#Queue Shall Die!

[i-am-not-a-who-i-am-a-what]

can i just say for the record that i'm grateful the sfx of protocol is leaning heavily into the computer aspect and not the elements of the statements themselves bc if we were getting the in situ sfx treatment like we had in s5 of archives i would have flung my computer across the room listening to this episode

[lilianhuas]

the funniest thing you can do to a character who has a lot of different ships in canon/fandom is to make them aromantic. most eligible bachelor sees everyone as their friends

[gutshift]

@palespawn liked! / astarion & morrigan!

"You are not nearly as capable of manipulation as you think you are," the witch says one night, shattering the not - quite - silence — crackling fire, distant wildlife, little else. It's their turn on watch, and she never was capable of leaving well enough alone. She shifts in her seat, posture languid and comfortable and, clearly, without fear. Or even respect. A dark brow arches. "I find it difficult to believe you survived hundreds of years via your machinations, given how inept you appear at executing them."

[brideofcdragons]

@mvndrvke Harij continued here:

Inej. What a beautiful name; was she safe? The grief-stricken features worn by the man pouring his hope into her were enough to place her other hand on their already joined hands. How does one tell someone already in despair that when she left Meereen -- the bloody flux was spreading to the point that she had to let the Astrapori starve outside her walls. Closing her eyes briefly so the sickness did not give her away to Harij and his already trusting ways. She could only hope that illness had not taken his sister's hold.

" I will find your sister until my last breath; I must know -- when in Qarth, were you separated by someone that would wish her harm? Perhaps she left with someone that she trusted and abused that power. " How does a young girl slip unnoticed? Masters love to show their possessions -- whether they belong to them or not. The tears glistened for a moment before being removed with a quick hand, tightening Dany's heart -- would her brother do the same if he was still alive?

Leaning forward -- the words poured with conviction and emotion that she could not name, " It is MY honor to have your stand by my side -- all of you that chose to follow me are not in my debt; it is I who is in yours, theirs, and whoever decides to help me make this world better. We are equals -- voices that need to be heard and respected, no matter who you are. The only way change will happen is when we all learn from each other and speak freely, always. " Leaning back slowly, she watches those velvety brown eyes turn down in submission, making her squeeze his hand quickly, begging him to turn his gaze upon her Amythest hues. " My favor is easy -- all I ask is that you survive. Help me gain my throne by telling your story, speaking as one of my advisors, and when the time comes...Become part of my court. I wish to have all of you who follow become my court and continue to make changes as you see fit. Now, tell me, what changes would you like to see happen? " She grabs the flagon of wine and pours a healthy dose for them both -- offering the goblet with a smile and an offering of friendship.

[couldtheycatchkira]

FAQ

Is this about Kira Yoshikage? This is about the international serial killer "Kira" who kills through an indetectable, contactless, remote method. He might be in Japan, though.

Can you put a "Don't know this character/See Results" option? No. This is an active global serial murder investigation and time is of the essence. If you truly don't know who they are, either: look them up, ot just go by what I'm told are called "vibes". Do not default to "Could Not, Would Die" or "Could Catch, Would Survive" simply because you don't know who the character is.

What is the current wait time? About a year, maybe, and counting.

I thought this was for detectives only? We're desperate. Why do you think this is a suicide squad?

How many submissions can I send in one ask? Six. If you go to seven I am deleting the submission without review. Don't even think about attempting eight.

Do submissions need pictures? Not necessarily, but if you want to, make sure it's at the least an OFFICIAL RENDER. I don't like using fanart! (Nothing against fanartists, I just don't want to search something like "Kermit" and get images of strangely muscular frogs (you can imagine the hell I went trying to avoid AI images for Ramona Flowers)). IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING SOMEONE'S FANART FOR A CANONICALLY-UNSEEN CHARACTER (such as, for example, Adolin Kholin), LINK THEIR TUMBLR BLOG SO THAT I MAY CONTACT THEM FOR EXPLICIT PERMISSION.

If a character was already submitted as a standalone/part of a group, can I submit them as part of a group/a standalone? Yes, however you need to wait the full seven days after their poll goes up. In the event that both are submitted in a short amount of time from one another, I shall personally space them out in the queue so that there are at least seven days between them. This is to prevent a situation where, say, Princess Zelda is submitted in quick succession to "The Triforce Wielders" as a group, and you have two polls with Zelda running at once.

Can I submit a real human? No. Pets aren't allowed because they'd sweep, but do not send me video essayists or the like. I will not put them on the blog unless they, themself, send in their name on an official Tumblr account. I fully doubt this will happen, obviously, so simply do not do this.

Can I submit [ANYONE ELSE]? Baby life is short when you're dealing with a guy who can kill from a distance at any time. You should do whatever you like. Submit a guy who can't separate his darks from his lights. Move to a new city. Find a 200 sqft apartment. Get five roommates. Ghost all of them. Start a company that sells leg warmers for dogs. Declare bankruptcy. Move to a different new city. Enter a torrid romance with a guy who calls himself "The Creature". Cheat on him with a different guy who calls himself "Monsieur Beast", a legally distinct entity unaffiliated with MrBeast. Start an electro-flamenco band with both of your exes. Get trapped in a stupid and gay little maze. Fight your way to the castle beyond the Goblin City and take back what has been stolen from you. Eat a lettuce wrap. Move back to your hometown and tell no one.

[sanddollarpoems]

Leaves never wonder

"When is the best time to fall?"

They are simply carried away

With the pull of the wind.

Grass never wonders

"When shall I die?"

It just simply gives in

To the heat of the summer.

Flowers never wonder

"When is the best time to bloom?"

They just simply awake

As the world turns warm.

I always wonder

"How do I live this life?"

Afraid that I'll miss my queue

When life is happening all on its own.

[sneezemonster15]

Found this message under the post that I reblogged today, just below this one.

Like lol. This is why I say - People who don't get SNS don't get the story. They don't get the sentiment behind the story, they don't get the messaging behind the story, they don't get the themes, they don't get the tropes, they don't understand narrative. But most importantly, they don't have the capacity to feel what Kishi wanted to make his readers feel. FEEL.

FEEL

If you truly understand the story, you simply cannot deny SNS. It's a love story. Full stop. It's not a matter of interpretation, it's just a fact. Whether or not you approve it. That's immaterial. Your inane theories don't cancel out the actual narrative that unfortunately most people in this fandom just don't understand or want to understand despite having been told.

At the end of the day, that's what it's all about isn't it? That's what the story is geared towards, that's why the author wrote it the way he did. So that he can convey what he wants to convey with visuals, dialogues, tropes, panel placement, editing, sound effects etc. The ingredients that make a story. And all of it combined gives you the experience any piece of art or audio visual story is supposed to give you, that's how you judge that piece of art. How impactful it was, how detailed it was, how meaningful it was and why, what kind of effort went into it. What does a piece of art make you feel? What does it make you think?

