#I never see anyone mention it. then again maybe it’s just not relevant to my ‘circle’. and it is only once a year so 🤷🏻‍♂️

[namilettes]

Make a Sayori! Reader x any forsaken character, and make it So Sayori! Reader was brought to forsaken after Monika intensified Sayoris depression

Haven’t seen any Sayori readers out here so I’ll do it myself!

Anyways go drink water

Taph x Reader that's like Sayori

[It's okay to feel sad.]

I think the person most fit for someone like Sayori is Taph..-

I love sayori they did my girl dirty im telling you.

Warnings: mentions of suicide, depression, implied hanging ''Rope burns''

It's been a few months after you've gotten forsakened. Everyone seems to be adjusting to the horrible living situation, but if you're being honest all that matters to you is that everyone feels safe, that everyone is happy. If anything, you haven't really noticed or paid mind to how horrible this situation is, how horrible you feel. All you've been worrying about is making everyone feel included and happy. And so far your plan has been going rather nicely-

except that one person- guy? Girl.. Who knows, it's like he never uncovers his face anyway.. Not that you wanted to talk bad about anyone, it's just worry, mainly.

Worry that he thinks you're a freak, worry that he thinks anything but good about you. Not that you really mind if people bully you, you mainly want everyone to be happy, that's all that matters. But for that to happen people would need to view you in a more positive light.

It was raining the day you disappeared. Or… maybe it wasn’t. Time gets weird when you’ve been crying for so long, your heart starts forgetting how to beat like it used to.

One moment you were in your room- arms wrapped around your stuffed plushie, the papers you weren’t supposed to write still open on your desk. You weren’t supposed to tell them how you really felt. But it didn’t matter anymore. They'd already seen. Already changed everything.

But you're here now. Not dead. Not alive. Just… floating in a world where you're forced to be happy, again. Always smiling, always pretending.

.

.

.

It's been.. What- another few weeks?.. You walk to the kitchen during night time after another session of trying to cry yourself to sleep, you groggily stumble down the stairs of the main cabin to try and find a midnight snack to put you to sleep. You didn't understand what was wrong, usually you always fell asleep once you cried for an hour or so. Maybe the stress of this situation did actually get to you?... Even so, that wasn't relevant. You needed to focus on how others felt like.

That's what you always told yourself. You flip the light switch to see the one person who never talked or even acknowledged you by a simple nod, spooning a tub of peanut butter. It was.. A rather funny sight to see- a man who you've always thought about as intimidating and tough eating in such a funny way.

It.. Made you happy! You weren't sure if it was because of the funny sight, or if you were just happy to see that he was also at home. Enough- at least. Nevertheless, you felt happier than before that is.

You're still stuck with the same condition you were left in after your suicide, you still claw at the rope burns on your neck every now and then.

The man doesn't seem embarrassed in the slightest- like he was confident about casually eating peanut butter, in fact, he pops another spoonful in his mouth as you walk to the kitchen. He senses something is off despite you smiling and laughing your pain off.

See, being mute gives you a lot of abilities like analyzing people more closely, he sees through your constant facade but never says anything about it.

You cheerfully walk in, laughing and joking about how both of you should be asleep at this time. You see him start to sign something-

Whether or not you knew sign language, your eyes were much too groggy to register anything, Taph of course, noticed this as well and brought in his notebook to write a simple ''Are you okay?''

It was simple but.. It made you sentimental. You still shook your head and laughed it off with a simple ''Yeah! I'm fine!''

He murmurs, writing up something else in his notebook after a little shake in his head. ''You're one of the ones who lied to themselves.'' He casually writes and shows it to you. You sit down and smile, as if not to know exactly what he was talking about. He murmurs again- wondering if his handwriting is just bad.

''You’re bleeding from a place no one can see. You think if you smile hard enough, it’ll scab over. It won’t.'' He writes this time- Taph sits nearby. Doesn’t touch you. Doesn’t comfort you like your friends used to. Just watches with a tilt in his head.

He offers you a spoonful so casually. You break in tears and nod, hesitantly taking his offer like you haven't eaten in decades.

Maybe things rot differently in here, but even rotten things can smell like sugar.

[floral-hex]

I wonder if any of my mutuals are doing nanowrimo this year. Is that still a thing that people do?

[tossawary]

Admittedly, I don't tend to read much fanfic in fandoms I write for, because I don't want to get my canon and fanon mixed, so my selection is limited, but I've never seen anyone mention the fact that Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu (Shen Jiu) had a big sister.

One of the children in their "group", presumably numbered between "1" and "6", was a girl, and when he remembers her, Shen Jiu directly associates this lost person with safety and comfort. He thinks of her as the equivalent to Qiu Haitang before Qiu Haitang: someone who provided a place to "hide" from the rest of the world. It's not just that there happened to be an older girl in their group, but this was a girl whom Shen Jiu apparently liked and trusted.

Here's the relevant quote from Part 4 of the Qijiu Extras in SVSSS Volume 4 (the one where Yue Qingyuan finds Shen Qingqiu fighting with Liu Qingge in the brothel):

"All those years, whenever one of his beatings from Qiu Jianluo was over, or whenever he had a premonition of another beating, he had crawled to Qiu Haitang’s room and remained there, quivering. As Qiu Jianluo was unwilling to let his sister see the side of him that was perverse and lunatic, that had been the only place where Shen Jiu could hide.

And even longer ago, there had been some girl in their group, their big sis. But after she reached a certain age, that big sis had been sold to a withered old man to be his second wife. Afterward, they’d left that city, so they’d never seen her again.

Liking women wasn’t the least bit shameful, but treating women like saviors, cowering within their embrace and seeking courage from them… even without anyone saying it, Shen Qingqiu knew that was horrendously shameful. So even if it meant his death, he would never tell anyone, least of all Yue Qingyuan."

So, on the very short list of people that the original Shen Qingqiu actually liked even a little bit, there's: 1) Yue Qi before he became Yue Qingyuan, 2) Qiu Haitang, 3) Ning Yingying, 4) "the tender young lady carrying the pipa" who "had long since thrown on her thin robes and dashed out in terror" when Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu were fighting, maybe, and 5) this unnamed big sister who was sold off and never seen again.

I've seen plenty of fics and fic ideas where Shen Yuan transmigrates in as a twin to Shen Jiu or a biologically unrelated sibling to SJ and YQ by being a part of their group, but not as this barely canon big sister character. He could give both Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu so, so many more Jiejie issues, I'm sure.

[nicstylus]

I'm rereading Skulduggery Pleasant for the nth time. Here are my newish revelations.

Sceptre of the Ancients Edition!

First (You are here!) || Next

List of artwork links at the bottom.

!! Spoilers for all of Phase 1 and 2 !!

Starting off strong with Gordons advice to Skulduggery ending up being HEAVY foreshadowing for Stephanie instead. "To my good friend and guide Skulduggery Pleasant, I leave the following advice: Your path is your own, and I have no wish to sway you*, but sometimes the greatest enemy we can face is ourselves**, and the greatest battle is against the darkness within***. There is a storm coming, and sometimes the key to safe harbor is hidden from us, and sometimes it is right before our eyes****." * Proven later by Echo Gordon not trying very hard to talk her out of participating in the world of Magic. ** Heavy implication on Darquesse there. *** This is also dripping with Darquesse foreshadowing, but could also be referring to Lord Vile. Hey, we all have a little of both in us don't we? **** In this case he was obviously talking about the brooch, but it could also be referencing to fact that Stephanie was surrounded by her family here. Skulduggery was there, but he is the embodiment of all her future trauma and the danger she'll find herself in. She was safe among family, safe in a mortal life. "Safe Harbor" was indeed, right before her eyes, and she walked away from it.

The twins and Steph's heights confuse me. The twins are 3 years old, and described as short. Stephanie is described as tall and strong. So. Are they the same height in this book? I refuse to believe 12yo Steph is taller than the 15yo twins. Esp since I picture Beryl as really tall and scrawny, even if Fergus isnt haha

Crepuscular is mentioned as early as book 1. I wonder if Derek actually had a plan for him at this point or if it was just 'eh we'll burn that bridge when we get to it' type of deal. The Shalgoth also appear in this book, and they don't even get a name until phase 2 lol

It could also be interpreted that Darquesse shows up as early as book one. When Vindick Leather rams his car into the Bentley, Valkyrie notes a voice in her head. Obviously this could just be attributed to literally her own voice and instincts, but Darquesse does this a lot in later books:

How the fuck did China and Tanith know where and when to show up at Gordons estate when Serpine finally got the Sceptre. Ghastly wasn't with them. China would have known where the estate was, but why did Tanith come? I can't see China announcing to her library, or anyone really, that she was mounting a rescue out of the kindness of her heart. Tanith and China weren't yet feuding, so maybe Tanith came to her for help? How did Tanith know they were in danger?

The man with the bowtie never gets a name. Hilarious.

Neither does the Administrator, actually. He dies in this book, so it isn't really needed I suppose.

It's funny to me that the Sceptre is Relevant until the very last book. Every time I forget about it when reading through the series, Derek brings it back. It goes through like five different iterations of itself, even eventually being replaced by its alternate dimension self, but its easily the most important 'object' in the SP series. Derek just can't get rid of it.

There are a lot of one-offs in this book, and you can tell that Derek wasn't sure how he wanted his world yet. - He describes strange looking people in the library (which, okay, we definitely see some strange looking people for the rest of the series) - Vindicks fire-proof discipline. We never see anything like that again, even from elementals (Vindick is listed as an adept on the wiki at least) - Skulduggery describes a man who can read minds and a woman who can 'change her shape, become anyone' in chapter 5. Reading minds seems to be a high level sensitive skill but not hugely rare. Shape shifting on the other hand never gets mentioned again and gets replaced by facade sigils. - Family crypts. We see that Ghastly's family has a ton of stuff in the Vault, and then it's never really mentioned again until much much later. - Family crests are also something that only sort of show up a few times. The only two that we know about are Ghastly's (shield and bear) and China's (scorpion and 3 circles), plus whoever has the leopard and crossed swords. Skulduggery does say 'the Scorpion stings the fox' when speaking about China's treachery. This leads me to believe that Skulduggery's crest has something to do with a fox, but it could also just be Skulduggery thinking highly of himself haha - Tanith is introduced by killing a troll. I don't think trolls ever show up again. What was his name? We'll never know. - She also says she has an older brother. Is he ever mentioned again? - Jasper, the 8yo hard of hearing neighbor boy is just. Never mentioned again. Steph waves at him and then he disappears into the ether of Derek's brain. - There's a guy with a porcelain mask in the library in chapter 14. I could be forgetting but I don't think porcelain is ever mentioned anywhere else in the series except when describing China's features. Or maybe some furniture or something. - The Sceptre sings. The Sceptre also breaks at the end of this book, so maybe it broke the singing feature for good, but I don't think it sings at all in later books, in any iteration of the Sceptre. - The 'worst of the worst' criminals are held in the Sanctuary. This is reconned later with Hammer Lane Gaol and Coldheart

Actually, a lot of concepts are set up in this book, which makes sense, it being the first book and all. It's cool to look back and see how long some strings took to tie off though - The Shalgoth didn't even get a name until late phase 2. We even see our good friend 'fleshy mass' two or three times! Rip dogface. - Echo stones get brought back almost immediately through Echo Gordon. Oisin even shows up again in late phase 2 :D - Anthem Mire is mentioned in SotA but doesn't become relevant until book 3 - Stephanie notes that her reflection gives her the creeps. Surely that won't lead to anything nefarious in the future! - The whole 'Last of the Ancients bloodline' plotline gets set up in this book. That will follow Valkyrie for like. All of the books. Crazy. - The Irish Sanctuary having ridiculous amounts of staff that betray them. Shout out to the unnamed Administrator for dying a horrible death without also being a sellout. Disappointed in you Tome. - The White Cleaver, also, hangs around for the entirety of Phase 1.*

Serpine turns the entrance to the caves (what I always imagined to be a stone floor) to dust. We revisit the caves in later books and I'm pretty sure they still have and use the brooch/key- How did they even fix that lo

I forgot that the Canary Car was literally turned to dusk. I seem to remember Skulduggery claiming that one of his cars "set itself on fire." Maybe it was the Purple Menace.

I also completely forgot that Serpine is a zealot here. He just never struck me as religious. I also don't care about him so I never gave it much through I guess

Rereading this book made me realize that we don't see a lot of Hollow Men after the necromancer trilogy. They get replaced by wretchlings in the Darquesse trilogy and then... forgotten about in phase 2 completely. They're also described as 'minions of Serpine' in this book, though thats retconned later on, sort of.

I thought Tomes first name was Sagittarius this whole time. How did I never realize it was Sagacious?

Have I explained how much I love China? Because I really love China. Like a lot. Just so you know. (a lot, guys)

God they could have been such great friends. I love their rivalry because it's hilarious but we were robbed of China/Tanith sisterhood. Can you imagine China and Ghastly working so closely together to get Tanith back from the remnant? I know it doesn't fit China's selfish narrative, and her being protective of Val makes more sense because she watched her grow up, but ahhh

Valkyrie starts to be able to understands Skulduggery's mannerisms and slight movements on like, day 2 or 3 of being around him.

Much much later, I think it's Abyssinia that asks her what its like to spend so much time with someone and not ever be able to know what he's thinking? Abyssinia, honey, were you even trying? This girl is 12.

Once Stephanie chooses a name, Skulduggery spends the rest of the book flip flopping between calling her Valkyrie and Stephanie. I never noticed this before, but it's interesting. When speaking about her to other people, he'll call her Valkyrie. When he's speaking directly to her, or yelling at her because she's in danger, he calls her Stephanie. I'm sure my English teachers would want me to dig deeper into the meanings behind that.

Meritorious is the first death they we whitness from a first hand perspective, which I never realized before. He's also one of five POVs in this book: Stephanie, Serpine, Tanith, Meritorious and the Administrator for a few paragraphs. I think this is the only book in the series with two different POVs in one chapter- here when Meritorious dies, and when Tanith turns to fight the White Cleaver by herself.

