#I’m gonna tag religious references because some people don’t want to see that

[siblingshuffle]

Rocktober Day 1: “First”

TW (I guess?) Religious references. Kinda.

“This, my son, is ‘the Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo. It depicts the moment Adam - in some religions, the first human created by God - is given life.”

“The first…human?…”

“Yes, according to Abrahamic religions.”

“…”

“…Are you alright, Blues?”

“…Do you think he ever got lonely, being the first?”

“…I…suppose…”

“…Why’s Adam naked outside? I thought that was illegal.”

—————

Inspired by a panel in the Archie comic book “Prototype”, this is something I thought was interesting. Enjoy your only-semi-relevant-due-to-the-role-shuffle biblical parallels!

Relevant Lore:

Blues realized pretty quickly that he was the only robot like him.

Kids ask the strangest questions, don’t they?

Until after the military demonstration incident, Blues called Dr. Light by his name or “sir”. Because, you know, until he was in the clear, having his robot kid call him “Dad” might make the Military a little suspicious lol (credit for the idea)

[avenging-criminal-bones]

After All This Time || Chapter Two

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Word Count: 1457

Summary: You being a new recruit pissed SSA Aaron Hotchner off. You being smart enough to give Spencer Reid a run for his money pissed him off even more. Really, he just despised your presence. Hated your every move.

Until one day, he just… didn’t.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: general canon level violence, they talk about a new case, more angry Hotch, more angry reader

A/N: I'm excited that so many people want me to tag them! It's technically only like eight haha, but it's still so cool to me that people want to be told when I'm posting.

TAGLIST:

@kingofthetwats @wanniiieeee @uwu-sebastianstan @piggyinthesea @yoshigguk @thatisthemagic @errorcosplay67 @ivebeenthinkingboutu @big-galaxy-chaos @rynfoxsleeps

* * * * *

Chapter Two

Five months later, and you were still sitting at your desk in the late hours of the night. 12:34 AM. Too late. You had been staying at the bureau after hours to make it look like you were already taking this job as seriously as you could. To be fair, you were taking it seriously, but you figured the late hours being noticed would be a benefit.

So when your phone rang, you answered it immediately.

"L/N."

"Hey, Y/N, it's JJ. Can you come in for a case? Hotch just called and woke me up. I know it's pretty late, but it's a pretty bad one, we're going to Michigan."

"Yeah, not a problem. I wasn't asleep yet." You don't lie necessarily, but it's a half-truth for sure. JJ doesn't need to know that you were already at the BAU building, less than fifty feet away from the briefing room where you would all be meeting.

"Great, thanks Y/N. See you soon."

She clicks off the phone and you sigh before pushing yourself off of the desk.

"L/N." You almost drop the coffee you had been about to sip as you spun around in your swivel chair.

"Yes, sir?" You ask casually, deciding it was better to play dumb.

"Stand."

Obeying your order, you narrow your eyes and stand up, squaring your shoulders and trying to look bigger than you are.

"Now, explain." Hotchner stands in front of you, arms crossed.

"Explain what? That I'm here and we have a case?" You shake your head as you turn away from him.

"Did I say you could turn, Agent?" His voice sends a shiver through your core and you mentally slap yourself. Now is not the time.

Spinning back around, you catch a glimpse of Derek and Garcia walking in to the briefing room. "We have a case, Hotchner. Let's ignore the fact that I was just doing my paperwork and get in there please." It takes everything in you to turn away a second time. You bend down and grab your shoes, sliding them onto your feet before walking away from him and into the room.

You can feel his gaze on your back, but you ignore it, slipping through the conference room door and letting it fall shut behind you.

"Hey guys." You greet as you sit down.

"Hot mama-"

"Hey, beautiful-"

Derek and Penelope greet you at the same time, causing you two girls to giggle and Derek to stifle his laugh because, 'men don't giggle'.

The three of you exchange small talk until the others walk in, most of them looking like they had been in the deep clutches of sleep.

Spencer's already messy hair looked ten times worse, and Emily wasn't wearing a bra, which she was subtly trying to hide by hunching her shoulders forward.

She sits beside you and you send her the 'you good?' look.

"Don't even mention it, Y/N." She threatens lightly with a laugh before Rossi, JJ, and Hotchner walked in.

You kept your gaze down, but you knew his eyes were on you.

"Garcia, you have the slideshow pulled up?" JJ asks gently, knowing that the other blonde woman absolutely despised cases like this. Really the whole team did.

"Yeah... It's a doosy, team. Not pretty at all." She shakes her head and starts the slideshow before handing the tablet to JJ.

"Okay. Ariel Stanton, Franklin Lewis, and Ella Craft. Three kids, all mutilated with their heads severed and preserved. Their bodies were found in the same area of the Raisin River in Petersburg, MI. The heads-"

Penelope got up then and mumbled a string of 'I'm sorries' before all but running out the door.

Your fingers clutched at the dress pants you were wearing as JJ asked, "Does anyone else need to leave before I keep going?"

A collective shake of the team's heads is enough to convince JJ that she can keep going.

"Their heads were all found beside the river bank, fully intact. Two of the bodies came with a note to the precinct, it read: "Fear me, for I have God on my side. God will help me cleanse the Earth of its sinners. These children had to go, for they were not with God.""

You start speaking when the profile is complete, "Okay, so the references to God and doing His work suggests that this unsub sees himself as holier than thou. Most likely a man, age 30-40 and probably grew up in a family that was very religious; they would have prayed before meals and there would be records of this family donating very generously to the church that they attended."

"No. That profile is wrong, L/N. If you had paid any attention, you'd know that the use of the word 'cleanse' means that he thinks these "sinners" are dirty, he's not thinking that he is necessarily better. I don't need your input again."

"Hotch come-"

"You do not have the right to call me that. My team calls me that. To you, I am Agent Hotchner." His gaze was cold, but there was something there.

"Fine. I'll be on the jet." You stand up and as you bend to pick your purse off the ground, Emily whispers in your ear.

"I agreed with you. I'll brief you on the jet."

You nod once and swiftly walk out of the room, "accidentally" bumping Hotchner on your way out. Luckily, he doesn't say anything about it.

Later on the jet, you have your headphones in and are listening the your favorite song of the week. Your taste in music changes frequently, but right now, you were into the old rock and were listening to Journey.

Your lips press into a hard line when you see Hotchner walking up to you. Taking your headphones out and sit up straighter.

"What do you want?" Your voice is bratty and you sigh, quirking an eyebrow up at him.

"I uh, am here to apologize. Rossi thinks it's necessary that I say 'I'm sorry'. So here I am."

You just stare at him.

"What, Y/N?"

"You had something to say?" You cross your arms and lean back in the seat.

His eyebrows furrow when he thinks about what you said and gets a bit confused. "What do you mean? I just said it."

"Oh, did you?" You turn to Spencer, who was sitting across from you, and said, "Did you hear what Hotchner just said?"

"Uh, yeah. I did, why?" He looks up from the book he was reading.

You smirk slightly at Hotch before saying, "Can you use that amazing brain of yours to tell me what he said?"

""I uh, am here to apologize. Rossi thinks it's necessary that I say 'I'm sorry'. So here I am." Why did you need that?" He says after repeating the sentences word for word.

Hotch glares at you a bit as you shrug your shoulders.

"I don't know... I just didn't hear an apology in that." You bat your eyelashes up at the older man and add, "You said that Rossi told you to apologize, but you never said that you were sorry."

"Really, L/N? You want me to get on my knees and beg you?" He asks, spitting the words out like incredulous knives.

You keep the snide tone as you reply, "If you'd like to get on your knees, I may be more inclined to accept the imminent apology."

"Don't be a brat, L/N. I get that some of your past lovers may have liked that, but it has no place in this team. I am still your superior and I recommend you treat me like one."

He walks away without having ever apologizing, and you're left there with your jaw on the floor from his parting message.

"-Yeah! And then he was like, 'Don't be a brat. Your ex probably liked it but I'm your superior-"

"O-M-G, O-M-G. What did you say back to him?!" A very excitable Emily asks from you shared hotel room in Michigan.

"Nothing. I couldn't say anything to him because he just spun and WALKED. AWAY." You nod your head at her, your eyebrows raising as you conveyed your own disbelief at the story. "Yeah, it was horrible. I was so mad."

Emily wiggles her eyebrows, causing you to shake your head.

"Whaaat? No. No!"

"Yeah, Y/N. There's some MAD sexual tension between you two."

"Oh, get out!"

As you laugh at her statement, you pick up the pillow behind you and hit her in the side of the head with it.

"You're gonna get it now."

Faking a gasp, you stand and say, "Is that a threat, Emily?"

"Yes. Now run, bitch."

Yu both giggle and spend the night acting like teenagers again. You didn't have time to think about Aaron if you wanted to which you... no.

You didn't want to.

[karanoid]

about top joe discord

LET ME ADDRESS A FEW POINTS:

There has been many fear and anxiety regardless the top!joe discord I made. I understand how it gives my discord a bad reputation. Somebody has kindly reached out to me to ask me addressing several points, which I’m now gonna clarify:

1. I am racist, I asked why, and they said mostly because of my dismissive behavior to people who called me out for drawing yusuf adorned in gold jewelry which made their friends feel unsafe. So, I am a muslim and was raised in a muslim household and community. I am fucking brown.

I didn’t say it because you don’t need to know that about me. What bothers me is how some people feel the need to come to my inbox informing me “maam yusuf is a religious muslim who prays 5 times a day and do all the supplementary prayers all while he drinks alcohol and fuck nicky in the dailies, he wouldnt be wearing gold maam no maam.” as if I didn’t know any better. so please, now don’t do that. If you care so much about the littlest details like wearing gold then you’ll also call out yusuf because he draws living beings and drinks champagne. yes it’s true muslim men are forbidden from wearing gold AND silk but let’s not forget, nothing in the comic and movies imply yusuf has ever been religious. It’s easier to see nicolo as religious because he was a fucking priest. Yusuf was a fucking merchant, it’s easy to see that he’d be less faithful because he would have been travelling and seen many kind of people to broaden his horizons and not contained to a little bubble of hyper religious community. However, let me remind you: whether yusuf AND nicolo are religious or not is entirely UP TO THE AUTHOR/ARTIST. It’s totally fine to make him religious and if you can respect it THATS GREAT, I ALSO LIKE HIM THAT WAY, but please remember it’s not even canon and hey sometimes I just draw things because I like the aesthetics. Also please, do not harass writers for getting a thing or two incorrect, even white people cannot get christianity correct, even between two muslims could be a disagreement whether this fic’s yusuf is problematic or not. I wouldn’t even expect anything more and THAT’S OKAY. Just don’t be an ass to muslims of color in real life and don’t fall into the believe that it’s a religion of violence. you can say that greg made him that way bc he knew nothing better but hey, I have no problem with that. again, it’s fine to make him religious, I’d be delighted but it’s ALSO fine to make him not religious.

2. I think that people only write Top!Nicky out of political correctness. OKAY. I apologize for this. I thought like this because I have accounts telling me that they were pressured into writing top!nicky or they wanted more readerships so I make a BIG assumption. I realized this is only a small part of switch and top!nicky fics and the big bulk of this must be out of genuine care. So yeah, I apologize for thinking that people only write top!nicky out of political correctness. I think writers should be allowed to write whatever they want. Yes this includes top!Nicky. And in whatever kinks they want it. However, this still doesn’t change that the discourses do scare people away from writing top!joe. Write top!nicky however you want, but stop vague-blogging about top!joe. racism isn’t inherent to top!joe and you can always remind people to be mindful with their writings but discouraging people from writing top!joe is not the solution. 

3. Top!joe is racist and people in the discord are racist. Okay, I am gonna touch several aspects why top!joe discord is considered racist: (1) because I don’t like to switch them, therefore I am racist. Sorry that’s not how it works. I have a clear preference and that’s just how I roll. Besides, a lot of people in the discord (including me) think either they switch (because they are 900 yo) or joe just doesn’t like bottoming. I’m not the kind of people who refers to reality for fiction I consume but people who prefer to top or to bottom exist (2) i want to be away from accountability and responsibility. Nope. The reason I made it is because I wanted to gather people with same interest as mine. 

