#Somebody Stole My Gal

[tomoleary]

H. J. Ward “Skeleton in the Closet” Private Detective Stories magazine cover (1945) Source

H. J. Ward “Extradite A Corpse” Private Detective Stories magazine cover (1943) Source

H. J. Ward “Somebody Stole My Gal” Private Detective Stories magazine cover (1944) Source

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 16 April 1953

Another week, another set of songs. Will there be anything as deliciously weird as Little Red Monkey?

Somebody Stole My Gal - Johnnie Ray (peaked at No. 6)

I didn't know this song, but I do quite like it. It's not rock and roll, but there's at least something a bit more lively about it, a certain ragtime / swing vibe that keeps you on your toes. Turns out this was originally a 1918 popular song, which is pretty wild.

Johnnie's singing about how brokenhearted he is, but honestly, he sounds pretty chipper throughout, and that's without the classic Cockney piano opening (seriously, it just needs an "oi" after the piano run leading into the start of the song). Quite a lighthearted offering.

The "didn't wanna lose her" section is particularly bubbly, with the piano in the background jazzing it up. I just can't buy that Johnnie is actually "pretty broken up" (perhaps because he's just not that into gals, generally?)

We do get our first instance of "gee", "lonesome" and "buddy", all of which make this feel very American to me, in a charming, mid-century sort of way. I do like a song where people are "lonesome".

I also like Johnnie Ray's voice in this, he's got the range and the charm for the song, and it does work very well for him. He can do big and sweeping, without it sounding overdone.

I Believe - Frankie Laine (peaked at No. 1)

Is it possible to not know this song? This is the first proper, massive song on the list, a song that you can't help but kind of know, somewhere in the back of your mind. And what a strange song - I can't think of many other songs like it that have the same epic, hymn-like quality.

As you might expect, it's got a backstory; written after the outbreak of the Korean War, it was deliberately written as a way of restoring hope to listeners, and pointing out what's good about the world. Which is a very expansive brief for a song to have, and kind of justifies the big bombastic approach that I've otherwise been scathing about. With a love song, the "listen to me belt the final note" approach is too much, but for a song with such huge subject matter as this, anything else would be insulting.

Aside from the vocal delivery, the music is hymnlike and steady, building to a big crescendo while a guitar strums steadingly in the background, backing singers give off a vaguely ghostly "ooh" and some brass comes in underneath it all.

I want to mock the lyrics for being cliché or trite, but honestly, I do quite like them, they paint an image of hope in dark times: "I believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows / I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows". There's rain, and darkness, but there's hope in that - the rain has a purpose, the dark has a light. There's hope, even when the world seems difficult and confusing.

Throughout, it's suggested heavily that the hope is God, but it's never stated outright, which is canny. It lets just about anyone project meaning onto the song. It's spiritual, but not quite religious: "I believe for everyone who goes astray / Someone will come to show the way" "I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word".

And ultimately, the belief that the person has is grounded in little, beautiful, relatable things: "Every time I hear a newborn baby cry or touch a leaf or see the sky / Then I know why I believe." It's a nice idea, the sort that I really don't think you could get off nowadays, and I genuinely think music is possibly worse for it? I don't know, I just like how earnestly sentimental this song is, and also how confident it is in its own scope.

Though, a cynical part of me wants to point out that "look at the pretty babies and leaves" is not a sufficient response to somebody saying "I'm bummed out by my country getting into more pointless imperialist wars after World War II barely ended". Sure, it's a pretty song with some pretty ideas, and it did get to Number One, but I don't know how much actual comfort this song was for people, or how it would have landed - I'd love to be able to travel back in time and ask!

Either way, at the end of the day, I do actually quite like this song. I think it's still powerful, and it's a message we all can engage with and have thoughts about, even if we don't necessarily agree with it. It's hopeful, and well-intentioned, and the scale of it actually feels earned, unlike with some big songs of this era.

And there we have it. A forgotten Johnnie Ray track and a Frankie Laine classic that I didn't expect to enjoy quite as much as I did.

Favourite song of the bunch: I Believe

[castle-dominion]

c4x5 eye of the beholder

I'm so freaking excited it has been so long since I've been able to bingewatch & liveblog!

Heist film ok! Fellow's just playing with wires & having fun. Love the music.

Thank goodness for subtitles I like how her first thought is "excuse me" before she realizes he's dead

Castle is in the groove. Point for the adhd headcanon. I'm adhd I get to decide which characters have adhd & the answer is most of them. RC: Too late. He just went kersplat. Now…how can I help you? Hey A Doll's House was a... an interesting & tragic but beautiful play & I got to play the audio version while my brother was talking to his friend named stella. "Stella! Stella!"

MR: Fiasco? You married her. Well he has the occasional poker club, he played with The Team & capt montgomery a while back, he had a gotham city crew with the judge, the mayor, & montgomery, he has his writer's poker club...

Sometimes art is about emotional response not looking pretty. It is about intrigue, anger... Tho sometimes the real art is the essay the artist writes explaining it not the art itself.

Oh yeah beckett never told castle she was a model

RC: Somebody stole The Fist of Capitalism? Anyone check up the ass of socialism? ASDFHSKLJDFHAKLDSJFAKJSDFJKALSDFJ MY POOR MOTHER WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION WHEN WE WATCHED IT SO I REPEATED IT FOR HER & SHE WAS CSO DISSAPPOINTED WITH ME BUT IT WAS SO FUNNY. ANYONE CHECK UP THE ASS OF SOCIALISM XD XD XD I'M LEGITIMATELY LAUGHING OUT LOUD & I HAVE HEARD IT BEFORE IT'S JUST SO GOOD. Some ppl are probably thinking "what's so funny? It was just a little comedic comment, nothing more" but I say f you it's funny to me. Wait what anticapitalist would make an art piece called the fist of capitalism worth 50mil & sell it to wealthy capitalists? You know what? I don't care, they can make money off of it then let them. They can spend the money buying land for their community garden.

If I remember correctly, why was she so shocked when she found him dead? Ryan is not wearing a tie but still has a green button up shirt & a brown double breasted coat what hehas undone except I think it is designed to LOOK double breasted but it is not since I can see both buttons on one side & it is not done up... I like how RYAN at least takes notes. Must have a good shorthand to be able to record it. of course he was worried someone would steal it bro maybe he WAS paranoid & his paranoia turned out to be right. I'm paranoid that doors will lock behind me (too much dnd) but sometimes I'm right so that paranoia pays off

How sharp are those spikes? I feel like it would take A Lot of force to get him impaled & it would be difficult to get him stuck on there that far back w/o you yourself getting impaled

I wanted to do vulnerability assessment at some point. Still, I wouldn't mind. That's one of the reasons I learned how to pick locks. BECKETT'S job is proof, so you should help HER find the proof. becks is so territorial, just let the gal help

it is not a lucky guess it was an educated hypothesis (that "mno" ryan said <3) [Gates pokes her head out of her office.] GATES Beckett! [Gates returns to her office.] RYAN Oh, great, what'd you do now? BECKETT (whisper) Shut up. So is this the next day or smth? bc castle went from red to blue, ryan went from green shirt no tie to thinly striped red/purple/grey (i can't tell) shirt WITH a tie this time. Becks is wearing a cute tie too today. Castle *spits drink in a mist* Ryan *looks up at it*

Girl he has expertise at writing, at getting into the mind of a killer.

Castle & ryan watching them but as soon as becks looks over just *quick get back to work* Girl shut the up she wants her finder's fee & she is helping!