We don't see Tanith get angry very often, but she's PISSED when she tells Skulduggery about Tome's betrayal:

Damn girl xD

However, Skulduggery's response to Tanith's anger will heavily shape who Valkyrie becomes.

I think Stephanie internalizes these lines way more than anyone realizes until it's way too late. She will carry this for the rest of the series. Exhibit 1:

Ah, this is probably why Tanith doesn't like China very much xD

The Cleavers were set up to be this super huge and powerful force, and then starting in this book their numbers are so decimated that they don't recover from it for the rest of the series. They just keep getting more and more cannon-foddery and smaller in number xD

* This is actually not my revelation but something that was pointed out to me by @afandomroom, the parallels between Tanith and the White/Black Cleaver. Tanith was supposed to die in this book. Derek instead gives her horrific near death experiences in every book leading up to her possession, but that's besides the point. At the end of this book, Tanith fights the White Cleaver (whom she sent to die, and thus is part of the reason he is created in the first place) and loses horribly. Then, allllll the way at the end of the series she again fights him- this time as the Black Cleaver- where she just barely wins. Full circle, just like the gaping hole in Tanith's back

✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏ ✏

Here's my SotA-specific artworks:

Cover Redesign

Fergus Stealing Silverware (Steph design by @neims-skeleton-obsession) Human Fireball

Don't say I didn't warn you

Meeting China Sorrows Version 1 - Version 2 - Extra

Reflection Sigil You Look Lost (ft @staticart)

Warriors gotta stick together Serpine Torturing Skulduggery

That'll Teach Him to Underestimate Stupid People

Bliss' betrayal

"Skulduggery! She's not being Professional!" Version 1 - Version 2 - Clueless

Never Could Fight Worth A Damn Tanith design Bonus collab with @staticart

Jesus did you read all that? Look at you go :]

First (You are here!) || Next

[thecreelhouse]

kintsugi

Paring: Steve Harrington x Francesca “Frankie” Amato

This is part of the accident prone AU— please be warned there are spoilers in these mini fics if you have yet to read the main series! This post-series fic and more can be found here -> accident prone - the blurb sides

Summary: Steve only sees his scars in disgust; to him, they’re just a sign of a past he didn’t deserve to survive. Frankie has an idea to hopefully show Steve he’s worth more than his scars and hopefully combat the survivor’s guilt.

WC: 6.4k+ (i know i am SO bad at keeping these actual blurb-length. whoops!)

Includes: hurt/comfort, angst, body image and self esteem issues, mention of blood, PTSD (this might be heavy for some, so pls take care before reading), soft smut (handjob & m receiving oral), language, typical Steve and Frankie banter, fluffy comforting ending.

A/N: it bothers me how ST never really mentions or shows the lasting damage anyone endures throughout the series, and I’m not holding my breath to see much of that in the final season. That being said, I really do believe Steve’s scars (esp. from s4) would be prominent for most of his post-Upside Down life, and the psychological effects would be just as heavy to carry. Ik I explored this in the main series, but this delves into that HC more. This a personal HC, and if that bothers you, or you disagree, this fic isn’t for you. For those who do choose to read, thank you <3 (also don’t @ me I’m still learning how to draw hands lol.)

Today hasn’t been kind to Steve; just one of those days where the past creeps up, locking him in a chokehold to cave in with self-destruction.

The longer he stares down his own reflection, the more flaws he begins to fixate on.

Time has helped Steve heal in more ways than one, but the physical scars from his past not only lingered, but were still prominent in a lot of spots. Some still ached without warning, others turned reddish-purple in the cold, or bright red after a hot shower (not as red as his irritated, inflamed joints, though). He’s grown to live with them, find ways to shield his body from prying eyes, and now that he’s with someone who sees him for who he really is, he’s learning how to become more comfortable in his own skin.

That lesson, though, has no time limit; he knows this to be true with Frankie’s own self acceptance journey, and realistically, he knows it should be the same for him as well.

Yet all he sees staring back at him is a failure. A shell of his past self. His story, scrawled and scraped all over his body, creating a map of his most traumatic years. 

It’s not fair to encourage Frankie to be kinder to herself if he can’t take his own advice with his own body. Looking at her, he sees her story written across her body, too, but it’s a story of survival, resilience, with her own added details of tattoos and piercings, almost reclaiming her own vessel after sickness has tried time and time again to steal it away.

Steve, though… he can’t see that in himself; he knows he doesn’t need body modifications to see the good, but he’s also convinced maybe the good was never there to begin with. After all, he spent the majority of his life shaping his shell to be someone he wasn’t. Through all the years forcing himself in sports as a kid, just to make his dad proud, sticking with certain ones because the attention gave him a rush when he’d score— all of those injuries in practices and games weren’t marks he felt proud to own. 

As he grew older, the marks turned to gifts from dates, with love bites littering skin hidden away under fabric; it’s not that he didn’t want them, but it never felt quite right. It’d fall under the decisions to make to stay relevant, popular, liked— and god, nothing else in this world mattered to Steve than the approval he yearned for from others.

He just wanted to be what someone wanted, what someone else needed.

Don’t we all?

Gripping the edge of the bathroom counter, Steve glares at the collection of skincare he’s built up over time— aloe vera gel, vitamin E cream, a variety of oils in lavender, tea tree, coconut, and rose hip. Any “miracle” fad in healing scars faster, he’s tried. Though, there’s not a great amount, considering most folks his age weren’t nearly torn and dragged to shreds by demo bats.

He reaches for the rose hip oil, remembering he tried that yesterday, and sets it back down. Last time he tried the tea tree oil, he broke out in hives; just another fine example of how fibromyalgia throws any sort of symptoms your way, whenever it pleases. His body flares up in places and ways he never even considered before his diagnosis.

Aloe vera, although soothing to the surface, does nothing for Steve’s scars. Vitamin E cream might’ve helped some of the superficial scarring; he could just be telling himself that to feel better. Maybe willing the marks away will work.

If only.

Fingers tracing the scar around his neck, his jaw tightens in disgust. His eyes tumble down his torso in the mirror, chest tightening the longer he takes in the shiny, pink-tinged marks, littering his skin.

Steve misses the days where his appearance’s worst moment could be a bad hair day. At least that could be tended to, fixed with some hairspray.

There’s no easy solution in erasing proof of the past’s carnage. With deep marks like these, there’s no doubt most of them will linger forever.

Sure, living with scars is better than not making it out of hell itself alive, but it goes beyond his self-esteem; he will carry this part of hell, embedded into his skin, wherever he goes. 

The tightened, raised skin scattered across the surface will always invite survivors’ guilt into the forefront of his mind. Here he is, depressed that his skin is marred, when there are plenty of others who deserved to be alive, would probably be grateful to sport such scars if it meant continuing to live.

Steve’s reflection meets his own gaze again, and it’s quite obvious he’s not doing well— hasn’t been, for some time. His inner turmoil manifests into dark, sagging circles under his eyes, more pale than usual; he’s simply a haggard wreck. 

The longer he glares at himself, the more his feelings threaten to spill over. It’s a race between his rage and guilt, unsure which will break the surface first; either or, it’s a given he’ll choke up. He is, and all he can see past his impending tears is a blurry shape of himself.

At least the tears serve to censor the sight of the bleak state he’s in. 

“You’ll never be happy, huh?” He mutters to himself, fists clenching at his sides. The longer he fights his emotions, the more his head begins to pound. “Always gotta be triggered over something.”

Steve wants to punch something, wishes he still had the nail bat to smash his feelings out. Acting on impulse, he rounds up the skincare products, slamming them into the sink, and bursting into tears.

“Great job, fucking idiot,” he parrots a common insult his father would throw at him; when a parent is your first bully, those words seem to stick forever. “Can’t do anything right, always gotta make a mess, fuck everything up—“

“Hey, Stevie, you in here?” 

Shit. I forgot she was coming over.

Frankie’s sweet voice breaks him from the self deprecating thoughts; she wanders into the bathroom, smile vanishing at the sight of her partner in shambles.

“Oh… sweetheart, you’re—“ she only carries grace and empathy for him; not a shred of judgment or insults barraging down upon him. Frankie’s nothing short of an angel, fixated on finding his first aid kit— it’s still the janky one from back home. She sets it on the counter, gingerly taking his hand in hers. “Will you let me clean this?”

Steve’s in a daze, headache starting to split his skull while the tears continue to flow. “Wh… what?” Glancing down at his hand, he realizes he’s bleeding. 

Great. Another fucking scar in the making.

“Can you sit? Or do you need to lay down?” Frankie asks softly, freeing up a hand to turn the faucet on, but she notices the broken jars and bottles in the sink and pauses. “C’mon, let’s go to the kitchen.”

Steve’s on autopilot, sitting at the kitchen table while Frankie wets a clean cloth, settling down next to him. She positions his hand with its palm up, knuckles on the surface of the table to get a closer look at his injury. His palm is scraped a bit, but there’s a notable gash among it all. 

“This is gonna sting,” she murmurs, glancing up at Steve, checking his expression before dabbing at the wound with the cloth. 

Though he’s always found it cute that she warns him before cleaning a wound— if it’s not flare-up related, he’s just a clumsy motherfucker these days— as if he hadn’t survived the horrors and agony of the Upside Down, this one actually does hurt.

Steve scrunches his eyes closed, hissing as the laceration is treated. He might also be in pain from the headache he’s pretty certain is actually a migraine, but it’s all blurring together.

“It hurts,” he snivels, immediately annoyed with himself for sounding so weak, so small.

The emboldened, courageous version of himself that once fought off monsters to protect those he loves endlessly doesn’t live in this body anymore.

“I know, m’sorry, Stevie.” Frankie’s touch is cautious, slowly dabbing blood away to inspect the wound again. “No glass, not that I can see. That’s good.” She grabs another clean cloth, blotting at the blood weeping out. “Think we should go to the ER?”

Steve shakes his head, stuttering, “No, I- I- I—“

“S’okay, you’re okay,” she assures him, just above a whisper. “… Do you want me to… stitch it?” She scrunches her face up in disgust at her own question; Frankie would do anything if it helped Steve, but she’s not sure she could handle giving him some DIY sutures.

“God, no.” He huffs, it’s almost a bitter laugh. “Don’t put yourself through that.”

“Okay, well… I think we can make do, but if it continues to bleed, I’m taking you to the ER.” She says, grabbing some butterfly bandages, applying them with care. “Or calling my dad.”

“Please do not call him,” Steve groans, tears slowing down. “That’s embarrassing.”

Frankie shrugs with a dramatic sigh, “Suit yourself, he’s the professional, not me.” That makes Steve actually huff out a laugh, pulling a lopsided, subtle smile on her face.

They sit in a comfortable silence as Frankie bandages Steve, a little too excessive, but she means well; his body begins to relax, despite the lingering ache across his palm. She gently lifts his hand to her lips, kissing the back of his hand, giggling softly as he quirks his brow. “Didn’t wanna kiss where it hurts.”

“Isn’t that what’s supposed to make it better?” His teasing earns a playful eye roll.

About to quip back, she doesn’t miss the way Steve clutches his head with his good hand, rushing to fill a glass with water. Sliding it over to him, she asks, “What happened?” 

That’s when Steve realizes he’s still shirtless. He gulps down the water, “I dunno if I can call it a panic attack, but m’not sure what else it’d be.”

Frankie gets up to shut the lights off, hoping to relieve some tension in his skull. “Have you eaten today?”

The thought of food alone grumbles Steve’s stomach, but nausea is taking over and— yeah, okay, yeah, it’s definitely a migraine. He shakes his head. “Don’t wanna. Can we lay down?”

She grabs a banana from the counter, pushing it towards him. “You need something in your stomach first. Have some of that, and I’ll get you some ibuprofen.”

Despite not wanting to take action other than rotting in bed, Steve’s not sure how he’s ever survived flare-ups before he met Frankie. Even when he’s grumpy about it, he’s grateful for her.

Reluctantly, he drinks some more water and eats a bit, takes some medication and crawls into bed.

When Frankie begins to walk away, Steve grabs her arm, grip weak, but needy. “M’gonna clean the sink first and I’ll be back. You get some rest, okay?”

He feels awful that she’s cleaning his mess, but before he can protest, she’s closing the bedroom door behind her, leaving Steve in the comfort of the dark. Though he fights to stay awake until Frankie returns, he’s out within minutes.

Whenever Frankie is the first thing Steve sees upon waking up, he instantly feels at ease; his muscles don’t default to tensing up, and his thoughts don’t snowball into the day’s awaiting anxieties.

He glances over at the clock on his nightstand, reading 2:49 A.M., sighing in annoyance; why couldn’t he just sleep through the night? He can’t remember when he fell asleep, but it had to be pretty early. At least his head isn’t ready to split in half; his migraine has settled into a tolerable, dull ache at best.

The soft, soothing glow of a subtle, seafoam green nightlight— one Frankie got him months ago, for the nights the dark becomes too much, brings back too many harsh memories— spills across her face, fast asleep and curled into Steve’s side. 

He cradles her cheek, counting the tiny constellations of freckles on her face as his thumb sweeps across them. She doesn’t appear so frail since finishing treatment; there’s color to her skin again, she’s gained weight back, and her hair’s growing back evenly into a pixie cut. She’s always beautiful to him, but to visibly see her body work with her, not against her, is relieving. 

It’s funny, once her flare-up finally settles, Steve falls into his own. He wonders if they’ll just constantly wax and wane like this forever.

Frankie stirs, nuzzling her face into the crook of Steve’s neck, wrapping herself around him tightly. Her lips tickle his neck as she mumbles, “You ‘kay?”

“Better than earlier.” 

“What happened?” She sounds more alert as she wakes up; Steve wonders if she fell asleep shortly after him. “How’s your hand?”

Fumbling around in the dim light, Frankie finds Steve’s injured hand, cradling it as she inspects the bandages.