And this is what fans like these who write shitty anti SNS posts don't understand. And don't bother to. People, I suspect from western countries who see everything in the world with their very limited worldview and eurocentric lenses, don't know why shinjuu is considered to be the zenith of expression of love. It's not just in Japan, its concept is quite popular in South East Asia as well. Popular stories, I grew up listening to these stories. To die for each other and with each other is the ultimate expression of love, it's spiritual, it's not for funsies, it's not because it's so darkly romantic. It's meaningful and significant because it's the only way for the said lovers to be with each other in a world that won't let them be together while they are alive. It's rejecting the ways of the world and subverting its rules by defying them in this way. If the world will not allow this love in life then in death. But be together, they shall. That's what it means. It's an evolved sentiment, you need to be up there to get it. These are all layered stories where the said lovers/characters have other obligations as well, they have their own worldly burdens to carry. Like for example, in Love suicides at Amijima by Chikamatsu, which is one of the inspirations for this manga, the man is already married. He has a wife and kids. He is a businessman whose business isn't doing very well, he is under debt but he needs to gather enough money so he can pay out the owner of the brothel where the woman he loves works, so he can be with her as he is meant to be. But he doesn't have it, and his wife knows about it, she knows about this other woman that her husband loves but she carries out somehow. She is written as a sympathetic character. So is the man, so is his lover.

Not everything is black and white, nothing is black and white. But people, especially of a kids' target group, are only shown media with black and white margins. A thing is either good or bad. No nuance. No critical thinking. No curiosity. No redressal. No need either.

Toxic ex bf shit. Lol. Ex bf shit I get hehe.

But toxic? Lol. Like people in this fandom simply loooove to put everything in its convenient little labels without understanding anything. They have no understanding of the character, character arcs, character traits, their motivations, their goals, their belief systems. But right at the top of the queue when it comes to criticizing them. Like nicely done. Lol.

Love is not rational. Emotions aren't rational. Emotions are multi dimensional, they are complex. These fans are used to watching Netflix chick flicks and rom coms and naturally, measure everything by that yardstick. They don't even know about the very significant and important cultural element such as double suicide or shinjuu which is very much a part of the romantic literary imagination of the Japanese public. And public from other Asian countries too. Fans don't understand what kind of obstacles people face in these countries, what with their identities and their values and monolithic social structures they operate in.

Only today, I was told by the admin that as long as I am part of their organization, I can't write anything problematic about the govt on any platform, can't even breathe about it, not even in jest, not even refer to anything negative, can't attend protests, can't speak at rallies, cannot document and publish them, can't write anything subversive, can't put pictures, nothing. Doesn't help that my own socio politico cultural identity already makes me a target in my country. But I can't even seek redressal because for that I will need to talk about it and the moment I do, they will put me behind bars. Heh.

People in such situations are vulnerable in a thousand different ways. But you have to know about them before commenting on them. If you are from a different culture or background, at least do something to learn more before commenting. But such decided fucking statement from these aristocratic elites, it's like a decree. They have said it and it's a line not to be crossed, or else they will harass you. Won't pay attention to useful stuff but would get primed to fight in an instant. So silly.

At least show some curiosity man, if the writer has taken such pains to write it, he must have been thinking something no? Nothing comes out of oblivion. This is simply common sense. But no, they would rather spew cheap, ineffective venom but won't move a finger to learn.

Toxic is what Sakura does to Sasuke. Who doesn't pay attention to his wishes, comfort, his dreams, his past, his goals. All she is concerned about is herself and WANTS a yes from Sasuke, no matter how he feels.

Naruto did everything to understand Sasuke. When Sasuke yelled at Naruto with pain and frustration in vote one, about how he doesn't understand what Sasuke went through, loss of his entire family and clan in one fell swoop by the hands of his own brother, so he won't understand why Sasuke was doing what he was doing (going to Oro and jeopardizing his life). And it makes Naruto stop in his tracks. He is devastated but he tries to understand. He spends the entire Shippuden understanding him.

This is after Pein arc, when Tazuna and Inari come to visit him in Konoha and help rebuild it (but like we all know who did the most of it, psst Yamato lol). Naruto lost Jiraiya in this arc, so he understood how Sasuke felt because losing Jiraiya was like losing family, and Naruto didn't have one to begin with. This is the import of this scene here. You can see it in the flashback.

This is Kage arc, on the bridge. Naruto was just visited by Obito who told him the truth about the massacre. So he understands Sasuke's motivations. He is clearly saying it. Sakura wonders what he is talking about but doesn't care to know still. She still went to assassinate Sasuke with a piss poor strategy. Naruto was ready to lay down his life for Sasuke in the same scene where Sakura tried to stab Sasuke in the back.

Lol. I am sorry but you don't understand what toxic means. Obviously. You also don't understand what love means. You just don't. You can't control love, it's a feeling. You cannot rationalize love. You just feel it. And you know it when it's reciprocated. In Sasuke and Naruto's case, it's both sided. Why else do you think Sasuke gave up his life for Naruto is land of waves arc when he didn't apparently even like him?? Why did he cushion Naruto's fall when he himself was half dead during the fight with Gaara? And why would he monopolize the right to kill Naruto when Obito expresses his intent to kill Naruto and Sasuke shields him? So no one gets to kill Naruto except for him? Naruto is his to save and his to KILL? Call that toxic too why don't you? Toxic ex bf shit. Lol.

Naruto's love for Sasuke is so impactful, even emotionally inept characters such as Sai are inspired, it changes their direction in life, their goals. What toxic man? How is this toxic?

Look how Naruto looks when he talks about Sasuke. Look at his passion, look at his reasons to love Sasuke. Where are Sakura's reasons to love Sasuke? There's none because Kishi didn't write it, said it would look contrived lol. And he is right, Sakura's character doesn't gel with it.

If you love someone, you must know the reasons no? Sasuke knows it, we see it when he is dying in land of waves arc. And we see it in Naruto's case as well. No one accepted his existence like Sasuke did, he was Naruto's friend, the bond they have is unlike any other. Tell me what's so toxic about an orphan relating and resonating with another orphan? What's so problematic about him trying to protect him from bad guys? What is so toxic about how deeply he feels for him? Especially when he KNOWS Sasuke feels equally strongly for him too? How do you connect with people? Don't you look for an intersection where you both just connect? Sometimes, it just happens. These days, people call it vibin I guess? Lol. Tell me what's so toxic about finding a kindred spirit that you can confide in? Or would you rather prefer someone like Sakura who doesn't understand or even attempt to understand what it means to be in Naruto and Sasuke's shoes? She dismisses Naruto's feelings, she dismisses Sasuke's feelings, doesn't even care to know. She realizes Naruto has had a hellish time in Konoha given he is a jinchuuriki, but does she improve her behaviour? Sasuke tells her multiple times that he thinks very lowly of her, she doesn't understand his feelings or goals, she is still the same and still cannot see anything beyond her own nose. She is annoying because she doesn't change despite Sasuke trying to make her understand. But does she change? Hell no. Still keeps pestering a clearly disinterested, disengaged Sasuke. Now THAT is toxic.

What's so toxic about Naruto finding relief in finding someone like himself in a village where there's no one else like him? Isn't this how people meet? Connect? That common thread? Because Naruto knows by instict that Sasuke, being an orphan and alone, will understand Naruto like others won't. Like I said, it's a matter of feeling. What's toxic about finding someone similar like you by the grace of which, you want to establish some connection? It only reflects compatibility and mutual understanding. What's so wrong with that?

