#I wanted to tag everyone but I think even doing 10 was selfish :(((

[gremzon]

I might have OCD actually

[respectthepetty]

Petty, I have a wild ass Jack and Joker theory, and I need to know what you think because we often end up in the clown car together, lol.

There's been a lot of talk/fears about Joke (and Toi Ting), now that we know character death is on the table - I'm not worried Joke will die (I am terrified they will gut us with Toi Ting but oh I hope not). I'm not saying that Joke isn't about to feel so responsible for what has happened that he's gonna get reckless with his life, because I absolutely think he will.

I think he's absolutely about to do some very stupid shit that could be his life in real danger as penance.

But I've been thinking for a while - since your initial posts about Hope and Save and their names - that Save is going to die. And now that I just skimmed a post that basically said that Joke and Save are the same character in different fonts and Save's guilt in episode 10, I'm absolutely positive.

Save is going to die.

Hope will live, because he has too. Without hope, we have nothing. (I also have a tangential theory that Save will die to save Hope, so...)

Thoughts?

Why not a third secret option? Why can’t everyone live? Since the show killed Jennie’s character, and the man who tried to run away with his few dollar bills died too, let’s just believe everyone remaining will survive! Even more, if Boss survives, then everyone BETTER live because no shitty father should survive when the possibility of a child dying is on the table. So I'm going to aim high because

Fortune Favors the Monkey King

Move over, Kitty! I'm driving this clown car straight to the opera house.

Because this is a Chinese opera.

We already know there is a Chinese influence in this story, as @veemark pointed out about the meal Joke ate with Jack and his grandma.

So with that in mind, in the fourth episode, when Nang punished the men for hurting her people, she drew the "09" stick (but she said nine-zero), which meant the men had to perform the Chinese opera of the Monkey King, which people in the tags thought was sooooo ridiculous!

In that same episode, Jack received his fortune, which was number 9 and stated, "When the fool changes black to white, the fate of the forgiver will change"

Now, skip to episode 9 when Joke gets "The Fool" card and changes the fate of Jack, the person who forgave him, so Jack's fortune was right.

Now, in episode 9, we also get the iconic team name "The Four Little Pigs"

And this is where the light bulb turned on because this is Journey to the West.

Journey to the West is an epic Chinese story that is 100 chapters long about a group of heroes having to complete a certain amount of tasks to achieve enlightenment.

The main character is Tang Sanzang who is basically a saint who wants to bring good to all the land and who everyone is in love with and wants to marry. We are introduced to him in chapter 9 of the story. He is the heart.

The first person he meets on his journey is the Monkey King, aka Sun Wukong, who was so great at being the best trickster that he became overconfident and ended up getting put in heavenly jail for 500 years. The first chapters of the story are actually about him. He is foolish, but he is also the mastermind.

He has a daughter, Yuebei Xing. She has her own story, Journey to the South. She is a badass. She fights monsters and lives to tell the tale.

The Monkey King is easily the most powerful of the bunch, but Tang Sanzang doesn't like the Monkey King's methods because they are immoral, so there is a gold ring involved that keeps him in check.

Or maybe it's this ring.

I think it's the second ring because a goddess, who keeps helping them along the way, helps them with the ring too. She is also cool.

Along the journey, they meet Zhu Wuneng, aka Pig. He is a smart fighter but he is greedy and selfish so he keeps taking shit he isn't supposed to, which constantly gets them in trouble. He is human nature (the world).

There is Sha Wujing aka Sandy, who was once a god, but shattered a crystal and ended up banished to earth to be a mortal. He is conformity without thought (the moon).

And finally, there is Bai Long Ma, who is a horse that they ride for transportation. He is human will (the star).

There is also a princess somewhere in there who must be saved from a marriage.

The group meets obstacles along the way, and lots of crazy shit goes down, but after 14 YEARS they finally come to the end of their journey.

And on their journey to achieve enlightenment they meet a squire whose loved one is kidnapped with the possibility of murder and another squire who is murdered and his wife is pissed about it because she did everything to make sure he wouldn't be harmed.

Now, if you gasped because you think Hope (or Save) will die, well . . . the number 14 fortune was Hope's.

The fortune was given in episode four which is the same episode Jack got his fortune, but it seemed like Hope's fortune played out in the same episode when he found Joke right across the hall staying with Jack.

But the thing is, in the Chinese story, regardless of which squire it is, they don't just need the Monkey King; they need the Monkey King's help.

So the Monkey King goes to the underworld to get the loved one back and succeeds (both times). But he still needs to save our saint!

Remember, the group has to do a certain number of deeds to bring peace to the land, so the group goes in to save their leader, and the ONLY reason they make it out is because all of the people they have helped along the way (especially the people the Monkey King has helped) return the favor and save them.

By saving others, they saved themselves.

So . . . I don't think anyone else is dying. However, it's been YEARS since I read a very condensed version of this story in Asian Rhetorics, and @journeytothewestresearch's blog helped me piece some of what I forgot together.

So I could be wrong, and everyone dies.

But I don't think so.

*fingers crossed that fortune favors the bold Monkey King*

[shares-a-vest]

@steddielovemonth Day 10: Love is... Missing each other (Prompt by @lihhelsing)

wc: 723 | Rated: T for suggestive language & flirtacious banter | cw: None

Tags: Phone Calls, Rockstar!Eddie, Homesick, Eddie Misses Steve

Stevie, what are you wearing?

Eddie flips onto his stomach once he finally hears a dial tone. He didn’t think it would take this long, calling the concierge to transfer him to an international call, confirming his credit card and then waiting eons for a connection.

But fuck it, he misses his not-legally-binding husband.

It’s only been a week and the band has been killing it so far but…

Call him selfish, but Eddie misses the hell out of Steve, he is desperately resiting the urge to flee back to the airport and fly home. And he feels like a pathetic sap about it.

Maybe next time he should force the boys, their management and basically everyone around Corroded Coffin to set their touring to fit in with Steve’s school schedule. Yes, that could work – certainly much better than admitting how much he wants to be snuggled up in his comfy bed with Steve, drifting off to sleep together, hopefully without their cats bothering them too much.

The ringing continues and he worries that it is going to run out entirely. He bites at his thumb nail in anticipation – it’s not like he pre-organised this phone call and god knows what time it is in Hawkins.

“Hello?” Steve grumbles on the other end.

He sounds groggy with sleep, his voice a little far away as he likely fumbles for his glasses. Eddie grins and crosses his ankles, giddy like a goddamn schoolgirl calling her crush.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he beams, earning a whine at his equitable lack of volume control.

“S’early,” Steve mumbles, “Miss you.”

“I miss you more,” Eddie coos down the line. 

Steve huffs a laugh and echoes, “Miss you so much…”

There’s a rustling sound that follows and Steve hums.

“What are you doing?” Eddie wonders aloud.

“Getting comfy again,” Steve replies, “Closin’ my eyes and pretending you are next to me.”

“That so?”

Steve hums in the affirmative.

“Stevie…” Eddie purrs as he flips onto his back, “What are you wearing?”

“Sweatpants,” Steve replies, a smile evident in his voice.

“Nothing else...” he wonders.

“Nope!” Steve sounds a little more awake now.

“The barest chest,” Eddie continues, squirming around, feeling a teasing tingle at the thought – 

– Until the phone cord almost cuts off his air supply.

He palms around (though if anyone were to see him, it would probably be better described as a full-bodied flail) and tugs at the cord enough that something topples off the nightstand.

Whatever. As long as he can still hear Steve’s quiet and even breathing on the other end.

“What about you, Elvis?” Steve soon teases.

Eddie grimaces but responds nonetheless.

“I’m in my jeans,” he supplies, trying to remain at least a little coy, “And a t-shirt.”

“So, you aren’t ready for bed?” Steve teases, giggling out a little tee-hee that makes Eddie’s heart flutter – god he loves this silly man.

“Not until after I speak to you, precious,” he deadpans.

There’s another sound – like Steve is moving around amongst the bedsheets again. Eddie wiggles his brows and hastily hooks a finger under his waistband. But he soon scrunches his nose. He probably should have removed his belt and unzipped his fly during the never-ending dial tone.

“Shit,” Steve curses before groaning in a very unfun manner, “Oh no, buddy, c’mon!”

“What is it?” Eddie asks, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Go on, scram!” Steve commands, ignoring the question before whining again – one that sounds like whatever he is doing is an exercise in futility, “The cat won’t get off the bed.”

Eddie sinks back down.

Goddamn it.

“Which menace is bothering you, my darling?” he sighs, scrubbing his free hand over his face.

“Freddy.”

Eddie stifles a whimper as his heart swells. Of course, it’s the most adorable, scruffiest, wide-eyed and mischievous cat that’s annoying the heck out of Steve. A cat Steve himself only barely tolerates. Eddie can only imagine what Freddy must get up to when he touring.

“Fredrick?” he can’t help but beam, “Put him on the phone!”

“Eddie!”

“Please?” he begs, “I want to talk to him.”

“But what about…” Steve says, “Well, y’know?”

Eddie waves Steve’s worry away (even if he can’t see him).

“Keep it in your pants, Big Boy. We’ll get to that. Now put my son on the phone this instant!”

[waynes-multiverse]

Polaris – Chapter 10

Series Summary: When Beau Arlen moved to Montana, he left behind a past he wasn’t proud of. But when a series of murders requires the FBI’s help, Sheriff Arlen‘s ghosts come back to haunt him one by one. With a wrong turn waiting at every crossroads, it’s hard to make the right choices and find his way back home – back to you.

Pairing: Beau Arlen x FBI Agent!Reader

Warnings: 18+, angst, heartbreak, everyone being all over the place, one very tough conversation...

Word Count: 6.0k

A/N: Ooof, what a week! The whole fam came down with Covid and I was barely holding the fort down 😮‍💨 But in the midst of all the stress and chaos, all your kind comments brought me so much joy! I really appreciate you guys 🥹🤍

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist || Tag List

Chapter 10: It Matters

Pick me. Don’t go.

Those words had pervaded Beau’s mind and tormented his heart all night. It had been a mistake to utter them. He should’ve never said them in the first place. They forced you into a corner, and he had never wanted to do that to you. He didn’t know if it was the alcohol in his bloodstream or the sheer love in his heart that drove him to say them, but he hated himself for his blatant selfishness.

How could he do that? What else were you supposed to say to him? Of course, you’d stay, even when Beau knew it was wrong.

You were still peacefully asleep next to him, unaware of the train wreck of thoughts that circled his mind in an endless loop. The smell of you lingered in the air and pulled him closer to you. Every fiber of his being wanted to make you his again, love you the way his muddled head had convinced him only he could. But he abstained, and it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. Leaving you always was.

“Hey, morning.” You stretched with a soft smile and glanced behind you at Beau. He lay awake next to you, forest green eyes opened wide and staring at the ceiling. Internally, you sighed at his brooding. You rolled onto your stomach and began kissing a path from his throat down to his chest, your fingers trailing his taut skin.

“Y/N, stop. Please, darlin’…”

With a deep sigh, you crossed your arms on top of his chest and rested your chin on them, looking up at him. His fingers brushed tenderly through your hair, but he still didn’t look at you.

“Talk to me. What’s going on in that pretty and rumbling head of yours?” you prompted softly and pecked his chest, just above his wildly beating heart.

“I can’t do this. We can’t do this…”

You lifted your head and found his eyes, forcing him to look at you. “You want me to go?”

His features hardened as he fought for an answer. After a moment, he shook his head. “No.”

But his actions contradicted his words. He rose from the bed and dragged a palm over his face and through his hair. His feet found solid ground, but his body remained anchored to the bed as if he was torn between leaving and staying with you.

“I shouldn’t have said those things last night. It wasn’t fair to you…” His head fell into his hands. “I don’t wanna force you to make a decision. I’m the wrong choice.”

You straightened behind him and stroked his back. “You’re not the wrong choice,” you insisted. “And if you don’t wanna make a decision for me, then maybe you shouldn’t push me away either.”