“Sore, but it hasn’t bled through, so I think I’m okay,” he rasps, other arm still hooked around her form, holding her close. “Some random girl came in and pretended to be a doctor, but I think she did a good job.”

Frankie leans up to narrow her stare at Steve, but bursts into sleepy giggles. “Shut up.”

Wiggling his brows, he retorts, “Make me, Amato.”

Pecking his lips, she softly smiles, “Maybe after you tell me what’s going on.”

Steve sighs, harsh breath rumbling in his chest; he’s embarrassed, would rather forget this happened to begin with, but if he’s going to demand Frankie be honest and open about her struggles, he has to do the same. It’s only fair. 

He bites his lip, contemplating what’s acceptable to admit, but Frankie can read him easily, reminds him, “Don’t hold back, Stevie. No shame, no judgement, remember?”

“Yeah,” Steve nods. “I know. But I kinda feel like a hypocrite.”

“Sometimes it’s harder to give ourselves the grace we give to others.”

Steve knows it’s important to learn how to rely on yourself, but he can’t ignore the way Frankie has significantly changed his life for the better, even at his lowest points. He couldn’t be bothered to catch himself while hurtling towards rock bottom, but it’s different now, when Frankie’s waiting at the bottom, willing to uplifting him when he’s ready once more.

“I hate my scars,” he blurts out, sighing again as the truth pours out. “I hate them so much. I hate how I can’t see them the way you do, I hate that I can’t accept them as a sign of survival, I hate that I had to… to survive anything.”

Frankie shifts to lay face to face with Steve. She tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, cradling his jaw to offer some comfort, a kind he gratefully leans into every single time.

“And I feel like a hypocrite ‘cause I’m always reminding you how your scars don’t determine your worth— and that’s true, but I—“ His eyes scrunch shut, trying to barricade tears behind his lids. “I can’t see it for myself. I look in the mirror and feel sick. I just want them to go away. I don’t want to be reminded of the past, or how close I came to falling apart several times.

“I survived and I still feel so guilty for it. I know people who never made it out that deserve to be here; they’d be happy to survive if it meant living with these marks.”

Sighing, Frankie softly tells him, “Surviving still comes with some pretty heavy baggage, the kind you end up carrying for way longer than you’d like.”

Eyes opening slowly, they burn as tears meet oxygen, Steve’s voice barely breaks from a whisper, “Not sure how much longer I can carry it.”

“Then I’ll help you carry it,” Frankie states with sincerity, as if it’s the easiest task in the world. 

As if the past isn’t eating Steve alive from the inside out, burning like acid through any shred of good that may be left within him.

“I can’t fix it, but you don’t have to go it alone,” she adds, gentle touch warm and soothing while she wipes away his tears. “You just have to let me be there for you, baby.”

Every so often, the tiny, affectionate nicknames slip through; Frankie’s never been one to be so soft with any previous partners, but it comes naturally with Steve.

Loving Steve— among the good, the bad, and everything between— just comes naturally.

“You should stay over tomorrow... I got an idea, and it won’t solve everything, but it’ll help, I think.” Running her hand through his hair, she presses a kiss to his forehead with a sigh. Steve’s wrapping himself around her tightly, body melding into hers as he begins to relax. “At least give you a distraction for a bit. Sound good?”

Steve’s drifting off before he can respond, lulled back to sleep by the safety Frankie’s embrace offers.

“Will you just— Steve. Stay. Still.”

Frankie snorts as she grabs his shoulders, pressing them down to the floor.

How the hell is Steve supposed to stay still with Frankie straddling him as he lies on his stomach half naked? How the hell does he ignore that?

They’ve already slept together, plenty of times at this point, see each other with little to no clothing quite often; an innocent activity like this shouldn’t arouse him so easily.

Well… at least I’m face down.

“I’m trying to, but—“

Think of anything else. Literally anything else other than the compromising position your girlfriend unknowingly has you both in while trying to do something cute, wholesome and innocent. Don’t make it weird, she’s trying to do something nice, don’t be a perv.

The way he’s laying on the floor is uncomfortable for his lower half, but it’s getting worse with the erection he’s trying and miserably failing at willingly away. He continues to shift around, trying to find some comfort, hoping she won’t notice—

“Steve, quit fucking wiggling your hips!” Frankie bursts into her contagious giggles, except he doesn’t laugh along with her; her legs squeeze inward, pinning him in place. He has to bite back a groan, burying his face into the pillow under his head.

Aaaaaaaand, I’m hard. Great.

“If I woulda known you’d be this much of a handful, I woulda kept my feelings to myself,” Grumbling, she can’t hide the snort that slips out, too. Her hands splay onto his back, gently pressing him to the floor. The ever so slight motion of dominance— one she’s unaware of— creates some untimely, lust-dazed thoughts.

Steve’s breath hitches, earning Frankie’s concern.

“Does it hurt?”

Not in the way you think, Frankie.

“No, nope, I’m good. I’ll stay still, promise.”

Frankie picks up her paintbrush again, dabbing it into her paint palette. She down, hovering above Steve’s shoulders, and he can feel her soft breaths tickle along his ear. His skin prickles up with his peach fuzz standing on end.

“Cold?”

No.

“It’s—“ Steve coughs, but that just moves his body against the floor even more; he forces a laugh to try hiding a moan. “Paint’s chilly, but I- I’m okay.”

A thin tipped brush drags along his soft skin in smooth, slow motions; every so often, he can feel when Frankie’s hand twitches, but she laughs it off.

“Probably should’ve done this on a good tremor day.”

“I’ll love it either way.”

“You don’t even know what I’m painting yet.”

“So? You’re talented as hell, ‘Key, and honestly—“ Forgetting why he’s on the floor to begin with, he starts sitting up, but Frankie pushes him back down— as gently as possible, of course. The way she takes charge makes him blush, and he prays it’s not one of his full-bodied, splotchy, bright red blushing moments. “M- my bad.”

“Just be good,” she murmurs, leaning down to his ear, “and stay still.”

Never mind. She absolutely knows what she’s doing. Of course she knows.

“You’re evil, you know that?” Steve groans, wriggling underneath her to adjust himself, but she pins him in place again with the strength of her legs. “‘Key, c’mon, babe… don’t—“ he huffs sharply, body tensing underneath her. “Quit teasing!”

“I am actually trying to do something important here, so respectfully, tell your dick to be patient.”

He whines, “Do you know how hard this is?”

“How hard your dick is?” Dryly, she teases, “Yeah, I’ve had it in me once or twice.”

“Frankie!”

“Okay, sorry, three times at least.” Whenever she uses the fine-tipped brushes, they leave goosebumps in their wake, tickling Steve’s already sensitive skin. “If body painting makes you this horny, I should do it all the time.”

“You’re the worst, the worst, the actual worst—“ Steve cuts himself off with a groan when Frankie’s fingers tangle into his hair, tugging softly. He can’t resist lazily rutting into the floor for relieving friction. “How do you expect me to stay still when you’re doing shit like this?”

“That’s your problem, not mine,” she giggles, resuming her work in progress. “I’m almost done anyway, just a few more minutes.” As Steve grumbles, Frankie leans down, careful not to smudge any wet paint while kissing his cheek.

In those last few minutes, he manages to calm down, sinking into the soothing touch his girlfriend works on him with. 

“Okay… now, you gotta keep your eyes closed and sit up.”

“What? Why?”

“I gotta paint the front next.”

Steve sputters, “But you— I thought you said you were almost—“

“Done? With the back, yeah, but not all of it.” The smirk she gives is telling, fully aware of how this is torturing Steve. “C’mon, just a little longer. For me? Please?”

Steve can’t say no to the puppy dog eyes Frankie gives him, caving instantly.

“Okay, fine.”

Again, Frankie kisses his cheek, “Thank you. It’ll be worth it. Promise.”

Some time later, Frankie finally finishes her handiwork, rising to her feet. “C’mon, just don’t look yet,” Frankie holds her hands out to Steve, carefully helping him up. “You know what kintsugi is?”

He keeps his gaze forward, trying not to peek yet at the art on his body. His legs wobble slightly; they fell asleep at some point, so he shakes out the pins and needles feeling. He shakes his head, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Eyes closed, I got you, don’t worry.” Steve’s eyes flutter shut, and Frankie slowly leads him into her room. She takes her time guiding him while explaining, “So… it’s a Japanese art form, repairing broken pieces, usually broken pottery with gold. It highlights the flaws and cracks rather than hiding them,” she places Steve before her floor-length mirror. “Just ‘cause it’s got some imperfections, doesn’t mean it loses its worth or purpose… and that’s how I see you.”

The familiar warmth of feeling cared for and loved by Frankie blooms in Steve’s chest, radiating throughout his body.

“You’re still strong and beautiful, and though you’ve lost blood and confidence along the way, you’re still you.” With a soft kiss to his shoulder, Frankie whispers, “You can open ‘em now.”

At first glance, Steve’s breath hitches. He takes in the meticulous work, transforming his scars into something easier on the eyes; they’re painted in metallic gold, tracing what he often sees as tangible proof of failure. Now, they’re highlighted, and not to bring negative attention, but it’s subtle enough that it compliments the skin surrounding it.

There’s even spots Frankie painted to mimic florals found on pottery and fine china, but they’re depicted growing out of his scars. It doesn’t look like he’s held together by remnants of disaster—

He looks like art, something to be cherished and treated with delicate care, something to be admired.

“This is how I see you,” Frankie’s tone is certain and strong. “You’re not just art to me, you’re worth far more than what the darker thoughts try to convince you of. You’ve been to hell and back, and the proof is on your body. I know how hard it is to believe you’re supposed to be here, to keep going… maybe not to the extent you feel, but the scars don’t make it any easier to heal from the past.”

Like the day before, Steve’s eyes well up, unable to see his reflection clearly; this time, he wipes the tears away, not disgusted by his own figure, for once.

“I don’t expect this to fix how you feel, and you have every right to still grieve what you wanted your life to be, but I hope this helps you see how stunning you are to me, inside and out. You deserve to see how others see you, despite the flaws. We all got ‘em one way or another. When I say I love all of you, that means the scars, too. Physical and emotional, ‘cause they’re a part of you, and you, Steve Harrington, are one of a kind, and an incredible person.”

A trembling finger traces the scar around his neck, now filled in with an ethereal glimmer of gold.

Frankie’s self doubt trickles in, “A- and if you hate it, we can wash it off. I hope this doesn’t come off like I’m glorifying what you endured, or—“ Steve spins around to capture her lips in a kiss, earning a muffled yelp against his own.

“Thank you,” he whispers as he breaks the kiss. He rests his forehead on hers, nuzzling his nose against her own. She can feel tears drip onto her face, breaking from Steve’s lash line. “I don’t think I could ever see myself like this, but knowing you do… ah, fuck.” His emotions and brain fog dance together seamlessly, stealing away the words he hoped to thank Frankie with.

Facing the mirror again, Steve admires the designs delicately painted along his skin. Even if he can’t see what Frankie sees, it feels good to realize how loved you are. This is a kind of love he’s never experienced before; no partner has ever really gone beyond showing love in basic intimacy. 

Which, really, isn’t exactly wrong, but the love Steve and Frankie share grows beyond hugs and kisses and sex. Moments like this remind him how lucky he is in a relationship so healthy and strong— like he’d ever forget to begin with.

A short, stifled laugh floats out of Frankie. Steve meets her gaze in the reflection, brows knitting together while he rubs tears away. “What’s so funny?”

Her arms slink around his hips, palms splaying out against his stomach, teasingly sinking lower. When her fingertips begin dipping under waistband, he whimpers.

“Just funny you’re still hard, s’all.” Kissing his shoulder, her hands slip further down, relishing in the shuddered exhale he releases when she reaches his bulge. “Didn’t think pinning you to the floor to paint you would be such a turn on.”

“Well… I… you just…” Steve’s response trails off when she finally touches him, replaced by a filthy moan as his head lolls back against Frankie’s shoulder. Her fingers curl around his length, giving a teasing squeeze. “Please?”

“Please what, baby?”

Steve feels like he’s about to burst— out of his heart or his dick, he’s not sure yet— but being called baby again does something different to him. The ever slowly-growing terms of endearment and affection have wormed their way into the list of phrases and tones that make his skin tingle, reveal a smile, a real one.

That, intertwined with the desire radiating from Frankie’s touch is enough to unravel Steve at the seams with ease.

“Please…” His train of thought is off the rails again when Frankie pushes his boxers down, cock springing free with  dull slap against his body. 

“S’okay, Steve, don’t be shy,” she murmurs, kissing along the back of his shoulder, careful to avoid any painted skin. 

Steve tenses up, unsure what to do with his hands, or how to stand still; he’s barely used to someone else taking control of intimate moments, and it still feels so new with Frankie.

“‘Key… I dunno if I—“ a strangled moan catches in his throat, head lolling back as her thumb swipes along his weeping slit. Frankie gently pushes his head upright, forcing him to look at himself in the mirror. “Not sure if I c- can stand still if you keep touchin’ me like that…”

“Hm… maybe it’d help if you could hold onto me from the front,” she murmurs, and before Steve can ask what she means, Frankie’s on her knees in front of him. She grasps his shaft, gently stroking again, kissing up his thigh. 

“You’re killing me,” he gasps when her tongue swipes along the base of his cock, trailing down to his sac. Steve’s hands fly to her head, grateful her hair, still incredibly short, has grown back enough to have something to hold onto. “Fuck, ‘Key…”

She kisses his tip, gaze floating up with a soft order, “Spit for me.” 

Steve’s a little confused until she’s sticking her tongue out, allowing the head of his cock to rest on the warm muscle. He twitches as her tongue ring makes contact with his shaft; he spits, aiming down to his length, shuddering as Frankie collects it on her tongue, dripping off his cock.

“H’my god…”

Frankie takes him in swiftly, cock heavy while it nestles on her whole tongue this time, tongue ring tickling the prominent vein running down his shaft.