Look at the second panel. Naruto looks so soft, so introspective, so loving when talking and thinking about Sasuke. He never thought he would have a bond like that, he never thought he would meet anyone who he would relate to so much, he, an orphan who never had the advantage of people understanding him or caring for him, which he finally found in Sasuke and Iruka. Why wouldn't he wanna protect him? Why wouldn't he love him? What's stopping him exactly? What's so toxic about him wanting to be like Sasuke? So that he can feel like Sasuke's equal, so Sasuke won't dismiss him. Naruto was insecure at this time but he is not some monstrous manipulator people think he is. Like fuck, what do you expect him to do? So just because you cannot place yourself in his shoes, and won't even attempt to even though Kishi puts so much emphasis on it, you get to mischaracterize him? That's just immature. Like I feel sorry for you. You missed out on so much. Naruto is someone who is strategically written as the underdog that we are all supposed to root for. Which means his character is written to evoke sympathy and wring the most melodramatic emotions from the readers so as to get them even more invested in this story. If you came out thinking Naruto is the bad dude, you clearly didn't get this story and you clearly don't get storytelling, doesn't matter if you approve of Naruto's character or not.

Naruto loves Sasuke and he would go to any lengths to save him. Just like how Sasuke did in land of waves arc. Just like how Iruka protected Naruto in chapter two. That's what Naruto knows. Loving someone is protecting them to death. No matter what the consequences. That's what he knows from his context and that's what we understand by reading this story. He would rather remain a fool but not give up on Sasuke.

As long as you see everything through your little, limited, juvenile lenses, this is what you will get from media. Explore, learn, talk to people, listen to them, do your own research and thinking and then come to your conclusions. How else would you understand anything?

Y'all Sasuke lovers are fucking dumb I gotta say. You should be happy for Sasuke that he has someone like Naruto to love him and care for him. (Ending not considered, since it's just fuckall anyway, a high pricetagged bandaid. It's contrived, a deus ex machina'ed ending.) Just like Naruto stans should be glad that he has someone like Sasuke to love him and care for him. You don't get Sasuke and Naruto stans who hate Sasuke, you don't get Naruto.

People who deny or criticise SNS, sorry but you don't get love. Not the feeling or its expression in stories and media. You don't know romance tropes, you don't know cultural elements, you don't know how other cultures see and understand love. They say everything is fair in love and war don't they? It's meaningful, it didn't come out of oblivion.

This story is about love, the point of this story is that true love is bigger than entire nations and all the restrictions and limitations it puts on you. That's why Naruto chose Sasuke over Konoha. This is not rocket science either, if you were paying attention rather than concocting your headcanons, you would have gotten it too. But it's much too effort isn't it? And more than anything else, you don't wanna break your circle of joy/mutual wanking bubble by acknowledging their love. How else would you project and self insert?

Sasuke and Naruto both love each other madly and deeply. It's mutual, they fuel each other's feelings and hence actions, that's why their feelings are so big. That's why they feel so righteous about it, because they know that the other person feels it too.

People do crazy shit for love. My aunt absconded with a man who worked for her father, my grandfather. He was much lower in class and status, these things mean a lot in some societies. They make or break relationships. So my aunt knew my grandfather will never allow it, neither will the society. So they absconded and lived a miserable life, without much capital or any connections. They were ostracized from society. Absconding with someone is a taboo of the first order. Not even their own parents talked with them. But they stuck together through thick and thin. He got a brain tumor but she nursed him through it while looking after the kids. She was so devoted to him, that you wouldn't believe. He relapsed some time ago and this time the cancer was terminal. She devoted herself to his care again. Her daughter, my cousin used to tell me: My parents love each other more than they love us, their children. They only have eyes for each other.

Hehe. And it's true, I saw it. In fact, I always felt a little uncomfortable with them in the same room, it used to make me feel like I wasn't needed there. They were so focused on each other.

You underestimate love because you have never felt it. Not everyone is equipped or capable of loving like Naruto and Sasuke. But have a heart man, you can understand it if you just removed those homophobic and dumbass cobwebs from your eyes.

[katyawriteswhump]

the power of love, part 14

Sorry about Sunday's empty post ☹️ I must've accidentally put a draft template in my queue because I am basically tired and rubbish and life isn’t the greatest right now. Anyhow.... Whoops and really sorry again!

Alternate ending S4: Steve has a habit of surviving near death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 15

(also on AO3 here and as part of my steve whump fic series)

Eddie POV

When neither Steve nor Robin show up after ten minutes, Eddie begins to freak out. 

He, Hopper and El are still waiting for the car, out of sight among some ferns. Hopper’s getting antsy, muttering beneath his breath, while Eddie’s wriggling like he’s got ants in his pants. Which he genuinely might have, though that’s not what’s bugging him:

“Uuuuh, shall I see what’s taking them so long?”

“You do that,” says Hopper. ��What’s going on with that guy? He could barely stand! How the hell could he…”

Eddie tunes out, retracing their journey into the trees, calling Robin’s name then Steve’s. Maybe Steve passed out, and Robin got lost searching? Somehow, he doesn’t buy it. A heaviness slows his feet, and his guts twist sourly. 

They wouldn’t just ditch him. Surely? Surely!?! 

Fifteen minutes later, he winds up where he started: “They’re not back?” 

“What do you reckon?” Hopper’s breathing hard and red in the face. Evidently, he’s been running in circles like Eddie has.

“This is for you.” El nudges Eddie and presses a scrap of paper into his hand. “I think Steve left it.”

“What? Where?” Eddie’s stomach clamps tight again. 

Her eyes stretch very wide. “Fell out of your pack.”

Turning the note over in his hands, his fingers stiffen, as if shrinking from the task, bracing for… something. In the event, he gets a literal slap around the face.

“You make me sick,” Steve wrote.

Eddie’s skin burns with the blow. Wow! This is why I never have and never freakin’ will write love songs.

“What does he say?” demands Hopper.

Eddie scans the note one more time, scrunches it in his fist. “I’d hazard a guess he’s gone back to Hawkins.”

“Goddammit! Robin’s gone with him?”

“I think that’s a safe bet.” A wobble in the back of Eddie’s throat finds its way into his voice. Because, boy, is he still processing.

You make me sick. 

What does that even mean? To be fair, Eddie did make Steve sick. More than once. But why the heck write… that. Would suck less to be dumped without a word. 

Thanks for the overkill, man.

“Don’t you even think about scooting off,” growls Hopper. “Your uncle would never forgive me.” 

Oh yeah. Wayne. The only person who ever actually cared about him.

Eddie plonks his butt down on the ground and waits for the car.

…

Steve POV

“C’mon, giddy up,” says Steve. He and Robin make their way along the muddy bank of the stream towards home.

“Is this some kind of race?” she asks. “While I’d forgotten your former life as a douchebag jock, you’re doing a stunning job of reminding me, and… Uuuuugh!” 

“Jesus Christ, what’s wrong this time?” He spirals about, plants his hands on his hips—he’d ditched the sling a while ago. 

She scrubs madly at her lips. “I swallowed a bug! Ugh, ugh, ugh, mega-gross. Eeeeurgh!”

“Maybe if you weren’t complaining, like, constantly, there’d be less opportunities for bugs to get in.” 

“You shut up, shit-bird! I could die of malaria.” She spits into the stream. “Ew! EEEEEEEW!” 

“Ssssh! Hop said the military will be crawling everywhere soon, or—”

“Eddie might hear?” His heart heaves a loaded thud. She looks back sharply, purses her lips. “You know, he could be lost in the wilderness, all alone. Being hunted by evil army thugs. Or bears! Did you think of that when you sauntered off?”

“I did, yeah. I left him a message saying not to follow.” He shades his face from the afternoon sunlight, which shafts between the trees. Also, he can’t look her straight on and say this: “It was kinda brutal, I guess. It was for his own good, right?”