4. I paint Yusuf as aggressive and the whole discord like him being an aggressive top. I think this is the only reason why the discord is seen in a negative light. Because wow what a coincidence that someone vagueblogged my discord at the day I celebrated about Nicky suggesting 20 years and wrote a post about how Joe is allowed to be angry. And beside someone made the WRONG assumption that we are focusing on Joe’s anger and violence (what). Okay, I don’t know how to break this down. But I will try. First, yes I was overjoyed at the news. Because I’m one of the people that do not like feral!nicky headcanon. I liked it at first bc it was funny but then it was twisted into Nicky being cold. So I don’t like it (lol), I still like it though but like I don’t seriously think that way. However, I never liked the idea that Nicky suggested higher than Joe. Because then his character just doesn’t click with me, there was a cognitive dissonance for me because joe clearly says nicky’s heart overflows kindness, you can see nicky as a medic in the credit montage. Also, from their body language and from the way the movie set em up, I think Joe is the one who suggested higher and I am glad to be proven right. Second, I did write a post about how Joe is allowed to be angry at Booker. People agreed with me, so I was not alone. But the reason I wrote that post is not because I wanted to paint yusuf as aggressive, but because I’m tired at people who think Joe shouldn’t display any negative emotions. I think it’s out of character. I do NOT think Joe is aggressive. That is NOT his wholeass personality. If you looked at my tog art tag, never once I portrayed Joe as anything aggressive. If I do, please show me. Third, people are conflating this with my post where I reblogged with a comment that implies aggressive Joe isn’t racism. Okay in this, the context is IN BED. It’s Joe being aggressive in BED. It’s literally BED ROLES AND FANTASY. I don’t even have a particular scenario in my head when I reblogged that, the original post clearly refers to bed roles with manhandling and kinks etc. like, why would you spank someone in public? Lastly, about the discord, NOPE, most people in the discord agree that Joe is either a GENTLE DOM or SERVICE TOP. But in my opinion, if someone likes Joe as an aggressive top (again, bed roles baby) I really don’t think it’s racism. It’s just... projection? 

anyway, back to joe’s emotions, these are posts from a moroccan man (paragraph #7) and a brown woman whose posts I agree with. Let’s be real, people of color are expected to shut up in favor of white people’s fragile feelings.

Now, about racism in fandom. I understand the concern because muslim men are painted as violent and aggressive. You know what I will never forgive those radicals for taking away innocents lives and to leave a lasting damage in how muslims are perceived in the west. However, you have to keep in mind, Joe in the movie is far from being stereotyped. I mean, Gina and Marwan practically greenlit him? Now, you might have concerns that writers are gonna turn him into a walking stereotype which is... okay, I understand that concern. But the solution is to communicate this ‘hey I think you make him too stereotypical in this etc etc’ not “write more top!nicky AND shame top!joe” because again, top!joe is not inherently racist.

also some people mentioned that they hope I recognize racial bias in the ship. dude, that goes without saying, all aspects of your life will be influenced by racial biases. however, this kind of thing is not specific to fandom/shipping. Like I said I’m fucking brown, friends and families with facial features that cater to white expectation are treated better. I did say at the bottom of this post, yeah I did notice why it’s always a brown character who’s always openly mad. And that’s in itself a form of racial bias. Racial biases affect everyone, white or POC, it doesn’t matter. But I got an issue with how people think this is racism. like how convenient, if by falling to racial biases mean you are a racist then what about those white people who created this racial biases in the first place? and I noticed the persons who got the audacity to cry about everything in this fandom is white?? I mean okay, they don’t know what I am, but not everyone is comfortable with sharing their private information like ethnic group, faith, etc. what if they really don’t want to share it? Because like you said, racial bias, whether good or bad will affect me. Now, I don’t know what white people are feeling, I’m not white. However, based on my interactions with them. We’re all just people sharing same interest, it could be they fall into racial biases, but all we shared about are just regular HCs. Even people making a conscious effort to combat racial bias still in essence fall for racial bias. You just cannot escape it.

According to this post, fandom assumes that the bottom is the proxy of writers, I don’t think this is applicable to everyone but let’s just say it’s true and people tend to write about their projection better so I’m gonna assume the racism part comes from the fact that..yeah I do think the bottom usually gets more fleshed out as a result of them being the writers proxy, so somebody posted this in the discord which I agree because yes I do think there’s a lack about yusuf’s background especially when it comes to crusade era:

but since I know most writers aren’t muslims, to me it’s not so much about racism but they simply know nothing about it, and not always out of ignorance either but in this climate, if you get a thing or two wrong you’d get harassed. so *shrugs* I understand the reluctancy. But here’s the thing, this is not about top/bottom issue but because most of the fandom are white so they have more freedom in writing the white character. Anyway, plenty of people have projected themselves into yusuf already, the whole “top/bottom” thing in this fandom is not even a thing. Yes, some writers project on the bottom so if you prefer bottom!joe that’s fine, somebody in the discord is doing a research and it turned out top!joe wasn’t even a CLEAR majority in JULY. So clearly they got their share already?

so please, let’s stop with the vitriol. if people are preferring top!joe it’s clearly because of different preferences. it’s not that deep. it’s the same way with how some people are preferring top!nicky. But we’re being driven out based on a hypothetical scenarios? like what do you want? for us to cease existing??? don’t be ridiculous.

I know people won’t listen to me. So this is my suggestion: LETS JUST IGNORE THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE. LET’S ALL JUST AGREE TO DISAGREE. 

[milk-carton-whump]

So @unicornscotty and I are doing a collab! 👀

We both had separate oc ideas and ended up with this! I have the first part and either later today or tomorrow Unicorn will post the next part on her blog. :D anyways Enjoy!!!!

Let us know if you'd like to be tagged!

Abyss in the Promised Land

CW: religious Themes, angel whumpee, wing whump, breathing difficulties, it as a pronoun (brief), multiple whumpers, captivity, chains, defiant whumpee, electrocution (?), non human whumpee, immortal whumpee

He gasped in the musty basement air, being summoned had its drawbacks and having all of the air forcefully pushed from his lungs happened to be one of them. His ears were still ringing as he tried to regain some kind of composure, usually he was told when someone needed him, or at least given a warning but this was unexpected. He coughed as he sat back on his knees, looking out into the room to figure out exactly who had called for him and why. 

Two figures, humans, judging by their slack-jawed expressions were staring at him in disbelief. He'd heard stories to angels being summoned by accident and wondered if this was one of those cases. 

"It… it worked. Oh my God.  It actually worked! They're real! I knew they were!!!" One of the people said, a middle aged man with brown hair exclaimed in excitement. 

"I mean I hoped you'd be right but seeing it… I'm amazed. Do you think it understands us?" The other man, older by a few years and long hair pulled into a bun. 

"I … ow… I appreciate your excitement but I must ask why you summoned me? Summoning angels is no game you should be playing, unless you understand what you're doing." The angel stated in a parental tone, hoping to get the point across as he brushed himself off. 

"Well that answers that, anyways, angel. I have been trying to prove your existence for decades, knowing you or things like you were real and now I finally have my proof!" The first man said again.

"Whoa whoa, I'm gonna stop you there. Firstly, I can't allow you to prove my existence, it's against the rules. Secondly, if you don't require my assistance for anything, I really need to be on my way." The angel stated, looking at the pair through his mask. 

"No, listen here. Your existence will be proven whether you like it or not." The second man turned to his partner. "It thinks it's going to just be able to leave because it wants to? You've worked your life away and this is the thanks you get?" 

"May I interrupt, yes thanks. My name is Zurii and I don't appreciate being referred to as an it. Also, I'm not staying, so I'm going to need you to send me back now." Zurii was beginning to lose his temper. 

"Very well, Zurii. If you won't help us willingly, we'll have to keep you here. You'll help us, whether you want to or not." The long haired man threatened. 

The threat made Zurii's feathers bristle and his already falling smile only turned into an annoyed frown. The man approached him and pulled him from the summoning circle he had been in, the movement sending a shock through his body. He falls to the ground on the other side of the circle, wings twitching and pain coursing through his body. 

He felt a hand reach out and touch his feathers, he flinched at the touch as it came more invasive. Fingers combing though the pristine white feathers until one was suddenly yanked out by the brown haired man. He cried out in pain as his wing stung from the treatment. 

"I hope you enjoy your stay, angel. Oh and… I'm sure you'll come around to helping us soon. It'd be in your best interest." The Ling haired man said as his partner studied the plucked feather with interest. 

Soon enough his wrists had been chained behind his back and his ankle had a chain around it that connected to the wall, preventing any escape. He was trapped here, unsure of how long but he knew the answer wasn't good. His feathers bristled against a strange presence that seemed to charge the air. He'd only felt it once before but it meant there was a demon nearby, and they knew he was there. 

[candythemew]

Hey I just read the tags you left on that last reblog and it broke my heart. I'm so sorry people are being nasty to you over TDC. I just wanted to say I've always loved your TDC art, especially your OkLach stuff and your interpretation of urSan.

Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me, you're one of my favorite artists, and you really encourage me to try and be better with my own art. You're really inspiring both artistically and as a person. I wish more people in this fandom were like you. I put that stuff in the tags because I didn't want to make a scene or bother anybody, but I needed to vent a little about being harassed by people. It's in the past now, but it really caused me to hate myself and the fandom too. It made me super depressed and made me feel like the scum of the earth. Because I thought I was doing something wrong. I told some close friends about it and they helped me out, reassuring me. But it still hurts to think about. I might have to take a short break from TDC because of how people are acting right now, but know that I've appreciated this place for a very long time and I will always treasure the pleasant memories I made here. Here are the Gross Anons under the cut for proof. TW: They talk about lots of sensitive topics in a really disgusting way. Such as Miscarriage, Child death, disability and political and religious stuff. If any of that stuff bothers you, don't read under the cut. I don't like reposting these asks, but they did happen and they really disturb and gross me out. I still get physically ill looking at them. Read at your own risk.

I am gonna talk a little bit about stuff for context, but also because explaining things helps me calm down. In SkekAth's story, miscarriage is an element in it, but only because it's an issue that's incredibly important and personal to me. It's a tragedy, and I treat it as such in universe. That incident has lasting scars, and effects certain parts of Ath's life when he's very little. But it's also an explanation as to why there aren't any other skeklings around because it's incredibly hard for a skeksis to even have offspring at all. That's actually a canon thing. I also tag any and everything that has to do with that subject, so if people are uncomfortable with that topic, they don't have to see that darker part of things. Also, Ironic that they accuse me of being insensitive while sending me an ask about freaking EPOXY RESIN. These were all sent very quickly in-between each other so it's likely that they were the same person. It's just disgusting and ironic that I'm being called insensitive when they have the gall to say something so awful. Also those assumptions about me solely based on me being openly Christian were incredibly hurtful and stereotypical. You can't just say that to someone it's just awful. Also, Straight pride? Are you kidding me? Also, the "Undertale" one is in reference to OkLach. I find this one very hard to believe because TDC is a pretty niche community, and I've only made a little bit of undertale art recently. So even if they did I find it hard for them to look at my other stuff and go "Ah yes this is problematic." They accuse me of being a proshipper because I like OkLach. ...Okay? I consider myself anti-proship, but I mostly just keep to myself. Back to shipping though, That makes literally no sense. They're both 1000 years old, they aren't related and the most toxic thing they've ever done to each other is bicker like an old married couple. They think that it's funny because in the show they laugh about it together, and that's kinda just how they are. Heck, they debatably have one of the healthiest relationships out of the castle skeksis. Also, for the villian thing, I have literal long lore posts talking about them being evil warlords. They're awful and I'm NEVER gonna excuse their actions. They're bad guys, but I also make silly jokes from time to time. It's not that deep. Also, speaking as an UT veteran, that fandom has MUCH worse ships and proshipping problems so if you're actually trying to fight against that stuff anon, go do it in the UT fandom. I would really appreciate it since I hate it too. Sorry if I sounded a little upset or angry here, It's just a lot to take in, and I've kinda been repressing a lot of this for a while now. Thank you for reading this far if you did. I'm sorry for rambling, but know that I really appreciate it.

[demonicintegrity]

I posted 5,991 times in 2021

1060 posts created (18%)

4931 posts reblogged (82%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 4.7 posts.

I added 1,575 tags in 2021

#rambles - 451 posts

#ask - 362 posts

#hollow knight - 261 posts

#prismleo - 118 posts

#the owl house - 88 posts

#reblog game - 66 posts

#hk hollow - 61 posts

#current events - 57 posts

#ask game - 57 posts

#kataow - 54 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#cancel culture needs to understand that some things do have a ‘satue of limitations’ of sorts and aren’t deserving of the same consequences

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

My favorite type of Pure Vessel and bby hornet drawings are ones where Hollow is a terrifying unit and Hornet is barely as big as their hand.

140 notes • Posted 2021-10-01 13:27:05 GMT

#4

Honestly? I wasn’t a Lil Nas X stan or anything and I still won’t consider myself that because I’m not overly into his stuff.

But this? Montero? Important. Or at least, the reaction to it is very important to note. Y’see Nas isn’t the first one use satanic or other occult imagery. Hell he isn’t even the first mainstream one to use it (if you count P!atd Emperors new clothes. Mainstream and religious themes, tho it wasn’t up to this level I think.) but he is the first mainstream one to use it in reference to his sexuality and completely reclaim it. Again, not the first one, but the first mainstream one. And that’s important. Whether you care for the mainstream or not, you can’t deny the reach and influence they have.

(I think) what conservative Christians’ biggest problem with is that the video showed him going “fuck it” and went to hell and wasn’t afraid of it. After all, if Heaven wasn’t going to accept him for who he is, he doesn’t want that then.

The key thing is not being afraid of hell and rejecting Heaven altogether. These two are antithetical to the entire Christian doctrine. You must desire Heaven and God’s favor and you must fear The Devil and Hell. If you don’t do that, the rest starts to fall apart, maybe. When Christians butt heads with others, they often get most bothered when the other person states they don’t want God or Heaven and what not. A very “how dare you not want what i want” sorta thing.