“I had no right to say those things to you, Y/N. I was drunk and emotional… I shoulda never let things get this far last night. I was being selfish,” he stated, and you could feel him pull away from you, like he’d done so many times before. It was an all too familiar pattern. “But I have my head on straight now,” he declared, the irony lost on him, but the determined and harsh tone of his voice shattered your heart. No one did it better than him. He made breaking your heart an art.

“Beau…”

“No!” he silenced you sharply. Your hand dropped from his shoulder. His face softened as he looked back at you. “You should be with him, Y/N. You’re just confused right now. I know once you’ve had some time to think about it, you’re gonna regret it, so I’m backing down, okay? Just take me outta the equation.”

Anger flared up inside of you and surged through your body. “Don’t ever fucking tell me how I feel,” you snapped. “You wanna be a coward again? Fine, consider yourself out. I’m leaving.”

March 2021

Beau’s head was a thundering earthquake as he left his motel room. The desert sun was stinging and blistering hot as he walked no more than two blocks down the street to the little plaza of food trucks. And plaza was a nice word for it, really. It was just a rundown parking lot, but the food was delicious nonetheless. God knows, with his punishing hangover, he craved something greasy and unhealthy.

Unfortunately, the fourteen tequilas had ironically not been enough to cause a total blackout – or maybe his body had just ejected them too soon. Either way, he remembered every embarrassing and shameful bit and piece of last night’s events. How he had pathetically sulked, how he had puked his goddam guts out in front of you, how you had still taken care of him and stood by his side, how he had audaciously hit on you – multiple times – and how you had angrily shot him down.

All of these glorious moments were saved on his hard drive, able to torment him for eternity.

It was already late morning, close to noon, but the whole team was gathered on a picnic table. Some were enjoying breakfast after a nightly stake-out, some were taking their lunch break or enjoying their day off. You sat between Cody and Jordan with an extraordinarily big cup of joe, both guys seemingly bringing their A-game in the flirting department. Beau rolled his eyes underneath his dark sunglasses and took a seat across from you. Judging by the sheer size of your coffee, he assumed you didn’t have the best night’s sleep either.

“Hey, mornin’,” Beau greeted the group with a tired nod. He noticed you shift in your seat and avoided looking at him like it was a challenge. It was safe to assume you were mad at him.

“Hey, Arlen.” Amused, Cody grinned at him with all his teeth. “Back so soon? Thought you were supposed to be gone the whole week. What, wife kick you out? You look like shit.”

One clumsy joke already hit bullseye, going straight to his sore point.

Beau only chuckled politely. “Nah, Carla just had a work thing, so…” he lied. He wasn’t ready to get into his whole divorce drama with all of the guys just now – not on so little sleep and such a major hangover. “Guess I chatted a little too much with Don Julio last night.”

The guys laughed and started to remember their own recent drinking escapades. But not you. You let out a small scoff and shook your head, jumping up from your seat.

“I’m gonna get a refill. You guys need anything?” They guys shook their heads at your question, and you sauntered back over to the coffee truck.

“I’m gonna grab somethin’ to eat, too. Excuse me.” Beau cleared his throat and got up as well, the group continuing to chat, unbothered.

He walked straight up to you, and if he had thought earlier he had only imagined your anger, he was damn sure now. You didn’t even try to hide it. Carla was the passive-aggressive type, but he remembered Randy had once referred to you as “sharp and direct like a knife,” which was definitely the case here. As soon as Beau approached you, you exhaled an exasperated sigh and rolled your eyes back.

“Look, can we talk?”

“I think you’ve done enough of that last night, gaucho,” you retorted, annoyed.

Beau pursed his lips. Alright, second try. “I get that you’re mad. You have every right to be. I just wanna apologize for the way I behaved.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m not mad,” you remarked wryly, shaking your head. You then belligerently met his gaze. “Refresh my memory, though. What exactly did you do again?”

Beau let out a deep exhale, frowning slightly. “You really gonna make me spell it out?”

“Yup.” Coolly, you took a sip of your coffee.

Beau sighed once more, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I was an ass last night.”

“And?”

“And… I’m sorry I hit on you,” he admitted ruefully.

You grinned victoriously but not any less furious. “There it is.” Grabbing your giant cup, you waltzed back over to the table, Beau quickly catching up with you before you had reached your destination and were within earshot again.

“Y/N, c’mon! I thought you’d forgive me once I said it,” he argued.

You snorted a scoff. “I never said that. ‘Sides, that apology was kinda half-assed.”

“Alright, what d’you want me to say, huh?” he prompted with an impatient huff.

“Hmm, I would’ve preferred, ‘I’m sorry I tried to use you as my rebound and fuck you last night after my wife left me, even though you’re the only friend I have,’” you fired sassily, watching his frown deepen. “How does that sound? Sound about right to you?”

“I did not try and use you as my rebound,” he shot back.

Your brow arched. “No? What was that then last night?”

“That was…” Beau couldn’t think of an answer, because he didn’t quite know himself what kind of devil had possessed him that night. But he did know even his drunken alter ego wouldn’t use you as a sheer rebound. However, he couldn’t very well say that now, could he? “I-I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.”

“Yeah, thought so…” With a disappointed scoff, you pushed past him and walked back to the group.

Since bolting out of Beau’s trailer in nothing more than an old tee and some mere sweatpants, with a pile full of random laundry in your hands, you hadn’t even inhaled your caffeine intake this morning yet. And God, you needed it, especially after getting dressed with miss-matched clothes in the backseat of your car in the parking lot of a Walmart. You knew this wasn’t rock bottom, but you were eerily sailing close to it.

You could’ve driven straight to the hospital and gotten your coffee there, but a part of you wanted to avoid Randy for as long as you could. That same part also felt incredibly guilty and like the worst person in the world for even thinking that.

Was it crazy you didn’t want to see Randy? You had missed, cried, and grieved this man for years, praying he’d come back to you. Now he had, your prayers answered, and all you could do was hide.

But no matter how hard you tried to force yourself to feel the same way, it wasn’t right anymore. The flutter in your heart was gone. The urge to touch and kiss him had disappeared. Holding his hand felt weird. Your conversations didn’t flow like they used to. He was once your best friend, but now he felt like a stranger.

Or maybe you were the strange one.

And maybe Beau was right, and all you needed was more time to get used to everything again. Start from scratch. Go on first dates and get to know one another again until strange would become familiar. Maybe you even owed it to Randy to try and give it a shot.

The thing was, though, you didn’t want to even try. Twenty-four hours ago, you’d been happy with your life exactly the way it was – as terrible as that made you sound.

But didn’t it matter how you felt?

Your search for coffee, distraction, and escapism led you to the Blue Fox Diner once again. And as it was a habit with small towns, you immediately ran into some familiar faces. This time, you met Carla and Emily there. The former was in a much better mood, even gifting you a smile.

“Morning, ladies. Seems like the need for coffee keeps us united, huh?” you quipped, but only Emily giggled a little.

Carla’s brow furrowed slightly, on the other hand. This time out of concern instead of anger. “Hey, uh… How-, uhm, how are you holding up?”

Realization instantly dawned on you – escapism was nothing but a sham. “Beau told you?”

“Yeah, but he just sent a quick text, saying Randy was alive and at the hospital. I guess I should be happy his communication skills are getting slightly better,” Carla joked wryly, earning her a small glare from her daughter. “But, uhm, I’ve tried calling him multiple times since then. He isn’t answering. Is everything alright? How’s he doing?”

“Uh, yeah, everything’s… well, not fine, but Beau’s… I honestly don’t know. He’s hanging in there? I-… He’s just taking it hard, I guess,” you replied in a stammer. You didn’t know what else to say. The whole thing was as messy as your answer.

“Yeah, okay.” Carla nodded, sighing. “I can’t believe Randy’s back and actually alive… I’m glad Beau has you, though. Watch out for him? And yourself?”

“Sure, yeah.” You swallowed harshly and forced a polite smile to your lips. How could you look out for him, though, if he kept pushing you away? If anyone knew what that was like, it was ironically Carla. “Hey, uh, can I ask you a legal question?”

“Sure. It’s about Randy, isn’t it?” Carla gave you a knowing smile. She’d always been the best lawyer you’d ever known for reasons exactly like this one. She could anticipate someone’s intentions from miles away.

“Yes, uhm… if your spouse comes back from the dead, are you still married?” Judging by Carla’s amused smile, she had somehow expected a weird question like that as well.

“Yeah, are you?” Emily repeated your question with a curiously inquiring look at her mother and a scrunched nose.

Carla chuckled a little. “No, once someone is declared dead, may that be true or not, a marriage cannot be reinstated,” she explained and then paused for a moment, pursing her lips. “However, you can always contest it in front of a judge. In rare circumstances like this, I’m sure there can be something done about it… if that’s what you want. Is it… what you want?”

Your mouth opened but couldn’t produce an answer. Was it what you wanted?

“Right. None of my business,” Carla said and raised her hands in surrender before she placed one gently on your shoulder. “Call if you need something. Anytime, okay?”

You nodded with an appreciative smile. “Thanks.”

“Come on, Em. Let’s go.” Carla gestured for her daughter to follow her outside, but the teenager stayed next to you.

“Can I talk to Aunt Y/N for a minute alone?”

Carla shot you a look, asking if it was okay. You gave a nod in return, telling her it was fine.

“Alright, but be quick. I don’t want you to be late for school,” Carla reminded her and strolled ahead to the car.

“What’s up, trailblazer?” You grinned at Emily and tried to keep it light, although you could tell by the look on her face that she was planning on the opposite.

“Don’t leave Dad,” she told you, her brown eyes pleading. She was giving you the full puppy dog look, and all you could think about was how much she resembled her father like this. “He’s finally happy and like the dad I used to know again. He was better when we moved here, but I could tell that he was missing you. And those last few weeks, he was smiling all the time and not just ‘cause of a bad joke he was proud of. Like, legit smiling. For real. It was kinda creepy. But he was happy. Really, really, really happy. Please don’t take that away from him.”

“Em…” You exhaled a deep sigh. What were you supposed to say to that? You were flattered she thought you had so much to do with her father’s wellbeing? “I-… I don’t wanna hurt your dad ‘cause I do love him. But there’s also Uncle Randy to think about. He’s your dad’s best friend, you know? Neither of us want to hurt him. And your dad’s–…” An ass sometimes. “–difficult. It’s complicated, okay? There’s a lot to think about.”

Emily nodded thoughtfully, but she seemed to understand. “I get it. I just don’t want him to be sad again and lose himself like he did back then.”

You squeezed her shoulder and looked at her deeply. “I promise you it’s never gonna be like last time again. Your dad knows that now, too.”

“I hope so…”

As Emily left the diner, you finally got back to your coffee. Apparently, it was an Arlen family trait to confront you with some heavy-hitters before your first drop of caffeine.

“Heard your husband is back from the dead. Is that true?”

A voice drew your attention to a man behind the counter with chin-length hair and a beard. “Donno, right?” The man nodded, and you replied, “Yeah, he is.”

“Is he a zombie?”

You pursed your lips and took a sip from your cup, wishing it contained whiskey at this point. “I don’t think so, no.”

“If he is, you need to smash his brain. Only way to kill ‘em,” Donno informed you helpfully.

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” you replied warily. If Beau hadn’t already filled you in on all things Donno, you would’ve thought the guy was insane. Well, maybe he still was.

“You’re welcome. I’m good at smashing brains. Just call if you need my help.” Donno gave you an oddly crooked smile. “Aren’t you dating the sheriff? Is that true?”

“Also true.”

Fucking small towns…

“Want to hear my vote?”

You exhaled a small sigh and sent him a tight-lipped smile. “Sure. Why not?” Might as well, right? Maybe you should make use of the gossipy small town charm altogether and start a Helena-wide poll.

“Sheriff Arlen once throat-punched me. He’s very strong. Good build. Like a warrior,” Donno noted. “He could probably kill a zombie. I’d pick him.”