“Oh. Riiiight.”

“You done spewing insects?” he snaps.

“Still heavily grossed-out here. Gimme a minute, ’kay?” She plonks herself on a rock, crumpling forward.

He mops his brow, strips his sweater, and takes the opportunity to check in on his bat bites. They’re still sore, the bandages a bit bloody. Nothing too fresh, though. For the billionth time, his thoughts fly back to Eddie. He hopes Eddie doesn’t get hurt and need healing while they’re apart, and… Holy shit, will he ever see him again? He ties his sweater around his hips, trying to make fumbling hands look casual.

“Steve? You okay?”

“Other than the fact I’m modelling a ‘shoot-me-now-why don’t-you?’ Hellfire Club t-shirt,”—and that I want to punch myself in the face about that moronic note—“I’m good, Robin.”

“You know what? I don’t doubt it.” She brushes her flyaway hair from suspicious eyes. “You’ve gone from death’s door to super-human speed in, oh, I don’t know—feels to me that we’ve been marching for a week. I think it’s been barely an hour.”

“Yeah? We got a long way to go then.” He starts off along the stream’s edge, forcibly slowing his pace. He senses her puffing, panting, then following on his heels.

“Look, Steve, this water goddess who’s pulling you back, whispering in your ear—”

“I can’t actually tell if they’re male or female. Does that matter?”

“Not in the slightest. So, your water… deity. Have they, by any chance, enlightened you as to some kind of divine plan? Or told you exactly where you’re heading?” 

“I got an idea where I’m going, yeah.” To the second place he died, swept away on that blood-red tide—even now, he sees it in his head, like a few frames of a horror VHS stuck on eternal repeat. “Where’s the best place for army generals with dodgy agendas to hang out in Hawkins? There’s never been an army base, apart from—”

“You’re kidding me?” She grabs his elbow, jerking him back. “The Soviet tunnels?” He nods, and her obvious dread has her dropping him like a stone. “No way! I don’t think I can go anywhere near without a major panic attack."

“I’m not gonna march straight in.” He’s already wandering on. Trouble is, now he’s said the idea out loud, it’s become real and terrible. And he’s gotta pretend like his blood’s not congealing to ice. “I don’t know how I’m gonna get in anyhow. I mean, the Starcourt lift is buried under a ton of rubble. I think Hop might’ve know other ways—”

“Oooh, I got a great idea. Let’s go back and ask him.”

“Yeah, real subtle.”

“Steve!” She seizes him again, twisting him around with a furious force. “I know you want to help El, but what can you ACTUALLY DO?” He shrugs before he can stop himself. “Rain? Lightning? How does that benefit us—especially in underground tunnels? Plus you’ve had literally zero time for practice. If we don’t slow down and come up with a decent plan, this is tantamount to suicide.”

“We? Seriously, Robin, I…” His teeth clamp his lower lip. Any moment now, he’ll tell her how terrified he is, how he really, really doesn’t want to get tortured again, let alone die; how the idea of anything bad happening to her is as frightening as any of it. “I don’t think I have much choice.”

“Steve,” she says, gentler now, though her grip gouges into his flesh. “It’s screamingly obvious you’re not thinking straight. You’ve been ill for days and now you’re in a funk, beating yourself up over Eddie.”

He yanks himself free, glares. “That doesn’t make any dif—"

“Bullshit! Trust me, however ‘mean boy’ your literary masterpiece got, Eddie won’t want you to do anything this dumb. Oh, and your resident gender-fluid angel saved your life. They’re not gonna want you to sacrifice it pointlessly.”

He opens his mouth to argue, then shuts it again. He laughs—not a particularly happy laugh, but not totally miserable either. “You win,” he says, kinda sagging with relief. “You got a plan, smarty-pants?”

She laughs with him, equally edgy. “I say we go to Lover’s Lake, wait till it’s dark. If that’s too dangerous, we find some hidden pool where you can practise whatever badass moves you think you got. Hopefully without the puking. It’ll be a bit like Band Camp. But for Magic. Magic Camp. Okay?”

“You really aren’t gonna be happy until I’m a bigger nerd that any of… Shit!” 

He’s been considering hugging her. Instead, he seizes her sleeve, dragging her down into a deep, wet gully. They land with a splash, crouching low, close. She doesn’t complain, because she’s heard what he has.

The distant sound of barking dogs. Likely, army search dogs.

“Dog barks travel for miles, huh?” he whispers.

“Possibly.” She sucks in a scared breath. “One thing for sure—those sniffy wet snouts can pick up a human scent from the next county.”

“We’re in a stream, Robin. They can’t pick up our scent here, right?”

She crinkles her nose, dubious. “Dogs’ sense of smell is pretty amazing.”

“Yeah? Let’s hope this bunch caught colds or something.” 

He’s now the one clutching her way too tight, and he half-wishes he’d ditched her with a bitchy note too. Though, not quite. She smart; he needs her, and she’s really has gotten him thinking clearer: 

“We head for Lover’s Lake. C’mon.”

…

Eddie POV

When the sound of the car engine finally reaches his hearing, Eddie feels almost nothing.

“Don’t move.” Hopper pitches Eddie a forbidding look and grabs El, keeping them low behind the ferns. 

An owl hoots. Despite the hollowness in his chest, Eddie silently cracks up. Seriously? Top secret government goons can’t think of a better signal than me and Robin? 

Hopper’s grip slides to the firearm at his side. He rises slowly. “Over here.”

Peeping between the foliage, Eddie can make out a limo-style saloon with blacked-out windows. A severe-faced woman in lethal stilettos climbs out. “Chief Hopper, I presume? I apologise for the delay. O’Sullivan’s got men everywhere. We must leave right away.”

Hopper, nevertheless, remains stood well off the road with Eleven, not rushing for the car. And Eddie? 

You make me sick.

Steve’s made it simple for him. He should cut his losses and take this chance of escape. Wayne would want him to. Apart from… Eddie literally can’t. What was it that Steve said? Oh yeah. That he was being stretched in the wrong direction. Or something along those lines.

Yeah, I’m feelin’ it, Stevie. 

Nothing supernatural, nothing hinky. You kill me that bad, Babe—even after you turned meanie-King-Steve and dumped me. Oh, and went back to goddamn Mordor without me! 

Gonna trust you had your reasons, and I’m coming anyway.

He turns on his dirt-clotted heels and flees as fast as he can.

Part 15

...

tags: @estrellami-1 @kal-ology @finntheehumaneater (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far :)

(also part of my steve whump fic series on AO3)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 15

[recalcitrantlycaffeinated]

I have not posted on Tumblr for four-ish years. Recently, after finishing a trashy TV show that nobody I know watched, I thought, "surely there is a community for this on Tumblr, and I shall make my triumphant return!" only to find that said community is just...writing horny fanfic about one of the least redeemable villain characters maybe ever??? (I should have known better.) But I'm still kind of mad that the fun I had on Tumblr became one of the casualties of my PPD/PTSD time, so I think I'll be filling the queue whenever I'm sporadically looking at Tumblr. Maybe making a post now and again, but my life is less funny now because it mostly focuses on Making Food and Keeping a Four Year Old Alive (even though she Hates Food).