If her mouth wasn’t completely stuffed, she’d giggle over the way Steve’s eyes nearly cross before rolling back. She settles for a low hum instead, buzzing around him as she begins to bob her head.

Steve whines so needfully when Frankie pulls off, spit secure like a leash from her lips to the ruddy tip. She wraps her hand around, strokes softly, steadily. “Stevie?”

He doesn’t care what she’s about to ask— he’ll do it in a heartbeat when she bats her eyelashes that way, lips pouty and cock-swollen around her sweet voice.

“Mhm, yeah?” 

“Remember when you asked me to watch in the mirror when you touched me the first time?” She wraps her other hand around him, both working in sinful harmony to keep his pleasure baseline, for now.

“Y- yeah,” Steve can barely form a coherent thought as Frankie flits her tongue out to his head again, tongue ring dipping into his slit, weeping a generous amount of pre already. He attempts to regain control, but his praise comes out in a needy tone, “Shit… s- so pretty on your knees f’me…”

“Hm, bet my view of you from down here is ten times prettier,” she lovingly teases, one hand slipping away to massage his balls. Pouting as his knees shake, she asks, “You wanna take a minute to—“

“No.” Frantically, Steve shakes his head, yet stumbles a bit in place. He pants, locking eyes with Frankie, snorting when she playfully glares. “… Okay, yeah, maybe I should— yeah.”

He makes a discontent sound, reluctantly backing away from Frankie to sit at the edge of her bed. Before he can whine again, she comes closer, touch returning to tease. She rests her palms against his knees, pushing them apart while planting slow, wet kisses up his shaft. 

“You’re gonna watch yourself fall apart this time, Stevie.” Lapping at the tip once more, Steve throws his head back with a throaty groan. When Frankie takes all of him in, he grows louder. Reeling back, the sound of Frankie’s lips popping off of him softly causes him to throb with need. “Want you to see how stunning you are to me.”

There’s no time to protest when her fingers wrap around the base of his cock, wrapping her lips around the tip and taking in the rest. Steve can’t help bucking his hips, bumbling out a string of rushed apologies.

“M’sorry, it just— sorry, I’m—“

Frankie doesn’t complain, only sinks further down his shaft, tongue carrying the weight of him, guiding the tip to reach the back of her throat.

“Oh, god,” he groans, eyes fluttering shut as her lips and fingers make every perfect move, leading him closer to a release than he expected. “Oh, god…”

She pulls back, stroking him while smirking. “Not god, just me.”

Steve fights through a shuddered moan, “Ha-ha, very funny—“ his breath hitches when she sucks on the prominent vein running up his length. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

“Again, just lil’ ole’ me,” Frankie teases, enjoying how easy it is to wind Steve up. Hand still stroking him, she kisses his inner thigh, slowly working her way up his figure. Her lips reach the scars she painted, taking extra care in leaving kisses behind. 

Watching her carefully, Steve pants harder as her touch never lets up. His hips jerk toward her, earning another smirk.

“‘Key… don’t think I can last long,” he whines as she finally reaches his collarbone, traveling further north until her kisses lead to his lips. She stops just before their lips collide, breath tickling along his face.

Frankie straddles his lap, stroking a little faster, a bit harder. “Can’t finish ‘til you agree with me.”

“Agree? Huh? O- on what?” It’s so hard to focus, so hard to hold even the most basic conversation with his girlfriend effortlessly looking angelic while unraveling him at the scenes with just her hand alone. His breath hitches again, face growing red as he tries holding out.

“That you’re strong, and beautiful, and courageous—“

“M’not saying all’a’that,” he manages to get out, squirming in her grasp.

“I know, words are hard when you’re trying not to come, huh?” She carefully slides behind him, watching them both in the mirror’s reflection as she continues pleasuring him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she kisses his neck lazily. “You’re so pretty when you’re all fucked out like this.”

“Frankie, I- I can’t, I’m—“

“I’ll make it easier for you,” she bargains, swiping her thumb at the tip of his cock, spreading pre while getting him off. “Just promise me you’ll be kinder to yourself.”

Tears prick at Steve’s eyes, staring at Frankie through the reflection; even when she’s teasing him, he feels so loved by her. And she’s right— he has to try to be kinder to himself. Maybe it will still be an uphill battle with his appearance, and the weight of tragedy the scars hold, but he can promise he’ll try.

For her sake, and his, all he can do is try.

Steve nods wildly, biting down on his lip while balancing on the edge of release.

“I- I promise, I swear,” he babbles with sincerity, nodding his head frantically. “Promise m’gonna try, I promise—“

“Let go, Stevie, I got you,” she gently commands. “Always.”

They’ve fallen into the habit of major reassurance in very few words; whether at their most intimate moments or the mundane ones, they really do have each other, no matter what.

While Steve’s high rushes through him, spilling over Frankie’s hand and onto himself, he makes those gorgeous sounds she’ll never grow tired of. Bliss eventually settles into baseline, leaving behind Steve wrapped in a warm glow.

He feels like putty, smiling dopily as her hand loosens, but never leaves him. Crawling in front of him again, she leans in for a kiss, one that’s slow and sweet, smirking against his lips every time a content sigh shudders out of him.

“I love you, Stevie.” 

Steve holds Frankie’s waist, shaking his head, “Love y’more.”

She giggles at the leftover high that still lingers within him. “You’re gonna sleep well tonight.”

“Mhm,” he grins, only to gasp when Frankie gives a gentle squeeze to his softening cock, gathering the remnants of his release onto her hand. She brings it up to her mouth, cleaning her fingers off with slow laps of her tongue, locking eyes with her partner. He groans lowly, fingers digging into her hips. “Oh, c’mon, don’t do that to me.”

“Do what?” Feigning innocence only makes Steve aroused all over again.

“Don’t play dumb and tease, Francesca,” he rolls his eyes playfully, falling back against the bed to rest. “Gonna need like… two hours ‘til we do anything else.”

Frankie shrugs, “Worth the wait.” Scanning over his body, still covered in paint, she asks, “Need help washing that off?”

“Uh-huh,” he chuckles, still catching his breath. “Y’should take a Polaroid or something, though, just ‘cause it looks cool.”

“You just want me to take your photo,” she teases lightly, kissing his cheek.

“I meant for the art, jerk.”

“You are the art, meanie.”

“Meanie? What, are we fighting on the playground or something?” 

“Shut up,” she clambers off him, retrieving her Polaroid camera. When she returns, she notices smudges, which were expected, but the concept is messed up now. “Dammit. I should’ve asked to take a picture beforehand.”

Steve doesn’t expect her to push him back into the pillows, straddling his waist to point the camera down over him. He laughs, baffled as his brows knit together. “Honey, what’re you doing?”

“Photographing art,” she states, snapping a photo. The undeveloped film falls to his chest. “What the hell does it look like I’m doing?”

That pulls a laugh out of Steve, one with a wide grin and crinkled eyes. His hand comes up to his face, lazily rubbing his eye, when the flash goes off again.

“Oh, god, that’s gonna look awful,” he snorts, playfully pushing the camera away.

Except it becomes Frankie’s favorite photo she’s ever taken of Steve the moment it develops. She feels so lucky to see him like this, at his most vulnerable; his most authentic self. The paint is smudged in spots and he’s laughing with genuine joy, the first time in days Frankie’s seen it from him. He looks so sleepy, but comfortable, at home in his own skin, for once. Relaxed and content when they’re together.

“Far from it,” she murmurs, admiring the moment frozen in time, captured in that little square of instant film. “So far from it.”

While she’s distracted, Steve snatches the camera, uses the last bit of energy to hook his legs around her, flipping Frankie onto her back. She squeals with laughter, caught off guard when Steve begins snapping photos of her.

“This was about you, not me!” She giggles, trying to reach for the camera. Steve holds it up, not bothering to use the viewfinder before taking another photo of her.

It’s a blurry shot, but her sunny smile shines through, contagious laugh echoing out of the photograph. She looks so happy. Steve wants to help perpetuate that happiness for as long as possible.

“Yeah, well, I needed a new one for my wallet.” He leans down, nose nudging against her own, murmuring, “Love you so much.” 

She doesn’t have a chance to respond before he kisses her. Steve lifts the camera towards them, takes a leap of faith and hopes it’s pointed at them, hitting the shutter and setting the flash off.

Frankie breaks the kiss with a scandalized gasp, but her easily amused smile gives her away. “Quit it, you’re gonna use up my film!”

Steve retaliates, taking one last snapshot of her, leaving the camera on the bed as he slides off.

“What?” He smirks, pulling her off the bed with him. “I was photographing the art.”

[dann-art]

I know that vampire chronicles aren't meant to be historical accurate. Like you read this and you know that all this events can happen in literally any time and space. Like really. The times doesn't really matter there, there are no nuances.

Listen, I'm not a historian, by any means. It's just like a hobby, but I have millions of them so I don't even learn that much.

Also I usually don't give a shit about accuracy in media, like whatever, until it's science do what you want, whatever suits your story

But sometimes it's time to say enough is enough.

So, we need to talk about Armands origin in Kievan Rus'. Okay, that's cool, we don't really explore it, but well whatever, at least we're not messing this up, right? Right?

While I was reading I ignored it. I was reading TVA in polish translation I thought like okay, names and nuances probably got lost in translation. It's a really bad translation tho.

But out of curiosity today I opened the book in English, because this was sticking in my head.

And it appears it wasn't translators fault.

So well, it's like kinda huge mistake. Like no one really checked it? But this book constantly claims that like Kievan Rus' was then in Russia. And suprise, suprise: that's simply not true. Well the term is kinda not right and can mean anything, like back it existed as state it was huge, but (judging on the mention of Kiev itself) that it was like somewhere in that area.

So I'll spare whole history, it's not relevant. We're stop around 1480's, when Armand was born (based on my calculations). And in that time the region was called Kiev Voivodeship (hope I got it right in english), and it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and stayed there until 1569, when it passed to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (when the Polish-lithuanian commonwealth was created, but both countries were in union since early XV century)

So in the book we have some lines like this

Armand, bestie, I don't know how to break it to you, you're not russian. You never were. You've never lived in Russia (or back then I would use rather the name Moscow, but again I'm not a historian). More of a Ukrainian if so, but also not the world I would use. Most accurate would be rusyn (I think, or ruthenian???? I'm not sure how it works in English, anyway not russian).

Then we have this, and well... Oh boy. Something went really wrong with geography here. First of all, you've never been to Russia (or better say Principality of Moscow, like it wasn't even called Russia, from what I know, but i might be wrong).

So okay, Moscow and Novgorod were in part of Moscow indeed but Cracow!?!?!?? (Known also as my absolutely favourite city in the world). Like Cracow like Never ever has been a part of Russia. Okay, I get confusion with Kiev if you really really don't care about basic research. But Cracow???

Here's the map. Unfortunately it like administrative of Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth in 1619, but well you'll see my point. That doesn't make any sense

Cracow always was polish. Like it's our second capital. And look how far from Russia it is. Even during the partitions it goes to Austria not Russia.

Last thing I want to point out is this one

Like, man, maybe you speak russian, I do not doubt, like during travel to Moscow you could learn I guess.

I'm not entirely sure, but I guess the language there is ruthenian not russian. Like ruthenian is old language which is base for slavic languages such as Belarusian or Ukrainian. And what is also important it was not the language used in the Principality of Moscow, so it's definitely not russian.

Okay, thanks for reading if anyone is still there. I won't bore you any longer. It just was sitting in my head and I had to throw it out because we'll, basic research I guess.

[otiksimr]

Hello hello hello I have returned once again, this time to ask for:

The name pronunciations!

Xerxees, would it sound like Zerzees? Zurksees? Kserksees? Would Ebrietas be Eh-brī-uh-tuhs, Eh-bree-eh-tuhs, something else? How would you even pronounce Rahuul and Yhtraah? Just all of them.

Also, if Abyss Children would be really interested in humans, how often do they actually come down to Earth? You said they're worshipped, so at least once, but do they ever just pop up looking somewhat non-human and just hang out?

Speaking of looking somewhat non-human, does anyone ever question Bob [Bob Beloved] about, like, his general lack of face? Or the fact that, in their eyes, he would seemingly never age? And was Bob [Bob Beloved] ever depicted in like, insanely old murals or anything? Could archeologists in Otiksimr lore find Bob [Bob Beloved] cave paintings?

And if Abyss Children "latch onto" whatever helped them, the ones that were pulled out I mean, does that mean there's even more creatures? And how would a creature help an Abyss Child out in the first place?

Also, when I asked about World Eater relations to other species, you mentioned B A T S that have to do with another character 👀 I am now curious about that as well

Ehem. Anyway. That was my daily question. (More like an interrogation atp but either way)

Tytytytyty

Also this is awesome. Anyway-

Yipe! Questions!

Whenever I pronounce names… I don’t have a real way of doing it. It’s more or less just pronounce it how it looked. Xerxees is Zurk-sees. Ebrietas is Eh-bree-eh-tahs. Rahuul is Rah-ool. For Yhtraah the ‘t’ is silent. So it’d be Yuh-Kraa. That’s the most odd the pronunciation gets though. Don’ worry about it for the most part.

Abyss Children aren’t big wanderers, if they find a place they like they just settle down there. There are two kinds, ones that just wander space (typically young ones who’ve yet to find a role model or older ones who do not take on a form), and ones that stay rooted to a live planet (like Earth). They just stay there, lol. For the most part, just for ease, they can all look relatively human if they want to. Just a majority of them don’t. (Ones who do present themselves as mainly human are Haruna, Yoru, and Zynath but they also interact with humans the most out of all of them). 

They have their own territories in the planets they choose to reside in. And those territories are heavily affected by their presence (for example if one of them was Winter Incarnate then the area they mainly reside would be under a constant blizzard :]). Their interaction with humans is based on if people ever wander into their territory knowingly or not. Just I mainly talk about the oddballs (The babysitters and sister twins) so that may not be very apparent. Lol.