“Well… I’ll take that into consideration. Thank you.”

“Again, you’re welcome.”

March 2021

Still hungover, Beau almost dozed off during the daily briefing in the meeting room of the task force’s headquarters in Mexico – all DEA owned. You sat next to him in your usual seat of the glass box but hadn’t spoken a word to him since this morning at the coffee cart, mindlessly drawing doodles on the edge of your notepad. Obviously, you were still fuming, and Beau didn’t know whether he should try to suffocate the flames or if the fire would eventually burn out on its own.

“Alright, next on the agenda,” Cody said and clapped his palms together as he stood in front of the whiteboard. He was a longtime DEA agent and their task force leader, couple years younger than Beau and probably what most would classify as Hemsworth good-looking. “We need to get everything ready before sending Y/N in with our contact in the cartel. She’s been preparing for the last few months, and if everything goes according to plan, which I hope it will, we can start the mission by the end of next week. Jordan’s also going in with her.”

Beau’s brow furrowed in confusion, his head whipping back and forth between you and their leader. “Whoa, send her in where?”

“Oh, uh, sorry. Forgot you’ve missed last week’s meeting, Arlen,” Cody said with a subtle jab. The others frowned upon him leaving sometimes, none of them having families back in Texas – or at least none that they cared about. “Y/N agreed to go in as a buyer, gather intel.”

Beau’s eyes widened and looked at you, but you still stubbornly averted your gaze. “I’m sorry, what?! Why her? Can’t someone else go in?”

That was the first time you looked at him then. Well, glared.

Cody scoffed disapprovingly. “We need a woman for this one, and if you haven’t noticed, she’s the only one, unless you suddenly grew a vagina, Arlen.”

“He definitely hasn’t,” you muttered in sing-song under your breath, referring to last night’s events. But Beau still heard you, sending you a narrowed glare.

“Our cartel target only makes deals with female buyers. Word on the street is, he likes to get a little… handsy sometimes,” Cody continued.

“Well, that’s comforting to know,” Beau huffed, green eyes then landing on you. “Why did you never tell me you were planning on going undercover?”

There was a moment of awkward silence spreading around the table, everyone’s curious eyes landing on you and Beau. You didn’t respond, however. You clearly had your reasons why you’d left that part out, considering the scene he was making right now.

Cody’s eyes squinted at your partner, his brow scrunching. “You got a problem with that, Arlen? ‘Cause you startin’ to piss me off,” he snapped. For the record, that was the exact moment Cody landed on Beau’s punch list. “Maybe you should have a little more faith in your colleagues, dipshit. Y/N’s got the most experience as a UC in narcotics out of all of us. There’s no doubt in my mind she can pull this off.”

The wink Cody sent you and the smile you gave in return almost set Beau off like an atom bomb, but he contained the explosion and only imploded. He gave a tight-lipped nod in understanding and averted his eyes to the yellow legal pad in front of him, strangling the pen in his grasp instead.

As the meeting ended and everyone filtered out of the glass box, Cody called him back, though. “Arlen, a word.”

You glanced at Beau, your eyes briefly meeting before you left the room as well and strolled back to your desk. You knew he was in for a lecture, having overstepped a line earlier, which wasn’t uncommon for him. But you couldn’t always come to his rescue and offer your own head on a silver platter in return.

“Yeah?” Beau wasn’t even a smidge apologetic in his demeanor. In fact, he was pretty much the opposite and stood his ground with his chin held high as he faced off with Cody.

“I don’t appreciate your little protests during our meetings,” Cody bit. “Look, I don’t care who you fuck in your free time, but keep your personal bullshit to yourself. It’s got no place on this team. You understand?”

Beau let out a humorless chuckle, hands balling into fists by his side. “I’m not sleeping with her.”

“Who the fuck are you tryin’ to fool, huh? Everyone knows you’re hanging out in her room every night. It’s a small motel,” Cody provoked with a mocking smirk.

“I’m her friend. I’m looking out for her,” Beau snarled through gritted teeth.

“Oh, unlike me? Are you insinuating I put my agents in danger? ‘Cause then we have an entirely different problem,” Cody barked, the muscles in his neck and arms tensing. “Maybe it’s best I partner up with her for a couple of weeks till you’ve cooled off enough, Arlen.”

Beau scoffed, laughing darkly. It was the last straw before he decided to throw his inhibitions out the window. “Oh, I’m sure you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

Cody took a step closer and huffed, their faces only mere inches apart from one another. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think you know.”

One corner of Cody’s lip twitched in amusement. “Let’s make one thing clear here. The only reason you’re down here is ‘cause Y/N vouched for you. If it were solely up to me, I would’ve never let your sorry, drunk ass come down here in the first place. My patience with you is slowly running out. One more strike and I’m sending you back home to the wifey, and you can kiss your side piece goodbye. Got it?” he threatened as the two men glowered at each other. “Now, get the fuck out of my office. You’re off duty for the next few days till you’ve got your head screwed back on straight.”

Clenching his jaw, Beau spun towards the door and furiously kicked a trash can on his way out.

Peeking his head inside Randy’s hospital room, Beau found you sitting by your husband’s bedside. He figured you had spent your day here and had given you till the late afternoon to catch up before he decided to check in on his old partner, too.

The two of you were chatting with smiles on your faces, although yours looked a bit sadder and more subdued than Randy’s. As both of you noticed Beau, the conversation halted. Randy sent him a smile, while your brow creased into the familiar angry pattern. If looks could kill, you were surely aiming your daggers at his heart.

“Hey.” Beau smiled hesitantly at you two and remained close to the door in case he needed to flee quickly. It was always good to have an exit strategy in mind.

“Hey, man.” Randy gave him a nod, his mood a little more dampened than the night before. “They’re letting me out today. No major injuries or head traumas, just a couple of bruises. I can go home later this evening.”

“That’s great. Glad you’re okay.” Beau forced a smile, guilt settling in his stomach that he couldn’t be happier for Randy. His best friend was alive and well. It should’ve been cause for celebration, and yet, he wanted to get stupidly drunk for a different reason.

Randy then looked at you, his brow slightly creasing. “Uh, babe, where’s home, by the way? Did you move to Montana, too?”

You giggled lightly. “Uh, no, I have an apartment in Texas.”

His brow furrowed a little more. “Apartment?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I kinda sold the house,” you told him. “It’s just… after you were, uhm… gone, I couldn’t really stay there anymore. I’m sorry. But, uhm, you can stay at my place.”

For a little while, you thought but refrained from saying that part. What were you supposed to do? Kick him out after you sold his home? Instead, you made a mental note to ask Carla about the proceeds of the house as well. You still had enough left in your saving’s account that easily covered his share. And suddenly, it dawned on you that this began to feel like a divorce.

“Oh.” Randy was quiet for a moment before he sent you a small smile and squeezed your hand. “It’s alright. We can start over, okay?”

Randy was sweet and had tried to take everything you’ve told him so far in stride, but you could tell he began struggling a bit with all the changes. When you came by this morning, he seemed less relaxed and more anxious than the night before.

“I guess, yeah.” You compelled a smile onto your face. You hated lying to him. You hated to pretend the two of you were just going to sail off into the sunset together. But you didn’t want to crush his heart. He’d always been good to you, making you wonder what was wrong with you for not wanting him back. But one look at the green-eyed sheriff by the door answered that question for you. “I-, uhm, I’ll check with the nurse about your discharge and get a coffee refill. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, sweetheart.” Randy gave you a nod and watched you leave, brushing past Beau on your way out.

Beau shared a brief look with you, checking if you were okay, and then rested his palms on the rail of the bed’s footboard. He tried to seem as natural as possible in a situation like this. “So, how are ya holdin’ up?”

“Uh, good, I guess,” Randy replied with a little sigh, his hazel eyes still transfixed on the door where you had walked through.

“Now, that doesn’t sound like the Randy I know,” Beau noted half-jokingly, although he knew what was on his friend’s mind. The same thing that was on his – you.

“Yeah, guess we’re all a little different now, huh?” Randy mumbled pensively. “She seems… distant.”

“Uhm, just give her time, okay? Was a lot on her, too,” Beau said, but he wasn’t sure time was the answer. He could see you struggling as soon as he had strolled into the room, trying your hardest to uphold a crumbling façade.

He started to slowly regret this morning’s decision. One day without you already felt like hell. How was he supposed to survive the rest of his life?

“You two have gotten close, huh?”

Randy’s question was a lightning bolt to Beau’s chest, jolting him awake. He swallowed subtly, thinking about his answer. “Uh, yeah, a little… We’ve spent some time together when we worked on that task force in Mexico.”

“Well, I’m glad she had you. Thanks for taking care of her,” Randy said, smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Adding ‘You would’ve done the same thing’ didn’t seem right in this instance, however.

“You-, uh, you know if she’s seeing anyone?”

The question whipped the air from Beau’s lungs and stole the ground beneath his boots. If Randy was aiming to give him a coronary this afternoon, he was succeeding. “I-, uhm, I’m not sure. Not that I know of, but I don’t think it’s anything you need to worry about.”

That was a good answer, right? And it was sort of the truth. Even if it was killing everything inside of him, he’d stick to the words he’d said to you this morning – he was bowing out of the race. In fact, he considered himself never even been in the race in the first place. Randy didn't have competition. End of discussion.

But Randy didn’t seem to think so, apparently. He scoffed a humorless chuckle and licked his lips. “You two are good liars. I’ll give you that.”

Beau’s green eyes widened. He could guess where this was going, but he knew for certain you hadn’t told Randy. That whole thing screamed psychotic witch, and he only knew one person who fit that ammo – currently locked up in a holding cell at the station.

“Randy, I don’t know what you think, but–”

Randy’s laugh of disbelief interrupted his sorry excuse of a deflection, however. “You really wanna tell me there’s nothing going on between you two? Really? That’s how you wanna play this? I think you owe me a little more than that.”

Beau nodded and rubbed his mouth with his palm. “Yeah, you’re right. I do owe you more than that.”

“So, it’s true?”

Beau swallowed down the thick lump in his throat and met his former partner’s eyes. “Yes. How did you find out?”

“That crazy psycho lady told me,” Randy said and confirmed Beau’s theory, the tears brimming in his brown eyes as he spoke. “I didn’t wanna believe it at first, because, well, it’s you and… her. So then, she showed me a video. Was pretty convincing... But me being a fucking idiot, I still didn't quite buy it, you know? Well, till I saw you two yesterday. Couldn't have been more obvious...”

Beau squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as the words sank in, but then his brow furrowed, something heavy falling into his gut. “What-, uh, what video?”

“I guess if I had to describe it, I’d say it showed you fucking my wife on a desk,” Randy said bluntly and almost hysterically laughed at the outlandishness of it all. “I’d check my office for cameras if I were you, by the way.”

Beau was shocked into silence, muscles frozen in place. He would’ve told Randy eventually, when things had settled enough and the two of you had decided together it was time. But he should’ve known Diane wouldn’t go down quietly and just float to prison. She took pleasure out of torture.

“Speechless, wow.” Randy whistled in mock. He was seething, clearly having held onto his anger for a while now. “How long till you moved in on her, huh? Was my empty casket even in the ground yet?”

“Look, it wasn’t like that,” Beau defended the unwarranted accusation, feeling his own anger start to simmer as well. Even if Randy was angry, he should know better than that. Their friendship had meant something once, and Beau would’ve never betrayed it like that if Randy had been alive and still around.

“So, in your office, that was a one time slip-up?” Randy lifted a brow, and for a moment, Beau could see a sliver of hope in his brown eyes. If it had just been a one-time thing in the heat of the moment, something that could be forgotten and discarded once it turned cold, he would’ve been able to forgive both of you.