So I guess the takeaways from this are: -I'm back, ish -if you have a kid and suddenly think "several aspects of my personality need to die to satisfy my need for death right now", maybe you have A Mental Illness -you have all missed the entire point of Outer Banks, which is that it is National Treasure populated entirely by a cast of Rileys, and I am DISAPPOINTED

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

FFxivWrite2024 Prompt #8

Title: Wicked Hearts Aligned

Wordcount: 1887

Spoilers through: Stormblood

Alternate Universe: What if the Empire had won in Stormblood? D:

Relationships & Characters: Yotsuyu/Fordola 

Summary: After the Ala Mhigan and Doman revolutions both fail, Yotsuyu receives a new bodyguard

(Surprise, surprise, putting together that Yotsuyu-themed queue last week resulted in a Yotsuyu and Fordola plot bunny nibbling on my brain! It didn’t fit for any of the prompts so far, but now that today is the free day… I decided to write it! Enjoy!)

.

“And what do we have here? You’re no Garlean.”

Indeed, the woman who stepped off the naval transport might have been a full head taller than Yotsuyu, but rather than a third eye, her forehead bore an unusual blue tattoo.

“No, my lady.” The woman - barely more than a girl, in Yotsuyu’s estimation - barked the title with a curt, military affect. A soldier, then. “Ala Mhigan.”

The tribunus standing between them cleared his throat awkwardly. “She’s being reassigned. Not much need of prototypes like her in Ala Mhigo after the XIIth’s, er… resounding victory.”

Ah yes. Yotsuyu’s network had brought her the news from the western provinces. An early defeat had instead served to galvanize the local rebels. And the orgy of violence had ended quite spectacularly in the crown prince taking control of an eikon to raze the entire city state to the ground.

The Ala Mhigan Incident, whispers were beginning to call it.

Yotsuyu hadn’t thought there were any survivors of the massacre. As her spies had put it, the prince had rampaged through his own troops and the enemy’s alike. But what had the little man said? A prototype? Perhaps that explained this girl’s miraculous survival. 

Yotsuyu cast a critical eye over the soldier still standing stiffly at attention. “Hypertuned, then?” 

“As if!” her imperial minder promptly launched into a condescending lecture. "To a savage like you, the difference may not be obvious. But Hypertuned were mere stepping stones, brutes that proved the validity of our genius theories. They are far from the pinnacle Garlean science has achieved.”

Yotsuyu took a deep draw from her pipe and blew the smoke into his face. Garleans were such boors. 

“This is a Resonant.” The aggravating blowhard ignored her and instead ran a hand down the girl’s side as she made a superb effort not to shrivel up and die on the spot. She didn’t quite hide the disgust in her eyes, though. Not one suited to lying, it seemed. “Utterly ruthless. Invincible in combat. Obedient to a fault. Nearly the equal of a Garlean,” the tribunus concluded, as if his empire of petty bigots held aught to be proud of.

“Delightful,” Yotsuyu yawned, already bored of the subject. “I’m certain Doma will find a use for her.”

“About that…“

What followed was the usual tedious minutiae of an imperial report. Shipments this, conscripts that, and on and on and on. But as Yotsuyu puffed away at her pipe, her eyes kept drifting over the muscular Ala Mhigan who was, the evidence suggested, here to be her new bodyguard.

She did go through her guards rather quickly, Yotsuyu had to admit. Perhaps this girl would last longer than that oafish green Roegadyn. Perhaps whatever Garlean treatments she’d been drowned in would prevent her from dying to a shinobi’s blade in her back.

Unlikely. But it would be a shame for such a lithe young hound to find an early grave before Yotsuyu had seen the tricks she was capable of.

“Come with me,” she requested once the stuffy Garlean uniform had been dismissed. 

“My lady?”

“Let it never be said that Domans want for hospitality! You must be tired from your journey,” The viceroy laid the sarcasm on thick, but this was her domain, and she could perform in it as she pleased. 

Her attitude abruptly switched to icy anger as she stomped her food down in front of one of the scurrying wait staff. “You there! Why haven’t you set a table for our guest?”

“It shall be done at once.” The servant backed away, barely concealing his sour expression. But no matter how much it rankled them all to be forced to serve a woman of the night and her uncultured foreign guest, the castle staff had to obey.

“Ah! Where are my manners?” Yotsuyu then whirled around again to draw a coy finger down her guest’s half-exposed chest. “I haven’t even asked your name.”

⁂

Fordola, as the girl had pronounced herself, picked up her sake cup and tilted it back and forth in confusion. “Why are the cups so damned tiny here?” She shook her head and downed the whole thing in one gulp.

Cue a round of gasping and choking as she made the unpleasant discovery of just how strong the alcohol was in her drink. Yotsuyu didn’t bother to hide her laughter.

But once the shaking in her chest had subsided, Yotsuyu traced a finger along the edge of her own cup. “You could call it a Doman tradition, perhaps. We like our appearances… deceiving.”

“Permission to speak freely, my lady?” As though the girl’s language wasn’t baldly uncouth before.

Yotsuyu inclined her head slightly. “Granted.”

“That’s a right load of bollocks.”

“Isn’t it?” Yotsuyu smiled, charmed at her new guard’s frank disdain. After surrounding herself with two-faced Domans for so long, she’d forgotten how refreshing it was to speak with someone who neither bore her any hatred nor kept her emotions from her face.

Yes, Fordola was sweetly entertaining in her contrasts. She tried so very hard to put up a taciturn and professional mask, deflecting Yotsuyu’s undisguised personal questions and flatly refusing to respond to others. Yet her youth and inexperience was transparently obvious, and Yotsuyu found it simple to fluster her, to wind her up, to have her spilling dangerous opinions and classified military intel alike as soon as she was put on a subject she felt passionately about.

Perhaps Yotsuyu let a few personal truths of her own slip too. It hardly mattered here, after all. The girl had no one and naught to tattle to, even her own friends having been put to slaughter.

“Why’d you side with the Garleans?” The topic had wandered to the subject of the failed Doman uprising. Not that it had been much to speak of. Compared to the dramatic fireworks in Ala Mhigo, the swift beheading of the would-be Doman king and his Auri pet had been a wholly understated affair.

Yotsuyu met the eyes of the small reflection flickering inside her cup. “For freedom, you could say. A chance to escape the wonderful Doman institution of the pleasure house. A chance to make the ones who sold me pay.”

Judging by the haunted expression on the girl’s face, the words had struck a chord. “Was it worth it?”

At that, Yotsuyu smiled, the neat bow of her lips somehow infused with the slavering hunger of a starving wolf. “Every moment.”

For every backbreaking chore her so-called parents had heaped upon her. For every blind eye her brother had turned on her suffering. For every blow her husband had struck, and every indignity her master had demanded she perform for his clients.

There could be no forgiveness, and so Doma would bleed until there was no more Doma left. Only then would the sin be purged, and her heart made who - 

The tingling crash of porcelain shattering on wood interrupted Yotsuyu’s vengeful reverie.

“What in the name of the kami…?!” Fordola had appeared hale and healthy but moments ago, yet now she thrashed about, upending the table and scattering the cushions as if in the throes of a fit. 

Yotsuyu hurriedly retreated, backing up against the wall. Should she call for one of the servants? Attempt to restrain the convulsing soldier herself? She drew her hidden revolver just in case, training it on the girl’s head.

In her current state, Fordola did not appear to be dangerous - perhaps the Garleans’ experiments had left her unwell - but Yotsuyu did not maintain her precarious position by being careless. If the girl posed her even the slightest threat, she had no qualms about placing her own survival first.