And idk if Lil Nas X is Christian or not, but this is how he chose to reframe the religious themes for his story. But there are ex-christians, both atheistic and theistic, who have had this same line of thought. If God/Heaven/The Church won’t accept this about me, then I don’t want it. Hell, I think part of the revival of witchcraft and rise of neopaganism and satanists in the past decade comes from people rejecting the church. People, who more often than not, were harmed by the church.

idk idk. Yes this music is important for the gays reclaiming the doctrine that has harmed them. This probably means the world for some queer folk. But for me, this is an indicator of something I was wondering about for a while. I think this is another sign that there’s about to be a major shift in how religion is going to be perceived and interacted with, at least in the western world at least.

153 notes • Posted 2021-03-30 14:06:19 GMT

#3

I’ve been working through Leverage because it’s been a hot second since I’ve been into a show.

And in S2E1 you can see Nate’s new condo?apartment? Is empty as hell. Within the group coming together you can see a new dining table, big enough to sit the entire group. New couch as well.

Its cute. The condo was never a home until the gang moved in.

185 notes • Posted 2021-04-27 18:02:26 GMT

#2

Re: Tumblr+ allowing you to monetize fandom content

Don’t do that. That is diving headfirst into lawsuit territory. And the fact that it’s Tumblr+ strikes me as too much like Disney+ which makes me think it’s gonna bait Disney into paying attention to tumblr and they will sue your ass. You cannot make money off of intellectual property that is not yours, do you hear me?

“But what about Ao3–“ Ao3 does not make money off its platform. Tumblr does. Ao3 is a nonprofit through and through. The funds they do get is entirely through donation and most of it goes to server upkeep and then legal funds to keep fanficiton up there. Ao3 puts in the hard work to play by the rules so everyone gets to have fun with it. It’s also why you’re not allowed to say you were commissioned to write a fic or even link back to a place where someone could support you financially.

“But what about being commissioned to make fanart or fanfic? What about small shops selling fandom stickers and pins?” I’m going to be 100% honest when I say I have no idea why that is allowed to fly under the legal radar. I think being commissioned allows wiggle room because only your artistic skill is being sought out and bought, not the actual intellectual property. But that’s entirely it, it’s flying under the radar. It has not been noticed. It’s small businesses making very little comparatively to a huge corporation, it’s not on their shitlist (usually.) But Tumblr is semi-known social media, none of this has or will ever be under the radar. Corporations will poke at it to see if it’s of use. And Tumblr absolutely will not even try to protect you and if they do, it’ll be shit compared to any other Corp.

I know this might sound like common knowledge or common sense to a lot of us, but the last thing I want is some young creative who genuinely likes this platform trying to monetize their stuff because they need it only to tumble head over their ass into trouble. Tumblr does not care about you. Tumblr does not care about helping you make money, it cares about making themselves money. Honestly, all the cutesy staff things that have been going on the last year makes sense now, they probably were trying to scope out the site and fix it up here and there in prep to make it make money.

237 notes • Posted 2021-07-22 14:22:28 GMT

#1

I need y’all to understand that the canonical Hooty & Duolingo friendship is sending me.

And yes I will take Hooty wanting to impress Luz’s mom as canon because it’s cute and I love it

313 notes • Posted 2021-06-13 16:22:36 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[arkannis]

Hello,

I just recently got into the Old Republic Fandom, and the Eternal Empire is my favorite arc. I do wish there was more story content to give more development to the characters, particularly in Arcann's case. While I love his romance scenes, I wish there were more scenes about his redemption and relationship with the Outlander or a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort. I found your blog while trying to find content further developing his character. Thank you so much for posting all your headcanons and musings!

With that being said, what are your headcanons for Zakuul culture? And could you post a masterpost compilation of your Arcann headcanons? I am trying to find the post where the romance novels headcanon originated in the tags and not having much luck.

Hope you have a nice day!

Hi anon!! Sorry for a late reply. First I’ll answer the second part of your message. The romance holonovels headcanon originated from the this post ; the post doesn’t outright say it, but some people in the tags (when they reblogged it) mentioned that Arcann probably seemed like the type to read romance in his free time. As of what I can remember the tags were from this reblog and this other reblog and both say that Arcann reads romance holonovels. The continuation of this headcanon were in replies or tags, so it’s hard to track them all down! Secondly, my Arcann tag is a mess, and I probably threw in multiple headcanons in reblogs or tags so it would be hard to find them all... I’ll think about making a masterpost, but I don’t think I have time for something like that right now. Ok, now that’s over with... I 100% agree with you, anon! I HAVE so many things to say about the possibility about that dark side ending. I don’t think devs were planning to make Arcann a possible romance option in the beginning, so it wouldn’t have been possible to be his LI and rule as emperor/empress. I also agree with the development of the characters... however, Arcann’s redemption and relationship with the Outlander was definitely rushed, because the plans to make a third expansion was apparently cancelled due to the backlash from fans who wanted pub vs. imp back. I made a whole post complaining about that... Otherwise, I definitely think they would have had more time to flesh out his characters and the other Zakuulan characters as well (Vaylin, Senya, Koth, etc.). I’m like pretty much sure content was cut out from KOTFE/KOTET to make them shorter. Due to such lost content, I have to create my headcanons from extrapolation based on the Sacrifice trailer, available codex entries, existing dialogue, and implications of existing issues. As well as other people’s hcs and commentary!! WARNING: SUPER LONG BULLET POINTS for Zakuulan culture headcanons.

The reason why I don’t have that many Zakuulan culture headcanons is because.... I feel like it’s so weirdly explored in the expansions.

I think the arts is a big thing in Zakuul! The Dragon’s Maw chapter gave me that kind of vibe. I also discussed this mildly (not) with Arcann. Most specifically THEATRE, PERFORMANCE AND SINGING. 

Evidence: Senya sings and composes and there’s the famous Zakuulan holoperformer, Malita Tal. No, I don’t have evidence for theatre, but honestly? Zakuulans are so goddamn dramatic, they most definitely have reality TV series or drama series... 

arcann be like oh you listen to malita tal? name all of her albums in alphabetical order or you get exiled

Zakuulan culture most definitely has idol culture, based on Malita Tal (and reportedly her performances were watched by millions). And those fans apparently also protested against Arcann’s rule. personally i think if they had twitter the u.s. gov*rnment would be wiped out.

I just think singing is a big thing in Zakuulan culture. I mean, even Valkorion sings (if you decide to kill Senya, his force ghost appears. They both have an exchange and it’s actually sweet for like 0.1 second). 

I also think there would be typical Zakuulan fairytales embedded in the culture. Hear me out. Most specifically those type of royal fairytales with the princes and princesses. This can be heavily contributed to the fact that a royal family is essentially in power. 

You cannot expect me to believe not a single person in Zakuul has written a Prince Arcann x reader holofic. You just can’t. Or Prince Thexan. Actually, I think Thexan would be more common, I think he was perceived to be more compassionate and kind compared to Arcann by the common folk? Since I know there’s that NPC dialogue where one of them goes how different it would be if Thexan took the throne instead. 

The fairytales would probably involve a lot of references to the Old Gods. I kinda imagine that the enemy would be some sort of serpent, that is, Zildrog, because apparently he’s just a bedtime story to scare children away. 

I think these Zakuulan fairy tales would contribute to the theatre and performance, acting culture that Zakuul has. 

Furthermore, I just think the Tirall kids probably read these fairytales as well. francis dont talk about arcann reading again

I want to talk about the Old Gods and that religion, which is one of my favorite things ever... probably because the Gods are machines. Superweapon machines... ok ill shut up

Even if Valkorion basically got rid of the religion, it’s clear that the religion is still incorporated into heavy talk in Zakuulan culture (e.g. eyes of Esne, heart of Scyva). 

My headcanon is that there are sanctuaries or small secret churches (?) for those who want to worship the Old Gods. Obviously the Herald of Zildrogs who believe in the Old Way are a cult, so I think people would look for an alternative. 

I think there would be great effort to hide these places, as it can get you exiled. Thus these would probably be located in the Old World, rather than in a more obvious position like the Spire. 

The beliefs of the Old Ways isn’t exactly clear, they aren’t exactly touched upon, which is a shame. I think people would ask for help from each of these gods depending on what they want.

Those who ask for Izax’ guidance want to seek success, accomplishments, power, and glory.

Those who ask for Scyva’s guidance ask for her to guide souls peacefully to death (she is described as someone who weeps beside Zakuulans as they march towards Izax - basically death) , or ask for help/compassion from her. Maybe maternity as well? Or parental love?

Those who ask for Aivela (goddess of passion) want her to guide them with her passion (Aivela accompanies Tyth, who is kind of a god of war/warrior). I think there would also be romance related stuff as well. If someone asked for help regarding their love related issues, it would probably be from Aivela!

I’m not sure about Esne - but maybe in a similar sense, if someone is suffering with jealousy - in any situation, they would ask guidance from her. I don’t know where I read this but I think the “eyes of Esne” expression meant like having eyes of jealousy.

Nahut? I don’t think he was worshipped.  “Nahut was considered to be gray, formless and cold, and was denied worship by all except his mother Scyva.” But regardless, I think he still had a role to play. 

After the Outlander takes the throne, and Zakuul renounces their membership from the Eternal Alliance, I think people would be allowed to openly express their religious beliefs, that is, the Old Ways. Oh, personally I headcanon that they would build beautiful places of worship in the Spire with similar geometrical pyramid designs...!! 

Yeah...I think that’s all I got! I’ll need to see how I can somehow make this post easily found, lol. This is quite a long list, and I have to emphasize that these are my headcanons! They are based on what I see and I just kind of fill in the gaps to fit my own stories. This took a while to write because I KNEW I had these headcanons, but they just didn’t appear at the time I saw this anon ask. Anyways, I’ll probably create more headcanons in the future. Also:

a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort

I have so many things to say about this. I know the game won’t permit it, because if you think about it, both the light side choice (Eternal Alliance) and the dark side choice (Eternal Empire) are happy endings for your characters anyways. They can continue as the “hero” or the “protagonist”, so I don’t think this route could ever be implemented. However, I think it would be absolutely interesting if throughout the gameplay, players are given a choice to flirt with Arcann. The Outlander and Arcann agree to get rid of Valkorion, but thats if the Outlander decides to betray the Alliance and joins Arcann instead. And should they join him, they have the choice to romance him... and I guess it’s a happy ending for you both :P Obviously this won’t happen, but maybe it will. I wouldn’t mind being the prince consort of Arcann lol idk! me and vaylin are gonna be besties and we’ll paint each others nails or something Oh and have a nice day too anon...!!

[annecoulmanross]

In which the author does a philoTerrological Analysis, feat. color-coded Charts™️ [link to pdf version]

a fill for @theterrorbingo square “scientific observation” because God knows I spent more time on this than I have on certain things that I’ve called a Terror bingo square in times past and! It’s good! To sometimes! Push the boundaries of fanwork! (This is a meta, I’m just gonna call this a meta. Good? Good.) 

The data contained in these charts comes, in part, from this lovely post by @handfuloftime and this brilliant addition by @catilinas – I was inspired to make this because of a lovely message from @glorioustidalwavedefendor (thank you!) 

So, what on earth are these charts, and what do they say about AMC’s The Terror (2018)? Find out, below the cut! 

BASICALLY this chart is my way of visualizing every time the words “Name” / “Names” / “Named” (&c.) or “Call” / “Calls” / “Called” (&c.) are used in The Terror. There are two charts – on the left, the “Name” chart, on the right, the “Call” chart, both organized the same way: the rows correspond to episodes (episodes are only skipped when no variation of the relevant words appear), and the columns correspond to four “categories” referring to the object being “named” or “called.” These categories are:

Named Individuals (i.e. named in the show AND with their name known to – or immediately learned by – the character speaking.)

Unnamed Individuals (i.e. unnamed in the show – like Goodsir’s “Inuk man,” aka the historical Eenoolooapik – or unnamed with respect to the character(s) speaking, such as David Young is to Goodsir and Crozier in episode 10 – because they’ve forgotten – or as Silna is to Lt. Little in episode 3.)

Non-Human Things / Beings (i.e. ANYTHING non-human, from summer to God.)

Undefined and/or Groups (i.e. things that are less clearly separated out than the other instances of “named,” and “called,” which largely have a single person or thing as their object; this is a loose category and there are “groups” that sometimes slip out into the “individuals” columns.)

As I noted here, the issue of “who gets a name” breaks down into these numbers – pulled from the first chart, columns 1, [2] and (3) – ignoring column 4:

(3) [David Young]

(2) (God)

(2) James Fitzjames

(2) [Eenoolooapik]

(1) Edward [Little]

(1) The Barrows / (the Admiralty)

(1) Lt. John Irving

(1) William Wentzall

(1) (summer)

(1) Sir James Ross

I think it’s interesting that, if you remove unnamed individuals [David Young and Eenoolooapik] and non-human entities (God), Fitzjames is the only person about whom “name” is used more than once. BUT it’s Fitzjames using that word, “name,” and he does so twice in quick succession to reach that total – “My name… Even my name was made up, for my baptism.” Which makes “Myname Evenmyname” into a sort of proxy for “James Fitzjames” itself – equally artificial, like Odysseus’s moniker OuTis = NoMan. (And now, as per tate’s tags, “odysseus son of laertes snipes me with a bow and arrow” but at least I can die knowing that I, at least, have managed to mention the cretan lie.)