Bob has a face. He can look like a completely normal person. I just never draw him as such because I don’t want to. That’s my fault. And Bob is good at making sure he didn’t get caught while he’s a worm (Correction, Rahuul is very good at making sure Bob isn’t seen at all when he’s worm). So you wont be seeing any ancient murals of Bobby worm. Sad.

There are a lot of critters. That I have in concept. Just none of them I give names because I am bad with names and I know I wont remember them so theres no point to it. I make it sound like Abyss Child ‘births’ are a very frequent thing. It isn’t. Maybe like. Once a million years on average, and that’s just how often it happens not how successful it is. (Success rating I’d say a solid 1% make it). And the chances that another being is around to notice it let alone do anything about it is very slim. I made a lil’ diagram to help show it, since it’s really hard to explain. Lol.

Alright! The bats! They’re relevant to a character because of his [L O R E]. Woo, spooky. So, you know how oarfish are also known as ‘doomsday fish’ because they surface during earthquakes? The bats are like that! But they are are way more specific, scarily so even! They sense disaster (just think of Absol the pokemon), and a week or so before the disaster actually strikes they all scatter and relocate in massive hoards, and after the disaster strikes they go back to their original home. (For example, a flood or forest fire. One flock will leave, a few days past, another flock will leave, and eventually the entire hoard is gone.) 

Thus people who live on this [specific island] that the bats are only located on build their residents near the areas that the bats are native to. As they are an extremely accurate forewarning. Basically, when the bats start leaving you gotta pack up and MOVE. When the hoard is gone ya gotta book it out of there fella! Heh heh. They got a long ass name that I don’t feel like repeating here, but yeah :). I think it was Yan Hyra or something like that. Don’t ask what it means because it ain’t mean shit. That’s just the naming system, ha.

Very glad to add to your brain eating amoebas! And brain worms ! ! :]

Please… my mice… ask about my characters… I must infect the rest of you as well.

[xyurishux]

CHAPTER 1 - AS A WHOLE, TOGETHER

Word Count: ~1.7k

Tags: GN!reader, Mentions of family disputes

Summary: You begin to tell Sebastian how deep UrbanShades rabbit hole truly goes, starting with yourself.

Pardon any writing errors, they may happen!

“ oh sweetie, you’re not ugly, society is,”

“So,

When I was younger, life was as normal as can be. I was in mediocre family, it was me, my mom and my dad. I’d only see my mom in the morning, and when I was back from school my dad would be home for dinner. It wasn’t until way later I learned about his job, but that isn’t relevant right now. My dad was a mystery to me, he’s my dad but I didn’t know much to anything about him. I saw him everyday when I got home but it’s was for such a small period of time, did it even count?

Life was so mundane and repetitive. Go to school, pass tests, summer break then restart it all over again. Life was boring but it wasn’t difficult.

I would do anything to be back there…” You paused looking out into the ocean, it was dark you could mistake it for the above, only simply at night. You breathe out from your nose continuing on with your story.

 “Anyways, it was back in September of 2009 when my father got a promotion. Seeing his face 4 to 5 hours per day dwindled down to seeing him once every two weeks or so, usually on Sundays. He became an enigma.

“You see, something I couldn’t see at the time was that as I grew older, his need to be in my life lowered, and sadly, that same fate fell too with my mother by default.

His job already took a toll on their relationship. Only spending 4 to 5 hours with your partner every day over the span of five years isn’t so great.

My mother would see him as much as I did and now, he just wasn’t there. The signs of a falling relationship presented themselves beforehand, but now it was obvious to anyone that the only thing keeping them together was me. At least, for my mom that was the case.

“The house was more silent than it ever was empty…”

You looked to the side with your eyes to see Sebastians full attention on you, perhaps it was the story? Or maybe he didn’t have anything better to do or it might have been the way your voice spoke with full sincerity and no sarcasm. It was like someone else took control but it was undoubtedly you and he was fully enthralled.

Your eyes met and you looked back down at the cold tile as you carried on.

“Ether way, it was in November of that same year where things would shift. My mom would realize the steady money flowing in and at growing amounts. Now you have to understand that my mother isn’t of the suspicious type nor is she a person who comes up with wild conclusions. She was (and still is, I hope) a reasonable and sensible woman. She knew that this wasn’t a simple ‘promotion’, but to know where all this money came from, well…she didn’t have the slightest clue. She didn’t know and she would never know. Well, truly know…

“The first snow started to fall as December began and Winter break freed me from my studying. Shockingly, dad came home for the holidays and New Years. Funny anecdote, I remember getting my first iPhone as a gift from him that year. It was an iPhone 3GS, God the memories…my mother was not pleased in slightest.” You laughed silent tilting your head to the side as your reminisced, it was good and loyal phone…

 “Continuing on, after Christmas as a family and with the family the next day, my parents had the only disagreement I’ve ever witnessed (only a disagreement, it wasn’t enough to count as a fight).

I think it was about 2 am and the only light that was on was the one above the kitchen table. My dad was sitting facing my mother who standing up, the last of the family who came over for the party had finally left. Chip bowls and wine glasses were still scattered on the coffee table, only barely visible by the outside Christmas lights. I watched as my mom tapped her nails against the wooden chair she was partly leaning on as she took a deep breath. I could tell she was tired, exhausted even but I could also tell she had something bugging her and she needed to let it out. I watched them from the darkness that the staircase provided, I was undetectable. I listened to them talk, leaning my upper body to the wooden railing trying not to miss a single word. I don’t remember much; it was about the money at first but it was nothing compared to what my mother said next.”

“Samantha, look- “

“I’m breaking up with you”

“My mother broke up with my father. I sat upon the steps dumbfounded, I didn’t expect that from their conversation but even then, I didn’t know what to expect. The last of the conversation consisted of my father staying silent and staring at the table as my mom talked important matters to him. She told him that she would stay for the New Years and then move in with a friend in an apartment she found. After that she finished the glass of wine my dad poured for her at the start and left the kitchen when he didn’t have anything to add.

I’m pretty sure that night was the only time I saw my dad cry. He was still in love with her, never ever once thinking of ending their relationship. Never ever once thinking of loving another woman.

 Most children would walk down the stairs they sat on and go comfort their weeping father or at least ask if he was okay. But our relationship was so estranged to the point where I felt no reason to go down and comfort him. He simply was just my father, nothing else nothing more.

I watched him cry silently with his head in his hand as I sat on the steps with my legs close to my chest. I sat there for a few more minutes. I don’t know why I sat there watching for so long. Maybe I was intrigued with the sight, it was something new. A man I’ve know all my life was a mystery to me and now the last sight I might ever see of him is him crying his heart out. But soon enough I got tired, I walked back up to my bedroom and fell asleep to noise of the on going shower my mom was taking downstairs.

The next morning felt cold and unbalanced. The floor was cold to the touch and it was actually closer to noon then morning. The hall was silent as I walked down it and saw at the end of it that my mom was packing a suitcase and a large duffle bag. They were both placed on the bed with an equal amount of folded and unfolded clothes thrown around the two. It was enough to be unable to see the white and blue floral comforter underneath (or I remember it to be enough). I walked into the room and as if I didn’t witness the scene at the kitchen table last night I asked, “Are we going somewhere?”

She was so concentrated with her packing that she jumped startled when she heard my voice. With her hand over her heart, she turned to me with a forced smile (I knew that it was) and spoke words that I will never forget.”

“What were they?” Sebastian asked quietly, his full upper body now laying against the desk where you two sorted files on together almost an hour ago.

You smiled, “Well,

“Sweetheart! You scared me there,” She said, her smile faltering, “No, mommy is going somewhere, alone, but not forever. You’ll have to stay with dad for awhile.” She turned her head away as she folded a few pants and placed them into her suitcase. Then she squatted, and I had to look down to see her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and her lashes wet. I felt her hands on my upper arms as she continued to talk, “Mommy, mommy needs to go find herself for a bit, okay? Not for long but mommy needs this…I love you, eternally and always”

She left the same day with kiss on the forehead, her phone number seared into my mind and a “Be good while I’m gone, I’m a single phone call away”

And then I was there, at my door step, cold and watching as my mom entered her friend’s car with one last kiss blown to me. I caught it and placed it onto my cheek as she drove off. Now it was me and my estranged father and a lot of complex emotions I didn’t know how to decipher or begin to understand at the age of ten.”

You finished, pausing to take a breath for a second while also stretching your aching muscles.

“And then what? What does this have to do with us? With me?” Sebastian asked harshly as he raised himself from the desk.

“Give me a second, I need water and a snack, I’m a bit peckish,” you joked, smirking to him, before continuing, “Ether way, we’re barely getting into the meat of the story. I was just explaining how I got stuck with my father. Now will be getting into what he was doing

behind closed doors…”

And we start rolling, ~

@splatting-stampede

[insanely-lovely-and-random]

Alrightyy saw Challengers for numero uno tonight and these are some thoughts/things that really got me the second time round!

*Thess are just my opinions the film can be read however anyone else wants

Okay so hear me out.. Tashi is such a dom, Art is such a sub and Patrick is such a switch and oooh it got me how at the beginning it felt like he was Arts dom, then he finds this girl he thinks is fantastic and maybe he thinks she could be the glue to bring him and Art and her all together BUT then it totally fricken backfires and instead he loses both. Art the little puppy he is starts wagging his tail in Zendayas direction and next thing ya know he's got a new owner and Patricks a thing of the past much to his palable distress. I mean christ boyos living in his car and starving, boys a mess since his lost his dom and sub poor boyo, so now various things I noticed some of which I feel back up my argument haha

Gosh theres so many little moments, Patricks thing for Art seems so obvious yet Art seems totally clueless.

1) Patrick is defos bi, not just because he just so is but also cause he matches with a guy on his dating app during his swiping.

2) The doubles match they play in the past? Gosh they're all over eachother! And Pats clearly in charge of that relationship and Art seems totally cool with that (for then anyways..)

3) When him and Art are watching Tashis game at the vert beginning Patrick grabs Arts leg in exhilaration. I mean he always seems to be touching or in the space of his boy for christs sake.

4) When Tashi mentions the fact Arts going to Stamford Patrick noticeably makes a face, you could say its because shes paying attention to Art instead of him or that hes upset because shes going to college instead of going profesh BUT I really didnt read it that way. To me it looked like he was upset Art was going to college, they've been together for years after all and now their splitting up, poor boyo.

5) When Zendaya asks if theres anything going on between then, Art laughs and says no BUT Patrick??? Science and he looks down, hell he wishes there was summat.

6) He taught Art to jerk off. Fucking hell.

7) There kiss man, all three of then and then just Art and Pat, just soo much chemistry.

8) When he reveals he slwpt with Zendaya to Art, and Arts smile drops. I think he's heartbroke at him sleeping with the girl he likes but I also see it as pain at being left out. These two people he's entwined with and now he's outside looking in. I also think If Patrick had seen that reaction he'd have seen a looot sooner that his relationship with Tashi might backfire greatly.

9) Patrick vsiting Stamford, first person he goes to see, his girlfriend maybe..? NOPE hes too busy chasing Art around the tennis court 😭

10) There's a ton of hot moments in this film. And the hottest? To me? That bloody stool grab with his foot. He wants Art close, he always bloody does! And the churros christ! And once again showing Art who's top so to speak, eating his churro, and telling him hes proud of his snakey behaviour. And that it makes his relationship with Zendaya hotter (I bloody bet it does) He never ever seems to show jealousy about Arts feelings for Zendaya, he points out thay he doesn't see him as competition to her not long after and I BET his doesn't. Cause I think he'd love it if Art was with him and Zendaya.

11) My God this bit gets be cause it gets echoed later. Him and Zendaya are making out and this girl who he's with and cares about is just talking bout his tennis game. And tbf what does he say?? "Weren't you gonna tell me bout Art" hells bells could you be more obvious?? And then the fight, he asks her if she's talking about tennis and her reply "I'm always talking about tennis" and I mention this cause it's gonna be relevant later.

12) The injury happens and everyone loses something. Zendaya has lost her career and ability to play tennis to her full potential. Art loses his best friend and Poor pathetic Patrick lost his bestfriend(and secret love) and his actual girlfriend all in one day!

From here on I cant guarantee my numbered points are in timeline order as the timline stated getting more out of sequence🤣

13) Zendaya and Art in the diner and after hearing Art and Pat dont talk no more saying she's a homewrecker after all. And what does Art say?? Zip. Nada. No denial just silence.

14) Okay lets talk that sauna scene. It was gloriously tragic. Patrick is clearly unaware why Art is THAT hostile towards him. I mean thinking of it from his point of view he'd have more reason to be angry considering the snakey girlfriend behaviour. But he never is angry at Art, not once no matter what he did. Of course we then discover Art is SO pissed cause he knows about Atlanta. Christ I bet pur stupid idiot boy Patrick thinks hes just being cleverly smug with that "when we were teenagers" line but idiot boyo your rubbing salt in the wounds 😭

15) still about the sauna, the naked trying to be top dog like old times but no no no, not anymore. Arts not his to be in charge of anymore. And the camera shows Art as higher while Patrick slouches nearby. Patrick asks him when he's so mad but doesn't get an answer. This scene was tragic to me, Patrick just seems hurt by Arts attitude. Art points out that they're no longer peers and I love this because thats the difference between the Zendaya/boys relationship and Arts and Pats. Pat may have been the dom so to speak with Art but he still saw them as peers. Zendaya doesn't. Thats the main difference in their relationships. Respect.

16) One of my fave damn parts of dialogue in the movie. (I really can't remember exact phrasing but this is how I rememeber it) Art is so sus of Pat, Pat asks him if he misses it, Art says he doesnt. And when Pat says he wasn't talking about tennis, Art says "Your always talking to me about tennis" and oof the punch to my gut that was. And it seemed to Patricks too! His face, this poor boy has twice been talking to the people he cares about, abou their relationship and they just say their talking about tennis, he cant catch a break😭

17) Pats reaction to Zendaya asking him to throw the game, is he offended for himself? Nopeee he's mad that she'd do that to Art. He says something along the lines of fucking him was one thing but to have Arts victory be a lie?? Gross, too far, too much of a betrayal.