Thankfully, after several unsightly seconds of further flailing, the Hypertuned - Replicant - whatever Garlean nonsense term - slumped quietly to the floor and stayed still. When prodded with the tip of Yotsuyu’s gun, she then groaned and sat up, nursing her head.

“Explain,” the viceroy coldly demanded.

“Huh…?” Fordola looked up, an oddly sorrowful expression on her face - only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun. “What the -”

Yotsuyu nudged the girl’s head again, and she flinched. Aware of her surroundings now, it seemed. Yotsuyu returned the revolver to her robes and gestured sharply at the broken cups and spilled sake. “Explain this mess.”

Fordola’s eyes widened. “I-It’s a side effect. The scientists said there’s no means to control it, I swear I’d do anything if there was…” 

Yotsuyu did not let a single scrap of sympathy show on her face. 

Her new guard then grit her teeth and bowed her head. “My lady, the fault is mine. I apologize.”

“Clean it up.” The heartless imperial viceroy turned on her heel. “I will consider your apology, and your place in my service, afterwards.”

She then stalked out of the room, the picture of scorn and disappointment at the girl’s failings.

Of course, Yotsuyu didn’t go far.

As much as the soldier taking leave of her senses had startled her, neither that nor the sake were of any great importance. The discomforting episode was, however, a perfect opportunity to test Fordola’s obedience. A disloyal guard, even one as amusing as the Ala Mhigan, was of no use to Yotsuyu.

Like many of the luxurious spaces in Doma Castle, the tea room had a servant hallway behind it, one Yotsuyu had personally hidden the entrance to and supplied with cutaways to look out onto the main room. The Domans might dismiss her as a mere opportunistic informant, but Yotsuyu liked to think she could give a shinobi a good run for their money.

She’d learned a lot from her fellow spies. She’d had to, to survive.

And so, she silently slipped away to her spy hole and watched what Fordola might do when left to her own devices.

It turned out to be a thoroughly pathetic display. The soldier’s hands were clearly unsuited for homely chores. She hadn’t even thought to fetch her gauntlets, and so she soon cut herself on the broken porcelain - causing her to yelp and drop everything else she’d managed to gather up. 

Another child whose country had chewed her up and spat her back out. 

But Fordola knelt back down and started picking up shards again. Slowly, painstakingly, and with many more clumsy errors and frustrated growls, she collected the broken pieces, mopped up the spilled sake, and put the room back to the way it had been.

Another child who’d dug in her nails and survived.

As Yotsuyu continued watching, Fodola sat down in the corner of the room and cradled her head in her hands. She knew no one would comfort her, let alone help her, but she didn’t cry. She likely had no tears left.

It would be child’s play for Yotsuyu to mold this girl into the ruthless monster the Garlean had described her as. To give her a taste for sadistic revenge. To drag her through the depths of the hells until only wickedness remained.

But… the rotted lump of poison that beat in place of her heart did not insist on it. The girl wasn’t Doman. She wasn’t even Garlean.

What a strange sensation. To feel as though Yotsuyu’s feet had led her to a crossroads, where for once she was intrigued by the choice.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: My nephew helped me queue this one (he is a literal baby) -Danny Words: 2,379 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Goldrush' -by Stela Cole

X: Are You Serious? Right in Front of My Salad?

I wake up with a start. My mouth is dry as if I've been running for hours. I just had the weirdest dream about Janus in a forest and now my mind is racing, so I get up. I leave Annabeth in Geryon's old bedroom and make my way downstairs. 

Nico is seated on a tall chair in the kitchen aisle, he doesn't look up as I walk past him, but as I'm filling a glass with water, he speaks to me. "How's Lily?" He asks hoarsely. "And Michael?"

I want to ignore him, but his voice is so broken my heart can't bear it. We spoke to his sister's ghost today, and Bianca told him to stop trying to bring her back.

"You know, now that you're all grumpy, you and Lily would get along even better."

"I don't want friends," he cuts me off, voice quivering. "Just wanted my sister."

"Nico," I leave my glass on the counter and cross my arms. "I grew up in an orphanage—"

"What's that got to do with—"

"Shut up and listen," I scowl. "I didn't know how it felt to have a real family until recently, and sometimes Percy annoys me on purpose, but no one cares for me the way he and my mom do. If Bianca, your only sister, was asking you to trust us, you should've listened."

"Like how you listened to Percy when he asked you to stay put?"

I tense. "That's different. Geryon would've killed him if I hadn't—"

He interrupts me bitterly. "Percy's not your real brother, and you'll never know what a real family is. You get in everyone's way trying to be a hero."

I try not to pout, but I'm not succeeding. "That's mean."

If Nico is ashamed, I don't sense it. "It's the truth."

"You don't talk to your friends like that," I say, voice quivering. "Bianca—"

Nico gets up and exits the room hastily, speaking through gritted teeth. "We are not friends."

"...Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She—she asked me to choose which boy would die." Piper explains during the meeting.

"But neither of us died," Jason replies. "You saved us."

"I know. It's just... Why would she want that?"

"Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione?" Leo mentions. "She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power." 

"Oh..." Percy leans back in his chair looking nauseous. "Oh, bad... Bad. Bad." He turns to Hazel and Frank. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel replies. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."

"I had a dream, when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said—he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"

"Jolly way of dying..." Ara mutters.

Piper makes a face. "You think the giants would use our blood... the blood of two of us—"

"I don't know," Percy replies. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."

"That I agree with," Jason sighs.

"But how do we figure it out? The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy... how does it all fit together?" Hazel questions.

Annabeth leans on the table. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta." 

"Right. Bacchus told us we should seek out... what was his name?"

"Phorcys," Percy responds.

"You know him?" Annabeth looks at him with surprise.

"I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

"What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird," Leo points out with a shrug. "Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth shivers. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper intervenes. "There's one last thing. The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room." 

There is nothing but silence for a few seconds before Hazel sighs. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth questions.

"I've met eidolons. In the Underworld, when I was... you know."

"So..." Frank looks around anxiously. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper replies. "We don't know."

"Okay," Ara fixes her posture tensely. "Do you have a plan to get rid of them?"

"Yes," Piper looks at her. "I think we can fix this."

Ironic, how the skills that have proven to be handy so far are the ones she had as an Aphrodite and not the ones she worked hard for. "Okay," Ara nods with confidence. "What do we do?"

"We talk, and everyone else has to listen," her sister explains. "Your voice is stronger than mine, so it'd be better if you call out to them first, and force them to stay put."

"You're a better negotiator, though," Ara reminds her, "so you'll do the talking after I've got them in place."

"Deal."

"Girls, what are you—"

Ara hushes Jason and lifts a finger. "Be quiet, I have to focus." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. The girl's skin glows pink, and the dark brown has been replaced with iridescent tints when she opens her eyes. "Eidolons, where are you?"

A ripple of warm air crosses the table. Leo, Jason, and Percy sit up stiffly, their gazes are the same golden color. "Here," they speak all at once.

Frank jumps out of his seat and presses his back against a wall. Hazel covers her mouth in horror.

"You are not allowed to leave your seats," Ara tells them.

"We won't move," they reply.

 Annabeth looks at the two daughters of Aphrodite with worry. "Oh, gods—Can you cure them?"

Piper raises her hand to ease her, and when she does, her palm trembles a little. Ara holds it as soon as she notices.

"Are there more of you on this ship?" Piper asks.

"No," Leo responds. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."