The other important thing to note about these charts is that they’re color-coded by who is speaking, so each character who uses “name” and/or “call” more than once gets a unique color (blue for Crozier, teal for Goodsir, purple for Fitzjames, yellow for Hickey, &c.) In the “names” chart on the left, what this shows us is that Crozier & Goodsir do most of the “naming” at the beginning and end of the show, and Fitzjames does most of it in the middle. (Crozier & Goodsir also never “name” already “named” individuals, whereas Fitzjames almost exclusively does so, and in the one instance where he “names” an undefined group, it’s because he’s lamenting that said undefined group is composed of “men” who “need names yet.” As tate said, “fitzjames is both named And called things because as much as his identity is “””deceptive”””, it doesn’t have another secret double-self, it only hides parts of itself.” Fitzjames lives in a world where things are neat and orderly and can be defined; he never once truly strays from this – though I think few of us think of him as fervently religious, the text does reinforce that Fitzjames sees the world as following a divine order: from “More than God loves them,” to “What in God’s name is happening here?” and back again to “More than God loves them,” before ending with that heartbreaking last, “God wants you to live.”)

OKAY time for the second chart aka the chart on the left aka the “calling” chart. 

This is based HEAVILY on this incredible post by @catilinas (though I did put back in the “all 12 times it is used to mean shout or summon” because I think some of those are…. shrimpteresting.)

The issue of “who gets called (both named OR summoned)” breaks down into these numbers – pulled from the second chart, starting with just people, i.e. columns 1 and [2], for now:

(4) Aglooka (or, well, the same two times twice, because the scene’s repeated)

(4) Crozier (Francis vs. Captain)

(3) Goodsir (Harry vs. Doctor)

(1) Hartnell

(1) Crozier’s head (“Sir John will have your head.” Dare I say…. caput Crozieris = caput Ciceronis? Sir Pompey will have your head... if he doesn’t lose his own, first.)

(1) [Silna’s tribe]

(1) [the old lad on the Prince Regent the doxies used to call ‘Six Pounder’]

(1) Fitzjames

(1) [another shaman]

(1) “A man called Cornelius Hickey”

As tate said, “i do think there is Something going on w the fact that ‘call’ is only used multiple times this close together for a) aglooka and b) this scene [don’t ever call me francis again], and Both are wrt crozier, and both involve him Not being / not wanting to be Called by his actual name.” There IS something going on, and I propose that the missing piece is that, just like w/ “names,” Crozier & Goodsir are tied together – Goodsir is to “Harry vs. Doctor” as Crozier is to “Francis vs. Captain,” but flipped: Goodsir wants the intimacy of a first name, while Francis (initially) rejects it; but they are both stripped of their titles regardless – by the end, Goodsir insists that, “If ever I was a Doctor, I am one no longer,” and Magnus Manson says to Crozier, “Mr. Hickey says I'm not to call you ‘Captain’ any more.”

AND next we tally tate’s 8 singular “Things” (aka column 3)

(1) watch duty

(1) David Young’s liver (“you wouldn’t call this cirrhotic”)

(1) Irving’s ‘discretion’ (“call it anything but help, mr hickey”)

(1) Inuktitut

(1) Nunavut

(1) “this thing [Crozier] calls truth”

(1) Victoria, Texas

(1) The Northwest Passage (“his own chilly shortcut to china, he calls it”)

To which we can also add “Things” that are “called” as in “summoned,” rather than “called” as in “named.”

(2) the Tuunbaq (“Haven't we been calling it right to us all day?” / “So call it with me now, boys.”)

(1) the cannon (“[Mr. Blanky]’s calling for the cannon [for to shoot the Tuunbaq]”) 

While I don’t have any additional thoughts on this collection of objects in and of themselves, I think we do need all of them to get the full picture of the chart esp. re: the color-coding of the speaking characters. Basically, when we look at who is using “call” repeatedly, it’s a 4-(or 5-)part narrative arc:

[Rae] (aka the translator, whom I’ve “named” John Rae for simplicity) & James Clark Ross (at the very beginning)

Goodsir, LOTS of Goodsir (color = teal, episodes 1-5)

Crozier, LOTS of Crozier (color = blue, episodes 5-8)

Hickey, running the gamut from “this thing [Crozier] calls truth” to summoning the Tuunbaq (color = yellow, episodes 8-10)

(The 5th part comes in when you take into account the repeated Rae & Ross scene in episode 10.)

So uhhhh that’s a classical ring composition folks: 

[Aglooka] 

“Goodsir, the Good Sir,” 

[Crozier] 

“E.C. who Is Not ‘a man called Cornelius Hickey’” 

[Aglooka]

The narrative backbone of this entire miniseries is the idea of what you are “called,” (Crozier) and the details are fleshed out by how you are “named” [or, perhaps, unnamed.]

[thatsbucknasty]

she used to be mine (ii) waitress au

summary: Inspired by the broadway musical. Y/N Beck is a pie baking force to be reckoned with. She’s pregnant with her lazy ass husband, Quentin Beck’s baby. As everything around her turns upside down, Doctor James Buchanan Barnes charms his way into her life. pairing: Y/N x Bucky tags are open c:

this is a short chapter but we get to meet Bucky!

chapter 2: what baking can do

I’ve had one week to think about this. I was raised by very religious parents, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those pricks who want to decide over women’s bodies. I just, I wouldn’t do it myself, you know? I always wanted to be a mother, just not to Quentin’s baby. It’s confusing, I know. Leaving him sounds easy to an outsider but he’s all I have.

My mom died when I was 16 and my drunk dad left town with his new wife two years later. We got married six months after graduation and I didn’t get to go to college but he wrote songs about me and I really thought his band was gonna make it big. I believed in his talent. It’s been ten years. I was on the pill all these years and it never failed. One drunk night and that stupid red dress, that’s all it took. But it’s time to move on and be practical. I won’t leave Quentin. That’s not on my short term plans. All I can do for now is work my ass off, save some money for this baby and go see a doctor.

Doctor Lily Perkins likes my pies. It’s gonna be delicious. I’ll make something sweet with berries just for her. 

Rolling the dough for the crust is my favourite part. I remember how my mom would hide in the kitchen when my dad was drunk. She would turn the bitter days into sweet red velvet cookies and strawberry milkshakes. She taught me everything I know, from cracking eggs one-handedly to whisking stiff peaks of italian meringue. But rolling the dough for the first cherry pie I ever made, is my favourite memory of hers and mine.

“Careful, you don’t want the sugar gnomes to come eat your nose at night”. She says nonchalantly while smearing powder sugar on my nose.

“Hey! I’m trying to work here!” I yell in between giggles.

Tonight I took an extra shift to start my Baby Savings. That means baking 12 pies that need to be ready for tomorrow morning and another one to take with me on my first doctor’s appointment after work. I haven’t told Quentin yet. But let’s not think about that right now,

Let’s focus on doctor Perkin’s pie. It needs to be perfect. The right amount of sugar can make a dull day brighter, too much and it messes the whole taste experience. I think blueberry base, whipped cream and marshmallows on top will be nice. Maybe some chocolate drizzle? She’ll love it.

-

I remember coming here with my mom when I was seven. I had a bad case of chickenpox. It looks exactly the same. Light blue walls with ABC’s wallpaper on the nurse’s desk wall. She said on the phone her name was Maria. I’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes because a crying five year old won’t take his shots. It’s okay though, I’m not in a rush but the doctor’s office isn’t my favorite place to be. Reminds me of the countless appointments with my mother.

“Mrs. Beck? The doctor will see you now”. Maria calls me and I go inside to an empty office.

“The doctor will be here in a minute, please change into this robe and hop on the exam table, you can leave your clothes on the stool right there”. Her eyes never leave her phone. “Good luck!” She finally looks at me and smiles before leaving me to change.

-

“Sorry for the wait, Mrs. Y/N Bell, my wife just called. We, um… nevermind. It was a long call, you know how it is”. What's happening? Who’s this man?

“It says here you got some blood work done and are here for the results”. He’s looking at the medical chart in his hands. Who’s this man and where’s doctor Perkins?

“You brought a pie? My goodness, I’ve only been in this town for a couple weeks now but the hospitality of the people keeps blowing my mind. I’m from Chicago, you know? Never in a million years I’d expect a patient to bring me pie! Sorry, I’m talking too much,tell me,  how are you Mrs. Bell?” Finally, he shuts up and turns to face me. The most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen almost make me forget how mad at him I am. God, he’s really, really tall. And that jawline. Just, wow.

“It’s Beck, not Bell”, I say clearly irritated, “but you can call me Y/N. And who are you? I was expecting Doctor Lily Perkins. I brought this pie for her actually”.

“Oh, silly me! Forgot the introductions. I’m Doctor James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky.” He shakes my hand and I get a whiff of his sweet and musky cologne. He stares at me. For an awkward amount of time. God I hate this much eye contact, look away! 

“Doctor Perkins is actually retired now. I came to this town to replace her. Amazing woman isn’t she? She actually taught a class when I was in colle- sorry, I’m talking too much again”.

“Yes you are. I mean, it’s okay. But you don’t understand, Lily Perkins delivered me, she’s been my family’s doctor all my life. I really trust her”. I’m almost yelling at this man, but this can’t be happening. My eyes are watering and my emotions are all over the place. Why are his lips so rosy? Did he eat all the kid’s lollipops before I got here?

“Well, maybe you can really trust me?” He does a little dance with his shoulders and if I wasn’t so mad at him for not being Doctor Perkins, I’d think he was adorable.

“I don’t know. I guess I can try”, he lights up. “But it won’t be easy!”

“Yes! Yes! Thank you, I promise you won’t regret this. Now, tell me, what brings you here?

“Well, I think I might be pregnant”.

“Oh! How nice, nice, nice. Er, congrats!” He nervously averts his eyes to his medical chart once again and his ears are red, what’s wrong with this doctor?

“Thank you, but I don’t want this baby”.

“Oh well, in that case I can refer you to the doctor who can take care of the ab-”

“No, no, no. I mean, I’m having this baby, I’m just not thrilled by the circumstances so if you could just, not congratulate me or make a big deal out of it. That’d be nice, thanks”. I cross my arms and look into his eyes, searching for judgement but it isn’t there.

“Do not make a big deal out of it. Got it!”

“Excuse me, Doctor Barnes? Mrs. Beck’s blood test results are here”. Maria chimes in.

“Well then, uncongrats! You are pregnant” He says awkwardly trying to cheer me up. It’s gonna take some time to get used to this doctor’s antics but at least he is being nice?

“Un-thank you.” I deadpan.

“Okay... Let’s see this baby, please lie down Mrs. Beck”.

-

“Do you have any questions? Diet? What to do or don’t do, exercise, sex?” Did he just, giggle?

“I don’t really do any of those things”.

“Neither do I, sis!” Maria calls from the door. She’s been there all this time?

“Well, in that case, Maria will give you a list of foods you can’t have and I want to see you back here in four weeks, alright?”

“Perfect… Um, Doctor Barnes?”

He looks at me, with those big blue eyes.

“I think you should have this pie or it’ll go to waste”.

“That’s really nice of you, Y/N. I’ve actually quit sugar, but um, I wouldn’t want it to go to waste either, it looks delicious.”

“Well, what’s life without a little sweetness from time to time? I promise you’ll find it worth cheating on your diet”.

I think I just made my doctor blush. 

-

chapter 3: when he sees me

pls reblog if you liked it c:

[neednothavehappenedtobetrue]

okay. this is a post about a new character, who is a person in the same 'verse as the main one for Robert and Isabelle, sci-fi and spaceships. she is a pastor in the one specific "limits on technology" religion I made up, but also, she is very cool. she does not live on their main terraformed colony, she lives in another colony with some definite cultural differences.

I am mostly posting this for my own future reference. there are definitely people who will enjoy Gwendolyn a lot, even with the extensive trigger tag situation here, but I think "a short story that has space for more nuance" would be a better venue for her than "my thoughts from Skype at 4AM"

if you do decide to read this, check the tags first, please

shoutout to @anonymus-maximus-er for being my thought partner on this.

but as I understand it now, there are, like , degrees of Intensity in Church Of Man

like, even their chillest followers are kind of intense about it because it's hard to be real, real chill about "god said we were only allowed to use these specific fifteen technologies" or whatever the exact rules are

but as far as incubators go, Aimee's community, the one you saw, would definitely have been like "well, too bad God wants that baby to die" and there are some other communities which would be more like "okay, probably make sure your baby does not die, do what you've gotta do there, but don't come back and talk to us afterwards"

and also for sure there are communities like "do literally whatever you have to do to make sure your baby does not die, we will be here with whole-made casseroles when you're home again"

and like, could some of those kids have benefitted from subsequent quality-of-life stuff they didn't get? probably, yes

to varying degrees

but hopefully Aimee finds a nice community where she can be like "this is so important to me but my babies and I experienced a bunch of technology in order to not die and we got excommunicated."

and they're like "wow that sounds like a lot of Not Your Fault would you like some whole-made casseroles and toddler clothes?"

and she's like "I got excommunicated" and they're like "did you know, perhaps you didn't, that there is no Central Authority for every Church Of Man church in the galaxy? there for sure is not! the people from New Maryland often pretend they are, but we didn't vote for them! your old pastor is just not at all the boss of us, is the thing"

that is the future epilogue I want for Aimee

I feel like the Tau Ceti Church of Man community is small and some people think they're weird, but they're nice neighbors. their pastor is a woman named Gwendolyn or something who is just constantly mad about Richard Brinton That Fucking Asshole

she has never called him any of those words because of decorum, she has just spent a lot of time talking to new people like "wow you seem very traumatized did you know he is not the boss of us?"