But Beau couldn’t lie to him any longer. “No,” he stated earnestly. “We’ve been datin’ on and off for about two years now. First time ‘round, we’ve been together for a little over twelve months before we broke things off. We didn’t see each other for almost a year when I moved here, but we’ve, uhm, recently rekindled things, as people might say. But we waited more than a year after your funeral. There was nothin’ rushed about it, alright?”

Randy scoffed bitterly. “Wow, a whole year, huh? Glad I have a friend like you.”

“Randy–” Beau sighed deeply and ran a palm over his face.

“What, huh? You’re gonna tell me you’re fucking sorry?”

Thoughtfully, Beau pursed his lips for a heartbeat but then shook his head. “No,” he stated firmly, Randy’s brow raising in surprise. “Look, I am sorry that I hurt you, but I’m not sorry for what happened between me and Y/N. I love her.”

Randy's gaze drifted out the window as he ground his jaw. It was tensely silent for a moment. “Does she love you?”

Hesitantly and unsurely, Beau still nodded. “I think so, yeah.” At his response, Randy scoffed in incredulity. “But look, like I said, you got nothin’ to worry about. I already told Y/N I’m out. I’m backing down, alright? She’s all yours, man.”

“She’s always been mine,” Randy gritted. “And thanks for your fucking charity. What a hero! But I don’t need it, you got it? I want her to make the decision. I don’t want her to fucking pick me by default ‘cause y’all feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Randy,” Beau warned cautiously.

“What, why? You actually think she’s gonna pick you over me?” Randy snorted a mocking chuckle. “I’m her husband. You’re the fucking rebound. You’re the guy that just happened to be there when she was fucking sad and then took advantage of her.”

“I’m cuttin’ you a lot of slack here, but you better take that back,” Beau snarled with flaring nostrils.

“Or what? You gonna punch me? Leave me to die again? Fuck my wife?” Randy challenged. “News flash – you’ve already done your worst… It’s true, though. You’re the fucking second choice. She’s never gonna pick you!”

“She already did!” Beau yelled explosively and bit his tongue immediately after, watching Randy’s face fall.

“What’s going on here?”

The men’s eyes fell on you as you appeared in the room and blinked at them in confusion. You had overheard parts of their conversation since both of them shouted so loudly it echoed all the way back to the nurses’ station.

“He knows,” Beau informed you quietly and shared a sideways look with you. “Diane told him.”

“Uh…” You stumped, your mouth falling open. Another part of you, though, scolded you for not anticipating this. This had been Diane’s real ace, hadn’t it? Bringing Randy back from the dead was just a small part of it.

“You need to make a choice, Y/N,” Randy demanded, his features stern. In all the years you'd known him and been married to him, you'd never seen him this upset.

“Randy, just leave her alone. Now’s not the time,” Beau argued firmly.

“Yes, now’s the time,” Randy insisted, his brow knitting into even more furious creases. “What are you now, her white knight?”

“Would you shut the fuck up already?”

“Would you shut the fuck up? I’m tryna talk to my wife here!”

“You’re not her fucking husband anymore!”

“Well, you’re not her fucking boyfriend!” Randy yelled snappily and then looked at you again. “Who’s it gonna be, huh? Me or him?”

“For fuck’s sake, Randy! Stop pressuring her and give her a fucking moment!”

“Oh, I forgot! You know her so well now!”

“A blind person can see she’s struggling, you self-centered ass!”

“I’m self-centered? What about you, you–”

“No one! I pick no one!” you shouted between their bickering, the two men finally falling silent. You looked at Randy with tears stinging your eyes. You could barely see the heartbreak and anger on his face through your blurred vision. “Are you fucking happy now?” Disappointedly, you gave a shrug of your shoulders and bolted out of the room.

“Are you happy? ‘Cause I damn well hope you are. Got your fucking decision, man,” Beau retorted.

“Fuck you.”

Beau only shook his head in response and scoffed, leaving the room in search of you.

It mattered how you felt.

Chapter 11: You With Me

Did that conversation go as you'd expected? I think even Carla is secretly voting for Beau 😂 Next week, Diane's back with more shenanigans... 👀

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[zvtara-was-never-canon]

The double standard Zutara shippers have towards Mai vs Katara is absolutely icky. I saw a post a while ago (don’t remember the user) and screenshotted all the Mai can’t vs Katara can points. I’ll paste them here:

- Katara threatening Zuko if he dares to hurt Aang is a sign of reprimanded sexual tension, but Mai joking about Zuko never daring to break up with her again it's her being controlling.

- Katara screaming at Zuko that, to make her forgive him after he proved to have changed and be a better person to everyone else, he'll need to bring back her dead mother, as if 10 years old Zuko is responsible for Yon Ra killing Kya, is fair. Mai screaming at Zuko to leave her alone after he made a scene insulting her in front of a crowd is abusive, violent and toxic.

- Katara treating Zuko badly after he saved her from being crushed is legit and deserved. Mai slapping Zuko's hand away from her in two separate occasions because he wouldn't stop invading her boundaries after a highly emotional moment is harsh, undeserved and abusive.

- Zuko mocking Katara and telling her that he'll save her from the pirates is cute. Zuko being actually cute with his girlfriend is cringe and obviously something he didn't want to do.

- Katara splashing Zuko when he was kneeling down in the southern air temple episode is justified. Mai throwing a SHEET OF PAPER at him after he broke up with her and ghosted her is abusive and violent.

-Katara touching Zuko's scar in the catacombs to heal him is cute and a moment of trust. Mai touching Zuko's scar multiple times and him not being bothered by it in the slightest (even burying his scar in her hair) is a breech of trust and consent.

- Katara having many guys who have a crush on her throughout the series means she has rizz and that she's a catch. Mai having one boyfriend other than Zuko makes her a slut.

- Mai and Zuko being childhood friends to lovers is cringe and an overused trope, but then you'll go on the Zutara tag and find multiple fanarts of childhood friends Zutara AUs

- Katara establishing boundaries and making her stance on breeches of trust well known with multiple characters is good writing. Mai breaking up with Zuko after he lied to her multiple times means that she isn't worth sticking around, and is so selfish that she'll leave Zuko in a moment of need.

- Katara had three children while Mai only had Izumi, which means Katara is a better woman (yes, I've actually come across this kind of disgusting comment.)

- Zutarians claim that Katara is apparently reduced to a housewife and child bearer with no agency as Aang's wife (she is a well known master, wonderful healer AND politician as she made bloodbending illegal in canon), and would be better off as the fire lady (????), but at the same time Mai is nothing special because she is just the fire lord's wife while Katara is a master. Like, make it make sense. Being a fire lady is either "demeaning" for both or for neither.

+ Zutara fans making Izumi Zuko and Katara's daughter, and then proceeding to make a rant on how Mai is NOT Izumi's mom despite her looking exactly like Mai and Michi PLUS having "fountain" a significant name in Maiko's love story, in her name.

I’ve been silently reading all the anti zutara here and thought of sharing my piece. I would like to hear what you think too

God, the Izumi one pisses me off the most because:

1 - Neither Katara nor Zuko would EVER just refuse to raise or even acknowledge a child of theirs. Katara's whole trauma is about having to grow up too fast after her mother's death. Zuko's whole trauma is growing up with an abusive father that kicked him out of the house. They would NEVER abandon a child of theirs.

2 - Neither Katara nor Zuko would ever forgive a former partner if said partner had a kid with them and then abandoned said child, again, because of their own traumas.

But also HOLY SHIT, zutara's brand of "feminism" never ceases to shock me. "A better woman has more kids"? Seriously? And here I thought the worst take I'd ever see from them was "Zuko needs to marry a woman of a different race because his genes are bad, but he is one of the good ones, and Katara could fix his defective genetic that makes his kind more likely to be violent - no, I never heard the term 'eugenics', what's that?"

And yeah, funny how they're constantly going on and on about how being Fire Lady would totally "empower" Katara, but the second Mai is the one to marry Zuko, suddenly that role is oppressive and disrespectful towards a woman.

[gareleia]

THE KNITTING SAGA BUT HERMES IS A DUMMY

update: my co-writer friend FINALLY got a tumblr account, so I can tag them now!!

previously: part 1 part 2 part 3

next: part 5

m'kay, so, we've talked about Athena & Telemachus' issues. now let's touch on Hermes, because a Diva™ like him deserves his own post. and also because this had been sitting in my notes for so long i've genuinely forgotten about it (i'd say that it's what translating a musical does to you, but honestly my attention span is just shit)

now, as much as I love Soft Boi!Hermes, I even more so love prankster Hermes who doesn't really recognize personal boundaries or the meaning of 'too far'. he's the guy who'll commit to the bit so far, he'll commit mass murder with a Tee-Hee and genuinely wonder what has got everyone so upset.

kid!Telemachus, holding a cup of poison: grandpa, are you sure it's a good idea? I'm scared… Hermes, laughing his ass off in the corner: of course I'm sure, champ! it'll be hilarious! good ol' game of Ithacean Roulette! now dump it into the wine, let's see who we'll get this time!

at the same time, he's not selfish. he's very keen on doing things for the people he likes, and he cares enough to know when someone is distressed. he, as a god, is just so removed from traditional human morality that casual acts of cruelty are perfectly acceptable to him, while, for example, breaking an oath is a horrible sin.

think blue and orange morality stuff.

telemachus, outraged: …murdered his own family, can you imagine? hermes, equally outraged: I know, right? he gave a blood oath and broke it! disgusting! telemachus: why is that your only concern?!

but don't worry, helping to raise Telemachus and hanging around the same people consistently makes a real boy outta him gives him enough time and insight into humanity to start understand mortals better, and, as consequence, adopt some of their values.

especially the concept of spousal loyalty. Hermes is a patron god of thieves, and at the time taking someone's wife was viewed as an act of theft (because women were property, yeeesh). which is why to him Penelope's situation was less of a tragedy and more of a "well, my dumbass great-grandson Odysseus should've seen it coming. snooze you lose! ¯_(ツ)_/¯"

that is, until he gets to know her better. and suddenly she's not a prize to be won or a challenge to conquer. she's a smart, capable person that commands respect from anyone who's got a shred of self-awareness. she's got gentle hands, and a radiant smile, and a spine of steel. Penelope looked Hermes dead in the eyes and told him serenely to keep being a good influence on her son, she does not deserve to be reduced to a token and given away to the highest bidder.

hermes, initially: well, penelope's a rich, gorgeous, basically single queen. I'd steal her too, if she was my type. hermes, 10 years later: she's the smartest, ballsiest human woman I've ever met and if she only wants her Ugly Ass Groom then she'll fucking stay single until he comes back.

unfortunately for everyone else, Hermes cannot step in to protect her, because Zeus and Poseidon are both pissed off at Odysseus already, and if either of them notices Hermes (and/or Athena) interfering with mortals on Ithaca, they might take it as an invitation to follow suit, and then it'll be Troy Story 2: Electric Boogaloo.

so he stays his hand, and hangs around Telemachus discreetly, mostly posing as a human. for a god of liars, he's surprisingly bad at blending in for long periods of time. Hermes thinks he's an awesome conspirator. meanwhile little Telemachus didn't even realise it was a secret.

the only people who don't know that [insert alias] is a god in disguise are the suitors, who are notoriously either too stupid, too overconfident or too busy drinking to connect the dots. the exception is Antinous who pretends to be oblivious and makes sure the gods don't see him as a threat to their beloved little pup (otherwise he'd have killed the prince long ago).

the suitors, however, unanimously agree that they hate this weird annoying stranger, and try to get rid of him in increasingly elaborate ways, from poison to stabbing to wild animals to dropping pots on his head.

spoiler alert: it doesn't work.

hermes, next day: *comes back every morning like nothing had happened, whistling cheerily* suitors: WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!

eventually Antinous convinces them to give up so they don't piss off Hermes.

years pass, Telemachus grows. Athena teaches him strategy and arts of war. Aeolus gradually comes out of the hiding and becomes the resident lovable comic relief side character. and Hermes? he teaches the kid all the good stuff.