Ryan *explaining the case* sericka (serena/rick) *googoo eyes* Ryan *uncomfy* Exceot she took the flash drive didn't she? why doesn't she give it to them if she's trying to help? She's right, too hot. Espt: *yo info!* *stops when seeing a pretty lady* Castle: "she's with us" Espt: *uncomfy* ok. Anyhow. *to beckett* [info]

SK, being just a little bit smug & a-hole-like: Now that we have some direction, I can get us some leads. KB: Great. Let’s go. SK: You can’t come. KB: I’m sorry, you might have misunderstood the word “consultant”. This is my case. SK: The people there won’t talk to cops. But they’ll talk to me. RC: *starts following* KB: Where are you going? RC: Uh…I’m not a cop either… He's right transript: "Ryan makes an "ooh, dangerous territory" look."

Finn: Busy with what? Jason Bateman over here? RC: Hey, that got me out of a speeding ticket once. Castle u don't know NOT to tell that!

JE: Serena was right. Falco’s a badass. Look how phat his Interpol file is. She just comes in out of nowhere interrupts them in the breakroom, which reminds me, I need to talk to my coworker about his legally required breaks. He needs to take them & clock out for that time. Grab a drink. Sit outside for a few. Yeah a good apartment is SO divorce worthy lol Becks he said any means necessary, Joy it does not necessarily mean theft

Why doesn't he have a lawyer? Ryan playing with his pen point for the adhd hc He knew falco was a person! How?

Ryan *walks all swaying* *sees sericka* *walks straight* Hayes was paranoid that it would be stolen & fenced, he was probably asking for the same reason sericka asked "the usual" Becks is so jeally. She told castle she's a one writer girl & isn't cheating on him by working with alex conrad but now rick is cheating on her with another sexy muse. it's the fbi agent again.

psychologist moments <3 Martha moments <3

Basically asking her permission. espt looks like he's wearing pyjamas. (long sleeve pyjama looking shirt with only a few buttons on the top & a lighter grey breast pocket.) & then ryan is wearing a nice v light grey dress shirt with a nice square patterned tie & darker grey coat.

Hostess: That’s right. She was in her 30s, but still really hot.

KR: No, no, thank you. (hangs up) Hey, just got off with the insurance company. Guess what Serena did before she worked for them? RC: Kindergarten teacher? JE: Art thief. KR: Alleged art thief. JE: Whatever. Vulnerability assessment bro! Check her hair gel tho! I like gates. *stink eye*

Ah yes, heist movie style. I like castle's square patterned coat

Where is ryan? Esposito talking feelings with beckett <3 She just readily admits she was a thief Indigenous rights! Heck yeah screw nazis screw the ss, steal back that painting babe! Return the mummy from the previous episode to the indigenous people it belongs to! Go to england & take back that totem pole for my wetsuweten cousins! Give kookum's blanket back to her grandbabies! I'm glad I was not eating cereal at that whip comment Tha'ts a giant hotel room WITH EXTRA WHIPPED CREAM-- Why does she have her phone out? Why does she have it on the table? what if she LEAVES it? oh those are some sexy tools. Oh at least becks got her phone & texted him back. You know what? Good on him. Now sneak away behind him quickly now hsakjhhsdjfh why did you say "hey" to her bro!?? Espt just there & castle has lipstick on his face now lol

KB: Yeah, well, you’re thinking with the wrong body part. He's thinking with his head, not his heart, the head of his dick eyoo! SHe's right, don't let him in on the investigation. Still, where is ryan? Castle don't make that gesture, that's how u get arrested for murder RC: I was only doing--! [The interrogation room door slams in his face.] RC: …what you asked! [Castle turns away from the door then turns back around and makes a strangling motion. He pulls down his suit coat as he enters Observation.] [Ryan and Esposito look at Castle.] RC: I thought I’d sit this one out. (bro they heard) [Esposito nods "Uh-huh." Ryan moves over some files for Castle to have a seat on the desk. I wish I could describe what they look like, the way ryan moves the files is so Something. Castle sits Right Beside ryan & it reminds me of that time castle was sitting on the desk & ryan pushed him half off in 3x1]

SK: And here I thought Rick was the only writer on your team. KR: Rick? You guys on a first name basis, now? JE: Well, he was making out with her in the hotel hallway. KR: *looks at rick shocked* RC: Beckett told me to stall her. JE: She also tell you to use tongue? KR: *shakes his head* Her eyes are really pretty. A nice dark blue. KR: Yeah, like, strangely calm. Maybe she didn’t do it. Either that, or she’s a psychopath. In which case, *hits castle gently* you sure can pick ‘em. Yeah SK is really hot tbh, & not just in a physical sense She's right: Because in my experience the police just get in the way. My job’s to recover the sculpture, not play nice.

Hotels are insane. *intense music* *Ryan, Esposito, and three S.W.A.T. members stand in the elevator with a hotel manager while ditty elevator music plays.* *intense music & breaking down doors*

I swear man didn't do it Oh nvm he def did. But I like him. How did he get the name falco btw? Who gave it to him? I love him. Hair gel is perfectly manly bro, the only women I know who use hair gel are punks. Then again punks often get called fags so idk. Oh he is falco. I really like him

*sees sexy lady* Whoa. Bad cop struck out, good cop gets a turn? they totally are thief flirting. See? Vulnerability assessment! You didn't catch her skin colour?

it CAN be paranoia

Castle you can OPEN it you don't need to Kick It Open! Yeah lol if it was her why did she flip when she found the body?

Oh nvm it's this lady

U missed the "t"

I like how serena actually thanks becks. I also like how castle flips that cup. Made them each a coffee <3 She doesn't steal things that belong to someone else aaaaaaah Well castle that's what u get for breaking their stuff! Date night! nice music! thank god I'm rich

[harrison-abbott]

marvel pencil case

I once had this ace pencil case. It was of the Marvel characters, with Thor and the Thing and Wolverine and Hulk and Captain America and Spidey – all of them, was super cool and multicolour. And I wasn’t even that good at school, in any field; wasn’t so neat at maths or English or anything. But now I felt confident about going to those classes, coz all of my pens and pencils were in this terrific pencil case. And the boys thought it was ace as well. [The boys, not the girls, because this was when I was like seven years of age and the gals didn’t care for that thing, and they didn’t even speak to the boys yet because puberty hadn’t started yet.] And I took the pencil case out of maths class after the bell rang for recess, and all the kids tumbled into the playground. For some reason I hadn’t put it back into my main bag. I think since I wanted to show it off. So I left the case next to my jumper and bag – and went off with the lads to play football. And when I returned thirty minutes later, somebody had stolen it. It wasn’t there anymore. At 7 years, it was like losing a child … just grieved all week. And never found out who stole it. I tried to find out who the thief was and I asked around all the boys but they never told. It didn’t matter much to them. Shrug. Honestly, though, I’d still think that was a cool pencil case if I still owned it as an adult.

[sarahthecoat]

ok, the library says I can share the link to the recording, which will only be up for a week. here's the copy-paste of the email, including also the links to the video clips that wouldn't play during the webinar due to bandwidth issues. @apliddell, @meledol84

Thank you for signing up for The Holmes You Never Knew with Groton Public Library. Below you will find a recording link along with several media links from Ann McClellan. The recording will remain active for seven days. Enjoy!

Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/l6hHQvORoIl37olJrPWUd11-0oNVKOGFJnPyFboDqU2e4bRFIGyXf3Km6aDcRa-B.aMbQSURmCckW6txV

Overture to In Dahomey (1903): https://youtu.be/Mki_FLAMnXc.

A Black Sherlock Holmes film: https://youtu.be/FVX3blhoA0c. 

Spirits of Rhythm: "Dr. Watson and Mr. Holmes" (1934): https://youtu.be/nFulUfEVyAc.