"Not here, you won't," Piper's eyes blaze with anger. "All three of you, listen carefully. You will leave those bodies—"

"No."

"We must live."

"Then find another way," Ara glares at the Eidolon possessing Leo.

Leo's face twists into a smirk. "You are a spoiled child of Olympus. We do not answer to you."

"Mars Almighty, that's creepy!" Frank draws out his bow. "Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo looks at him. "You cannot command us either, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."

Frank manages to aim an arrow at Leo. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't," Hazel gets up, then turns to the others. "Listen to Piper."

"Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead," Percy snarls.

"Listen, eidolons," Hazel spits out, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper and Ara do. Obey them."

Piper looks at Ara, the girl squeezes her palm and absorbs the fear her sister is feeling so she can speak. Piper takes a deep breath and tries again. "You will leave those bodies."

Jason grimaced. "We—we will leave these bodies."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship, and never to possess any member of this crew."

Leo and Percy groan in protest, but their eyes are slowly changing colors.

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper repeats, squeezing Ara's hand.

Ara shakes off the shivers she's getting from sponging Piper's anxiety, but she doesn't let go of her. "Promise!" The girl stomps her foot impatiently, and another ripple of hot air pushes out of her place on the table.

"We promise on the River Styx," the boys spit out in different levels of distress. 

"You are dead," Piper continues in a steady voice. 

"We are dead." 

"Now, leave."

The boys fall: Percy against the table, Jason over his chair, and Leo onto the floor. "Ow!"

"Leo!" Ara lets go of Piper and circles the table, she finds Leo sprawled next to his toppled chair.

"Are you all right?" Hazel asks the boys.

"Did it work?" Leo speaks groggily.

"It worked," Piper announces. "I don't think they'll be back."

"Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?" Jason groans.

Piper laughs. "Come on, Lightning Boy. Let's get you some fresh air. And Ara..." she tilts her body to see her over the table's surface. "Thank you."

Ara helps Leo to get back on his feet, she dusts off her jeans and looks at Piper. "You saved my brother and my boyfriend, I should be thanking you."

"What was that thing you did?" Hazel questions in shock. "You glowed pink!"

"Aphrodite's blessing," Ara replies. "I can use those from time to time, but not often and not one after the other, it tires me out too quickly."

"You have more than one blessing?" Frank asks in shock.

"She's got four," Leo replies hoarsely, rubbing the side of his face. "Gods, doll, you could've asked my ghost to land on his butt..."

Ara grins. "We should call it a day. Y'all go to sleep, I'll take the night shift."

Everyone starts to leave, but Percy stays behind to talk to Ara and Leo. "So..." He makes a face. "That sucked. I'm sorry for... you know..."

"It's alright, man," Leo shrugs. "I would've reacted the same way if some weirdo claimed to be my sister's sweetheart and then proceeded to bomb my house."

"A real fancy way to put it, Leo," Ara scowls.

"My point is—now we can start over, right?" Leo reaches out to take Percy's hand.

Percy shakes his hand with no hesitation. "Definitely." He glances at Ara. "I know Ara can take care of herself, but... just try to be careful."

Ara feels weird about the way he says it. Her mind goes to Hazel and Frank, and how they called Leo 'Sammy' the first time they spoke to him. She thinks Percy knows something about that.

Leo is checking the ship's status before ending the day. It could be done by just one of them, but he insisted and Ara refused to let go of him now that he's eidolon-free.

"Not that I'm complaining," he walks from one place to another with Ara hugging him from behind like a little kid. "But it wasn't that serious, doll. Getting possessed is kinda like the flu."

"It's not funny," Ara mumbles, squeezing his waist. "Last night he could've taken over while you were kissing me—"

"Yikes," Leo cringes. "Let's not go there."

"But it could've happened!"

"Nah," he taps the morse code for 'I love you' on the back of her hand. Leo does it without noticing, or at least that's what Ara thinks, she's never asked because she fears it'll make Leo self-conscious and then he'll stop doing it. "My Eidolon was scared of you—all bark and no bite. The reason why they felt brave enough to attack you in New Rome, was because you were caught off guard."

"Love your blind faith, but—"

Leo turns and wraps his arms around her. "No buts! You're strong, smart, and hot when you use your blessings."

Ara gets flustered and tries to step back. "Okay, I got it—"

The boy kisses her without warning. He hadn't kissed her like this in... well, probably never. When he ends it, Ara is speechless and light-headed, her soul-light glows as bright as gold. Sometimes he does things that make her doubt he's not a fidget of her imagination, the way he can make her forget everything that bothers her and all she can do is stay focused on him in just a matter of seconds.

"Talking about last night... you mentioned Hazel," he says quietly, paying close attention to how she reacts. "We're gonna talk about that, or..?"

Ara leans her forehead on his. "Do we have to?"

Leo frowns. "Yeah, think so. That girl and her boyfriend freak me out! I don't know what I did to them..."

"Percy knows, but I don't think he wants to tell me," she sighs. "You should ask them face to face."

Leo snorts. "And say what? 'Hey, are you two planning my murder?'—bet that would lighten the mood around here."

Ara rolls her eyes. "Obviously not like that! I'm sure there's a way to address this without making it awkward..." She holds his arms. "Do you think Hazel..."

Leo stares at her, and he doesn't know how, 'cause this has never come naturally to him, but he guesses what Ara's trying to ask him. "You think she likes me?" He squints. "I mean, I am more good-looking than Frank, but—"

"Leónidas!" She hisses under her breath. "I'm serious!"

"Me too!" Leo exclaims. "Okay fine, grown-up talk," his grip on her gets a little tighter. "I don't know. It's like she's scared of me or something... I'll try to talk to her if you want me to."

Ara's uncomfortable for a wide variety of reasons. Mostly jealousy, but she's having negative thoughts about a girl that she's supposed to look after, and to top it all she's Nico's half-sister. She tries hard not to antagonize Nico too much, but she's always finding ways to do so.

"I hate feeling this way." She makes a face. "When we got the celestial bronze, you guys had like... a moment. I'm still thinking about it."

"A moment?"

Ara blushes, knowing how ridiculous she's about to sound. Her eyes avoid his when she talks, they're no longer golden, but they still have power over her. "You locked eyes for a second. It looked intense."

Leo presses his lips together, stopping himself from laughing. "Hm."

"This is stupid, I don't know why I'm even—"

The girl turns to leave, but Leo pulls her close again, grinning from ear to ear. His soul-light brightens. "Arae Jackson, are you jealous?"

"No!" She exclaims indignantly. "Being jealous would mean I don't trust you and I do! I don't care if you talk to girls, I'm just—worried."

"Worried," Leo repeats tauntingly. "Sure. Whatever you say, sunshine."

Ara slips out of his grasp and hurries away. "I'm telling Frank you said he's ugly."

"Hey! I didn't—Ara—STOP!"

Next chapter →

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicks

[thefringespod]

Its 2AM and I can't sleep so let's do a very early #AudioDramaSunday, shall we? As I said earlier this week it was a bad week at Day JobTM and that meant leaning very heavily into my TMA relisten (but still listening to some Hallowoods as well because Yes)

Aside from that we had new @karenonepercent this week which is just a stunning stunning show. Every bit of it, big and small, leaves a lasting impression in my mind and I absolutely adore the whole thing. Bassey Etim has written one hell of a show, please check it out!