18) For the third time, having just fucked Zendaya in the car and she just immediately brings up him throwing the match, like crimeny man this boy is probs sick of this game getting in the way of his relationships haha

19) Ooh that match point is glorious glorious cinema my friends. Patrick is so interesting in this whole match. Him deliberating on if he's gonna tell Art? So juicy and the way he did was fucking hilarious. That unspoken signal? Beauty.

20) Arts reaction? Wow oh wowww. The lad went through the five fricken stages of grief! The denial "fuck off!" the rage, throwing his racket, the bargaining, looking at Zendaya as if to say its not true (when she has no fucking clue what just happened). The depression, those sad sweaty tears 🥲 and then? That gorgeous smile, that acceptance. I think he felt catharsis, his marraige was clearly dysfunctional at this point and maybe knowing she cheated, knowing she'd threatened to leave if he lost, maybe that helped him let go of it. Ripped off the bandage, turned off life support, finally shake the pedestal he'd put his wife on( he compared her to jesus for christs sake). He made it through to the otherside and Patrick was there waiting for him with open arms ()iterally lol)

21) When Pat sees Arts smile? His own blossoms, clearly in relief and exaltation. I truly think he told him not to throw his game but to spur Art on. To finally unlock his potential. And to get the old Art he knew back and it bloody worked. That final back and forth, the pure energy, those sexual grunts all building up to a crescendo of a climax. Hooo boy

22) That goddamn brilliant leap in the air. Art is freed and flying, and Patrick doesn't hesitate he flings his racket to the floor because the thing that mattered to him most was never tennis. And he catches his boy with arms wide and then that embrace. They have finally come back together. It was beautiful. What does losing the match matter to Pat when he finally has his arms all over Art again just like he did in the beginning. We have come full circle.

Hahaha this is purely my own read into the movie and obvs mostly about the Patrick character and how I saw his actions. Now a few little bonus notes I noticed.

Nearly everything the boys eat/drink seems phallic, hotdogs, bananas, churros, even those drink bottles and cigarettes. Boyos are obsessed!

Zendaya on the rock at the beach was very little mermaid. Also in that scene when she said she wouldn't wanna get between em. Art said they didn't love together but Pat says "It's an open relationship" hecks you too obvious boy.

This movies so chock full of foreshadowing too, the story about Cat who got injured a week later. Patrick at Tashis party saying she'd have deals and a foundation which she does but via her relationship with Art instead just really cool script tbh

(Will probs add more when I remember em/see it for third time cause I am planning on that🤣🤣)

[rooatgumpoint]

yappimg about oc lore Trigger Warnings for shore

if I dare to accidentally mischaracterize Frederick in my head I will promptly face public execution at the gallows. No backsies I fear every thought I think about him feels Wrong but how am I supposed to know how he’d react if his sickly malnourished arranged marriaged wife’s family was mysteriously murdered and she was never recovered. I have no reference points for this. Would he care ? Would he care just because the marriage was to attempt to retain some use for him for his family since he failed to be talented enough for them ? Would he care because the loss of that family means he also lost any remaining value he had to his family? Would he ever think about what happened and why? Would he harbor some hatred for them for what happened? Probably on that one like inherently idk. Did he even see the signs that something was wrong or was he too focused on trying to find his missing talent so he wouldn’t need the marriage.? Does he try to forget about it? Would he even care to look at photographs of her? Or maybe he can’t bear to because now he notices the signs? Idk if anyone actually cares to read this but if you do here you get some context so you don’t have to think “what is bro on about!” TRIGGER WARNINGS AHEAD !! Idk what specifically but be warned Anyhway I’ve been workshopping oc backstory and basically she was born from a loveless marriage existing only for status and she also existed only for status !! So her mom manipulates her every action word and basically her very existence to make her the “perfect” daughter to use to garner status or whatever man idk do I look like I was born into a noble family. I’m not all knowing.. so yeah everything she consumes and does is controlled completely and she is punished for acting out of line so atp she’s basically just a doll/puppet used solely for blah blah I already mentioned status who care. So moving on she tries to off herself because she obviously can’t stand to live like that with no control over anything in her life when she didn’t even care for life as a noblewoman in the first place ! I’m still workshopping this part but her parents catch her in the act and there’s an altercation of some sort and she ends up killing them both for whatever reason. Fit of rage self defense snapping idk man she survived the whole thing the word I can't think of rn. And her parents are dead now anyway so okay then cleans up her wound(s) and I guess flees the country or flees to a doctor first idk I’m no expert on mental health. Oh yeah keep in mind she has visual hallucinations because everything sucks for her and it’s already much worse from lack of sleep (she doesn’t sleep at night because she sees the Horrors) and lack of food because of her mother I mean it’s not super relevant to anything rn but her lack of will to live I guess. Again I’m no expert I’m making stuff up because I can so anyway she’s in england at some point after fleeing and she’s presumed dead back in france because she bled out a lot bit because yk the . The incident SO anyway she’s in england for the plot and ig takes refuge at kreiburg racecourse because it’s pretty abandoned and she can forage nearby for food or whatever. Do I look like a homeless unhealthy exnoblewoman murderess to you I’m not perfect I’m not writing a book I owe you no sensical storytelling. No one is supposed to read this wall of text anyway you don’t get paragraph breaks or readability because I DON’T CARE I’M just structuring the Thoughts. Back to the story she living there maintaining the racecourse or whatever since she lives there now obviously might as well make it a little nicer or livable man idk so I have no clue exactly how close it is to the manor. Presumably walking distance considering they kinda just wander over there in aom and mary’s backstory about it it’s close enough… eventually she starts showing up to the manor and doing work there too because.

Well I don’t know what her motives are but she can’t possibly get hired there by normal means because in what world is the ominous manor of killing and death posting help wanted posters on the streets… ignore the paragraph break tumblr told me to kms for my formatting so I had to do that. Back to the story so eventually they’re like ? Does she just work here and no one told us. Okay I guess so. No clue where she came from but we’re lowkey understaffed and she’s doing all the heavy lifting (literally) so fine . I guess.. she got buff btw because manual labor does that to a person I assume and she’s eating. Uh like regularly enough I guess for having to forage for her food but eventually she gets a paycheck after making an offhand comment about it so now she can hit the town and . Buy that food woohoo!! She’s not picky she’s just hungry and. Oh boy will she eat yummm idk what I’m on about sorry I think I had a point. Oh right so she’s been there long enough to at least get the gist of what’s happening at the manor since she’s been there a few years (the whole arranged marriagey thing happened about 4 years or so before the events of aom) she doesn’t really bother I guess as long as she gets to live freely as she wants and who is she to judge she smote her parents she has no moral high ground (this is her thought process) so like whatever. But she does hear about Frederick being invited to the manor and she’s thinking oh. Maybe you should leave probably I know our marriage was as loveless as our parents but still you probably don’t deserve to succumb to the manor games . Offtopic here I don’t really care for the arranged marriage trope at all it feels cheap and boring and basic. Their marriage was arranged because I felt they needed backstory to their relationship and an arranged marriage seemed to fit them decently enough. Something something status whatever you get it projects my understanding onto you with my brain beam. So back to the story again I don’t really have much substance for their time at the manor but he doesn’t recognize maebelle due to her being. Well . Muscular quiet androgynous groundskeeper who doesn’t really care for their appearance with her clothes out of sorts and her hair sloppily put up out of the way (still contemplating whether she cuts it or lets it grow out but either way it works ig) as opposed to her originally being frail and very meticulously put together with the most perfectly done hair, makeup, clothes, and body without the slightest hint that she might dare to be flawed. The only similarity really is she still doesn’t talk much but originally she only spoke when told to and now she just speaks when she wants to (which isn’t much because idk she doesn’t care or inherently hates humanity for having never seen her cries for help what do I know man I don’t know what she thinks) SO. BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POINT. I’m not really sure what Frederick thinks or feels about her. As for his side of the marriage he was fully focused on music and she handled social responsibilities for the most part so they didn’t really interact much? Certainly not enough for him to notice anything wrong, even when they did interact he was probably distracted whether he was thinking of how to return to his family’s good graces or The Voices . Yeah oh speaking of hallucinations rq maebelle’s have gotten worse they were already bad but since the incident she sees their corpses everywhere and it’s unsettling for her obviously for a variety of reasons I don’t know. Guilt surely. Back on topic because I keep getting sidetracked idk if he like wouldn’t see the signs until after the incident? Her canon event.. maybe he fails to understand what happened and refuses to believe there wasn’t a reason for what happened because it ruined his life… ruin is a strong word but you get what I mean he lost his lifeline to his bloodline haha get it so anyway he might try to get to the bottom of it.

Idk he seems like the type to want an explanation for why things happen (his psychasthenia/pigmentation/lack of musical gift for example idk im fairly certain) so maybe he looks at photographs at her. Maybe he sees the strained look in her eyes. Maybe he sees her tense posture in newspaper clippings from large events. Does he know if she’s even alive? No but he do want answers. Maybe he’s guilty idk. Maybe just a little even if he won’t admit it to himself. Maybe he’s just guilty because if he saw the signs he could’ve prevented it and wouldn’t have been exiled. Maybe he thinks he’s selfish for that? Maybe HE doesn’t know if he truly cares either !! Neither of them know how they feel and I don’t either. Part of them wants to hate each other but at the same time their hearts go out to each other knowing that they’ve both got crappy parents and sucky lives. They want to be so angry at one another for not doing more for them but at the same time they themselves wish they could’ve done more? Maybe they really don’t know how to feel. Feelings are complicated ! Maybe he keeps a photograph of her in his coat pocket or wallet or whatever it is people keep their pictures. Maybe he doesn’t even know why he keeps it. Maybe to remind himself he could’ve done more for her, or maybe for someone to blame. Maybe both. Maebelle isn’t much better about that either, she doesn’t know if she wants to scream at him to run the other way, far from this wretched manor, or if she wants to stand idly by and watch him suffer. Maybe she thinks he should be punished, that he deserves that. Or maybe she just wants to think she’s cruel to justify what she did all those years ago. Does she even know why she did that? Does she even remember what happened? All she can remember is blood and hands and suffocating really. She didn’t know what to think when it was all over. She still doesn’t know what to think. She doesn’t know if she should reveal who she is, or if he’d even believe her. He plays the part of the still-grieving widower convincingly enough that he wonders if he really is grieving her. He’s certainly grieving something ! But every time he looks at that picture, he feels a little more like the act is real. I mean allat’s gotta be pretty hard to process amiright… could he even recognize her again? Those desperate eyes and that strained voice, he could recognize anywhere, surely. But there’s no telling how much she’s changed (a lot) and therefore no way to tell. But maybe all it takes is a brief moment. A flash of desperation in her eyes when a guest asks for help with something and all she can think is “please don’t be something absurd I’m not getting paid enough for this,” or a strain to her voice when responding to something particularly stupid and restraining herself from letting that thought slip into her tone because oh boy does she need this job. Would that be enough? Would that be all it takes for him to put the groundskeeper under scrutiny under the suspicion that they could possibly be his suspected dead wife? What would he even do if he found out? Surely ask for an explanation I mean that’s pretty obvious. Would he even have time to bother to investigate? His priority is retrieving the family heirloom. But could he forgive himself if he prioritized his position in his family over her again? He hardly knows her, why should he care? He doesn’t know and neither do I! But maebelle finds herself unable to leave him to his fate at the manor, and he can’t stand to be left in the dark any longer. Is this even in character for him man I’m such a fake fan… idk but maybe melly makes an offhand comment about something about loveless arranged marriages and that digs at that sense of guilt he feels or maybe orpheus outlines the incident in detail at breakfast like he tends to do apparently man idk it’s still a work in progress . I don’t rven know how they’rd interact with each other at the manor I’ll get there eventually.