Fats Waller, "Somebody Stole My Gal" (1935): https://youtu.be/xFy_bBzP9tY. 

To stay up to date on ALL GPL has to offer, join our mailing list here: https://gpl.org/how-to/join-our-mailing-list!

ok i caught up a little bit here, but the webinar i watched this evening about black sherlock holmes adaptations has me hankering to re read either the 221b baker towers stories, or apliddell's black lesbian johnlock stories. see you in the morning.

[shinagawa-division]

Sumire’s Thoughts on Koto Division

Misa Arakawa

She grinned at Misa’s photo. “Well, if it ain’t Miss Viperess herself! I tell ya, I really gotta thank this woman. For what, you ask? Well for giving me the parts I needed to make Aiko! Well, to make Aiko’s body at least and by “giving” I meant that I stole nearly all her shit. You see, I’ve been keeping tabs on Arakawa ever since my return, my friends and I were just starting out and we were kinda desperate to get things running. The thing is, I knew she expected me to hack into her precious database so she could trap me and I admit, I almost fell for it…if it wasn’t easy to spot. No, I had to get creative, Misa knows Venefica as a hacker but what she didn’t know is that she can do a little heavy lifting should the situation call for it. The first ever mission Scorpion Den did was break into her labs and stole everything that was in sight, including her blueprints and materials to create an android. It was hard to pull off, I’ll admit, the place was a freaking fortress and those fucking guards really packed a punch…but we succeeded and two years later, Aiko was fully functioning and already integrating well into society.” She laughed out loud, manic glee shining in her eyes. “Like I said, I really have to thank her, she pretty much helped Scorpion Den get it’s head start…even if she didn’t know it yet, I swear, I never thought a person could get more angry than Miho, it was…so fucking satisfying to watch.”

Chizuru Tenjo

She frowned, “I think everyone and their mother has heard about the whole stabbing situation with this chick and her sister, I wasn’t actually there but I did see the video with Janine and Zoya, that shit was fucking wild, dude. I’m no stranger to violence but even I know that was a bit too far, I know, me, the fucking anarchist, saying that was too extreme but I never actually murdered somebody!….yet. Whatever, what I’m trying to say is that I hope she’s happy now that she completely fucked up her life because she couldn’t handle that she wasn’t gonna be head ballerina or some shit like that.”

Junko Tetsuya

Her eyes sparkled as she squealed in joy, “Junko!!!” She yelled happily, “I get to see you again, whooo!” She cheered. “How do I know her? Well, to be honest, she’s Aiko’s friend than mine, at first, I was a bit wary that she made a friend that was another android, especially one created by the woman I stole from but I didn’t want to keep Aiko away from her own kind, plus, she looked so happy whenever she’s with her, I’m pretty sure she activated some sort of imprinting code because she also refers to her as “Big sister”, I’d be pissed if it weren’t so goddamn cute. Like I said, I don’t want to keep Aiko away from her fellow android kind but I have told her to be cautious and watch what she says when she’s around her. Last thing I need is problems springing up because Aiko got too excited and short-circuiting. Other than that, I love this little gal!”

Toxic Love

“Listen, I’ve got nothing against Misa, she hates Chuuoku with a fucking passion and that automatically makes her okay in my book but I’m not gonna pretend that she isn’t a threat because she damn well is and I’m sure I’m on her shit list for stealing her precious materials. Chizuru, I honestly don’t give a shit about and I’ll leave her for Miho to deal with, as for Junko, she’s the only person on this team that I actually like and I’m actually gonna feel bad for fighting her. I just hope that Aiko forgives me, I know she’s gonna hate seeing her big sisters fight.”

[fictitious-little-stitious]

The Nearest and Dearest Fics

I’ve been actively reading fanfic of Pedro Pascal’s characters since ~January and had found SO MANY great stories that I made this side blog to keep track of and ramble my praises about my favorites.

Already I have several fics that are near and dear to my heart, so I think they deserve an extra shout out! 💞 I just felt compelled to put this together. The following are my absolute favorites so far, but I know there’s room for more. These have made me cackle, sob, thirst, tear up with Feels, rant, believe in love, want to start an argument, whoop like I’m watching sports, sit still in dumbfounded silence questioning my existence, and any combo of the above.

Bear with me - I have never made a huge post with so many links or tags before. 😅 Links for series mentions should be the prologue or first chapter. Also my use of drabble and oneshot is questionable at best. Refer to the respective author’s notes for content warnings and summaries.

⭐️ I’ll occasionally update this list to fix links, update tags because usernames have changed, etc. The stories included will stay the same! Most recent update: March 2022⭐️

💚Ezra💚

Drabbles

“Stop moving and let me braid your hair” by dayoffinkyoto (she moved to AO3 & idk if she’s reposting the requests she wrote while on here) Mandy ran with this prompt I requested and she stole my heart too! Quick - somebody catch her!

This Ezra/Venom crossover idea by @songsformonkeys I would eat this up if we got to see some more!

In So Many Words by @alwaysbethewest I can so clearly picture him doing and speaking exactly as this is written. Wowza!

One Shots

The Icarus to Your Certainty by @thewayofthemandalorian I swooned, I yearned, my heart went *~whoosh~* by how romantic this is!

Long Fall into Oblivion by @oonajaeadira I challenge you to not be entranced and enamored by this Ezra….I triple dog dare ya.

I Follow Your Fire by @doveandgeography Way to take me on an emotional rollercoaster, oh geez 🥺

La Belle et La Bete by @honeymandos No fic has held my heart quite so tenderly while dishing out the bittersweet rise and fall of a story.

I Could Drown Myself (in Someone Like You) by @acrossthesestars Contains my favorite nickname/term of endearment EVER but you’ll have to read it to find it!

Eupnea by @draper-bobbie This is what Ezra deserves!

Free Air by @blueeyesatnight Ever wonder what would’ve happened next in Prospect? I have and I’m pretty sure it’d be this.

Long Way Home by @acrossthesestars A reader to give Ezra a run for his money ahhh *chef’s kiss*

Enrage by @buttercup- -bee The lil gremlin in me that wants to start arguments really enjoyed this.

Small Gambles by @winter-fox-queen The suspense! The adrenaline!

Home by @mandoalorian Heartwarming moments that give me the coziest feelings. 🥰

Lotus Eaten Postcard by @corvueros How I loved this journey - I didn’t want it to end.

Series / Multi Parts

Mysticus by @juletheghoul The first soulmates fic I fell head over heels for. So near and dear to me. I’d go anywhere and everywhere with him.

Doubt Truth to be a Liar by @thewayofthemandalorian I love this AU for our favorite wordy fella! He radiates peace and coziness in this one.

Crassula Ovata by @ezramando I really fell for this world - this story - these people.

Little Flowers by dayoffinkyoto on AO3 That’s my fluffy pastoral comfort dreamscape happy place, thank you very much.

Forget Me Not (Soldier!Ezra) by @miscellaneous-mando Don’t mind me gazing longingly out the window waiting for letters from Ezra… *dreamy sigh*

Forget Me Not (Soulmates AU) by @krissology I’m a simple gal with simple needs. And I simply need more cowbell Ezra and Birdie. Bare witness to her impressive metaphors and dialogue. Update - She has pulled this immaculate series because she’s adapting it to be her very first novel!! 🤩 So excited for her! Check out her blog for more info.

🧡Frankie Morales🧡

Poetry

Need by @hnt-escape 🥺 The vulnerability and reverence in this still floors me.

Nod by @hnt-escape ^Again^ It bears repeating. These two poems complement each other so well.

Headcanons

Ring Pop Proposal by @softpedropascal Romantic and sweet and genuine as all get out!