and it's not just lying, okay? (though it's a significant part of it) music, diplomacy, geography, street smarts, some history. he's a worldly god, had observed and been a part of countless cultures. above all else, he knows people. he may not really understand them, but he knows how to get what he wants from them, how to find common ground and how to spin things to get along with practically anyone.

and girls. Hermes helps Telemachus with girls.

because he's the cool uncle figure that Telemachus admires, the kid trusts him enough to ask the god for advice when he starts growing older and gets his first crush in his early teens.

and, on one hand, Hermes is ecstatic. on the other one…

telemachus, blushing and stuttering: there's a girl I met, she's so pretty, and cool, and, and, and how do I talk to her, do I just come up and say hi, but what if sh- hermes: … hermes: *blue screen of death* hermes: MY BABY-

it's the first time he truly starts to grasp how short the kid's life will be. because in the blink of an eye he turned from a newborn to an adolescent, and soon enough he'll have his own family, and Odysseus was already a king himself at this age, and Hermes is not ready this can't be it he can't just grow old and die

so anyway, he pushes the thought aside and pretends it never came up at all (because that always works, and bottling shit up never blows up in anyone's face, right, Athena?)

he gives lots of advice, from useless macho stuff to golden nuggets like "be yourself" and "show her respect". and, of course, he cheers from the sidelines, hiding 'inconspicuously'.

and it goes surprisingly well. the girl appears to find Telemachus' awkward attempts at flirting sweet and charming, and the boy is on the cloud nine.

but Hermes isn't. because, unlike the prince, his judgment isn't clouded by a puppy crush and he can see that the girl is actually a lying bitch, who's playing Telemachus like a fiddle, hoping to become the next queen of Ithaca. and he won't stand for it.

except Telemachus, for some reason, doesn't seen thrilled when Hermes tells him to dump the girl?? he flat out refuses to believe that, because love is blind and so are sheltered insecure teenage boys.

so Hermes, in his infinite wisdom, decides to prove to his naive little charge once and for all that the girl is just using him and doesn't actually love him. now, what's the first example of true selfless love from a woman that comes to mind to the god who had spent the last few years hanging out with the royal family of Ithaca? right, Penelope. and the one thing that characterises Penelope is her unconditional loyalty, even into the face of countless threats and temptations.

hermes, to himself: so, if I show the kid that the bitch will leave him as soon as she finds a better prospect, he will definitely admit I was right all along! and dump her! it's a perfect, easy, foolproof plan! I am so smart! what could possibly go wrong!

another spoiler alert: everything goes wrong.

the girl does happily jump into his arms as soon as he hints that he's a god/demi-god/just a cooler prince or something. she does it right in front of Telemachus, in fact, so there's no way he'd be able to deny the obvious.

on the bright side, Hermes immediately outs her as a lying bitch and publicly shames her, embarrassing her family and ruining her prospects of marriage and causing her to suffer for the rest of her life ('disproportionate revenge'? what's that?).

on the down side, for some unfathomable reason, Telemachus doesn't seem very grateful??? what???????

hermes: and so, AS ALWAYS, I was right. telemachus: hermes: but please, hold your applause! telemachus: hermes: I did it all for you, out of the goodness of my heart! telemachus: hermes: and please, don't apologize! you were wrong, I get it! no need to- telemachus: *bitch slaps his smug face and runs away, hurt and betrayed* hermes: *shocked pikachu face*

thing is, Hermes doesn't understand what he did wrong. in his mind he did a rather good deed: showed the liar's true colors, and spared the kid a lot of heartache down the line. he doesn't understand the feelings of betrayal from having someone he trusts explicitly outing him as a naive fool in front of everyone he ever dreamed of earning respect from. doesn't get the pain of having been cast aside by someone he liked in favor of a god, with whom he could never compete. can't imagine living in the shadow of someone he had never even known and being constantly reminded of all the ways he's lacking.

telemachus: I'm not a stupid child, hermes. I could've handled it. hermes: but you didn't listen to me, maybe you'd have never seen it on your own- telemachus: and maybe I would've. maybe I would've had the opportunity to find out myself, and maybe I would've learned from it, but you never gave me that choice, did you?! did you think i'm that dumb?! hermes: oh, come on, kid, you're not dumb- telemachus: THEN WHY DO YOU TREAT ME LIKE I AM?! WHY DON'T YOU EVER TRUST ME?!

aaaaand there's the core issue. Telemachus had spent his whole life being babied at best and looked down upon at worst. constantly compared to Odysseus and his more vicious peers, always shielded from making tough decisions and proving himself. he feels like he will never amount to anything, because no one ever lets him really try. as soon as it looks like he's going to make a mistake, someone (usually Athena, Aeolus or Hermes) swoops in and 'fixes' everything for him, just like they used to do when he was an accident-prone toddler. which he isn't anymore.

and Hermes doesn't understand that. to him, ten years is basically nothing. the kid can't have changed that much in ten years. because if he did, then he'll change a lot in the next ten years, and the next, and very soon he won't change anymore, because ten years are nothing and so are human livespans.

ten years are nothing, because to admit otherwise would force Hermes to face the fact that Telemachus, no matter how precious, is just as mortal as any other human. which amounts to basically losing him already. and Hermes can't.

he held that boy as an infant. he fed him, helped to teach him walk and talk and make silly faces. he can't lose this child to time, the one thing even gods can't really protect humans from.

Penelope finds Hermes sitting on her balcony with the most human expression on his face she'd ever seem him wear. he's lost, and confused, and full of regrets, and kind of terrified. in that aspect, he reminds her painfully of her husband.

hermes, mumble: he's growing older penelope, sighing: I know hermes: he's not a baby anymore penelope: believe me, I know hermes: but... what do I do now??? penelope: you let it happen. not much else you can do.

she talks him through it.

hermes, rambling: but I will lose him. I'll lose him if he grows old and dies. this is why I don't get attached to mortals, you die too soon. he can't die now. penelope: he's not going to die now. he'll become the king first, he will find a good wife and have children and grandchildren. he will become great, greater that I and his father could ever dream of. and he'll be happy. don't you want to see that? hermes: I do, but- I don't want him to grow up! penelope: then you finally know the biggest joy and the deepest pain of parenthood.

it doesn't fix his fear. doesn't fix his pain, either. but it does help fix his attitude.

because she's right. Telemachus is growing old, and he can't shelter and protect the boy forever. soon he'll become a man, then an elder. and there's nothing Hermes can do about it, short of dragging the prince to Olympus and begging Zeus to grant him immortality, which will never work.

Hermes and Telemachus make up, of course. the latter knows, deep down, that the former is just trying to take care of him. they make up and forget the fight - at least, the boy does.

Hermes will always remember.

and he will count every day, every wrinkle, every grey hair.

the joy and pain of parenthood indeed.

[puckinghischier]

400 follower celebration!!

i’m absolutely floored that in the short amount of time i’ve been writing on here that somehow there’s 400 of you that enjoy what i write enough to follow me and keep coming back for more.

i didn’t do any celebrations for any other milestones because i wasn’t confident enough to commit to it at the time, but i know the only way to truly get over my fear of being a bad writer is to keep writing.

so, with that being said, i’m going to put this out there. if you want to, if you don’t want to, it’s up to you, but i’d absolutely love if you guys sent me requests for the prompts you want to read!!

if you want to send in a request, just send me the number and the person you want me to write it for!

as i get requests, i will be marking out the numbers that have already been requested, in order to avoid duplicates

i currently write for:

- Nico Hischier

- Luke Hughes

- Jack Hughes

the only other player i would consider writing for is Quinn, but i’ve never written for him before, just given him a few cameos in other fics. if you really just want a Quinn fic i’ll consider it and try, but no promises.

i just don’t feel like i have enough knowledge yet of other players and their personalities off the ice to commit to writing a fic about them.

i grabbed these from another blog, but I cannot find the post again for the life of me, so credit to whoever originally posted these. if i find the page i'll tag them here later

Angst/Emotional:

1. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to see me.”

2. “Just please open your eyes.”

3. “Wake up. You have to wake up. Please. For me.”

4. “Just please, don’t leave me.”

5. “Why does everyone always leave?”

6. “It hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much? I just want it to stop.”

7. “Forget it. Just like you forget everything else.”

8. “I never ask for help because I’m not sure I know how.”

9. “It’s alright to feel broken every once and a while. And it’s alright to take time to heal.”

10. “What is it about me that isn’t good enough?”

11. “I wish I was brave.”

12. “You almost died and you’re making jokes?”

13. “I’m scared.”

14. “I don’t miss you. I miss us.”

15. “I can’t lose you.” “You already did.”

16. ‘“You weren’t there…why weren’t you there? I needed you! I needed you! And you weren’t there!”

17. “All I wanted was a happy ending.”

18. “You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”

19. “I’m not leaving you here.”

20. “You left without saying goodbye.”

21. “For once in your life, do what you want! Be selfish!”

22. “Being strong doesn’t mean never asking for help or admitting you’re in pain.”

23. “You said you wouldn’t leave, and then you did.”

24. “This is the third time you’ve broken a promise to me, I’m starting to think you are doing it on purpose.”

25. “Whatever you do, do not make a sound.”

Fluff/Romantic:

26. “I just cant see myself ever living without you.”

27. “If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you.”

28. “The closest thing to love at first sight I’ve ever experienced happened when I first laid eyes on you.”

29. “I didn’t believe in soulmates until I met you.”

30. “Did you just tell the person I was gonna go out with that we’re dating?”

31. “You owe me a kiss.”

32. “Go with me?” “Only if you hold my hand.”

33. “I’d feel much better if you’d let me walk you home.”

34. “If I asked you to stay, would you?”

35. “You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe.”

36. “I’ve never felt this way before, and truthfully it scares me. But, the idea of never trying scares me even more.”

37. “You’re telling me you believe in love at first sight?” “I’m starting to.”

38. “I promised to love you forever, and that is a promise I intend to keep.”

39. “Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

40. “You give me a reason to be better, to do better.”

41. "All I’ve ever wanted was a place to belong. Somewhere I could call home. And you gave me that. Because you are my home.”

42. “They don’t compare to you. No one does.”

43. “I thought I had the worst luck, until I met you.”

44. “I could see the worst parts of you and still think you are the most beautiful person I’ve met.”

45. “I think I’m in love with you.”

46. “You brought me breakfast?” “Well you said you always forget to eat before you go to work, so I thought I’d make sure you ate something.”

47. “Everything feels right when you are with me.”

48. “I don’t care what others say, I want to be with you and that’s all that matters to me.”

49. “You bought me flowers?” “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up.”

50. “I’ll be damned if anyone makes you feel like you aren’t worthy of being loved.”

51. “I wasn’t sure what love really felt like until I met you.”

52. “You owe me.” “I owe you $20 not a day of pretending to be your partner to get your parents off your back.”

53. “I can braid your hair for you- I mean, only if you want.”

54. “Maybe if you stopped staring at them and actually talked to them, you might have a chance.”

55. “You said you wouldn’t fall in love with me.” “I lied.”

56. “I want you. All of you, and not just halfheartedly, but wholly. And maybe that’s selfish, but I don’t care.”

57. “Can you stay? Just for tonight, please. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.” “'l’ll stay for as long as you need.”

58. “You are my family.”

59. “We’ve been by each other’s sides for years, you think I’m gonna leave now?”

60. “Take my jacket, I don’t want you catching a cold.”

61. “I’d wait a thousand lifetimes for you, because you are worth waiting for. So when you are ready. I’ll be right here.”

62. “I will never stop fighting for you. I will never stop protecting you.”

63. “I can’t stop thinking about you. No matter how hard I try, you’re always on my mind”

64. “Don’t go on that date.” “Why?” “You know why.” “Say it.”

65. “Can I kiss you?”

66. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this.”

67. “How long have you had this planned?” “Since the moment I fell in love with you.”

68. “You came all the way here for me?”

69. “Why are you staring at me?” “Because I think you’re beautiful.”

70. “I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.”

