the understanding, the "I'm here" -- finally someone who understands literally everything 14 has gone through. The acceptance of the hug (THE TUCK INTO THE NECK?!?!?FSKFBWILDNLADN) I fell to my knees!!!!! SOBBING!!!!!!!!

BUT!!! Not only is 15 born on the battlefield, but also born surrounded by love and fun. Pants or not, 15 is ready to save the world and make it a good time for those around them. Self assured, fun, smiling, and loving-- 15 jumps into the world with a confused hug and love for their past & current self. After years of therapy, I keep hearing some of the same phrases along the lines of "you have to look to your past/younger self and let them know that it's okay, that they shouldn't have had to go through all of that alone" and this was exactly that, only on a Time Lord scale.

Now, personally, I had fun watching the game of catch with the Toymaker after 15 was introduced. I thought it was a fun way to share the spotlight with Gawa as the 15th Doctor and let the audience know some hints as to what we have to look forward to.

The terms of endearment melted my little heart. I'm always a sucker for a good nickname, both in real life and in fiction and 15 was full of them.

"Honey, sweetie, pumpkin pie, you are too traumatized to be flying the TARDIS right now, get OUT and take a NAP"

That was basically what was said, right?

And then this...home. The Doctor having a family. This is quite honestly the perfect, happiest ending that The Doctor wearing this particular face could have had. All those years running away, fighting hard, and keeping on a strong face, and this is what that was for. All that running and avoiding, and love for everyone else but themself and now they finally can take a break and focus on taking time to say "what the hell". Maybe go to therapy. There's so much fic potential for this as well, the kinds of companions they could run into casually or little every day struggles that are literally alien to them.

I've seen a lot of posts upset that this plot point seemed to be circling around two points: 1) this a repeat of the metacrisis ending and 2) not the first time The Doctor had domestic bliss.

To that, I say:

the metacrisis Doctor was half human and would be able to grow old with Rose in that parallel universe. It was also the traumatic ending of the DoctorDonna (or so we thought) and on that beach, the Doctor, the Time Lord Doctor, still couldn't say how much Rose meant to him. He also said that living life, day after day, was the one thing that he could never have.

2. On Tranzalore, The Doctor was not resting. He was taking care of the tear in the universe and defending it from the monsters that would constantly be on the attack. Every day was a fight. And when he spent those 24 years with River Song, he knew that this was the last time they would meet before her end. How can you relax when you know that these are the last moments you're going to have with your loved one. You watched them die and this is the best that you can do with them in their last days, knowing that you can't stop death from coming.

And there is something so incredibly healing about The Doctor allowing themselves to stay here, with only occasional trips to the Moon with their favorite niece. and the possibility of them perhaps becoming a Curator -- who knows!!

And now we have Ncuti Gawa's 15th Doctor to look forward to and all of time and space!! I am so incredibly excited to see where this takes us on Christmas.

[elliottshadowcadet]

okay now that i'm done watching shameless i am going to share every single thought i have about it. first thing first, season 11 was terrific and sometimes painfully cringe to watch and made me want to throw something at the screen but ya. the season finaly sucked and i kinda hated the ending cus it was so vague and lame in a way? like the only thing i liked was that when frank died he got flashbacks of memories with his kids which made it feel more emotional and like we've been with them for a big part of their life (which we basically have watching them grow up) and i guess it also made me feel like he somewhat cared about his children? it gave a whole nostalgic feel to it. i also didn't like all the plot holes and open endning situation, like i want to know if carl and arthur bought the alibi, and how kev and v's lives changes after they moved and what everyone else do with their lifes. LIKE did lip and tami have another baby and did debbie and that crazy woman heidi who got introduced in the last two epidodes run away to texas? AND LIAM, actually so so mad bc they have done his character so dirty and he's been forgotten so many times. i did like the scene where he could feel franks prescence in the alibi right when he died, but like then what? he was going to live with lip and tami i think? ian and mickey are probably going to be fine in their new apartment but yea kinda meh. ALSO don't know if people noticed but in the first episode of season 1 frank introduced his kids in the same kind of way he said goodbye to them in the last episode of season 11. kinda liked that little detail. THERE AREE ALSO SO SO MANY CHARACTERS WHO HAVE JUST DISAPPEARED AND NEVER REALLY GOT AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY, LIKE MANDY- what happened to her ? i miss my girl and i wanted her redemption arc after all that shit shes gone through😭

anywho, i still have no idea of who my favorite character is because it is constantly changeing, like i love-hate almost all of them yk? but some of them are definetely at the top, like kev and v for example AND LIP fucking love lip. AND SVETLANA I LOVE HER SM. i also miss sheila she was a girlboss </3 carl and ian are also in the top 5 for sure and i ABSOLUTELY LOVE liam and wish he could have gotten a better storyline sooner. debbie is a very hated character which is understandable to a certain point, but a lot of her bad behavior just like many of the other gallaghers come from their parents, which many people seem to forget when it comes to debbie? the way fiona treats debbie in the later seasons also play a big role in her change i think, but thats what kinda makes me angry when it comes to the debbie slander. people forgive fiona and say that her behavior is from needing to take the parental role at a very young age and from the abuse frank and monica put her through, which is true, but that last part is also the case for debbie ? and the other gallaghers as well. i just think its strange how people only seem to forget that when it is about debbie yk? then again she has made many horrible and bad desicions which makes her character unlikeable and i totally get and agree on that. one last thing i have been thinking about and can't really understand is why most of the gallagher siblings think that frank is a better parent than monica just because he's been more physically present? like that makes no sense, because most of their trauma comes from the alcoholic abusive dad who's never been there for them mentally or physically, but since monica left completely and frank "stayed" she is portrayed as this monster of a mother who left her kids. now i am not saying that she was a good mother, but she has not put the kids through close enough as much as frank has, and that is why i'm confused as to why they hate her more.

buy yo think that was it for now