Drabbles

Tummy Love by @softpedropascal Cassandra writes some of the most wonderful comforting/affirmation fics out there!

“You weren’t supposed to hear that…” by @forever-rogue Ouch! A hurt Frankie makes me hurt. 🥺

Frankie decides he wants breakfast in bed… by @softpedropascal Oh how this made me teeheehee!

One Shots

Telltale Heart by @astroboots A masterclass in angst. Take notes. An all time fav I reread on occasion.

Libertas by @juletheghoul Tremendous. I rest my case.

The Graveyard Shift by @pascalpanic I felt right at home in this atmosphere- Mechanic!Frankie my beloved.

Series / Multi Parts

Oblivious by @juletheghoul What a fab series! Spills and Frankie had me (ง •̀_•́)ง sometimes and I couldn’t get enough of that.

Fixer Upper by @pascalpanic ADORKABLE (I hope to hell that’s not cringey to say?!)

Fix You Up by @starlightmornings I laughed, I broke a sweat, I teared up a lil’. I had a great time!

Hey Batter Batter by @ohheyitsokay So shy, so sweet! I’m eager to read more!

The Frizzy Universe by @wyn-n-tonic (The stories aren’t posted chronologically, but the master list is. I linked “What’s Bullshit to Me” where we first got to read them!) These two… have been through it all to say the least. I love them, your honor. *Update - has been pulled so she can transform it into its own complete story! Follow the updated link for more info on this journey.

🤍Din Djarin🤍

Drabbles

“You’re doing so well…” prompt by @wyn-n-tonic Listen… how could so few words have such an impact?

One Shots

You’re in Your Own Way Again by @alwaysbethewest Omera getting some of her long overdue appreciation and respect!

Shev’la by @themand0lorian Yes yes yes to more Deaf/HoH characters!

The Chase by @joel-millerr Y’all…. the way this got my heart pounding and the adrenaline going 😳🤯

Hunt and Gather by @alwaysbethewest Grogu really shines, I am so proud of him. 🥺💚

Hand Squeezes by @pascalscenarios Just when you think you’ve read the softest thing, look no further!

Series / Multi Parts

The Lovely Moons by @vercopaanir This was the first Din series I ever read :’) It’s so special.

Death and an Angel by @littlemisspascal I haven’t caught up yet but this has taken everything I’ve thought about life and death and put it on its head. Also the most fascinating alternate universe I’ve read so far.

Jate’kara by @krissology The fic that made me sob and question my existence for 2 days. And briefly consider suing for emotional damages.

Hades!Din and Persephone by @charnelhouse Truly a stunning creation and I’m so glad we got a newer addition to read too.

🖤Pero Tovar🖤

Drabbles

This werewolf!Pero fic-to-be in the works by @littlemisspascal I CANNOT wait!! This is gonna be goood!

Hit Me by @foli-vora I cackled! Would buy a ticket for this movie for sure.

Under the Moonlight by @pumpkin-stars *Paris Hilton voice* “That’s hot.”

Taste Test by @alwaysbethewest The first Pero fic I read. Thanks for making me fall for the grump who’s a bit of a softie!

One Shots

By the Sun, Moon, and Stars by @jadore-andor My dearest Pero, my love for him has no bounds.

Herida by @clydesducktape The ache I felt, oh my word… so worth it!

Series / Multi Parts

Better Together by @girlwithanewplan I can’t help but be a big softie for love growing from a marriage of necessity.

“Trying to buy a new couch with modern!Pero” by @sarahjkl82-blog I couldn’t stop laughing at this family circus! Little clowns, indeed.

The Kindness of Fate by @f0rever15elf How soft, how lovely, how dear to me. 💕

By the Pricking of My Thumbs by @thewayofthemandalorian My kingdom for someone even half as good as this Pero.

So here I am just waiting to get accidentally or conveniently married to a mercenary with a seemingly ornery disposition who’ll build us a cottage so we can gradually fall in love, tease each other, and maybe have a pile of kids. And it’s the fault of ^all these authors^!!

💜Marcus Pike💜

Drabbles

Northern Wind by @day-off-inkyoto Marcus, my beloved… :’) I’ve loved this song for a while so to see it paired with Marcus? Meant to be.

One Shots

There She Goes by @foli-vora Much like the song of the same title, cuter than hell.

Series / Multi Parts

Impression Sunrise by @themand0lorian He’s got a bit of an edge to him, his guard is up. But for how long? 👀🤔😘 This universe gives me everything!

Just Say Yes by @doveandgeography Italian vacation meet cute with Marcus. Bellisimo!! Would love to have that someday.

The Hope of It All by @wyn-n-tonic People with some history, alright. Ya love to see it!

Begin Again by @pascalpanic Marcus delivers the quintessential Marcus Experience! Fluff!

Do You Ever Wonder? by @generalfoolish This! Marcus deserves all of this!

Evie’s Infinite Playlist by dayoffinkyoto on AO3 I look at these two and think “Now Kith” at least 2x a chapter!

The Long Con by @youvebeenlivingfictional Make this into a movie already!

The Arrangement by @maswritingblog A perfect blend of comfort and cheeky!

💙Agent Whiskey/Jack Daniels💙

Drabbles / Oneshots

The life he fucking deserved by @foli-vora I second that motion!

Before and After by @starlightmornings Get some tissues :’)

Guilt by @scribbledghost What an incredible story of growth, all the highs and lows.

Series / Multi Parts

It’s Been You by @jadore-andor Jack is so beautifully vulnerable and hopeful. Can’t believe I hurt my cowboy like that… 😢😢😢

Buried by @something-tofightfor So suspenseful! I need to know more!

*Psst! Can you sense that I love it when this man gets therapy and a happier, more complex character arc?*

❤️Javier Peña❤️

Poetry

Murmurs by @hnt-escape Eyyyyy 😏 This is smooOoOoth as hell.

Encounter at the Window by @hnt-escape Her poetry captivates me to no end. Mind blown every time.

One Shots

Don’t Get Too Close (For Comfort) by @youvebeenlivingfictional Angsssssst. I’ve reread this so much!

Series / Multi Parts / Collections

Not Qualified for This by @blueeyesatnight I am especially partial to NQFT: Recovery so I’ve linked that, but I also adore Thunderbird. Now this is a real and complex family.

Movement fics by @youvebeenlivingfictional I’ve been yearning to dance with someone for YEARS and this intensified that tenfold.

What’s the Use of Wonderin’? by @youvebeenlivingfictional Is there an Abejita and Javi fan club? Sign me up!

Caffeine Rush by @pascalpanic Javi getting a long overdue meet cute and tenderness!

💖Original / Miscellaneous Characters💖

Poetry + Prose

“Hope” Series - a collaboration of poetry by @hnt-escape and prose by @winter-fox-queen inspired by the InStyle video of Pedro. What a creative world they’ve made with heaping doses of mystery and vivid imagery.

Maxwell Lord

Like Father, Like Daughter oneshot by @mandoalorian Look up “precious” in the dictionary and you’ll find this fic. 💝

Gold Rush series by @thewayofthemandalorian So sweet! A quality redemption story for a fella just trying his best!

Oberyn Martell

Unexpected oneshot by @maswritingblog A perfect recipe for angst and a lil drama with a lil tenderness… as a treat.

Marcus Moreno

Jump then Fall series by @knivesareout Mr. Marcus, Kindergarten Teacher, is the real superhero!

Zach Wellison

Handyman series by @buckstaposition Such a sweet lil series for Zach! It’s fun to get to see more of him.

Dave York

This cool AF honeymoon cruise from hell oneshot by @cinewhore This had me on the edge of my poolside deck chair!