"we don't have a pope!"

"we've tried to have a council a few times, but it's logistically complicated"

"every church is supposed to make its own rules in accordance with the texts"

"yes, I have read every single one of his missives to the world, I know which bits of the Texts you probably have memorized, here are some bits I like a lot"

Gwendolyn has some opinions

like, churches are supposed to set their own rules about "necessary" technologies and she has quietly labeled almost all life-saving medical technology "necessary"

meanwhile, Brinton thinks it's necessary for him to have access to telecommunications equipment to he can send his editorials all over the galaxy, so people can be Educated

huh

of course, he does not actually physically touch the telecommunications equipment, he keeps like four people who know how to use it around so they can spread his word, but also, huh

the thing about Gwendolyn is that she has spent a long time watching traumatized New Marylanders join her community, many of them quite young and quite traumatized

also, she was never a New Marylander, she is fourth-generation Tau Ceti, which, crucially

means that her first set of principles is "Church Stuff, Misc" and her second set of principles, right there after the first is "you're not the boss of me"

even if somebody could point to actual scripture that said they were the boss of her, she would have some trouble with it, but some dude! who cannot point to anything at all! no justification whatsoever! nothing in the texts even a little bit! keeps trying to be the boss of her! and also keeps traumatizing all of the people in his community pretty badly! and making everyone else look like jerks!

"I'm more conservative than you, therefore, I am the boss of you"

NOPE

not for Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn votes in every local election and votes for her Senator, who she has met and quite likes. she occasionally goes to protests when the local government does some dipshit thing, but the Tau Ceti local government is pretty well-behaved because if it's not the citizenry will absolutely be like "fuck you, you're not the boss of me" at its government

she has some Very Big Opinions about debtor employment. she's not thrilled about the like, severity of the gang situation in her city, but she doesn't have a lot of optimism that the Government is gonna fix it, so she does community groups instead

also, in recognition of the fact that she can't just throw these traumatized New Marylanders right off into the personal autonomy deep end she is like "okay, if you need someone to tell you what to do sometimes, I will be the temporary boss of you until you are ready to be the boss of you"

she does not Love that aspect of her job, but sometimes you gotta

you can't bring people from "obedience all the time" to "you must make every choice in your life with no backup" overnight, they'll just collapse in on themselves or become targets for worse people

so she does the thing

she and Brinton have a <very> passive aggressive correspondence going as church leaders

there are many many long letters back and forth

they are very polite and also, if any of them are preserved, historians will find them fascinating

"wow these people just fucking loathed each other"

Anonymus, 5:05 AM

your obedient servant, A. Burr

5:05 AM

if they did not live on separate planets, legitimately maybe

like, if she could get to Brinton's house on a horse to yell at him in person, she would have by now

she didn't swear a lot in real life, but sometimes she wanted to

she got real good at saying "that man" or "sugar" or "nonsense" in A Tone, but you could tell

I can't decide if she has a husband or a wife

Aimee's church definitely thinks gay people are Modern and therefore Wrong, but like

I feel like probably their specific religious texts don't even have that much on being nice to people? like, there's definitely a few pages on like "kindness is an ancient value, we hold fast to ancient values, these are them"

but it's like 70% Rules Minutiae

it's also not a super long book

so everybody has very different opinions about how to interpret the Rules Minutiae in light of the 30% of the book that's like "here are our actual values"

"modesty" and "fidelity" are both in the Ancient Values bits for sure

and I feel like different denominations went in different directions on the "modesty" and "fidelity" implications of "gay people"

no, I've decided, Gwendolyn definitely has a wife

show her in the actual rules where she can't have a wife

yes, fidelity, that thing she has with her wife

Anonymus, 5:13 AM

can the wife be a very proper rebbetzin?

organises all the casserole chains

5:14 AM

yes, she can definitely organize all of the casserole chains

5:18 AM

right

Gwendolyn's wife's name is Tara and she came from an Earth Church of Man community where they were like "technically it's not illegal for you to be gay, but, like, ehhhh? we'd rather you didn't and also you definitely cannot have children if you're gay"

5:20 AM

and she got to Tau Ceti and met Gwendolyn who even in college was like "show me in the texts where it says I cannot have a wife."

"show me."

Anonymus, 5:21 AM

sounds like excellent breeding ground for Very Textually and Theologically Conversant, but not actually a religious authority

5:21 AM

the thing is, Tau Ceti is Bad At Authority

if they had a motto on their coins it would just be "you're not the boss of me" but maybe in Latin

but maybe not even in Latin because people who know Latin often think they are the boss of you

Anonymus, 5:22 AM

WHO MADE U KING

5:22 AM

for real

I think there is a dude who is technically the "boss" of Gwendolyn and they take turns giving the sermons and calibrating which parishoners they support based on like, communication styles in a way that often ends up with just all of the women and queer folks being Gwendolyn's people

she is smarter than him, he handles all of the Local Politics things that require you not to go "EXCUSE me, where is the LAW ABOUT THAT"

Anonymus, 5:24 AM

different type of smart

5:24 AM

if he ever tried to pull rank on her, she would either be so startled that it would work or she would unhinge her jaw and eat him

so he's never tried

he doesn't want to! very few people on Tau Ceti even want to be in charge, both because it's like herding cats who will hate you if they catch you herding them and because the finely honed distrust of authority doesn't go away when you become authority

Anonymus, 5:26 AM

"I'm pretty sure I'm up to some bullshit"

5:27 AM

yeah, Gwendolyn spends a lot of time with these sad transplants from other communities, nearly all of them women (because for SOME REASON women tend to get excommunicated WAY MORE OFTEN. HUH. are there ADDITIONAL RULES for WOMEN? I DON'T SEE ANY)

and they're like "please I am so sad and scared just tell me what to do"

and she wants to be like "I am not the boss of you, you have to be the boss of you" but they often are not ready for that, so she just tries to get a sense of what they want to do or what might be healthiest for them and tells them her strong recommendation is that they do that thing

everyone in her community knows she is passionate and can get fired up about some of this stuff, she doesn't hide that, but also, there are some conversations she (a only has with her wife and also (b has had with her wife a number of times

they are basically "our community is like 55% traumatized exiles from other communities and like 30% traumatized people from This One Dude's Community specifically. he traumatizes women and girls and girls he calls women and gay people and parents with sick babies!"

"we have so so many people we take care of now who are so so shaken and traumatized and sad"

"and we only get the people who don't leave the faith entirely!"

"it's not fair! it's not fair that he gets to do that! it's not fair!"

because when you carry the faces of like twenty good people all traumatized by the same garbage person and all you can do is try to take care of them and send passive-aggressive letters, sometimes it sucks!

if they lived on the same planet and she could get there on a horse, she would have done something ill-advised by now. yelled, certainly

but then again, if she had been born on New Maryland she would be a super different person and if he had been born on Tau Ceti there would have been a hard upper limit on how much he could get anyone to listen to him

like, bad bullshit happens on Tau Ceti, but the first time he married a fourteen-year-old girl off to her rapist, his neighbors would have set him on fire

church of man neighbors, regular neighbors, possibly neighbors who are criminals, just all the neighbors

5:37 AM

so her wife listens to her cry and reads over her letters to Brinton to make sure she doesn't actually say anything Too Impolitic (I think her boss also reads them, but he's less invested)

and her wife has these new folks over for dinner and helps them find clothes for their kids and adapt their modesty rules to the thing where it's like, as hot as it is possible to be in Tau Ceti

5:38 AM

like, most of the summer it's like 120 degrees, on a brisk day in December it drops into like, the low nineties

5:39 AM

sometimes people from other communities are like "we do modesty more modestly than they do" and they have to be like "okay, your choices are us dressing this way or us using air conditioning, because people do die in real life of heatstroke sometimes, that is a thing that can kill you"

also, even before Gwendolyn came along, her previous pastor was definitely like "we're gonna make electric fans permissible. we're just... heatstroke sure does kill you in real life"

"particularly in Modest Dress"

she liked him. they had meetings like twice a month when she was young because she had A Lot of questions and her parents were less invested in the answers than she was

when she was like twelve, he was like "maybe they'll give you my job one day" and she was like "I don't want your job! you're the boss of people!" and he was like "they very much would not give you my job if you wanted my job, kiddo"

(even 50% of the organized crime leaders on Tau Ceti are like "hey, I'm not the boss of anybody, I'm just a guy you don't want to fuck with because of all of the friends that I have got"

"I am not the boss of you, but I do have this gun")

5:49 AM

final thought on Gwendolyn: she had a real hard time when Robert Thompson died, because that dude thought her faith was a good reason to murder a husband and father.

and like, that dude is a fucking asshole, obviously, but it's hard

and then Brinton puts out an editorial about it and it is the only time Gwendolyn and Tara's children ever hear one of their mothers swear

because she is usually super meticulous about that

but also, sometimes

there is a limit

she makes several attempts before she writes him her next letter and the subtext of the entire letter is just "fuck you SO much, I do not generally believe in Hell, however, I will make an exception"

there is a limit! a man is dead and his wife and daughter are grieving and then a dude who everyone thinks is, like, the pope of her puts out some bullshit like "of course we don't do hate crimes but also that dude who got murdered deserved it" bullshit

there is a limit she is past it!

5:53 AM

also, they have seven adopted kids

[generallynerdy]

Step By Step (Bucky Barnes X Roommate!Reader)

Summary: Step by step, Bucky Barnes was learning to put himself back together. Luckily, he’s not alone. He has Sam Wilson, a bastard cat, and you, of course.

Requested by nklnnd (AO3): Since requests are open again would it be too much to ask for an after endgame bucky/reader. Like bucky is trying to piece his life back together without Steve in a new world and his roommate/friend helps him. I don't know I just love the cute fluffy domestic moments. Ps: I adore your writing. Feel free to do whatever you want with the prompt, if you like it that is, I have complete faith in your abilities! :)

Key: (Y/N) - your name Warnings: the Snap, mentions of death, depression, depressive episodes, mentions of isolation, touches of trauma, recovery process but written badly Word Count: 1,469 (nice)

Note: i hope it’s domestic enough?? I played loose and fast with the ‘step by step’ theme i just really wanted to get this done LMAO

    Step One: Survive.

    Returning to Manhattan after defeating Thanos was more painful than it should’ve been. Days before, he was dead, so you think he would’ve been overjoyed. But in reality, he wished he was dead again.

    Loss weighed upon his shoulders heavier than it ever had. Steve Rogers, Captain America, was gone. His Steve, his best friend Steve.

    Bucky Barnes was alone.

    The Avengers knew this. They thought they could help him. So, they set him up in an apartment in Brooklyn with a roommate: you. They hoped you could take care of him, help him piece his life back together.

    But you weren’t sure what was left to put together. To be honest, it would probably be better for him to start anew. But he wasn’t ready for that either.

    “James?”

    You entered his room one quiet Saturday morning. You hadn’t seen him for a full 24 hours, which was worrying. Your concerns were confirmed when you discovered a pitch black room and the shuffling form of the Winter Soldier still in his bed.

    You sighed and spoke quietly, sure that his head was pounding. “Bad day?”

    He didn’t reply, but he didn’t have to.

    You’d only lived together for about two weeks, but he’d already had quite a few of these days. He would shut himself away from the world, from you especially, and wouldn’t come out for at least the rest of the day. Yesterday was a bad one, too. You hoped this wouldn’t become a regular occurance.

    You moved to sit on the edge of his bed. “Can I get you anything?”

    There was a pause before he shook his head just slightly. You bit your lip as you looked at him. You could leave him be, let him simmer until he felt better...or maybe there was a better way to do this.

    “Do you want company?” you asked hesitantly.

    Step Two: Don’t isolate.

    The pause was longer this time, but he finally nodded.

    You scooted up the bed so that you could rest your back against the wall and sit right next to him. Carefully, you pulled your knees up to your chest and pulled your phone out of your pocket, making sure that you weren’t touching him. He hummed gratefully before the two of you sank into silence.

    Step Three: Let others in.

    On a good day, you and Bucky would have breakfast together before you went to work. Mostly you talked about when you’d be home and how he was doing, then you’d leave.

    You weren’t entirely sure what he did all day without you there, but after a muttered movie reference, you realised he was watching Netflix religiously. Once you found out about that, you realised that you probably should get him something else so he wasn’t as painfully bored.

    “I’m home!” You called one day, entering the apartment.

    You found him on the couch with a show playing on the TV, which he paused as soon as you entered. “How’d your day go?” he asked quietly.

    “Meh, same old, same old,” you replied cheerily, flopping onto the couch beside him. “I got you something.”

    He furrowed his eyebrows and sat up, his gaze questioning. Before he had to ask, you held out a small, shiny card that had his name on the back of it and some unrecognisable logo on the front. He flipped it around to look at it, but still looked confused.

    “There’s this, um, library down the street,” you told him. “I figured TV is gonna get old sometime, so I got you a card for it.”