Blasts you with nonsensical oc x canon yapping that probably gives mary sue vibes and is also insensitive in some way ! If you read allat um I’m sorry you can do better than this why did you do that no one should consume my entire train of thought at full force

[layzeal]

lace i NEED to know your dragon age thoughts…. what classes/origins are you playing as…. what companions do you like/put in your party…… who are you romancing……… this is a fandom overlap i didn’t expect but i am DELIGHTED abt

I FEEL LIKE I'VE GONE THROUGH A CANON EVENT, DA HAS JUST CHANGED MY LIFE IN SUCH A WAY!!! rn i'm playing inquisition but ngl i'm missing origins sooo much that game just has A Vibe to it despite its flaws. but this series has def gained a special place in my heart already, though it's sad to know we prob won't be getting any new games anymore :(

so for da:o i went (what i found out later) the most common route which is rogue dalish elf. i went in blind for a lot of it so I COMPLETELY MISSED LELIANA in lothering bc i was SO busy trying to figure out how to convince the revend mother to release Sten (not realizing i could just. pick his cage's lock). for romance i was SO TORN between zev and alistair and kinda romanced both at the same time until i couldn't anymore and had to break ali's heart </3 but Mahariel just has something rly special with Zevran and he's genuinely such a deep character and i loved how slow burn and careful u have to be with his choices (I ALMOST ACCEPTED HIS EARRING AT FIRST. THABK GOD I DIDNT FUMBLE HIM). as the landsmeet came i realized i fucked up and forgot to talk to Anora before it meaning she betrayed me and it was made worse by me putting Alistair to duel against Loghain which AUTOMATICALLY KILLS LOGHAIN which Anora just won't forgive, so i had to put a poor unhardened Alistair to be king by himself so Anora wouldn't execute him and ig he understood but he was pretty updet at it :( after that + the HEARTBREAKING Ghoul Tamlen cutscene I realized that a tragic ending for Mahariel would prob be the most fitting (cause yk, she was meant to have died together with tamlen and had been living in borrowed time doing it all just to save her clan and make sure what happened to her friend never happens to anyone again and what a better way to close a character arc like this than with an ultimate sacrifice). so... my beloved Mahariel died and joined Tamlen in the fade, my wife Zev was left widowed, Ali became king against his will, Morrigan didn't have her baby, Anora was imprisioned, and everyone was sad. which i expected but oh my god did it come to bite me in the ass in DA2 with Merrill's story and HER CONSTANTLY MENTIONING TAMLEN AND MY DEAD WARDEN 😭😭😭😭 fucking devastating mannn

anyways because awakening and witch hunt dont rly seem to? transfer well a dead warden storyline i decided to skip them for my next hopefully happier worldstate (im planning on an elf Surana romancing Ali and putting Anora on the throne so we can be grey wardens together hehehe) and go directly to da2. which as mentioned. fucking DEVASTATING if you have a dead Mahariel. i didnt have the heart to not give Merrill the artifact she wanted so Marethari still died but thank GOD i chose the right option and the clan let us leave without attacking so we DIDNT HAVE TO GENOCIDE ALL OF THEM TO SAVE MERRILL OHH MY GOD WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS AN OPTION. i love u merrill but oh my god seeing her messing with the mirror that killed tamlen and ruined mahariel's life just made me picture them both continuously beating her with sticks from the fade PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP MEEEEE. but ok, so i went with rogue f!hawke (which i actually regret. i wish i'd chosen m!hawke, the game just feels like it was meant to be played with garrett) and i was torn between anders and isabela, menaing that again i romanced both at the same time until i was forced to choose LMAO, so i went with anders for 1. plot relevancy 2. his tortured vibe was very compelling. i sided with the mages all around ofc but broke up with anders after the chantry blowing up because i imagined hawke felt rly damn betrayed for not being told about it. like, i get he didnt want to involve hawke but if he had maybe they'd have planned a way to blow up the chantry while also ensuring a safe escape for the mages to keep them from suffering from the immediate consequences of his actions like we saw happen. I SUPPORT UR CAUSE ANDERS, BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE PLANNED IT BETTER AND HAWKE COULD HAVE HELPED YOU IF YOU HAD JUST ASKED!!!!! so yeah i broke up with him but didnt kill him ofc skdjhfjsdkf next time i do wanna romance isabela but i dont wanna do it with m"hawke so i guess i'll be marian again. also i fucked up and isabela ran away with the qunari relic bc just before that i lost a bunch of friendship points with her for stupid reasons :( but it's ok like i get it. fucke dup but i get it. LSO SEEING MY BELOVED WIFE ZEV AGAIN WAS SOOO 🥺🥺🥺🥺 AND SEEING HIM MENTION HOW HE'S STILL IN MOURNING. ZEV MY WIFE MY BEAUTIFUL WIFEEE. anyways i liked da2 ESPECIALLY THE COMBAT but overall origins is still my fav. i rly couldnt STAND kirkwall anymore by the end of the game fuckkkk that city

as for inquisition, well my grad school 2 week break is over so i'm taking it a lot more slow, and don't rly have a strong option on anything yet.... i'm playing with a female mage qunari which is VERY interesting, but definitely narrows my romance options a bit...... so i'm considering josephine hehe (these antivans and their charms). the open world is a breah of fresh air compared to kirkwall but my god is exploration difficult. rly reminds us how groundbreaking botw was...... still, the game is GORGEOUSSSS except for alistair jesus christ what did they do to his FACE. THEY MASSACRED MY BOY

i bought the first 3 games on that big steam sale last year, and veilguard wasn't included. seeing some criticisms and some points on the retconned lore i'm actually not rly excited to play it, origins still feels like a favorite to me exactly Because it's such a well executed dark fantasy with just the right balance between comedy, bleakness and horror, which seems to have gotten lost in datv </3 if we never get a new DA game i rly hope at least they remake origins and fix the combat and balancing issues while improving the graphics but still maintaining the atmosphere and art direction. that game is. so good,. oh my god. dragon age... DRAGON AGEEE

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hi! Me again!

Lately I've reading a lot of Harry/Severus fanfics and I think it's a interesting ship. Do you have any thoughts about Severus as character? And what do you think about the ship Harry/Severus? Do you think it could work? 🤔

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this.

Spirea ✨

Hi again 👋

Took me a while to get to this ask, and like with all things shipping, ship whatever you want, have fun, it's fictional, and these are just my thoughts.

So, I obviously do have thoughts about Severus as a character. It's hard not to when he's as relevant as he is to the plot. I mentioned my general thoughts about him here. The summary of these thoughts is that I find him interesting for a multitude of reasons, and I like that he's usually competent, if emotionally unstable.

Now, about Snarry, personally, I'm not a Snarry shipper. A few years ago, I tried to read some Snarry fic, out of curiosity. Like, when I see a ship idea that either intrigues me or makes me go "wtf?!" in a good way, I often check out a fic or two, just to see what's it about, see if I'm interested. In the case of Snarry, I wasn't.

Like, I read a lot of Severitus (Severus as a mentor/father figure to Harry) around that same time, and I preferred that dynamic over the romance.

Now, ignoring my own preference, would this work?

Eh... depends on how you define work.

Like, this relationship would be a mess for so many reasons (which I guess is part of the appeal). Like, even ignoring the age difference and student-teacher taboos or if we're talking post-war Severus-lives AUs, this is going to be messy.

Like, a lot of fans talk about Sirius projecting James onto Harry, but I don't think he does, if anyone is projecting James onto Harry, it's Severus. He does treat Harry more like an equal threat than a student (which lends itself to Snarry if you wanna go there), but it also means Severus spends the books having no idea who Harry is until pretty late in the story when he starts glimpsing that maybe he isn't James, but then chooses to ignore all these glimpses. He is actually, legitimately terrified of Harry.

Like, Severus doesn't allow himself to see Harry as a separate person from James, who he despises. So, you gotta work through that to make the ship work.

Harry is a very empathetic and forgiving person, so I'm not putting forgiving Snape and moving on with his life past him, since it's kind of what he did anyway.

The reason I liked Severitus is because Snape and Harry have things in common working for their dynamic. They both had abusive home lives as children. They both share the responsibility for something so much greater. Severus in the books isn't just living for himself, he's carrying this fucking war on his shoulders, and by book 7, Harry is too. They are two characters that due to their respective traumas and life circumstances never really got to have a childhood (and in Snape's case an adulthood, since he didn't really choose to be a teacher) So they have the potential to understand each other so well under different circumstances.

I also think Severus would appreciate Harry's sass the moment he stopped seeing him as James and stopped perceiving the disrespect as a threat. And in Severitus, I like that Sev is a connection to Lily Harry usually doesn't get (since Sirius and Remus only really talk about James) but in Snarry, it's kinda icky for me.

Like, I don't like that Severus would be projecting either James or Lily on Harry in an equal relationship because he kinda would. He already does, and it's going to be a mess.

I'm also not sure how well their temperaments would really work together. Like, they're both not great with emotional regulation and are inclined towards anger and petty retribution/vengeance. It means that whenever they disagree with each other on the smallest thing ever, it'll be super easy for it to blow out of proportion and become big because they have a point. Like, Harry would say something cheeky that'll anger Snape more, and it doesn't matter if they are at school or post Hogwarts, their relationship doesn't matter, Snape's gonna say "twenty points from Gryffindor," on instinct (could be really funny in a post-war story, not so funny if Harry's a student). Like, their relationship would just be very volatile, which is not something I'm personally into, but that you're allowed to like in fic.

Basically, they will need to put a lot of work in to make their relationship work and for them to stay together as a romantic pair. Severitus is different since there is a clear power structure, Severus doesn't feel threatened by Harry and Harry knows Severus isn't his peer in that dynamic. Romance is different, since to make a romance work, they need to see each other as equals, which for Snape, means seeing Harry as a potential threat to himself and his image, and for Harry, it means treating Snape as someone he can sass and disrespect (which would make Snape's fears worse, and kinda what we see in the books).

And that's before talking about Snape's guilt about this relationship. Like, he already hates himself and would take any excuse to hate himself further while pretending it's all fine, he'll insist that everything is good through gritted teeth and the veneer of pride. Especially if Harry's still a student, Snape knows it's wrong, and he shouldn't, but he still would and crucify himself inside his own mind. He'd imagine Lily screaming at him over it, or something. So that, like, adds to the mess. Even post-war I think Severus would think he shouldn't for so many reasons. He'd find more and more reasons why not. So, like, Harry would need to be the one to pursue the relationship, and I don't really see him doing it without substantial divergence/AU sprinkled in.

Like, I don't think they would realistically get together, but fic is fic, and therefore anything could happen. These are just my thoughts.

[kidspawn]

Hi coming back here again but this time to yap because what do you mean…. Time is not linear. Time is a circle. Time is not chronogical. Time is a SPIRAL (not a quote, just some shit Imade up because this whole series came full circle)

Okay. So this whole time, we are led to believe that it was Glendower (or the Ley Lines or… I can’t recall who we thought it was) that spoke to baby Gansey and said that he has to live because someone who wasn’t supposed to die died on the ley lines blah blah blah…. Noah was the one who did that? I feel so dumb because I am normally pretty great at figuring that kind of plot points out before the reveal, but it never EVER occurred to me that Noah was the one who essentially resurrected Gansey.

And you are telling me that Adam went into his parent’s home and tried to talk with them just them to not exceed expectations. Actually, I want to talk about this, and I think this is the reason why I can’t wait to see more of Adam in TDT. Adam needed to confront his parents the way he did in order for him to move on from Henrietta. Without doing so, he’d probably be stuck somehow. His parents haunted him the entirety of the series. Not Noah. Not Cabeswater. His parents. Every aspiration he had, every reasoning he had, every action he did was. Because. Of. Them. His ending (for this series) needed to involve them. That’s how his arc comes full circle (again, for this series). However, he has potential to grow from this point which is why I am so interested to see him in TDT.

Also I have read Opal, that made me sad. Incredibly sad, but now I know more about Ronan and more about how being a Dreamer works. So I am excited to see more of that.

Anyway, I do have issues with this book, and I will admit it’s my least favorite book. Personally, too much was going on, new things happened but it wasn’t fully fleshed out. I really think we needed a book before this one to fully bring the story together (*cough COUGH* Henry CHENG). I mentioned it at some point that the book felt like it was in two acts. The end, while made me tweak, did feel rushed imo. So far, most to least favorite in this series (and I fear its controversial because I’ve seen more people put a particular one in first that I do not have in first).

1. Blue Lily Lily Blue

2. The Raven Boys

3. The Dream Thieves

4. The Raven King

But I loved this series whole heartedly and can’t WAIT for TDT. Starting it… soon.

ALRIGHT! So, when I say that the Glendower switch up really blew my mind the first time oooooooo boy. Not as bad as the "Ronan dreamt Cabeswater" reveal like that one blew my fucking mind. I adore the connection between Gansey and Noah (I literally have plants named after them this dynamic is so insanely underrated to me), and the nature of time?? Always in a circle? Always moving? Depending on where you begin this story, it could be about anyone, and it could end in any way. There's something to be said for each character having a predetermined idea of how the story should end but they ultimately make the decision on how it does.

(I urge you to check out this post about Henry's role in the end of the book, because it really restructured how I thought of Henry in the novel. Don't get me wrong, I was onboard the Henry train the second that kid popped up. I've been fiending for a Henry story for years now. But this really solidified that he's more relevant, more connected than we maybe gave credit for. I also think the sarchengsey road trip would have granted more character growth and placed Henry in a similar vein to Ronan. Meaning TRC is more of a backstory than the focus of their narrative.)

(Also this post about the parallels between Declan/Henry/Adam because I adore these characters and these are dynamics I'm fiending to explore more.)

Sorry, on my Henry Cheng bullshit. I adore him, if you can't tell, and I'm so tired of pretending I don't. I've never pretended. People just ignore this part of me. It's fine.

Adam. Motherfucking. Parrish. Everything about him means the world to me. Adam has an image he must mold himself to adhere to and he will do whatever it takes, shed whatever blood, sweat and tears (omg bts reference) it takes to get there. At its core, Adam is a character study in self control and ambition. He's still focused solely on how other people view him, and I think that recentering of his priority and his extrinsic/intrinsic motivation through his acclimation with Cabeswater is incredible. He's still struggling (and continues to in The Dreamer Trilogy), but that scene with his parents gets me every time. Acknowledging the abuse, entering as an adult in power, in control of himself and the situation, not running away when he leaves but walking out, having grown into himself. Adam's arc is incredibly powerful, and holds a dear, dear place in my heart. Expecting nothing, knowing precisely how that would have gone, but he did that for him not for purpose of reconciliation. My favourite, favourite, dynamic in the series is the one between Persephone and Adam, to be honest.

I adore The Raven King. I don't know if I can rank the books, really, because they each present such a unique quality and charm. I stand the Blue Lily, Lily Blue is my favourite. I ADORE the Opal short story because Opal's voice is so delightful, and it dabbles in the mystery element of the series I find so enchanting. I'd take ten more books about Opal, please. The Raven Boys has such a special charm to me, a nostalgia and despair. The Dream Thieves is objectively the best written, the most meticulously woven. It's also the book I have the hardest time rereading (for personal reasons) but when I say that book fucking bangs? And The Raven King, for all its flaws, is so precious to me. I finished that book under the cover of night, catching words in the moonlight, tearing through every inch in a frenzy I haven't felt reading since.