Sins of the Flesh oneshot by @danniburgh My vanilla ass is writing this from the pits of hell. The weather’s fine! ❤️‍🔥🔥

In For It series by @foli-vora Words fail me - just click the link and start reading already!!

Kill Me Softly oneshot by @astroboots I mean, it’s all in the title, folks. Phenomenal.

💞Special Shoutouts 💞

@hnt-escape has the most stunning poetry I have ever read. She’s so gracious! She’s inspired me to start writing again and I can’t express just how much I needed that. ❤️ I implore you all to read and reblog her poetry because it’s just that beautiful.

Sometimes serious topics/events in a story weigh heavily on my heart and mind. So I’m pretty cautious about what I read. However, I can always trust @honeymandos and @astroboots and @joultheghoul with my sensitive heart and mood. The story may hurt and be sad as hell, but I feel some sort of comfort or assurance in their writing, like “I’m ready to hurt again, but this [hurt] too shall pass.”

@day-off-inkyoto followed me not long after I followed her and my heart went *~whoosh~*! Her music taste and her rural/country familiarity speak to my soul. Fluff and comfort extraordinaire!

@mesmorales has been so very lovely in the few exchanges we’ve had over asks and puts such great authenticity into her fics! Like she’s this incredible writer and she’s in my inbox making me feel seen and validated? Too sweet :’)

[benjaminthewolf]

Guys I Wanna Finish Stories But

I just got hacked on Animal Jam, and the hacker took my ultras. As well as my Mag Seal, Gal Fly, two solids and my pink glossies. Luckily they didn’t take any of my other pets though. I would have been absolutely livid if they stole my little boi Retro. (I know this makes zero sense to somebody who hasn’t played the game, but I shilled out real life money for those ultras and the Gal Fly so I mean-)

[slutsofren]

Danger Days Chapter 4: The Ghost of You

summary: Somehow Tommy and you managed to convince Joel to stay in Jackson for the night, opting to leave the next morning. Things get just ever so slightly awkward between you and that gruff bastard, but it’s fine, totally fine. You’re really not that flustered already.

warnings: none, maybe a little naked Joel nothing nsfw, maybe a tiny bit of eye-fuckin’ but whose to say, not me!

word count: 3,178

Read on AO3 here

The last twelve or so hours were probably the most eventful of your tenure at Jackson, especially since becoming Maria’s right hand gal. The walls of the small community towered in front of you as the four of you approached. Tommy and yourself taking point in the front while the two strangers to Jackson were quiet behind you, either in awe or unease.

Because the sun was still setting, it was difficult to make out who replied but you think you recognized Marcus’ voice telling the others to open the gate. You looked over your shoulder to talk to Joel and Ellie, “We’ll go to the stables first, drop these boys off then take you to one of the houses. You two can get cleaned up there and we’ll bring you food and supplies.”

“Okay!” Ellie looks excitedly at you and Tommy. Beside her, Joel continues to be wary and alert. He surely trusts his younger brother, but you’re waiting for him to start something with you.

It didn’t take much for the whispering and gossip to start in Jackson. No matter how late in the night there was always a lurker, always somebody looking to stir shit, so when you started seeing more and more of the townsfolk peeping out of windows to look at the two new strangers riding alongside two of their leaders, you sent a silent thank-you to the stars that you didn’t have to linger for the whispering to swirl you.

Just the thought sent a shiver down your spine.

Tommy, who rode in front, began to point out to his brother and the girl various landmarks for the small city. The saloon, the community center, the medical building. Making a not-so-subtle attempt to let his brother know he could stay after you’d all return, live a semi-normal life in Jackson during the apocalypse.

Eventually, you fell behind Joel and Ellie making sure nobody pulled any kind of stunt from the back so you got to watch as the gruff brute shifted on his horse, looking only mildly uncomfortable that he couldn’t keep an eye on you. You wondered how his life was on the outside, how much horror plagued his nights, as it did you and everybody else who had to suffer in similar circumstances. Ellie, on the other hand, looked enthusiastic and much as an ordinary child did, despite the glaring obvious.

Approaching the stable, you pulled yourself out of those lingering thoughts, spotting Cherry and Charlie. Cherry ran up to your small group, excitedly cooing at her babies, grateful for their safe return.

Everybody jumped off their horse, handing the reins to a stablehand nearby and Ellie approached the young woman, “I’m sorry I stole your horse. I won’t do it again.”

Cherry held the horses’ bit in her hand, giving Ellie a stern look which you nearly reprimanded the woman for before she burst into a hearty laughter. “I’d never seen Tommy run so goodman fast in my life,” she howls, “I do forgive you for taking dear Lux but please, don’t do that again.”

Ellie looked down at her feet, giving a bashful promise which elicited another bout of relieved laughter from everyone watching. “Okay, yes, I’m not as young as I used to be, don’t mean I can’t run anymore Cherry,” Tommy smiles. “Anyways, let’s get outta here.”

Once again, your small group fell into silence only to be broken by the occasional point-and-see Tommy was doing as he walked beside you, telling his brother and the girl about Jackson, the little traditions the small community developed such as the movie night that fell on this evening, hoping to entice Ellie into persuading Joel to come back. As he would go on to describe the town and the various jobs everyone pulled, you’d sneak back a look over your shoulder to glance at the man every so often.

Only to catch him staring at you. Damn near every time. 

The four of you pulled up to a two story house at the end of a road, just around the corner from the Jackson cemetery. “Why don’t you two take this house for the night,” Tommy said. “It’s got hot water, firewood, pretty much everything you’d need.”

Ellie groans happily coming up beside you as you kneel to the ground and unzip your backpack. “Here,” you dig out some clothes and hand them to Ellie, “Take a shower first. The clothes might be a little big but something’s better than nothin’.”

Tommy nudges his brother, “We’ll bring you some clothes and some warm food. I think Seth has turkey burgers on the menu tonight.”

“Son of a bitch that sounds good,” you say lightly. It was true, Seth’s turkey burgers were one of the best damned things in Jackson. Even if the old man irritated the daylights out of you most days. 

“I’ll go get the food, you go get them clothes and supplies. Be back here in 30,” Tommy tells you. You gave your friend a mock salute and turned away, walking to the community center.

You chance a glance back behind you, Tommy engrossed in conversation with his brother, Ellie already running up the porch to that tempting fresh shower. As for Joel, as soon as you looked at him, it was almost as if he instinctively knew when your eyes would gaze over him for as soon as you did, his brown eyes met you.

The moment took you by surprise and you tumble slightly, catching yourself after tripping on your own damned two feet. Calm down, can’t you keep your shit together, you chide yourself.

You tried to keep your mind occupied, tried to keep various small tasks in the forefront of your head; it wasn’t really easy considering a gruff man with a husky voice danced behind those thoughts. You barely stopped to say a quick hello to people as you passed, not wanting to give them an opportunity to ask you questions about Joel and Ellie. You saw the community center and pretty much ran the last few feet, wanting to get in and out as soon as possible.

Although you knew the pair for less than a day, it wasn’t hard to pick out a couple spare shirts and tanks for them, hoping they’d fit. Joel was easy, he looked like a man who knew his flannels whereas Ellie was more akin to graphic tees and long sleeve undershirts.Tossing the clothes into a bag, you made your way to the exit.

You shot a thanks of appreciation to Max, the man who practically ran the center, and headed out, making a quick stop to your flat. You tossed out all the dirty clothing from your pack into the laundry basket that laid haphazardly at the foot of your bed and switched it out for fresher and cleaner clothes, restocked on ammunition for your dual guns as well, lastly packing some soon-to-be expired food to eat on the road. A rapid mental check and you figured you were good to head out and left your dear little flat for the foreseeable future.