    His eyes widened and he nodded. “Thanks,” he finally said, almost wistfully.

    “Yeah, of course. Just let me know when you wanna go and I can show you the way there,” you said with a smile. “It’s a really nice, quiet place. I think you’ll like it, James.”

    “Bucky,” he corrected. “Only one that called me James was my mom.”

    You blinked dumbly a few times before nodding. “Bucky.”

    Step Four: Get into a routine.

    Bucky took to the library like a fish to water. He said he wasn’t much of a book guy, but he was clearly a liar because every time he went, he checked out more books than before. On weekends, the two of you would make it a group outing, but while you were at work if he found himself lacking reading material, he would make a quick trip. The lady at the front desk already knew both of your names after a few weeks and was one of the few people Bucky actually felt like talking to regularly.

    It was a massive relief, seeing as he hardly ever left the apartment otherwise.

    His bad days happened less and less often, but when they did happen he was content to curl up next to you in his bed as you read your own book silently. The first time he put his head in your lap, you nearly jumped out of your skin. The next few times, however, you got into the habit of running your fingers through his hair.

    Step Five: Find comfort in the little things.

    And then came Alpine.

    You woke up one blissful Saturday morning to find Bucky already awake and on the couch. You were about to say something about how much of an improvement that was, but then you spotted a puddle of white on his lap.

    It was a cat.

    “Uh…” You didn’t even know what to say.

    “He climbed in through my window and he won’t leave,” Bucky said instantly, his own eyes wide. “(Y/N), what do I do?”

    You were shocked silent. “I...don’t know.”

    “I’ve never had a cat, is this how you get a cat?” he whispered frantically.

    Apparently, it was. Bucky dubbed him Alpine and he became a permanent resident of the apartment. 

    He was a little bastard, but the both of you adored him. He usually slept in Bucky’s room, but he was always up and about when you woke up, purring as he invaded your personal space while you attempted to cook breakfast.

    A day wasn’t complete without someone shouting; “Alpine, NO--”

    Step Six: Reach out.

    Slowly but surely, Bucky was putting himself back together. Or maybe he was becoming someone else-- you didn’t know. But you liked Bucky as you knew him, as he was now.

    Through libraries and breakfasts, cats and Netflix, the two of you became inseparable. Bucky Barnes was quite possibly the best friend you’d ever had. You would never admit that to anyone who asked, though, as Bucky nearly died under even the slightest compliment. He was still figuring out positive reinforcement.

    He still struggled with Instagram and the news often gave him a headache, but his reintegration was going smoothly. In fact, he’d made a few more friends other than you and Alpine.

    “And then he fell on his face like an idiot--”

    The laughter from the living room made you smile as you reentered the room, carrying three specially made sandwiches.

    “Sorry we don’t have a decent dinner,” you muttered as you passed them to the boys.

    Sam Wilson, ever a sweetheart, just shook his head. “Hey, sandwiches are great. I wasn’t planning on any dinner, so…”

    “Sandwiches are perfect,” Bucky repeated.

    You sat down on the couch in between them, gently shoving Alpine aside when he tried to get a bite of your dinner. Sam snorted at the sight while Bucky rolled his eyes fondly.

    “Dibs on picking the show,” you said as you turned on the TV.

    “Rude,” Sam said, mocking offense. “Age before beauty, (Y/N)!”

    Bucky lifted his legs to rest on top of your lap. “In that case, I get to pick.”

    “Old man,” you teased, elbowing his side. “If you’re both gonna be so whiny about it, then we should make this a regular thing. New person picks every week.”

    “Deal,” Sam agreed instantly.

    Bucky grinned. “Only if it doesn’t mess with your work schedule.”

    You waved him off. “A little late night won’t kill me.”

    “Okie dokie,” he said, finally agreeing. You turned bright red when he leaned over to kiss your cheek. “You’re the best.”

    You desperately tried to ignore the way Sam waggled his eyebrows. Luckily, Bucky didn’t seem to see it. He snatched the remote from your hands, citing his age once more as Sam choked on his food when you smacked his chest.

    As Bucky put on some comedy, you snuggled deeper into the couch, smiling to yourself.

    One step at a time had worked wonders. He was taking bigger steps every day and, to be honest, so were you. Recovery was a slow process, but it was worth every moment just to see him smile.

    Step Seven: Realise you’re not alone.

Nova Tags: @hahaboop

Masterlist

[atomicfilm]

hey, so I'm gonna ask about INTP stereotypes. I'm doing research about some MBTI types to my story, so I would like to know what should I avoid in order to create a reliable female INTP character, are there any common misconceptions? if you want to add anything about INTPs, like weird stuff they do, what do they like or very random things that nobody talks about, I would love to hear about it!

Awesome! If you ever need someone to read it, I’m open to that. I think one of the main misconceptions is how cold we are externally A lot of types might look at us and think we’re standoffish. However, I can actually warm up quite quickly with the right encouragement. The best approach is not to compliment me, it will make me feel awkward and probably slightly avoidant even if I don’t consciously intend to. I don’t really like to be observed in that way when I’m not trying to be. A better way is to tell a few jokes, make really random references, and get me used to the idea of you being in my physical space in a non-creepy, non-confrontational way (a fist bump or high-five will do). 

There are a lot of nuances I would say. I am very insecure and very confident at the same time. Generally, I’m very confident in my academic abilities and very insecure about my social interactions. 

INTPs aren’t all math all the time. I’m certainly not an engineer, even though I admire engineering from afar. I’m generally the most willing person to shut down people who are being assholes in class (i.e. those really loud kids that exist in every math class) and also contemplate other people’s ideas. However, some INTPs I know are actual engineers. This is very cool, but I’m also aware of the fact that they too get insecure about their math-skills as well because math is cool but not always conducive to the way we think. We’re kind of sporadic thinkers and not algorithmic as much. We can be really talented but are also generally at least a little unstructured (but a lot of types won’t see that, i.e. ENFPs typically think we have our lives figured out). 

Everyone likes different things, it’s certainly not limited to type! I only know two other INTPs and they are both guys. I actually am pretty sure i know one other woman INTP but I haven’t spoken to her in four years. I don’t think any of us have a super-strong affiliation with gender and certainly not gender stereotypes (although we all are huge feminists). Perhaps the main misunderstanding is how much we care. Just because we may not outwardly respond does not mean that we didn’t hear the rude thing someone said to us or we aren’t furious about something happening in the world. 

Another common thing for us is just being misunderstood. My INTP friends and I call each other aliens and it feels very true a lot of the time. Being an outsider is evident, even if we are well-liked. 

I can be seen as sarcastic, snarky, blunt, and I am to an extent, all of those things, but I am not mean. I am very, very intentional about the boundaries I cross and often map out what will upset certain people to avoid hurting their feelings. When I do hurt feelings, it is generally because I have hit the end of my human feeling knowledge (i.e. what do you say to someone whose dad died if you are not religious, they are not religious, they didn’t know him and he was a bad person, but they are crying). I think now I would say “I am here for you, you can cry it out, let’s get you home”. But five years ago when I was in that situation, I didn’t say anything, just let my friend cry on my shoulder and when people came up to us, I told them that she didn’t want to talk. I was trying my best to be there emotionally, but I didn’t have the right schema yet. 

My Ne/Si is a cause of a lot of my fights, actually. I tend to build schemas a lot (as most people do) but I am strict in my predictions of what I think people will do. Usually, people do not stray from my predictions but sometimes they do. When that happens, I’m either laughing my ass off and super excited about being surprised or I feel like I have betrayed myself by not being able to predict every outcome. 

To write a good INTP character, you ought to give them a lot of comforting things. We like the friends we’ve had for many years, we like to wear the same jacket every week, we often order the same things off menus and say the same jokes and try to keep things quality-controlled. (I’m 19 and I still make pillow forts.) Then, to write a good book, you should mess everything up for your INTP.

If you need some emotional conflict, give them an Fi user. I personally fight with every Fi user I have ever known because there is always eventually a conflict that goes like this: 

Fi:“YOU HURT MY FEELINGS. I’M SAD, WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO ME?”

Fe: “Your feelings do not make sense in this logical construct I have programmed to understand human emotions.”

AND/OR

“You are hurting other people’s feelings.”

OH, and another large misunderstanding. INTPs talk more or less like normal people. I have an incredibly colloquial style because formal writing is alienating and often misused. My INTP friends typically love memes as well as puns, bad jokes, and writing texts in stanzas like a drunkard poet. So yeah, we’re not all like “wahhh, you don’t speak in Python, my computer-brain doesn’t like this” (but also we kinda do just in different vernacular).

I also think that INTPs are not incredibly skilled at understanding who they are, even if they appear to be. I can analyze myself all day bebeY but if you ask me what my name is or what I’m doing I’m often like “yeah, idk, who am I? What is the purpose of existence?”. Actually, one of the easiest ways to identify an INTP in my personal belief is to shout very loudly “SO I WAS READING THIS EXISTENTIALIST BOOK THE OTHER DAY-”. 

INTPs have a nice dichotomy of wanting stability but getting very bored once they’ve figured something out. If I am not planning something, I am depressed point-blank. Another cool dichotomy is disliking conflict but being sensitive and standing up for people (learned skill).

Hope this helped! Feel free to ask me about how I would respond in a certain situation too. 

P.S. Why can’t I add tags to asks until after I’ve posted them? Extremely inefficient. 

[delcat177]

We DIDN’T Start the Fire: Introspective

I’m actually feeling a little more validated by every shitty message, as contrary as that seems. I really do care a lot about kids, I have a clutch of niblings in my chosen family, I plan on having tads myself someday, and more than that, I sincerely do believe that children deserve MUCH better protection online. Kids deserve best. That’s a tag, you can check it.

But back when I got called out, I was in a very vulnerable place, trying to figure out my own head, and despite having an absolutely inverse reaction to kids in any kind of intimate fashion (I mean, except familial I love you platonic...would you call it intimacy, making stegosaurus pancakes, Christmas morning, warmth is what that is I think I DIGRESS),,

It freaked me. They were saying the same horrible things about how my fiancé was gonna get hurt, kids were gonna get hurt, I was enabling rapists and pedophiles, I should go eat shit and die (from someone who told me they got horribly triggered by the phrase ‘eat shit’ and guilt-rolled me endlessly for it, at that).

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t stop checking myself going “am I being Bad, am I being Gross, oh no I can’t Netflix and chill because if I’m in my intimates and a kid shows up I am basically molesting that child”, like. It has been BAD. I don’t think it’s inherently wrong to be mindful of what you do, the discomfort from seeing a kid on TV while I’m having a saucy couch day is genuine gross-out because it crosses wires I don’t want crossed, but it’s also only hurting me.

Last month I nailed down the realization proper, after talking with a good friend--like the religious paranoid who is constantly vigilant and terrified by intrusive thoughts of blasphemy, or the parent paranoid who is constantly vigilant and terrified by intrusive thoughts of killing their new infant, I had developed into a prospective-being-around-kids-person who was constantly vigilant and terrified by intrusive thoughts of “if I am a sexual being in the same universe as a child it will hurt them”.

Hashtag actually OCD.

I used to be the religious paranoid. The idea of Doing The Worst Thing is so gut-wrenchingly disturbing that you can’t block the idea out, and if you don’t realize that mechanism, that it IS the Worst Thing, you turn into a mess of WHY DO I THINK SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS (for reference, this is not thinking about children sexually in any way, which would be the actual worst thing, but, again, my private adult sexuality somehow harming children who aren’t even present in the same state as me, who have no idea I even exist). It was the same damned song and dance as when I used to pray nonstop because I thought I would go to Hell otherwise.

I genuinely only realized this in mmmmmmmMarch

so it’s actually really timely to be bombarded by actual kids in my inbox and going “oh, yeah, no, all I want to do here is shoo them off so they don’t read my bondage fics”. I don’t want to interact with them. I definitely don’t want to *interact* with them. I just want them safe.

It’s been a very freeing realization, that I’ve been stuck with policing myself militantly when I believe in neither of those institutions and that there is absolutely no way I’m harming anyone by thinking about smooching while watching Stranger Things, even if the true object of my heart is only onscreen sometimes...

(doki doki Demo <333) (”stop having feelings for monsters”) (HARKNESS TEST MY DUDE)

...because I am not a pedophile. I have no interest in children. I have so un-interest in children that I’m haunted by the idea of GETTING an interest in children, which is just not how it works. I don’t feel sexy when the kids are onscreen, I feel YEAH YEAH YOU GO GUYS GET ‘EM Dustin you’re my favorite don’t tell the others. I want to give them big bags of quarters for the arcade and maybe while they’re gone see about romancing an eldritch abomination. THAT is what I am about at my core.

Honestly? I don’t think I even want real-world sex. With anyone. For now, at least, I would have to go through some very deep and targeted therapy to up my self-indulgent...self-indulgence to include another person because of how I was traumatized, and a spotter for anxiety attacks. I don’t know if it’s entirely out of the question, but it’s not a question I’m asking. People think sex is the biggest thing out there. It ent. It’s a hobby. A fun one, for me, alone, solo. I’m good. I’m covered.

So here we are, landed in the worst case scenario--kids coming into my private space--and I didn’t even think of harming any of them, because of course I wouldn’t, why did I think I ever would?