71. “What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

72. “The world gets a little brighter when you’re around.”

Miscellaneous:

73. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone screw something up that fast before.”

74. “I’ve never told you that before.”

75. “You come here often?” “Well, I work here. So I think I’d have to say ‘yes’.”

76. “I’m too sober for this.” “You don’t even drink.” “Maybe I should start.”

77. “You couldn’t handle me even if i came with instructions.”

78. “Wake me up when it’s over.”

79. "Abort mission, I repeat abort mission.” “What? Abort what mission? All you were doing was introducing yourself to your neighbor?” “Yeah, and they’re too attractive. I can never speak to them again.”

80. “At least I kept my promise.”

81. “I saw you looking at it last time we were in the store together, so I got it for you.”

82. “…Did you just sniff me?”

83. “Of course I noticed, I notice everything about you.”

84. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, why?” “You look mad.” “That’s just my face…”

85. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

86. “You don’t actually have to like me, you just need to pretend you do.”

87. “Since when did you open a bakery in your house?” “Since I got bored.”

88. “You’re bleeding.” “No shit.”

89. “For the most part, I am, in fact, an idiot. But I fully admit to it, which should count for something.”

90. “Stop grumbling and just tell me where your medicine cabinet is.”

91. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

92. “I hate that I let you convince me to do this”

93. “We really need to stop meeting like this. "Then stop breaking into my house!”

94. “Why are you creeping outside my bedroom window?!” “I thought it would be romantic if I climbed up here.” “You gave me a heart-attack!”

95. “What are you doing here?” “I got locked out of my house.” “Again?”

96. “Run.”

97. “I can’t stand you!” “Then sit down.”

98. “Where are we going?” “It’s a surprise.” “I hope the surprise involves food.”

99. “You wont regret it!” “Already am.”

100. “I am nothing if not consistent.” “Yeah, a consistent pain in my ass.”

101. “What happened?” “Do you want the long version or the short version?” “Uh, short?” “I made a mistake.” “Okay, long version.” “I made a very very big mistake.”

102. “What happened to your hand?” “I hit my hand on something.” “On what?” “Your ex’s face.”

103. “I heard that!” “You were supposed to!”

104. “I’ve been thinking-” “Uh-oh”

105. “If I survive this, I’m killing you.”

Scenario Prompts:

*For prompts with Characters A and B; you can choose who is who in your request (who is reader and/or character)

106. Huddled together to keep warm.

107. Fall asleep in same bed, on opposite sides, wake up in each others arms.

108. Character A comes to talk to Character B, pretending to be B’s s/o when a stranger is making B uncomfortable. Leads to them asking B out on an actual date.

109. Continuously running into one another for days after having a meet cute.

110. Hands brush as you stand next to each other, you think it’s on accident until their hands gentle wrap around yours.

111. Shielding the other with their body to save/protect them.

112. Caught staring too many times for it to be a coincidence.

113. Size difference hug; they engulf you.

114. You refuse to leave so they pick you up and throw you over their shoulder.

115. Character A can tell Character B is getting nervous in a big crowd, so A slips their hand into theirs to help them calm down.

116. Character A teaching B to ice skate/roller skate.

117. B taking care of A when they are sick.

118. Holding hands underneath the table.

119. Bandaging the other and then kissing the injury gently.

120. A surprises B with a picnic.

121. Getting stuck at the top of the Ferris Wheel.

122. B sitting/standing behind A and leaning into them as they show/teach them how to do something.

123. As you begin to fall asleep, you feel a gentle kiss pressed to your temple and a blanket draped over you.

124. B comforting A as they wake up from a nightmare.

125. A realizing that they have feelings for B when they see them with someone else.

126. B bringing A hand-picked flowers.

127. Thinking you are alone in the house but you hear a noise upstairs.

128. B buys A’s dream house and surprises them.

129. Sharing an umbrella.

130. Walking together and it starts to rain, so they grab your hand and you start running until you can find somewhere to escape getting wet.

131. Fake date to a wedding; leads to confession.

132. A game of 20 questions that ends with “Can I kiss you?”

133. There’s a big storm going on outside while A is at B’s house, so B insists they sleep over.

134. A hears that B got hurt and rushes over in a panic to see if they are okay.

135. B just moved to town and really only knows A (just met). B is being followed or is lost and calls A for help. Of course they come to help and it turns into a date of sorts.

136. A falling asleep while sitting next to B, as there head falls onto B’s shoulder, B stays as still as they can, afraid to wake A.

137. Cloudgazing or Stargazing together, as you lie next to each other, their hand slips into yours.

138. Looking around for the shirt you left at your s/o’s house; only to find it in a drawer with other clothes and items you’ve left.

139. B get’s so nervous about their dinner date with A that they accidentally make enough food to feed ten people.

140. A hand written love letter left at your doorstep.

141. B dancing to music as their cooking or cleaning, and as they spin around A suddenly appears, grabbing onto B and continuing to dance with them.

142. A grabs B’s hand instinctively out of surprise or fear, and continues to hold it.

143. B helping A step down from a high place by taking their hand, and then not letting go as they continue to walk.

144. Comparing hand sizes, then linking fingers together.

145. Dancing around the living room of the first home you’ve bought together.

146. A asking B on a date until they say yes.

147. B asking A to attend a wedding with them, to get out of going with someone their parents tried to set them up with.

[brasideios]

10 Characters/10 Fandoms/10 Tags

Thank you for thinking of me my dears @krankittoeleven & @ainulindaelynn

Lemme see. This is long, sorry about that. I’m in a rambling mood. These are just the characters that came wandering into my noodle in no order - at least, that was intended.

1. Dorothea from Middlemarch (by George Eliot). She’s probably my fave character ever. I think in a mostly abstract way, she’s come nearest to mapping out how I perceive the feminine part of myself. She starts out so so idealistic - wanting to do something to change the world, to matter, but society has its own rules that eventually beats her down, but she’s so stoic, enduring, and self-denying, that her happy ending is earned… but then the epilogue is so melancholy so was it happy? and… I don’t know. There’s something in it all that I’ve never found a better version of.

2. My brain is on D names now lol so Daphnae from AC Odyssey. The more I think about her story, as little as we’re given of it, the more I find something tragic and fated in it, and then there’s the possibility of changing that fate, or embracing it. Something, something doomed by the narrative, unless…?

3. Demosthenes from my pdfs lol listen - ancient history RPF is a fandom (apparently) so this is valid. I have been down some serious rabbit holes with this man of late - I won’t even start on why or this will be an essay. I could also have put Thucydides in this position - but I’m on D names.

4. Daria. No seriously. I loved this show when I was a teen, and she’s honestly my spirit animal. It was my nickname because I was unfortunately very much like that. I adore her deadpan, acerbic remarks and many of them will live on in my brain forevermore. I wasn’t as witty btw - but the vibes were the same.

5. Hedwyn from the vg Pyre (woot! My brain releases me from the letter D!). I’ve played it several times now, and he’s my fave. Just a sweet guy - so sweet, you always want to free him first, but then you also very much wanna keep him with you - and sometimes I’ve been selfish enough to send everyone else instead. I also like Volfred a lot but that has everything up do with the VA 🙈

6. Alfie from Peaky Blinders. I have no excuses - the character is an unhinged maniac but Tom Hardy just brought something (a twinkling eye) to the role that makes him a very likeable, back-stabbing psychopath.

7. Caesar from HBO Rome. Ciaran Hinds has been a fave of mine since Persuasion - and I liked how he acted this part / how he was written. That’s all I’ll ever say about Caesar - character or historical figure. There are at least another half a dozen characters in this series I might’ve mentioned too. I must rewatch it one of these days.

8. Gannicus from Starz Spartacus. Dustin Clare is an old time favourite from waaaay back when I was persuaded to watch McLeod’s Daughters - really bingeable but quite trashy Aussie TV - sorry to any fans - but it really is. I so enjoyed his vibes and he brings all of that to Gannicus and it just works so well for the character. Pure cheekiness, and when he does this face 🥺 chefs kiss. Side note - I will pretty regularly say some variation of ‘my cock rages on’ about the most random stuff so - thanks to this character for that gem lol.

9. Johnny Spit from the movie Gettin Square. Yeah this is left field and I seriously doubt there’s a fandom for it - but what a character - quintessentially Australian deadbeat, (played by David Wenham). There’s a courtroom scene that kills me every time. I hope he got square, for good this time.

10. Kenny from Mad Men. I don’t even know how to explain it, I just want to protect him and he doesn’t even deserve it, and he wouldn’t have thanked me for it - maybe it was just the way everyone else was just an asshole about his writing. I want to know more about the short story about the egg. I could’ve picked almost any other character from this show though. They’re all so good/bad for their own reasons.

I made it! Haha! I have no idea who to tag - I think the only people who usually join in have already been tagged - so I’ll just add a few and call it ten. Sorry for any double ups.

No pressure at all - @nemo-of-house-frye @theinkandthesea @liminalspacecowboah @cyrus-the-younger @myriath

[madisonbeersource]

I’m sure that Silence Between Songs is the kind of album that I wouldn't like directly.

(unlike Life Support which was love at first sight) but that I would like it after listening to the songs several times.

for example, I didn't really like "Envy the leaves" at first listen, but now I think It’s a very pleasant song to listen to.

when I listened to “Life Support” and heard “Homesick” (I’m a Rick and Morty fan so understand my emotion) or “Stained Glass” I was immediately won over. from the first listen.

I’m still listening to the album I really love “Ryder.” I don't know, I think it's a moving song.

In “Life Support” there were songs that could make you cry like « Default » or “Selfish” (even though this song is a real masterpiece) or like “Everything Happens For A Reason”. But in the new album there are mouving songs. not necessarily sad.

« Reckless » is a sad song. Honestly this song is clearly the “Selfish” from “Silence Between Songs”. It's about deception, broken hearts...but the instrumental is of incomparable quality.

in « Life Support » , we felt that Madi wanted to talk to us about mental health. especially in « Default ». I felt that. This sadness and this distress.

But I don't feel that in the New album.

I have the impression that she seems to be doing a little better, that she’s still looking for her musical identity a little and that she wanted to prove to people that she is capable of singing something other than pop songs like “Baby” or “Boyshit” which are quite upbeat.

For all these reasons, for the fact that I learn to love and discover the album (and not to fall in love immediately) and that I learn, like everyone else, that she looks like getting better, I give it a score of 9,3 out of 10.

I don't know why Madi is so underrated.

She deserves to be nominated for competitions, to win prizes, if only for the fact that she writes and that she participates enormously in the creation of her songs.

I could even say that "Life Support" convinced me more than "Positions" by Ariana Grande (even if I am a big fan of Ari.)

We understood each theme of Madi's songs, they were intimate, (as if we could talk with Madi) moving, sometimes sad. and above all, they were not talking about the same thing, where Ari only talked about sexual relations.

I don't know why, but I feel that "Silence Between Songs" is well on its way to becoming my new favorite and joining its brother "Life Support" which is already in my heart.

tell me what u think about all this

❤️

P.S : Call me baby, I Know u go home to another one 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽

P.P.S : My thumbs hurt, I've written too much

P.P.P.S : Can u tag me ? ❤️

@safinkd (you ask me to tag you...i hope that is what you meant qsdfghgfds)

also you voiced my thoughts exactly, SBS is not the same intensity as Life Support, like we've waited for Life support for years, it felt as if we wrote it w her, and idk I think she wrote it in a way like it couldn't have been better...like from the intro to channel surfing the direction the production was INSANE like the songs placement, idk something felt like a once in a lifetime event !

SBS missed on songs like follow the white rabbit, you know what i mean, like dark, addictive, twisted but still w her vulnerability does that make sense? sdfghgfds but you feel me.

but SBS is still a GOD DAMN MASTERPIECE of an album, just different and maybe a lil more mature, it makes me feel the same way as when billie Eilish released her new album like i felt the same way i didn't like "happier than ever" compared to "when we all fall asleep where do we go?" it felt the same way w SBS except i actually enjoy all the SBS songs!

the whole album feels like this gif

yes I LOVED when she went from good in goodbye to default then follow the white rabbit IT WAS BRILLIANT, SBS does not feel as tied up in a beautiful ribbon but maybe i like darker stuff than SBS IDK but once again i think SBS grows on u as u listen to it!!