Feet thumping against the porch, you pounded at the door, calling out. “Tommy?”

When nobody answered you knocked again, “Joel? Ellie?”

Only for silence to respond. 

You check the knob and it gives under your hand and you let yourself in, heading up the stairs to check if anybody was actually here or if Joel skipped town without you. Each room you checked was empty, only pushing your worry to be an accurate assumption when you finally peered into the master bedroom. The door opened with a small creak and you were confronted with the naked and wet image of Joel fuckin’ Miller, clad in nothing but a grey towel around his waist as he sat on the bed.

He looks up at you, watching you watching him. Your breath is stolen away, much like your brain has suddenly malfunctioned. A quick furrow of your brow and you remembered where you were, tossing the bag of clothing at the man and turning to leave, slamming the door shut behind you. Storming down the stairs and aiming for the living room, it wasn’t until you hit the final step that you realized you were holding a breath.

How old am I, you whine. As if I’ve never seen a naked man before.

You plopped down on the sofa groaning, mentally reviewing the sight of Joel sitting on the bed looking frustrated- wet hair and tan skin in all his unfortunate glory. Shaking your head in your hands you sighed, waiting for somebody to come rid you of the ever so obvious embarrassment that loomed over your mind like a cloud when the front door opened to the sounds of Tommy and Ellie talking animatedly about using the rifle to protect Joel some time ago.

Bolting from the seat you took not even a few minutes prior, you met your friend and Ellie, quickly taking the bags from them to do something with your hands rather than ringing your neck out. The two continue talking as they follow you into the kitchen, Ellie going on still on how she’s saved Joel’s life from hunters once upon a time.

Together with Tommy, the two of you set out placemats on the table and served the burgers and fries on plates, letting Ellie finish her story. Thankfully being quiet was usually a quality of yours that served you well as Tommy didn’t pick up anything odd from your demeanor.

As the last plate was set, Joel came down the stairs wearing one of the new flannels you had picked for him. A green number, much like his old one but much less ratty and dirty. You refused to look him in the eye as the food was doled out onto everybody's plates, making sure to give him and Ellie extra fries.

Sitting down at the table with everybody as the four of you dug into the food, Ellie and Joel were quiet as they consumed everything they could which elicited a knowing smile between you and Tommy. It was pretty damned clear they hadn’t eaten anything of substance in quite some time. You were only half done with your own as you got Ellie’s attention, “Hey, kid. Want to finish mine off?”

She looked at you and then to the burger in your hand that you leaned towards her. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Nah, a growing kid like you needs to eat. Take it. I’ll start cleaning up.”

“Ellie,” Joel’s voice hinted at a scold.

You looked at him, “She can eat it. There’s more if either of you want any.” You pushed your plate to the girl and stood, beginning your usual post-meal routine of cleaning up.

“Now you two better not kill each other out there, you hear me,” Tommy started, “Especially you.” He pointed to his brother. You caught out of the corner of your eye Joel tense up, about to argue back.

“Don’t you try to tell me what to do, baby brother,” he emphasizes the ‘baby’.

Tommy put his hands in the air, “I know how you can be, but I also know how she can be.”

This made you cock an eyebrow at him. “Do tell me Tommy Miller, how can I be?”

He stammered for a moment before shrugging, “Hell if I know anymore, you and Maria are gonna be the death of me.”

“Damn right,” you say. You smile and walk over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

As you walk away, you faintly hear Tommy lean over the table and say something to his brother like, “Goddamn Californian girls.”  Which made you throw a rag at his head. He had it comin’.

The trio finished up while you cleaned the kitchen giving your mind some time to go on autopilot, enjoying the opportunity to stay clear of Joel for a moment. You couldn’t figure out what it was, maybe it was that he was one of the first new strangers to come to Jackson. Maybe it was the fact he was the elusive and mysterious older brother to Tommy. Maybe it was just the fact you were fuckin’ horny. Whatever it was was beginning to get on your last nerve and you needed to focus on the task at hand- getting the duo to the University for whatever reason.

Unfortunately you finished sooner than you’d hoped then trotted to the living room and settled on the couch next to Ellie, watching Tommy get the fire going in the fireplace. She shifted in the seat, eager to ask, “So, you’re from California?”

You nodded your head, “Born and raised in the Bay Area.”

“How old were you when the virus hit,” Ellie asked excitedly. “Joel doesn’t like talking about it but it all seems so surreal.”

You shifted in your seat just a bit, feeling all the eyes on you. “I was a little older than you are now, not by much. I was still very much a kid at the time.”

“So what did you do?”

You’re taken back for a moment at the girl's questions. You could tell she meant no harm but you weren’t sure how much you could reveal about yourself to complete strangers, so you compromised with half-truths. At the very least Tommy knew what kind of person you were and you had shit all to prove to Joel.

“Well, after the breakout, I volunteered as a field medic for FEDRA for a few years. I couldn’t take it for much longer so I left. Then, I found the Fireflies, met Tommy there too,” you nodded towards the man.

“And she found her family there,” Tommy interjected. The double innuendo was clear for the two of you.

“He’s right,” you smiled faintly. “Not only did I meet the man who’d become a brother to me,” you jerked your chin towards Tommy and noticed how Joel was trying to pretend he wasn’t listening to you. You continued, “but I found my own brother there along with my uncle.”

Subtlety wasn’t your strong suit but what harm could it do to show that you knew what the hell you were talking about when it came to the militia group.

You sighed heavily recalling some of the darkest moments of your lift. “When the breakout happened, I lost everybody on that first day. The only person who I couldn’t account for was my brother, Regan. Turns out he was able to escape then he joined the Fireflies when they formed.”

“Woah, that’s incredible,” Ellie’s eyes were wide listening to your story. “Was he friends with Marlene?”

“You could say that. Without him, she would have killed me when I approached her in Boston but he vouched for me. His opinion mattered to her.”

“Why,” she asked.

“Hell if I know, hell if I could even guess. Regan was always persuasive, could get anybody to do anything if he wanted,” you said lowly, staring into the fireplace. Your memory swirled with thoughts and worries again, wondering if he was still the same brother you knew or if this world changed him like it did everybody eventually. Sure as shit changed you.

Before any of you knew it, the conversation began to idle down as if they collectively sensed your unease. Soon, Ellie’s head drooped along with her eyelids, coming to lay in your lap as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The silence didn’t stay long until Joel looked at his brother then to you, gesturing between the two of you, “What was that thing you did with your hand? When we were fighting with the hunters?”

“It’s a system we adopted here in Jackson. A bit inspired by the military, a bit from sign language. We developed it to be able to communicate if we needed total silence and it works pretty well, only those of us in Jackson can understand it,” Tommy says proudly.

“I can teach you and Ellie,” you offer. “I’d be good to know if we run into any trouble out there.” You looked down at Ellie, watching as she slept, running your fingers through her hair. She looked peaceful and part of you didn’t want to move, just so she’d get one good night’s sleep but the other argued she’d sleep better in an actual bed.

“Yeah,” Joel mumbled, “Be nice.”

You looked away from the girl in your lap and looked between the two brothers. “I’ll take this one up to bed, you get some rest too,” you told Joel. “See you in the morning, Tommy.”

Rousing the teenager awake, you walked with her to one of the bedrooms and she fell back asleep rather quickly. Seemed to barely be phased by the new scenery. You kicked off your shoes and went down the hall, claiming the last of the spare bedrooms. By the rise of the next morning, the three of you will be headed out to the one place you didn’t think you’d ever see again.