If there’s a moral here, it’s even if you think your OCD is under control, you should always be aware of your inclinations towards your particular brand of obsession and compulsion, know how to deal with intrusive thoughts and habits, and don’t let people convince you you’re what you absolutely aren’t because they hate your guts and slash or they’re bored.

can we please put this in a time capsule and send it back to when I needed it in 2015

no?

FINE I’ll just live my best life jeez

(demmy-san, won’t you help me dust the shelves? You’re so big and strong, and I just can’t reach~) (”you are impossible”) (damned straight I am)

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

Some ECW Raven hurt/comfort headcanons would be really rad if you don't mind writing them? 😳👉👈

Time for full disclosure here, nonnie mouse. I ABSOLUTELY fucking ADORE you for this. I love,love,love,love Raven. And I don’t think I can say it enough. I gotta admit, i was not expecting anyone to indulge me on my desire to write hc’s for wrestlers like Raven or edge or Jeff or anyone like that.. SO I AM WEEPING FOR JOY RN. These are all over the place. I tried to focus on strictly hurt comfort.. But some others snuck their way in too.

Warnings: none. We’re keeping it PG in this christian household on this Tuesday. Or we’re gonna die trying.

Tag Squad:

@kyleoreillysknee

@rampagewriting

@writertoo18

@thatnerdwriter

@wrestlingismyguiltypleasure

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@waywardwrestlewritingwaif

@cabotcoves

@unabashedwrestlefics

@adampage

@cowboyshit

@missjenniferb

@wrestlingthot

@wardl0w

[ tag list doc - masterlist - send me more. these are fun. but read this first.]

┎ Raven is a soft hearted guy, despite all outward appearances and claims to the otherwise. Also very empathetic. I firmly believe he’d sense a change in your mood the second it occurred. And he’d go into deep thought mode. First he’d analyze himself to make sure he hadn’t done anything to cause the hurt. Then he’d start to extend the web of deep thought outward. To others. God help any person who may be responsible, RIP. 

--for reference, see his Clockwork Orange matches. While not brutal, they do illustrate that the man knows his way around weapons and toys and... He will become sadistic enough over those he allows close to him to put his brutal knowledge in the ways of fucking rocking someone’s entire shit to use. So if anyone hurts you? They’re about to wish they died.

-- if he is the one responsible, he immediately owns up to his actions. Because he’s not afraid to admit when he’s being a stubborn, bull headed jackass. Because honestly? It’s often. And he takes extra care of you preceding his apology. He goes above and beyond to do his utmost best NOT to do whatever it was that he did to hurt you, again.

┎ If it’s an internal thing, he’ll just kind of pull you close, rest his chin on the top of your head while his fingers smooth over your hair. “Deep breaths. Eyes on me, sweetheart. C’mon, talk to Raven. I’m right here. I got you.” is repeated over and over in the softest gravel rasp like a mantra until you’re calm and you can relay the cause of the issue. After you’ve told him what’s going on, he will hold you more. Or pull you down onto his lap while he’s sitting on the stair. “What am I doin’ to fix this?” he looks at you, an earnest look in his eyes because he honest to god is determined to fix whatever’s wrong. 

┎  The man is your biggest supporter. And he is your personal bodyguard. You literally go NOWHERE without Raven present... Even if he’s scowling a little because he utterly hates crowded malls or theaters, etc. If you’re there, he’s going to be there too. Because it’s something you’re into, and he’s into you. 

┎ Is not a good patient at all when he’s the one who is ill. Gets downright testy and hates medicine. Especially that licorice flavored cough syrup shit. BUT BUT.. If you’re the one whose sick? Man is quick to call the nearest doctor and get detailed instructions... He’s written down ALL your symptoms and he checks your temperature religiously and has those at the ready, as well as his own googled diagnosis... While keeping a bit of a distance, of course. If you’re throwing up, he’s there with a cool damp cloth against the back of your neck. If you want cuddles, he will provide, however, it’s kind of those ginger careful cuddles. Like “Ayooo, I love you a lot but I’m not out here tryna get this shit too.”

┎ Sends clever little riddles in meme form when he knows you’re having a bad day. The downside to this is the man is a literal genius IRL, so.. Sometimes, that cute little joke takes 4 goddamn hours to hit you and make you laugh. But you love him for it.

┎ Once felt so bad that he forgot an anniversary that he made up for it in clutch by booking an entire week in a cabin, just the two of you. He bought you your favorite flowers every single day too. And he did all the cooking. TBF.. he does about 75 percent of it anyway? Because his love language is taking care of the people he loves as opposed to the words...

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 165

Chapter Summary -Tom and Danielle go to Suffolk for their second anniversary as a couple. While there, Tom realises that Danielle has already gotten started on some of the wedding plans which results in them setting a date.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

Copyright for the photo is the owners, not mine. All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @damalseer​ @hiddlesbitch1​ @winterisakiller​ @fairlightswiftly​ @salempoe​ @wolfsmom1​ @black-ninja-blade​

Danielle bit her lips together as she felt herself reach her peak, forcing herself to not grip Tom’s hair too tightly as he made her feel so good. She gasped as the final waves of her orgasm were joined by a kiss that was given to her core before Tom crawled over her body, smiling cheekily as he came face to face with her. “I love you,” She smiled, feeling worn from their activities. “As I love you, my beautiful Elle.” He leant down and kissed her, not overly surprised when she leant up and deepened the kiss. “You are well and truly back to form,” He smirked as he forced their lips apart for a moment.

“Three times since we got here, that’s not bad by any accounts,” Danielle agreed.

They had decided to spend their second anniversary in Suffolk, away from the crowds of London and spending time with Diana. Tom brought Danielle for a lovely meal in Manzoni’s, the restaurant that led to the awkward first kiss of theirs and afterwards, insisted on kissing her on the doorstep, though this time, the kiss did not end there and he ensured she had an incredibly pleasurable evening after. Of late, after recovering from her Ironman, Danielle’s libido seemed to go back to her pre-training and pre-maternal urge norm, much to hers and indeed Tom’s delight.

The next morning led to slight bouts of sloth on their behalf before amourous attentions once more, leading them to almost lunchtime before they forcibly extracted themselves from the bed.

They were drinking tea as their porridge cooked when Diana knocked on the back door and entered. “Finally up, I see.” “We are embracing the holiday feeling,” Tom smirked back, going to the pot of tea they had decided would be a better idea to make and poured her a cup.

“How was Manzoni’s?” “That new chef you mentioned was working, you’re right, it’s even better now, somehow,” Danielle commented from the cooker.

“He is good, isn’t he?” Diana smiled. “So, have you two started talking properly yet?” Tom chuckled at his mother. “Are you just here to badger us about it?” “The sooner you plan it, the sooner it is planned.”

“You sound like Danielle when she is talking about her safety stuff.” Tom eyed his fiance warily as he said that. She gave him a warning glance with a slight smirk with it.

“And?” “We have decided on Ireland, in Elle’s parish church from her childhood. She explained it holds a really important place in her family and it is small and quaint and away from prying eyes. It will be lovely, so it makes a lot of sense.”

“How small?” “The maximum capacity is about a hundred plus people, nothing extravagant,” Danielle explained. “Doing approximate numbers for the church part of things, we are looking at around thirty under capacity but that’s good because we know we’re forgetting a few people.”

“Right, names are important, have you a list started?” “No,” Tom looked awkwardly.

Danielle left the room for a moment before returning with the backpack she had received for her Ironman, taking out a notepad she had in it. “I have all of my side and friends done. I have started your side too, but I know there is an aunt or uncle somewhere missing because the numbers aren’t right and I would wager you have a friend from school you will think to invite.”

Tom looked at her shocked at the organisation she had clearly put into the page of names, making notes who they were and of any conflicts, some may have, mostly referencing her aunt Bernie. “I...I was going to say I’m surprised, but no, how could I be, this is you through and through.

Danielle laughed at him. “I also took note that we will have to arrange buses from the airports and spoke to the local B&B, they will book out the dates of our choosing for us, if we give them a date soon, so I also called the parish office and got the dates the church is free on the timeline we are looking at, so we have to arrange that. I think we will have to go over a week or two in advance to ready the last of everything and for the marriage course, of course. Though, I booked that and flights for January, that gives time for your other commitments, Ace Con and whatnot.” She explained.

Tom simply stared at her in shock. He had asked had she looked into one or two things, thinking that perhaps she would begin preparation, he had not thought for one second she would be so thorough so quickly. “I...I feel somewhat unprepared in all of this.” “Course, what course?” Diana asked curiously.

“In Ireland, I am not sure if it is the same here, if you want to marry in a Catholic Church, you have to do a marriage course with Accord, it’s like this religious church-related family service, so I booked that. It’s nothing really, just preparing you for down the road, times of trouble, if you want kids, the usual marriage stuff. It’s more a box-ticking exercise really, though if you haven’t talked about this stuff before now or you haven’t had bad patches, are you really ready for marriage?” Danielle questioned.

“I think they are becoming something here, not obligatory, mind.”

“Well, they are at home and with our schedules, I thought it a good idea to plan it for then.” “What is on the cards to say you are both busy for that?” Diana asked curiously, always eager to know what her children were doing workwise. “I have a few things I will be involved in, going a few places, nothing too long, quick stops around Europe,” Danielle informed her. “Usually three to five day things and paperwork in between. And a trip to the US for a meeting or two, obviously.”

Diana nodded, knowing that there would be some form of plan such as this already before looking to her son. “I am doing a stint in one of Harold Pinter’s plays in London, Betrayal, as the name suggests, it is not the most cheerful of work but an interesting piece,” He explained.

“And are you the betrayer or the betrayed?” She asked curiously.

“I play the poor betrayed husband,” Tom pouted as he spoke.

“So plenty of confused and angry fans after this,” Danielle joked.

“I am glad you enjoy my torture.” Danielle stuck her tongue out at him playfully, causing him to chuckle. “I guess we better book a date so while we have a chance.”

“I guess we should.” A thought occurred to Tom. “What about that B&B?” “What do you mean?” “Well, they will have the dates.”

“Tom, I warned you before, Irish people are not the least bit bothered by this sort of thing and there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that a local run B&B from my hometown, with kids that went to school with me, who have used my dad’s vet practice since before I was born are going to give my wedding dates to some foreign shites trying to make money off us.”

“You are putting a lot of faith in people that you have not known really for at least a decade,” Tom warned, having had more than one person he thought he could trust show that his trust had been poorly placed in the past.

“It’s a way of life in Connemara and indeed most of the non-city areas of Ireland. You say nothing and deny all knowledge of other people’s business to non-locals, as I said it's a local family business and if they can't look after the locals, well, Ireland is the place that coined the phrase ‘boycott’. It's one thing to talk among ourselves but to outsiders, that's just not done.”

“So, you would threaten them?”

“Ironically, it would not be me or putting them as I don't live there anymore, it will be those local people that they call their friends, the local GAA people, the lads that went to the pub with my dad, the women that went to the dances with Mam. It’s just an unwritten rule you don't embarrass yourself or your family and you definitely do not bring a bad name to the parish. Whatever about the generation I'm from but my dad's generation, Mr O'Leary and his wife, they never would risk her name or insult their family in such a manner,” Danielle explained. “Sometimes the anonymity of the city has its advantages though, growing up we always knew what our neighbours were doing but at the same time we were always there for one another when it was needed.”

“Will they have a problem with those coming from England for it?” Tom asked.

“Why would they? We're bringing them paying customers, we’re not there to bother anyone. We don't automatically just decide to hate all British people, that's not an economically sound practice. We are just mildly suspicious as a default setting which is healthy really, all things considered.”

Tom knew before he even saw her face that Danielle was sticking out her tongue at her own playful comment. “Behave,” He warned her, his own playful smile evident. “What dates are available? The sooner I tell Luke the better.” Danielle went to the page where she had put all of the information the parish secretary has provided her with. Tom studied the dates as well as taking out his phone and checking the calendar and within 40 seconds, he placed an ‘X’ beside three of the dates.

“Are they the ones that are acceptable or are they ‘the never gonna happen’ dates?” Danielle asked curiously as she looked at the dates he had put the “x's” next to, all three were not dates that she could think of for particular reasons as being an issue.

“The latter.”

“Okay,  so we work off the rest.”

“What about you, are you available every one of these dates?” Tom asked, doubtful that Danielle could be free for the entirety of the summer.

“The ones I was not available for, which were two dates, I didn't even write down. One is the all branch AGM, and the other is my mother’s anniversary. I know she would want me to get married but I could probably pretty much guarantee that she would not appreciate me doing so on her anniversary.” “No, that goes without saying,” Tom agreed. He looked over the dates a little bit more, Danielle noticed that he checked his phone for a moment before putting an ‘X’ beside another date. As soon as she looked at it she realised which date it was, she laughed. Tom looked at her worried as to a reaction. Seeing her laugh, he decided to check verbally. “You don't mind?”

“Not at all. I don't think it bodes well to take one of your favourite days of sport in the year from you,” She laughed. “And it's the height of the GAA season, so I can guarantee there won't be a single pub, hotel bar or restaurant that will be showing that over whatever GAA fixture is on for the day.” She tussles hair as she spoke.

Tom took her hand and put it to his lips, kissing it gently at her respect for his favourite sports day. “If it was the only viable day?”