I'm excited for you to keep up with The Dreamer Trilogy. I think it's criminally underrated (though deeply, deeply flawed), and Hennessy is the most character of all time. (The thing with Hennessy is she's Ronan, but a queer black woman and as such people like to find excuses to hate on her for the exact same thing they uphold Ronan for oops who said that) But yes, and the baby girlification of Declan Lynch. MATTHEW MY BELOVED. AND CARMENNNNNNN. I'm very excited to hear your thoughts <3

[popleedelululand]

Pit Babe 2 episode 1 (re)watch/commentary part 1

I wasn't sure at first, but i finally decided to bring back my (way too long) commentary, like i did for season 1, where i focus on tiny and probably irrelevant details, make questionnable joke, ask to many question for a BL series and lovingly call out the characters on their dumbassery, with the added bonus of Ateez meme . Those post will get things added to them as the series progress = *edit : ......*

Do i love the song, hell yes - do i love it as the opening song, a little less

Hello dear parents

....nope, not getting there with Way

Of course you will

"Someone like me got nothing to fear" and this is how you attract the devil eyes....and this is also how you know Mama's going to have a lot to fear about

Don't sweep away Charlie's worries like that !

Call back n°1

You can say whatever you want, in this series the Papa/Mama thing while never get old nor be cringe

Now, i have multiple thing to say about this

Babe leg over Charlie's hips ? Charlie's hand on Babe's tight ? Hot Damn

How they switched side on the bed ? Charlie's glasses on one side and what i suppose is Babe's bottle of pills (Sleeping pills ? something else)

The Eiffel Tower Lamp....inch resting choice

Am i the only one who get a very boat or sea like feeling about the bedroom? The dark blue sheets, the dark wood ? And even the painting is vague enough that it can evoke either a town, a snow covered forest or a port (i while come back to the sea thing later)

The room give both an open yet cozy feelings

And the old video projector -> Do they use it ? Would it work ? i don't know but i put it in my "endearing thing in CharlieBabe home" list, next to the red typewriter

Pavel's expression during NC scene are still the best

This is almost worship

I already talked about this in my season 1 commentary, but the joy on Babe's face during intimate moment with Charlie still make me emotional

Adding the vinyl player to the list

Their respective picture on the desk...cute!

So, does Charlie has 2 desk or is this one Babe's ?

Same reaction

We are only five minutes in, what am i doing

The King and The Prince...royalty AU ? Anyone ?

The only real fan ? Excuse me sir but until i see you covered in Pit Babe merch, i will not let you claim that title XD

Hiiiiii Kim ! You're pretty

And thank you for pointing out the most obvious thing in the world

Can I say that the Red Racing suit suited him better in terms of color...

Healthy competition, love to see that

Do you think Kim and North ever got together for a drink after a long day of dealing with both couples, just for North to end up drunk and crying about Sonic while Kim awkwardly patted him on the shoulder ?

How did he not quit earlier ? Or thrown rotten tomatoes at their head ?(bc it's not like he could complain to HR)

And this is how you know those two are the only relevant teams

That’s one ominous way to introduce a new characters

I already mentioned this somewhere, but is the Tick Ka thing related to his power ? And if yes, is it the tick of a clock (time related ? why not, but time related powers are to be treated carefully). Someone sent an ask saying that maybe his power is related to his voice, and this would explain Charlie's reaction. Because (if the subtitles are right) he said that he heard a sound, not a voice....(or maybe i'm once again nitpicking about irrelevant things, but words have meaning and semantics are important). And the tick ka could also reference a pendulum (hypnosis)

Willy is such a little shit

North taunting the ETA crew XD

The way they filmed the race is much better that in S1

Maybe if Kim had overtaken Charlie.....

The first time in years ???? Didn't he lose to Kim in Ep 3 last season, like the year before ????? (more like half a year...but still)

You know that this single interaction started a whole war on social media (in world)....maybe even a #CancelPitBabe trended for a few hours....and then 20 edits on tiktok in less than a day...

Mais.....did he just try to grab Babe's arm ???

But we love a supportive team

Pooh acting in this scene ? perfect ! the fake pleasant expression turning colder, his intonation...

Did he just click is tongue at Charlie....what is it ? Ru Paul drag race ???

Babe loosing a race -> leaving Charlie in the dust .....i see a pattern here

Jeff being the optimistic one....he grew so much🥹

Glad we agree Uncle

Jeff initiating physical contact 🥹🥹🥹

Those sniff kisses may not be my favorite, but it's cute

...i think those men suffer from "ificommunicatewithmypartneriwilldie-ism". Sadly for us, no cure as been found yet

He's no just seeing the scene, he's walking through it - even if when it happens, he's not here....i already saw this somewhere...

How did.... yeah nah, suspension of belief

Pretty colored liquid !

Liu : As the only named woman in this show i want to thrust her, but the vibes are not vibing yet

Also the Change photo for the badge...perfect

And we got a date ! Maybe this time is will not have to loose half of my brain capacity to make a coherent timeline

108 !? for 116 version...

Hiiiii Aon !!!!!

Hiiii Mr Pete !!!!! i preferred your hairstyle in S1...still love your voice

Still thinking like a sponsor

Three possibilities : either Charlie is more than just a special Alpha, his power is far to potent for the current drug to work or dude fucked up his body with the serum in S1 (like in real life when your body get so accustomed to a drug/medicine that is just stop working on you)...Good work Charlie !

Do you think Pete also wants to get rid of his power ?

Now that power is SO COOL!!! And i guess this counts as a time related power ? Or is it more like a "life span" thing ?

Maybe make sure that poor man does die first ????

I forgot how small Aon is compared to most of the cast XD

Smart baby

What does he mean when he say abroad...is it just the US or all countries ?-> is it irrelevant to the story ? yes, do i want an answer ? also yes (worldbuilding)

I wonder what the cover story for the labs and those specific research

WHO IS THAT SOMEONE WHO RECOMMENDED CHRIS ????????

Depending on who recommended him.....Tony's mole is that you ?

"So the theory of Chris being Way is possible" Yes, but -> If Way and Chris are the same person, then the series better give us a very good explanation on how we get (in less than a year mind you) from Way - car racer to Chris - Alpha genetic expert, who is good enough in his field of research to have made his name known in the international scientific world.... I'm not saying that Way isn't' smart, but getting a PHD in less than a year ....nah...because sugarpie will have to put out some work if he wants to keep is cover (did i just copy/paste on of my post...yes)

Look, i have no problem with suspending belief when i watch/read something....temps que tu me prends pas pour un PIGEON!

"No matter the cost" how about your body, heart and sanity ?

Is Babe wearing a ring ?

At least this time it's not some poor lockers

This show is a masterpiece ! I can understand that some people doesn't like it or find it cringe but damn it's good

Also, new throwback. And if S1E1 Babe wasn't vibing with the whole master-servant thing, he sure did change his mind XD

I knew it, Charlie is a stationary girl. Also, will i have no problem with the car being inside the house....not fan of the location

Charlie is committing to the bit

TO SOFT !!!

Spiderman kiss !

Edit : this show is still a comedy

I know you want all of your boyfriend attention but maybe try to be a tiny bit more understanding....

Good thing i watch BOTH VERSION !!!!

More sea related thing !!!! And a new item in my "endearing things in CharlieBabe home" list, same for the figurine

Maybe they got a car kink

Jeff, why are you calling your brother at 23H09 (11PM) and i'm on Alan side on this one, why are you still working ?

Having your boyfriend kidnapped twice does that to you

Sailub hands on Pon waist ...that it

Alan keep being a green flag, yeah !

Sadly, Jeff as an episode of "ificommunicatewithmypartneriwilldie-ism"....what a terrible disease, claimed so many in the BL universe

He lied, like a liar

I know that none of these men are the most useful beaver at the dam but still...

The timeline is not timelining.....but suspension of belief 🙂‍↕️

That one hell of a power upgrade !

And done for the first half of episode one....

If you stayed till now, you deserve a smooch ! or cookies....or both !

[zoeykallus]

How do you feel abt the finale? Will you be writing again?🤍

I will be writing again, in fact I'm working on it right now. I still have a lot of catching up to do in the request section, as well as continuing my fics. How do I feel about the TBB finale...? Oh gosh... Well, I can tell you, as much as I love them, as much as I would have loved to see more seasons, the ending of season three was such a disappointment to me. There was so much wasted/unused potential that it downright hurt/frustrated me. Some things felt more like fillers than plot relevant. And as much as I loved to see certain things going on, some just simply angered me.

SPOILER UNDER THE CUT!!!

The following is just my perception, my opinion. It's totally fine if anyone, reading this, thinks and feels different about it. To each their own... I'm usually not that critical about TBB, never have been. But this was the ending, the goodbye, the part where everything comes to a close.

There was such a build up and hints for Tech to be CX 2, partly. Maybe a lot of it was wishful thinking by the viewer, but still. They could have made them reveal, after he was killed, that it was Tech, for example, or reveal it first and still make them fight, leaving them no choice but to kill. There was so much missed potential right there, for real emotion and Drama, that wasn't used. But that's just one thing. Well, yeah the Zillo Beast was kinda cool I guess... But why was it there in the first place? What for, what use did it have? We don't get any kind of info about that... it's just there, for Omega to use it and wreak havoc. *shrugs* wasn't really impressed or happy with that part to be honest. As cool as the destruction was, it was just that, nothing more. It felt like a filler, just put there for Omega to use, without any further explanation before or after. Rampart suddenly wanting to steal the Data instead of getting out of there right away and saving his ass?! Did he really think he could blackmail his way back into the empire? Plain stupid, sorry. Even if the empire did agree, as soon as they had their hands on the data, Rampart would be executed or thrown back in his cell. At least that's what I would do as the empire. He worked for those people long enough to know that. That was just a facepalm Moment for me. Honestly, as much as I despised that guy, I'd rather would have seen a redemption arch about him than Nala Se sacrificing herself to destroy the data and kill Rampart in the process, in a forced scene to make her look badass and make us feel something. ....Oh my god we lost her, but she went out like a badass... gosh I couldn't care less, she died because Rampart is suddenly a total dimwit, if this scene made me feel anything, well, it's anger. He was a Vice Admiral before, can any airhead become that high ranking now? Anyway...

The way Hemlock died was, well, interesting. I did like the little call back with Crosshair steadying his Shot on Hunter's shoulder, like he used to do with Tech, but the rest of it felt... rushed. The intensity buildup was pretty good in parts, but the things mentioned above, ruined it for me. I did love to see all the other clones to get freed though, I was moved to hear/see them ready for one more fight, not leaving TBB on their own. One more time, fighting with and for their brothers, for their freedom and most of all, fighting for something they chose, not for something anyone else ordered them to fight and die for. That part I smiled at with a little tear in my eye.

And the very last scene, with Omega and Hunter. I loved to see them this way, him grown old, her grown up. But I felt miffed about Crosshair and Wrecker not being there. Would Omega really just sneak away and leave them? Maybe she didn't really want to say goodbye or arguing with them about leaving, but on the other hand, I feel like they owed it to each other to say goodbye, to wish Omega luck and have a more emotional moment. Besides, I might be just miffed about the fact that we didn't see old Wrecker and old Crosshair as well.

I guess, after all, it's a Disney show.

All in all, I'm not entirely happy with how things ended. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[dearreader]

i was thinking how funny it would be if on a 2025 bingo card someone had “creators of south park come out as swifties” on it and i’m now thinking of an episode surrounding taylor swift. i’m going to bullet point out my ideas, enjoy my south park brainrot:

we open on everyone in south park going crazy and running around

stan and kyle are confused and ask someone

they say taylor swift announced a one night performance in colorado and everyone is going crazy over taylor swift

some people are enthusiastic and losing their minds (going crazy and crying and ripping hair out type. this is going to mostly be the girls in town. maybe pc principle cause i think he’d be a swiftie for some reason, don’t ask i don’t know myself)

some people are protesting taylor swift though. they don’t like her and don’t want her in their state

the core four boys are confused on why no one is making sense on their opinion of taylor swift. and anyone they ask cannot give them a straight answer.

cartman realizes that he can gain power by being a hater. he becomes an active hater. but when kyle asks why he just gets defensive about it and gets mad

stan and kyle decide to just try to ignore it and wait for it to pass but wendy ends up being a huge swiftie and stan’s needs to get her autograph for wendy. this means they have to sneak into the concert and get the autograph, and the show sold out in 5 seconds and caused the entire internet to crash for 48 hours or something.

the entire episode is just surrounding the idea of taylor swift. people follow her to the airport and hotel.

most likely we’ll see cartman be on some tv show being interviewed and travis kelce is also there and they talk about her (they make jokes on him being dumb)

finally it ends with taylor taking the stage and stan+kyle sneak backstage to see her. when they meet her she’s scared but they apologize and are confused because they built her up as some big thing but she’s literally just a person.

stan decides he doesn’t need the autograph as a gift for wendy and they go home. cartman someone loses any relevance he had after a video of him singing love story a few years ago come out.

other details i think would be funny:

at some point someone says joever SUPER SERIOUSLY and stan says “what the f*ck is joever?”

A CRUCIAL point for the entire episode that i want to establish now is that at no point can anyone ever explain why they like or dislike her. there can be no points made. also, taylor swift cannot be shown on screen or if she is shown on screen she cannot speak. anytime anyone is talking about her they must talk OVER her and never listen to her point. THIS US FOR BOTH SIDES.

they refrence kayne west and kim karadashian but it’s random and it just causes everyone to get more angry

mr garrison is some how involved in all this even though he’s the president again

pc principle gives a power point to the school about her

taylor randomly keeps dropping new music and albums during the episode. it goes like “well tom taylor is set to do a one night only concert in denver to perform new songs from her album that came out two days ago. we think it might- oh wait… she just dropped a new album? like right now? like no promo? and it’s sold 1 million copies already? okay”

randy makes a special strand of weed called taylor swift and also one saying anti taylor swift to make money on both sides of the market. shelly and sharon both hate this but it does surprisingly well.

random things about her are mentioned that don’t relate to the topic at all. like “i just don’t like her music.” “oh, so you DONT want her to own her masters and achieve total world domination via music?” “what?! when did i say that” (im imagining that exchange is via kyle and pc principle)

they randomly cut to new reports on her doing random stuff, similar to “brittney’s new look”

some joke about the denver broncos and the kanas city chiefs is made. if you know the show you know it’s inevitable this will be done

randy being lorde is brought back

they somehow animate the cardigan