Also new this week is @ethicstownpod episode 3 and yeah. YEAH! I hate the concept of the trolley problem but my gods does Louis employ it in the most incredible way. Also Rhy Lawton's performance as January? To die for. I would kill and die for January

Patreon early access for the new Malevolent episode came out this week and y'all. Harlan Guthrie's work is pure magic and you are in for a TIME when the public release comes out. No spoilers but the episode (like all the episodes of Malevolent) is very very good

@doyoucopypod released their first episode yesterday! It's currently in my queue but this is another absolutely fantastic sounding horror pod that I am very excited to sink my teeth into

@souloperatorpod started to announce their cast this week and it's absolutely incredible. Tot (who is playing Marigold in season 2!) is doing absolutely remarkable things and she has one hell of a cast coming along with her

The fine folks at @shelterwoodpod and @tellnotalespod are still crowdfunding!

Shelterwood: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shelterwood-a-suburban-gothic#/

Tell No Tales: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tell-no-tales-season-two#/

Closing this out by reminding yall that we're in our last week of crowdfunding! All money raised goes directly to my incredible cast so please support it if you can!

[diverse-hearts-ocs]

//I will hit 50 in the queue on canon or die trying ~ I'm at 40 atm with five posting a night so...I'm close >:0

Anyways focus will shift to here for the upcoming week ✨ I have so many things for Garth in particular lol it always makes me so happy when my depressed mess of a boy is so loved ✨

Maybe I'll actually add Cinders and Morgana to my muse list this week O: For the most part this blogs pretty well organised too sooo >_< Gotta keep that up!

Okay ~ I shall sleep now. I'll post some memes when I wake ^_^

[misc-obeyme]

i think ur my most active om blog that i follow. never stop posting pls or ill die from lack of content </3

Please don't encourage me, anon. The only reason I post as much as I do is because I have no life.

But seriously, I try to keep stuff happening on here as much as I can. And it's all OM all the time. This is because I started this side blog for the purpose of reblogging OM content. I never intended to start writing or posting fanfiction, that just kinda happened 'cause of the brain rot. Then when I started getting followers I was like uhhh I should probably like queue some of these reblogs so peeps aren't completely flooded for the couple hours I'm online every night.

So most of the reblogs are queued from the night before! The rest is just my own nonsense and I always just post that whenever the mood strikes. Though I feel like between the asks I get and the reblogs, you'd probably still have plenty of content even if I never posted writing again lol.

As long as the hyperfixation remains, I shall not stop. And who knows when that might be, I honestly thought I'd be over this game ages ago, but here I still am. There are loads of other things I probably should be doing, like cleaning my house or writing the novel I've put "on hold" in favor of writing fanfic. Oops! But it's fine, that stuff will still be there when I come back to it. I've learned that sometimes I have to give in to my chaos brain and allow it to obsess over something for a while.

And I'm really happy that there are people who like what I'm doing! So thank you for being here and hopefully you'll never suffer death from lack of content. <3

[positivelybeastly]

Krakoa, Year 22- 26 (?), +2 Years After Parasitic Decimation of the Wild Hunt AKA "The Salt"

How long did it take to resurrect the last members of the Wild Hunt to die? Not as long as it took to bring back everyone who died on Genosha. Still, those who hung on until those last, terrible moments when the "pretender council" doused a portion of Krakoa in salt... waited a few years. There was a queue, after all. Also, the confirmation and the digging. Preserved bodies everywhere. It was like a salty Mt. Vesuvius, only the dead wound up as mutant jerky.

And the Beast--? Well, he's sitting pretty in that neat lab of his with his experiments, and his specimens, and his database of memories from the seven or eight mutants who refused the mind wipe after their rebirth. Living memory and consent. That messy business.

He's got a nice little recording of her memories as well, the mutant woman towering over him, stinking of depression and trauma for all that she's clean and bothered to brush her teeth. Her nostrils flare as she takes in the sight of him. "My G-d," is all she says, one corner of her eye twitching in a facial tic.

(They'd found her leathery corpse wrapped around, oh, Daken or someone. There's drama now.)

Her bony, clawed hands are shaking at her sides, but she gives a sharp jerk of her chin, as if to shake away those pesky trauma-nerves, breathing in deep. Then, "My memories." In his computerized book of secrets, or whatever the hell it is. "I want to see them. In the Hunt."

He'll be wanting a 'please' at least, but she doesn't offer it up. Yet. Never mind that now is a good time for a healthy application of social lubricant.

"Beginning to end of infection."

BEAST'S LOGBOOK: IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME

The world continues to turn. Today I chose merely to drag my fingers along the skin of the globe and hurry it along rather than send it reeling - sixteen assassinations conducted by T-V-Parasite Agents, two nursery rhymes implanted in Russian national consciousness with long term intent of softening anti-mutant prejudice, release of small scale gamma encephalitis bioweapon in three American states to eradicate local chapters of anti-Krakoan protest groups.

Woolf has requested a visit, regarding my archives. Suppose will entertain her.

Which body shall I wear?

As it happens, he does Tess the courtesy of receiving her in what passes for his original body these days - he's long since forgotten which of his shells is actually the original, it's probably on ice with the rest of the backups and spares and abandoned experiments dotted all through his lab like animal food caches. But this is the one he tends to revert to most.

He's taken to cultivating more - fanciful, strains of biotech and Krakoan flora, in his old age. He's perfected his weapons, his soldiers, his spies, his ears, his eyes, his tendrils, his goodie finders, and, of course, his tomatoes. So he's moved on to psychoactives now. He meets her with a deep inhale of what looks remarkably like bottled fireflies, beckoning her inside and walking her by piles of waiting Beastflesh.

Some are recognisable as simian, feline, human, macaque, others are - less so. Some look like sculptor's clay abandoned halfway through a lazy spin on the potter's wheel. The shapes they bend into are almost strange enough to make you forget it's flesh and not actually putty. A different kind of Beast meets her no matter which way she sets her eyes.

It seems he's taken the accusation of being two faced very much to heart.

His voice is a soft purr. It's soothing, in its way, as he invites her to sit in the lab which is entirely too clean and conventional to be the real one. This is his equivalent of a sitting room. Not where he does his actual work. His chest glows with Krakoan firelight. If Tess squints, she can see his lungs through the white fur of his chest, glowing and burning and turning to cinder. He isn't even sure if anyone else can take the drugs he's taken to cultivating without sending themselves straight to the resurrection queue.

Nonetheless, he does offer some to Tess, a gleam in his eyes that betrays amusement at her request. At her desire to see the infestation, the infection, whatever you wanted to call it (he had termed it a gamma-level biological oddity - worth studying, but without long term viability for his own work. Oh, the psychological impact would be stupendous, of course, but then the clean up.)

"And the rest of the island says I'm ghoulish."

Humour has returned to him, after 20 long years. The first X-Force team, long since made redundant, would tell you he was better as a humourless bastard.

So has drama. He leans back, and the Pointe responds to his whim. The lighting changes, and they're both plunged into darkness as the biological supercomputers recall the information Tess desires, sequencing liquid memory in seconds and providing it to the master of the house like it were merely a pot of tea. He holds up a vial, golden, gleaming. Inviting. Promising answers.

A liar promising truth.

"And little humans in hell want ice water. They'll sell their souls for it - what will you offer me?"

[zhaozi]

over the next however long, my queue is set to post gifs of idols (and some actors) doing exo's first snow dance challenge. my gift to you all is the reminder that that song is a fucking bop that shall never die, even after ten years.