Positions by ariana was trash ngl ...................................... like a whole album about sex? it's sad imo.

ps; say you hate me, it's okay boy you're not the only oneeeeee

i love you x

[loosiap]

sims tag game

Thank you for tagging me @letomills ♡♡♡ It’s really kind of you to think about me (˶ > ᴗ < ) It’s sims tag game so I’m posting it on this blog instead of my messy main I hope it’s ok with you, I enjoyed reading your answers to this 

1. What’s your favourite sims death?

I’m a big fan of cowplant!

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Maxis mix leaning strongly towards MM

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

Hmm maybe when I was a kid? I remember not liking my male sims to be “fat” as I did not wanted them to have beer belly like my dad and I would force them to exercise if I noticed them doing this gain weight animation lmao

4. Do you use move objects?

Always!

5. Favorite mod?

I’d say Community Skilling is the most important mod to me. I hate that sims can’t gain skills on community lots in ts2 with a passion! xD

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

My first and the only sims game I had as a kid is sims 2 and I got it from my uncle as a christmas present along with Happy Holiday SP

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing

Both? My pronunciation is all over the place lol

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

But I love all of my simmies! But Barbara, she’s awful! She killed her husband with her selfishness by forcing him to overwork himself and then when his siblings helped her to resurrect him she cheated on him! As a family sim! ugh

9. Have you made a simself?

It never even occured to me to do such a thing

10. What sim traits do you give yourself?

absent minded, brooding, shy, loser, clumsy (I’m not fimiliar with traits as I never played ts3 so I’m guessing here lol); in ts4 i’d choose maybe socially awkward, loyal, geek?

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

12. Favorite EA hair?

13. Favorite life stage?

All but babies

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I like to do both in ts2! In ts4 I only enjoy building

15. Are you a CC creator?

I don’t think I can call myself that haha

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

Oh I’m too anxious to befriend people I always feel like a nuisance ( 〃．．) But! for the past year since I'm here almost everyone who interacted with me was nothing but nice and patient with me, thank you 💕

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4)

2! But I never played 1 or 3

18. Do you have any sims merch?

None

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Nope

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

As a kid I always made crazy sims and I would mostly play in my own hoods now I’m more boring player who makes more realistic sims and play in maxis hoods

21. What’s your Origin ID?

I can’t remember lol but I don’t post anything on the gallery so it’s not important

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator?

This question is too difficult!

23. How long have you had a simblr?

May 2022 so a bit over a year

24. How do you edit your pictures?

As anyone can tell at first glance I don’t do much haha

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

I don’t play ts4 enough to know what I need hmm... Maybe I’d like ea to just stop breaking this game futher so I could download bunch of mods without them breaking? lmao

26. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far?

OFB! I never had it as a kid and I enjoy it a lot now! Making buisnesses for my sims is fun

Tagging: @elvisgrace, @xwhitepolar​, @/you idk anymore if and who I can tag ;;; sorry if me tagging anyone in previous post of this kind was annoying, if I tagged you in another post of this kind feel being tagged by me here too if you like, I’ll be happy to read your answers!

[netscapenavigaytor]

characters in skates i know adn if they wuold join the GGs from jet set radio

SAMMY/EDDIE "SKATE" HUNTER (Streets of Rage)

okay, so, on one hand i think he could handle it and would maybe even arguably find the rudie lifestyle fun - i mean he beats the shit out of mr x's evil criminal organization by breakdancing, he's definitely got the style and goofing off points for it.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND….. his brother is a cop (later a government agent according to the wiki), and he and his ex-cop friends are all ultimately pretty anti-crime overall (beating the shit out of mr x's flunkies with your fists does not count as a crime). so maybe if he went through a really heavily rebellious phase he'd think about it but otherwise i think this is Not happening.

also i thought he was like 10 which might've also be a problem, but now that i'm looking it seems he never got a confirmed age so where the hell did my brain get THAT number.

SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG (Sonic the Hedgehog)

OHH this is a very very tricky one and i think also depends somewhat on what point in time we're talking here. the first thing that feels notable here is that shadow comes off as a pretty grim self-serious guy a lot of the time and tends to keep to himself - however, he also DOES have friends he cares deeply about (i dont care what sega says) and tends to enjoy being the coolest guy in the room. it'd also probably do him some good to have an artistic outlet for his inner darkness.

that being said, i feel like he'd find the GGs and the other rudies to be petty and juvenile (dude, you're like mentally 15! you're basically younger than the youngest GG!); and on top of that he's working pretty closely with G.U.N. which kinda makes him part of the establishment, right?

however. there is a window of time that i think shadow's odds of joining the GGs is actually very likely, which is during the era around his self-titled game. shadow is at his most lost and confused at that point (i mean you saw how many story routes there were.) and i think if he met the GGs then they would be all totally like "hey dont let people push you around into who THEY tell you you're supposed to be, make your own path" and it would emotionally resonate with him and there'd be a cool end cutscene where he's like "I… am Shadow the Hedgehog. Once born to be the ultimate lifeform, now one of the GGs. I paint my own destiny. This… is WHO I AM." and awesome credits music plays. hope you liked my shadow fanfic

PAINT ROLLER (Kirby)

are you fucking kidding me of course he would, no hesitation. he was pretty much BORN for this. maybe he'd have trouble getting the GGs to take him seriously on account of the fact he is a funny little circle, but hey the GGs let anyone join if they are cool enough at skate tricks and i think paint roller could pull it off. also i think being a funny little circle would make paint roller better at avoiding consequences.

HOWEVER. i do think that paint roller tagging up the city would eventually have dire consequences due to his art's tendency to come to life. like im talking like the streets crowded with all sorts of random creatures and objects and stuff, kirby has to show up to save the day, it's a whole Thing.

YUICHI "ICHI" TAIRA (Paranoia Agent)

fuck no, never in a million years. ichi is a Perfect Little Straight A's Golden Student Who Everybody Loves and frankly he's furious that you'd even imply he'd consider turning to delinquency. he'd probably regard the GGs as selfish attention whores who only cause trouble because they're too pathetic to get anyone to like them. it's NOT FAIR that you're confusing ICHI with that brat beat just because they both wear golden skates!!!

i think though that in a direct confrontation he'd actually be pretty scared of rudies, cuz like, ichi is only about 13 while even the youngest GG is 16. he'd totally want to tell them to their faces how worthless they are and how they're ruining everything for everyone with common sense, but instead he'll just call the cops on them.

SHOUNEN BAT/LIL' SLUGGER (Paranoia Agent)

Uh. Well . if you know his deal already then you probably already know the answer is "I don't think that would even be fucking possible". like can you IMAGINE. but even certain details about his nature aside, i think he's just plain too malevolent for the GGs, though.

(now, a certain spoiler character, on the other hand. i honestly don't think he'd try to join the GGs. but i think he theoretically COULD'VE and if he did i think it would have been MUCH better for him than what he actually did.)

and thats everybody with skates i know iran out of characters already. Sorry 👍

[x-multifandom-trash-x]

Favourite Shows Tag Game

Rules: List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly.

No one really tagged me but I took @isqueedmyself up on their open invitation, so thanks for that 😊

I’m gonna tag my only irl friend with a fandom focussed blog @the-kiwi-lady-pendragon but if anyone else wants to do it then go ahead!

1. Doctor Who

2. Doom Patrol

3. Once Upon A Time

4. NCIS

5. The Flight Attendant

1. Who is your favourite character in 2?

Laura easily. She’s such a sweetheart with a pure heart. Of course she’s not perfect but I understand what it’s like to basically lose parts of yourself and act against your values in the name of self-preservation and I empathise with that.

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1?

Rose. I know that’s a super unpopular opinion but 🤷🏼‍♀️ I just find her whiny, selfish, and annoying. Don’t get me wrong I know she’s supposed to be 19 and that definitely plays a role but I just can’t look past it. Also maybe Simm!Master buttttt that’s just me being a bitter ass bitch about things.

3. What’s your favourite episode of 4?

17x03 (Going Mobile), 15x04 (Skeleton Crew), and 16x04 (Third Wheel). There’s so many to choose from but I’ve narrowed it down to three. These are all ones with lots of content around Jack (my fave character) without torturing her.

4. What is your favourite season of 5?

Season 1 by far. I actually really didn’t like season 2.

5. What’s your favourite relationship in 3?

Y’know I actually don’t have many ships in Once Upon A Time and none of the ones I do have are really serious. I think maybe Regina x Rumple (but I also lowkey ship Zelena with Rumple so idk).

6. Who is your anti relationship in 2?

Oop here’s another super unpopular opinion but I can’t stand MadamFarr. 😅 I love Laura as we’ve already figured out and I really can’t stand Rita or the way Rita treats Laura. I just think Laura deserves better. However, I’ll support it a tiny bit if it becomes canon as I’ll do anything to have Laura’s queerness confirmed on the show.

7. How long have you watched 1?

11 or 12 years.

8. How did you become interested in 3?

I saw an ad for it on tv! But I didn’t wait until it aired here in New Zealand I just watched it online.

9. Who is your favourite actor in 4?

Maria Bello ❤️

10. Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5?

Two (Doom Patrol). But one (Doctor Who) is a close second.

11. Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

I would think it’s Doctor Who even if you don’t count the classic episodes. There’s just a lot more of it. I’ve seen every episode of both shows.

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

I’m most like Ellie and I ship her with Jack so I think it would be her.

13. How would you kill off your favourite character in 5?

Lmao I would not. Somehow she’s still alive, at this point it seems to me Miranda Croft is unkillable. If she was to be killed off it wouldn’t be a fair fight - maybe one of her many enemies sent multiple assassins (at the same time) to kill her.

14. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Definitely not. That’s not to say that that there isn’t a place for supernatural/fantastical content in procedural shows (I’m pretty sure I recall Castle having a zombie episode and a time travel episode). However, I think that the NCIS characters would not know what to make of the Once Upon A Time characters and the situations they’d be in and the more they learned the worse it would get. They would find out about these ridiculously complicated families etc and just start calling everyone out. Which would piss off the Once Upon A Time characters and it would all go to hell basically.

15. Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

I think Captain Jack and Donna would work well together. The hard part would be getting Donna to give it a chance.

16. Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

Uhhhh … neither of these shows are particularly known for their cast as far as I’m aware, although both casts do excellently at delivering the material. In Once Upon A Time there’s two actors I like and in The Flight Attendant there’s only one. So based on that I’d have to go Once Upon A Time. However, I only watched The Flight Attendant for Michelle Gomez but I watched Once Upon A Time because I was actually interested in the premise of the show. So based on that I’d have to go The Flight Attendant. Meh, I guess it’s a tie 🤷🏼‍♀️

[realcleverscience]

@notarobot2

"I do see value in such things. Housework for example is a service like any other. The problem is that often times certian things are over valued."

It seems that you think human life is overvalued. I'm gonna have to disagree with you there and wonder what price tag you put on lives, including your own.

"As far as ethics go I operate by a different ethical philosphy than you. Everyone has slight differences of course, but I believe we have distinct and irreconcileable ones. Asserting that allowing people to suffer is a debasment of our humanity is one such case." I'm not sure what you have is a system of ethics as much as a system of self-interest. e.g. letting people suffer and die to teach them a lesson or motivate them seems barbaric. "I would agree with suffer unjustifiably. Letting people suffer and die isn't just about reducing costs, it's about motivation. It provides the stick to match the carrot of discrecionary income."

jfc, you really ate all that capitalist bullshit whole, didn't you? anyways, I too am not against money as a motivator. However, many people are literally unable to earn any or enough money. The carrot and stick approach doesn't work bc they physically cannot do it. It's like beating up an old lady or a baby for not hauling bricks as economically as a 25 year old. The reward/punishment system just won't work.