These are the thoughts that plague you until sleep catches up to you only to toss over and see sunlight peeking through the blinds into the room. You let out a small groan, hoping that you didn’t oversleep although what it really felt like was that you didn’t sleep at all and exited the room only to find your new companions talking with Tommy and Maria in the living room.

Maria spotted you as you descended the stairs and she grabbed your hand, pulling you outside. “You sure about this?”

“More than anything.”

She wants to protest, you know she does. Instead she leaves you on the porch to walk down to Cherry who was keeping two horses occupied.

You went back inside, seeing Ellie double checking her backpack, yours beside hers. You grabbed your toothbrush and some paste, trying to make yourself feel clean with running water one last time for a while only to return to Joel speaking softly to his brother.

“You take care of that wife of yours.”

“There’s a place for you here, you know,” Tommy tries to convince his brother to return.

He hesitates a moment, scratching his beard. His Spanish accent comes through the southern twang as he says, “Adios, hermanito.”

Joel looks at you, following you out of the house before mounting onto his horse, Ellie jumping on behind him. Ellie gives Tommy and Maria a small wave before Joel turns the horse around. 

Maria gives you a tight hug before you are able to get on your horse and she whispers, “You better come back or so help me.”

You pull back and give her a parting kiss on her cheek, “Kill Tommy first.” She laughs sadly at the idle threat and you mount up, giving a parting nod to your friends and then to Cherry and pull up next to Joel and Ellie, ready to tackle this next adventure.

[neon-vocalist]

day 16: baking cookies: veronica, mac, chandler

Originally written October 28, 2021

First rule of Christmas with Mac, Chandler, and Veronica: don't do it. Just do not have Christmas. There is no Christmas in this house. Veronica is an atheist, Chandler has religious trauma, and Mac just doesn't vibe with the cutting down of trees. Therefore: no more Christmas.

However, there are many, many cookies, perhaps to fill the hole left behind by the lack of Christmas. Ginger cookies. Sugar cookies. Chocolate cookies. Peanut butter and shortbread and yes, mint cookies. An ungodly amount of cookies. They're basically swimming in recipes. And today, the undertaking is simple: make them all.

Now, none of them claim to be good chefs. Veronica is alright at it, but she doesn't quite do well with recipes. She's more of an improv gal, both in the kitchen and behind the camera. Heather Mac's experience with cooking goes about as far as box mac n cheese and fairy potions in the backyard. And no one with half a mind would trust Heather Chandler in the kitchen.

"Alright, idiots, how are we doing this?" asks Veronica, plonking the recipe box down on the counter. Everyone gathers around it with big eyes, staring as Veronica flicks through the different cards to find the cookie recipes.

"This one-" she pulls out the gingersnap recipe- "is one I stole from my mother, these-" sugar and chocolate- "are... unknown, this-" shortbread- "is taken from online, this is my own recipe for peanut butter cookies, and this last one was taken from Heather's birth-woman." She tosses the last index card on the pile with a flourish. "Who wants to pick?"

"Ooh! I will!" Mac, too short to reach that far back on the counter, climbs Veronica like a tree and grabs a recipe card. "Our first batch iiiiis... butter cookieeeees! And it maaaaaakes... two to three dozen depending on siiiiiiiize!" Mac presents the card like it's a prize on a game show. "Leeeet's get to iiiiiiiit!" she prompts in the same fake-excited tone when no one moves. "Veronica, why don't you get the flouuuuuuur?" She glances back and forth at Heather and Veronica and waves her hands in what they can only interpret as get going.

Veronica giggles at Chandler over Mac's head and grabs the flour from behind her. "You got the sugar, baby?"

"Yep!"

The measurements all go well, and so does putting it all into the mixer, a shiny blue number Mac inherited from her grandma. It's plugging it in when things go haywire. Suddenly the kitchen looks like a blizzard has taken over. Chandler, who's made an attempt to hide behind Veronica, looks halfway decent, but Mac, who was unfortunately straight in the splash zone, looks like a ghost.

"Why was it in the on position?!" she shouts at nobody. Veronica shrugs, stifling a giggle. Chandler does not even try to hided her laughter. Mac faces her with a pout. "It's not funny!"

"She's right, Red," says Veronica. "It's not funny." Mac nods at her, pleased with her support. "It's hilarious." Mac groans and goes to wash herself off.

"Finish this while I take a shower," she grumbles, heading upstairs and trailing flour behind her.

"You want me to come with?" asks Chandler with a wink. "Help you get it off your... y'know?" The glower on Mac's face is enough to subdue her. "Alright, sorry."

The making of the butter cookies goes well after that, and by the time the third dozen is in the oven, Mac comes back downstairs. "How'd the washing go?" asks Veronica, digging on her tiptoes in the cupboard for a bowl in which to whisk cocoa powder and flour together.

"Fine," Mac replies, still slightly grumpy. "What are we working on now?" She glances over at Chandler, who's sitting cross-legged on a chair, holding a bag of chocolate chips in her lap. "Ah."

"While those bake, we're starting on the double chocolate. Except somebody will not give up the chocolate chips."

"Mine," says Chandler, going full goblin and baring her teeth at Veronica.

"Red, we need those."

"Mine."

"Red." Veronica sets the bowl down and meets Chandler's eyes. "C'mon." She moves toward Chandler, who pulls her knees up and grins at Veronica. "Heather." Veronica swipes at the chocolate. Heather jumps off the chair and takes off, chocolate in hand, making Veronica chase her around the living room and kitchen until they both go tumbling to the couch, the chocolate chips pressed between their chests as Veronica holds herself up and looks down at Heather.

"I'm about to fall on you and possibly break a rib," she announces, and releases her elbows, flopping down on top of Heather.

"Ow."

"I warned you, didn't I?" Veronica gives Heather a quick, awkward kiss before rolling off the couch, snatching the chocolate, and throwing it across the room to Mac before Chandler can grab it.

"Hey!" Heather says, indignantly.

"Sorry not sorry, Red. We need those. You can eat them when we're done." Heather visibly perks up and rolls herself backward off the couch, putting her years of unwanted gymnastics practice to use.

"Okay!" she says, springing up off the floor. "Anything I can do to help?"

Veronica shoves the milk and powdered sugar into her hands. "Make the icing and stay out of the way."

"Can do."

Twenty minutes later, a tragedy has befallen the trio.

"A fate worse than death!" Mac cries, leaning on the counter and smashing her forehead into it.

"They're just- burnt- cookies-" Veronica grunts through scraping the dead cookies off the cookie sheet.

"Exactly!" Mac wails.

"You're both idiots," says Chandler, snacking on chocolate chips.

"Oh?" asks Veronica. "What do you suggest?"

"Just throw the whole thing out?"

"The good cookie sheet?" Veronica gasps, staring at Chandler.

"No, the girlfriend," she says, gesturing at Mac, who's still fake-sobbing. Veronica sighs and chuckles a bit.

"Well, cookie making is on hold for a bit while this thing soaks, so... wanna cuddle?"

"Do I wanna cuddle?" asks Mac. "Do I wanna cuddle?"

Veronica grins. "Yeah, I knew you would. C'mere." Mac flies into Veronica's arms, who carries her over to the couch and lays down, letting Mac lie on top of her, head on her chest. Chandler tosses a blanket over them and slips herself into the gap between Veronica and the back of the couch, weaseling an arm under her back and slipping one into Mac's hand. Veronica does have the intention of turning on a movie and setting a timer for the soaking cookie sheet, but the warmth of her girlfriends pressing against her is tempting, and somewhere between fleeting thoughts of the cookies and more prominent ones of the upcoming holiday, she drifts away to sleep.