“You said it does not suit you and there are six other days that are free and available, it's a non-issue.” She looked at the dates again. “If we choose the date before that takes place, I would assume, unless we go on a honeymoon of six days, that does not suit either. So how about, this one?” She pointed to the weekend after the final. “That way you can watch it or go and we can be to Ireland after?” “But you said you want to come over a fortnight in advance?” “I’m sure you can slip away for a weekend.”

“No, it's too close and I'm not leaving everything to you.” Tom looked at the dates that came after if he was honest, he thought them too far away. So instead, he looked at the only other available date before. “How about the June date?” Danielle looked at the piece of paper for a moment. “That’s only eight months away. Jesus, that's a terrifying thought. Has it really been 3 months since you asked me?”

“Time flies when you're having fun.” Tom beamed. “If it's too close then that's fine.” “No, let's go with that one.” Tom looked up at her. “Elle, if you want to take time to think about it.” Danielle’s response was not to argue but to instead to take out her phone, scroll through the contacts and bring up the number she needed. “I think June to be the best.” She showed him the number she was about to ring and when he gave a small nod she pressed the call button.

It only took three minutes between the secretary answering the phone and Danielle pressing the end call button. “It’s official, we are booked for June.” Danielle looked at Tom, who seemed somewhat shocked. “Second thoughts already?” “No, I just...In eight months, we’ll be…” Tom could barely compute what was happening. After all his planning, with all his thoughts on it, there was a date set to legally marry Danielle. It was almost unfathomable. “I can’t believe we have a date set.” He rose to his feet and leant in and kissed her. “Eight months will be an incredibly long and yet short time.” “With work, with plays and meetings, sets and meet and greets, we won’t see it pass by. It is strange to think, but by the time we book a reception, hotels and whatnot, by the time Emma and Jack organise a passport for Lucy and everything, eight months is nothing.” Tom frowned. “I thought you don’t need a passport to go to Ireland. I used my driving licence one weekend to get into Dublin for High Rise.” “You don’t under the Common Travel Area and all that but come Brexit, who knows, they already applied, just in case.” “I guess we will all need to be sure.” Diana took note to check her own when she went back to her own house. She beamed proudly at having urged her son and her future daughter-in-law into actually setting a date. “I will leave you to eat and do a few things. Don’t forget to book a venue next.” She instructed as she left.

With quick goodbyes, Danielle started thinking. “I genuinely cannot think of too many. I suppose if you want to be fancy, there is always Kylemore Abbey?”

Tom Googled the place and his brows rose. “It’s beautiful.” “Of course it is, it’s in Connemara, we don’t do things by halves.” She smiled, looking at the picture in front of them of the building. “It is only from the 1860s but it is beautiful, nonetheless.” “And they take weddings?” “For the right price, they will be more than happy to facilitate whatever we ask. The question becomes, are we willing to pay such prices?” Tom suspected that there would be a chance that Danielle would have an issue with such things. He had considered how to approach it but now was the best time. “Elle, Darling, I m not sure how often you are planning on doing this but I am very much only considering the once so we will do this right.”

“I just don’t want to waste money.” “Is it wasting it for us to have a lovely wedding day?” “It’s one day, I don’t…” Danielle inhaled deeply. Her fiance was a renowned actor and she knew that came with more money than sense. “Just nothing too insane.” “Elle, don’t force yourself into budgets. We are not going to do anything mad, even the ring is a family heirloom, we are not extravagant spenders, so if the hotel costs a bit, then fine. I doubt you plan on some mad dress.”

Danielle scoffed, “Valentino, Darling,” She impersonated the accentuated Cruella De Vil accent as she spoke. “Just a hundred thousand.”

Tom chuckled and shook his head. “If you wanted.” Danielle stared at him in horror. “Are you insane?”

“I just want you to be happy.” “Tom, here and now, I m saying this. This whole thing is not going to come within an ass’s roar of that sort of money. No, not happening. I will call it off it does.” “Looks like I found the ‘Get out of Jail Free’ Card.” Tom jested, rushing out of her reach before she could nudge him in retaliation. When she went over to him, he pulled her in against him. “How did I manage to find you, a sensible, beautiful, intelligent woman like you?”

“A sacrifice to an old God or two, I think.”

“Very possible.” He leant down and kissed her, wanting her to feel how intensely he loved her from it.

Pictures of Kylemore Abbey for reference

[wistfulcynic]

Operation Emma’s Christmas

Merry Christmas to @kitsunewingstar​! If I calculated correctly this should post in the afternoon of Christmas Eve for you, (very) early in the morning of Christmas Eve here in the UK/Europe, and Christmas Eve Eve in the US. It’s been lovely chatting with you and I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family! 

You requested something sweet and Christmassy, so I hope this delivers! For the purposes of the story, we’re assuming there was no Christmas under the curse (since we never saw/heard about it on the show) and that S7 and its timeline is not a thing. 

Thanks to the @cssecretsanta2k19​​ for organising this event!!

SUMMARY: What with curses and monsters and trips to Camelot, and a distinct lack of quiet moments, the residents of Storybrooke have never really celebrated Christmas. Now that he has a child and a wife who misses the holiday, Killian is determined to change that. 

He just has to figure out how. 

(Set post-S6 in a world with no S7)

Tagging all the folks from the last tag list, PLEASE do let me know if you want to be added or removed. @kmomof4 @shireness-says @snidgetsafan @darkcolinodonorgasm @snowbellewells @stahlop​ @mariakov81​ @courtorderedcake​ @jonirobinson64​ @tiganasummertree​ @ohmightydevviepuu​ @shardminds​ @jennjenn615​ @superchocovian​ @teamhook​

On AO3

-

Operation Emma’s Christmas:

Killian Jones has been alive a very long time, and seen many strange and wondrous things. But none of them, from the spice markets of Agrabah to the snow-covered mountains of Arendelle to the hold of the Jolly Roger when it’s brimming with loot can, in his opinion, top the astounding treasure that is Google. He is awestruck by the notion of being able to ask any question he likes and having the answer appear within seconds. Emma tries to explain how anyone can put stuff on the internet and he can’t believe everything he reads, but he brushes her off. He knows how to separate fact from opinion and how to identify a reliable source, he tells her patiently. Among the many things they teach you in the Royal Navy. 

With the aid of the oracle Google, Killian learns all about this extraordinary realm he now calls home, enough so that he no longer finds himself adrift on a foggy sea when Emma and Henry make references to things he’s never heard of. He finds lists of movies he should watch and books he should read and the most influential songs of the 20th century, and he sets about watching and reading and listening to each one, with all the studious dedication of the keen young lieutenant he used to be, oh so many years ago now. 

“It’s kind of a shame we don’t do Christmas in Storybrooke,” says Emma wistfully one afternoon in mid-December, as they sit on the floor with their backs resting against the sofa watching Hope crawl around the living room. “Now that we have a kid. I mean, I had Henry before and we did Christmas in New York and in our fake memories, but… it’d be nice to do it here.” 

Killian is already on his phone consulting the oracle on the subject of Christmas. An annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world, he reads. He clicks on Images and scrolls through brightly decorated evergreen trees, houses draped in twinkling lights, giant-sized stockings hung above fireplaces and a very fat bearded man dressed in red. He makes a mental note to do more research when he gets back to the station and in the meantime looks up at where Emma and Hope are now playing patty cake. 

“Why can’t we?” he asks.

“Why can’t we what?” 

“Celebrate Christmas?” 

“Oh. I don’t know, I guess we’ve just never done it in Storybrooke.” Emma pauses, laughing as Hope leans in to pat her cheeks. “Because of the curse, I suppose.” 

“But knowledge of it is presumably part of this curse download that your family and all the residents who were brought here by Regina had, correct?” 

“I suppose so.” 

“Well, that surely means that they would wish to begin a new tradition, one that includes this festival?” he presses. 

“Oh, I don’t know, Killian.” Hope crawls into Emma’s lap and she cuddles the baby close. “I don’t want to make a big deal about it. It doesn’t matter.” 

But if there’s one thing Killian doesn’t require Google’s assistance to understand, it’s his wife. This Christmas business is clearly very important to her, and he intends to see that she gets the finest celebration of it that he has in his power to provide. 

—

Killian’s first step in Operation Emma’s Christmas is to enlist the aid of Henry and David. The prince to help him procure all the materials he needs, the lad to come up with a name better than “Operation Emma’s Christmas.” 

David comes through like the noble royal and loving father (in-law) that he is, but Henry, to Killian’s great chagrin, loves Operation Emma’s Christmas. “Straight and to the point,” he says. “Perfect.” 

Killian sighs, frowning at the back seat of David’s truck where his stepson sits typing something on his phone. The lad is so much more prosaic now that he’s discovered girls, he thinks, when really the opposite should be true. 

“Are you sure you can’t come up with something better?” he grumbles. 

“Nope.” Henry doesn’t even look up from his screen. Killian sighs again. 

“Don’t worry, Hook,” says David. “The operation will be a success, the name doesn’t matter. Actually, I’m really glad you thought of it. I’ve been intending to get a Christmas tradition going around here since Neal was born, but what with one thing and another—” 

“Never a quiet moment,” says Killian. “Aye.” 

“Well, we’ve got one now and we’re gonna make the most of it,” says David, pulling the truck over to the side of the road. The three of them get out and Killian catches his breath at the sight before him. They are standing above a wide, snowy valley, extending as far as the eye can see, liberally dotted with lush green fir trees. 

“Take your pick,” says David with a grin, pulling a large saw from the back of the truck. 

“Lad, I’m going to need your help for this,” says Killian. 

“Oh yeah,” says Henry. 

—

Once the trees are procured, their next stop is Regina’s house. She doesn’t look particularly pleased to see them, even less so when they explain their mission. 

“Christmas decorations?” she says in that scathing tone that still gets Killian’s hackles up, even though they’re technically friends now. 

“Yep,” says David, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her what Emma calls his ‘stern Dad’ look. “I have to assume that we never had Christmas in Storybrooke because you didn’t allow it under the curse. Am I wrong?” 

“No.” Regina has the grace to look abashed. “You’re not wrong.” 

“Well then. Don’t you think it’s time you rectified that?” 

“So you want me to what, just magic up some ornaments so you can decorate a tree for Emma?” 

“And for David and Snow,” says Killian. “And anyone else who wants one. I mean, decorations for the whole town would be best, but if that’s beyond your scope…” 

Regina sneers. “Let’s start with yours and Emma’s,” she says. 

—

Snow White is well known for her inability to keep a secret, and so they elect not to bring her in on Operation Emma’s Christmas. Instead Henry is tasked with distracting both her and his mother while ornaments are hung and lights strung at the respective Jones and Nolan households. David and Killian requisition walkie-talkies from the station and have far too much fun strategising and organising their decorating battle plans while Hope gurgles and Neal babbles mostly coherently in the background. 

It takes perhaps longer than it should, neither of them having any actual experience to draw on and needing to consult the oracle frequently, but in due course everything is ready and Killian sends Henry a text with the all-clear. 

He fidgets as he waits for Emma to return, fussing nervously with Hope’s tiny Santa hat as she gums at the pacifier stuck on the end of his hook—a red one for Christmas. He double-checks that all the lights are on and the ornaments hung just so, and all the parcels are stacked in a pleasing way beneath the tree. When he hears her at the door he snatches up the baby and positions them both in front of it all. 

“Killian, I’m—what the—” Emma’s face is a picture as she takes in the sight before her. The huge tree that Henry selected fills nearly half the room, and is covered in shiny red and green ornaments and sparkly lights, with a bright silver star at the top. Beneath it piles of presents sit wrapped in glossy paper and festooned with ribbon bows, and lined up along the mantelpiece are four huge stockings labelled Hope, Henry, Emma, and Killian. The effect, Killian hopes, is festive in the extreme, merry and jolly and everything Emma missed out on when she was growing up. 

“Merry Christmas, love,” he says. 

Emma turns in a slow circle, eyes wide and mouth agape. “But it’s—it’s only the 20th!” she says. 

“Aye, rather late. Google informs me that some people decorate their homes as early as the first of November. But we still have time to enjoy it, apparently the custom in many households is to leave the lights up until the sixth of Jan—oof!” He exhales sharply as Emma throws herself at him, one arm wrapping around his neck and the other cradling Hope’s head as she kisses him.

“I can’t believe you did all this,” she says, peppering his face with kisses. Hope gurgles indignantly and Emma kisses her as well. 

“Henry and your father helped. And Regina, as a matter of fact.” 

“But I bet it was your idea, wasn’t it?” She gives him a knowing look. 

“Aye, I confess it was.” 

“Because I mentioned in passing that it’s a shame we don’t do Christmas in Storybrooke?” 

“It was the way you mentioned it.”

“The way I mentioned it,” she echoes. 

He nods. “Aye. I sensed it was something you missed out on in your youth, and that you wanted Hope to have the experiences you lacked.”

Emma brushes her fingertips across his cheek, a soft smile on her face. “You sensed all that from me saying it might be nice to have Christmas here?” 

He grins and pulls her closer, shifting Hope so she is snuggled between them. “How many times must I tell you, my love, that you are an open book to me?”

She returns the grin, letting her forehead rest against his. “At least once more, I guess.” 

“As always.” 

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