But instead of realizing the error in your system, you instead keep the system and assume it's an "error" in others that's best solved by letting the "errors" die. Insane.

Furthermore, let's get to the core issues: what's even the point of wanting people to work at all? What is the basis of this desire on your part? I'm guessing you'll say that if no-one works, we won't be able to afford anything. Which is true, but that means the real issue is sustainability of costs. Put another way, the question is: what can we financially sustainably provide all americans for free? For instance, we may well be able to feed all americans without damaging our economy. We might even be able to house everyone as well. We almost certainly can provide everyone with a normal amount of water and electricity. "But where will money come from if no-one works?" That's the thing that a lot of people somehow miss: People will still work bc people aspire to more than just food and shelter. So, as long as those are not prohibitively expensive, we can provide them without worry because people will still work.

In addition, these things can even strengthen economies. E.g. Every dollar spent on educating people can, at times, return $10 in economic benefit a few years later. Similarly, providing free school lunch to hungry kids may cost a dollar today, but if it improves their grades, it can easily pay for itself. Further, these can all have knock-on effects. E.g. a better educated public is less likely to do stupid things which endanger people. Or a well-fed kid may reduce delinquency and other issues. As some people have put it, you can invest in schools today or invest in jails tomorrow.

"I am not selling my ethics, I simply value different things. And mkre accurately, different time frames. Also, admitidly my nation over others." Yeah, if you've lost your sense of humanity and empathy, then you definitely *have* sold your ethics and replaced it with libertarianism or something, but I hope one day you find jesus, or really any religious or moral system that can heal you.

Also, no, you're not being more accurate or working with different time frames. We're working with the same facts. You just don't care if people die. And you're also not valuing your nation when you are literally endorsing positions to kill your fellow countrymen. That's not patriotism. That's just selfishness.

"In the context of AI, it would be those with ownership, speicalized skills, or means of force. There will ultimatly be death, losses and suffering. There's little way around that without undermining the systems and order that keep people productive, innovative and useful." Again, you are still assuming we need everyone to be "productive, innovative, and useful" when we are literally talking about a situation where there's no need for humans to be any of those, and indeed, it may be literally less useful in most cases than just having machines do it essentially for free.

Further, you again are finding that your system (work = value) doesn't always work (in this case, due to ai replacing labor), and again, instead of considering that your system of thoughts has errors, you instead think, no, it's the entire population itself which has errors and therefore the population must suffer and die. This is terrifyingly and hilariously ass-backwards. As others have said, the economy exists for us; we don't exist for the economy. And perhaps most hilarious of all is what seems to be your position that you yourself should die should you cease to be "useful" to society. Frankly, I doubt you actually have the courage of your convictions; to me, this again indicates that your "ethics" are just self-interest and bear no resemblance to what most call moral or ethical systems. "Scarcity is inherrent." Yes, scarcity in some forms will always exist. However, scarcity for essential goods does not have to exist, esp once AI/Robotics take over. Even if we can't give everyone filet mignon and their own beachside mansions, we *can* give everyone food and a home.

"Either we accept that AI is going go take jobs, and slowly leave the working class with nothing. Or we undermine any real chance of technological and industrial advancement in a free society."

The thing is AI taking jobs doesn't inherently need to lead to "leaving the working class with nothing." That's only true under some capitalist systems. Again, you seem to be utterly unable to think of possibilities outside capitalism, so to you, this is inevitable, but that need not be the case. But again, instead of recognizing this as an error in your worldview, you just accept that it's an error in population wide labor and necessary for "advacement" (though I wonder what use advancement is for people if your plan is for it to kill them).

"We would stagnant with people pursuing entertainment, hedoisim, and special interests rather than more useful things. Meanwhile we would continuallg have to advance production anyway to keep up with a growing population and increasing demands."

You are making some malthusian arguments. They weren't true in the 1800s and they're not true today. Further, I will reiterate that people strive for more than just being alive, and so people are likely to still work - until automation removes all jobs, at which point, your entire philosophy won't even make sense anymore bc labor will no longer exist and we will anyways still need ways to ration scarce goods.

anyways, your whole worldview seems like someone read an econ 101 book and mistook if the bible. your grasp of economics is weak. your grasp of social governance is laughable. your grasp of ethics is non-existent. and you seem motivated by greed and nothing more. sad.

AI under capitalism

[cheninipan]

What was even the fcking point of the announcement like yesterday/two days ago about seunghan coming back in the team?? And sm haven’t you fucking read wonbin message??? ALL THE MEMBERS HAVE WORKED SO HARD TOGETHER TO BRING HIM BACK AND THATS HOW U END IT?? Fuck you all, fuvk sm, fuck ot6 kbriize and fuvk ot6 i-briize.

Members have been battling for 10 months just for this?? Do you think about other members and how are they feeling right now knowing what they did will bring them to nothing? Just cause of pathetic fans who thinks when you’re an idol you can’t fucking have an outside life

(AND WERE TALKING AB SOMEONE WHO DID ALL THOSE NORMAL TEENAGERS THING EVEN BEFORE DEBUTING). Pretty sure most of y’all do much worse. You are ruining everyone’s image. Have some shame. I’m fucking crying so hard. What was the point of fighting just for this?

Seunghan we will always love you and you are always a member of riize in our heart. Even eunseok said “please love THE SEVEN OF US” and I will endlessly. We will continue to fight until you get back with your brothers, your team. Even if it lasts for years.

How can even call urself a briize after this? After everything members did? If you are a real briize do you even love all members? I don’t think so. Cause if you do, you’d respect their decisions and everything they did for him. But you are all selfish bitches.

PLEASE BRII7E KEEP RATIOING THIS POST WITH THESE TAGS AND THE TEXT⚠️👇⚠️

WE WANT SEUNGHAN BACK ‼️

WE WANT SEUNGHAN BACK ‼️

WE WANT SEUNGHAN BACK ‼️

WE WANT SEUNGHAN BACK ‼️

WE WANT SEUNGHAN BACK ‼️

#RIIZE_IS_SEVEN #SEUNGHAN

FUCK YOU SM

BRING BACK SEUNGHAN

JUSTICE FOR SEUNGHAN

#SMSupportsBullying

#FVCKYOUSM

#BringbackRII7E

#RII7E_or_NONE

#SM_쓰레기

[fazkins]

This is... far more comforting than I thought it'd be. Thank you Evi for your response, as well as the person who reblogged. It feels nice to be listened to once again. But, unfortunately for everyone, I'm going to spend the next 10 minutes or so talking about my family, as suggested.

So firstly we have Elizabeth, the queen of the household. I remember her wearing a pink ballerina skirt, whatever it's called. Clara loved to dance and so Liz wanted to be like her mother, in that sense.

As for her, my wife... is it selfish if I don't want to talk about Clara that much? Is it wrong? I mean, I did love her, and she loved me. She helped me through so much, and I am very grateful, but we also used to argue a lot - the kids never liked that, neither did I. She eventually left and divorced me, and I never heard from her again after I won full custody of the children.

Evan was so young back then... He surprisingly wasn't as scared of everything and didn't cry as much. I actually don't know when or what changed for him, but maybe he just missed Mommy. ( It's a little weird for me to call him 'Evan', given that I sometimes remember his name being 'Chris'? I'm going to stick to Evan anyways, it's not like I mind all that much. )

Ah, and Michael was so jealous of him, thinking I'd forget about him or something. It was funny at first but soon turned into another worry of mine. I then came to realize that I wasn't being the father he deserved, so I tried to talk it out with him to fix things ( which didn't work, we had a horrible conversation ). The poor boy has definitely seen the worst of me. I hope he's doing okay.

And now we have 'uncle' Henry left. I've always loved Henry, not like a brother, but something else. I never got the chance to tell him, but I'm sure he could tell. Hell, I've felt like that since Uni! He must've realized, right? He better have.

Henry never lost Charlie, at least not to Death. I remember her going missing for some time but that's about it. Things start to get foggy and I don't think I can trust my memory from then on. I guess that's for the better though, there are some things I don't want to remember much about. Sorry if this got too long.

And by the way, hope you don't mind if I claim a tag for myself. Will be coming back to the blog.

—🔧💜 ( William, obviously )

your family sounds lovely ^^ im glad that you had a good relationship with them, thats always nice :] family is very important ofc

personally, i loved my canon family sooo much <3 it makes me really happy to hear about other peoples afton families because of that, even though our families are pretty different

thank you so much for sharing :D /gen feel free to stop by anytime if youd like to talk more about them, id genuinely love to hear more

-🧸💤

[sillybillybillysilly]

Doing this for Elerie Meghli

1: Her biggest fear is loneliness, no doubt. This makes it so she's very easy to lure into a cult, which affects the whole story. It makes her relationships close and plenty, though. Its not abandonment she fears, as long as she still has others left. it's loneliness.

2: She's very passionate about theatre and play (outside social play like tag, tug of war, hide & seek and so on). I haven't gotten into enough depth about the theatre part in first draft but I will later on! The theatre is a reason for her to return to Blomgren and get back to her social circle. The play is mostly a way for her to compare very real dire situations to something less scary.

3: Haven't written enough about this either, but I'm pretty sure she used to be really lonely.

4: She's egocentric, hot-tempered and selfish!

5: Nuh-uh. She's strong and a great runner but that's obvious to everyone she meets.

6: Comparing the situations to games, as said before. "I'm hiding from a dangerous person right now. Like when I play hide and seek"

7: She blames it on other people

8: Durru has helped her realise that the gods rarely punish with death, and that the cult leaders judgement isn't true.

9: She wants her friends to be happy and safe, and she doesn't want to actively hurt people unless they're hurting her friends. But passively hurting others is fine with her- she rarely even realises it, because it doesn't matter to her. She matters the most.

10: Well that depends on the dilemma, obviously. But if one's self-sacrificing and the other isn't, she would choose the one that isn't.

11: Honestly she thinks it's all important because she thinks she's the prettiest person ever. Pink and turquoise hair? Important and unique. Blue eyes? Wow, gorgeous. Oh, now they're red? Oh that's fantastic!

12: She adapts pretty quickly if there's others around her in the same situation, no matter if those people are new to the situation or not. If not, she will do whatever to find others, and that's more important to her than adapting.

13: Oh I should give her nightmares. Thanks, OP. Hmm. "She's had these friends as long as she remembered joy." Is a quote from early in the book. She has nightmares of her childhood (she got the friend group as a tween) where she was isolated and lonely because her father (who's not in her life now) abused her and socially isolated her so she could neither tell others or figure out that this wasn't normal. This is also a part of the reason of why she was so susceptible to the cult.

14: Theatre and play, as mentioned before. And she definitely expresses herself verbally, a lot.

15: Getting bitten and turned into a vampire, most definitely.

some original character (OC) questions that might pique your interest and spark your creativity:

What is your character's biggest fear, and how does it affect their actions and relationships?

What is something your character is deeply passionate about, and how does it drive their goals and motivations

Describe a memorable childhood experience that shaped your character's personality or outlook on life

What are your character's quirks or eccentricities that make them stand out from others?

Does your character have any hidden talents or abilities that only a few people know about?

What is your character's preferred way of coping with stress or difficult situations?

How does your character handle failure or setbacks? Are they resilient or easily discouraged?

Describe a significant relationship in your character's life and how it has influenced them.

What is your character's moral compass? What principles or values do they hold dear?

Imagine your character in a challenging moral dilemma. How would they approach it, and what choice would they make?

Is there a specific physical feature or item that holds special significance to your character? Why is it important to them?

How does your character react to change or unexpected situations? Are they adaptable or resistant?

Does your character have any recurring dreams or nightmares? How do these dreams affect them?

What is your character's preferred method of self-expression? Do they have any artistic talents or creative outlets?

Describe a defining moment in your character's life that marked a turning point or significant change in their path.