[princessmuk]

HSMTMTS Character Opinions Bc I’m Procrastinating On My Homework:

Nini

She’s a very sweet girl and definitely deserves better. Though, she can be selfish and makes mistakes... but everyone does that! She just seems like a normal teenage girl. She’s right to want to be loved and treated well, and she deserves to be Gabriella. She does need to get out of her own head sometimes, though. But, as we’ve seen in the latest episode, she’s capable of putting her own feelings aside to help someone else, so go her! 9/10 gal

Ricky

I’m a little biased because he’s my favorite character, but that’s for a reason! Ricky made a huge mistake taking a break with Nini... it really hurt her and it’s the reason they’re in this mess. BUT— I understand why he did it. His parents are getting divorced, of course it’s hard for him to say he loves her when he associates love (what he feels for Nini) with how he saw his parents treating each other as he grew up. He’s scared, and that’s okay. But still, he won’t be able to get her back until he can tell her that. He’s dealing with a lot rn but he’s trying his best and I gotta give him props for that. He’s made mistakes but he apologizes for them, and if he ever thinks he’s overstepping he tries to make sure Nini is comfortable! He’s really trying to show Nini he cares and he’s doing an amazing job at the musical, despite his reasons for auditioning. 10/10 guy!

EJ

Where do I even start... EJ seemed alright at first— he was jealous and a bit basic for my tastes, but he seemed supportive and Nini obviously liked him. But, as we have seen, he is NOT a good person. EJ stole Nini’s phone because she didn’t tell him ONE TIME who texted her (which she doesn’t need to do ever if she doesn’t want to! Where is the trust??) He was going to fess up but only because he was told he should, then he chickened out because it would make his romantic competition look better if he admitted to his mistake??? Wtf??? He’s trying to apologize but Nini has the right to be angry. Plus, to top it all off, he admitted to poisoning somebody and didn’t see why it was bad. So.... yeah, that’s disgusting. 1/10 boy.

Gina

She hasn’t had much time in the spotlight, so I don’t have much of an opinion! She is definitely jealous of Nini and willing to be manipulative to get what she wants, but she also seems to come from a home life that demands perfection so it’s not surprising that she’ll go to those lengths... She has some growing to do, but I believe she can do it. 6/10 gal.

Carlos

What’s not to love about this boy??? He’s hilarious, a great choreographer, stands up for his friends (so far mostly Ms. Jenn but still) and overall just deserves better than he’s given. He’s pouring his heart into this musical and I’m so proud of him. He has not done one problematic thing so far. 11/10 boy.

Ashlyn

Her talent is amazing and she is definitely a kind soul. She’s able to call EJ out which is great, but she also thinks Nini should forgive him, which is not so great. She’s very charming and deserves more screentime. 8/10 gal.

Kourtney

Kourtney is a good friend and a hardcore feminist, which I like. Her personality is bold yet she’s real enough to not be able to talk back to a senior, which I think is very relatable. She definitely falls into a lot of tropes, which isn’t always good, and it feels like her role could be a lot bigger. But, as a person, she’s pretty great. 8/10 gal.

Big Red

My. Man. Red is really out here trying his best to cheer up Ricky in any given situation! He’s obviously a bit awkward and doesn’t always know what to say or do, but he does his absolute best. He’s a great friend considering how little Ricky does for him, though he doesn’t seem to have any problems he needs help with atm so for now that’s fine. His lack of knowledge regarding theatre is hilarious and suits him perfectly. Wish he had a little more depth, but there’s definitely a lot to read into with him. (Everyone in the fandom picking up his subtle gayness.... his crush on Ricky.... it might not be real but it is in our hearts... ) 7/10 guy.

Seb

My. Boy. Seb is adorable and easily loveable despite how little he’s on screen. His lines are always funny and sweet, and from what I’ve seen so far, he’s just a cinnamon roll. 12/10 boy.

[amethyst-labyrinth]

Misto HC

After Tugger is adopted by Misto’s humans. Misto’s special human who’s he’s bonded too, gives Tugger lot of attentions. Causing Misto to sing ‘Somebody Stole My Gal’ Only he sings Tugger’s name. In the junkyard for a week.

Tugger stole my gal, Tugger stole my pal, Tugger came and took her away, She didn't even say she was leavin', Her kisses I love so, He's gettin' now I know... And gee, I know that she, Would come to me If she could see, Her broken hearted lonesome pal,

Tugger stole my gal!

It cause quite a lot of excitement in the junkyard with cats think both Misto and Tugger like the same queen, but no one can figure out who it is. So finally Munkustrap ask them. Both cats have idea what Munk is talking about. Misto explains that he was singing about his human.

Misto also have severe separation anxiety and if his human or Tugger are away from him for more then one night, he will start pulling out his fur and the fur of any other cat near him.

[ao3feed-winterhawk2-archive]

by TellMeNoAgain

I promised people the Devilside point of view for All By Myself and this was about as Devilish as I'm able to get at this point.

My beta assures me it's fine. (I'm sure it's less violent than some of the actual darkfic tortureporn out there)

Warning: While this in SET in the Roaring Hot universe, the vantage point is from the DEVILSIDE, which means that instead of merely flirting with triggers in a delightfully scandalous way, there's actual triggering content. Email me if you want help navigating it: tellmenoagainplease@gmail.com or slide down and throw something in the comments.

Words: 7869, Chapters: 1/6, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of Kitten Licks: The Side Stories from the Roaring Hot AU

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Clint Barton, Barney Barton, Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanov, Phil Coulson, James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Harley Keener, Happy Hogan, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Kingpin

Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Bruce Banner/Clint Barton, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov/Pepper Potts

Additional Tags: POV Devilside, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Mob, Tony Stark Mob Boss, Period Typical Attitudes, Violence, So much violence, Torture, Look I Said I Would Write It So I Did, smut at the end

[jcmorrigan]

Hideaway

The F/O? XR from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. The S/I? Rachel Sparks - fifth ranger of Team Lightyear with a big heart for justice (and no glasses in this ‘verse because I suppose Nebula would surgically augment my eyes to make sure Zurg couldn’t rip the glasses off and stomp on them, which is a Zurg tactic). This one was meant to nestle into the episode “Wirewolf,” based on that throwaway line where XR hears from another ‘bot that the air vents are the best hiding place. See, that was the episode in which I most wanted to hug my poor scaredyboi when he was being done a frighten. I was originally going to do a lot more with that ep as material, but this is all I ever got down.

Oh, also, I moved this around so it was after “42″ which is why Sparks is angsty

***

The air vents were actually quite spacious. Almost suspiciously so, in fact. Circular in shape from the interior, their diameter was enough to comfortably fit a self-described fun-sized robot at standing height.

           Which, at the moment, was the purpose they were serving. XR didn’t want to think of himself as cowering, though “hiding” he would admit to, just to himself. Sure, the vents were unlit and forged a winding labyrinth, but it was a whole lot safer in here than out there. Yes, there was a small chance that the energy vampire could find his way in here, but it was such a small chance that it wasn’t even worth entertaining. Definitely not worth entertaining at all.

           When the sound of someone – something? – crawling down the metal pipe reached XR’s auditory processing, he instinctively popped all eleven guns, aiming them at the source of the noise. “One step closer – wait, step? Wing-flap? Do you even – GET ANY CLOSER AND I’LL GIVE YOU ENERGY, ALL RIGHT. ELEVEN ROUNDS OF IT.”

           The reply of “Friendly fire me and my ghost will follow you around, singing Never Gonna Give You Up backwards, for the rest of your eternal life” gave XR a start. His eye-lights flickered into high brightness, illuminating the space before him, where Rachel was crawling into position.

           “Eheh…sorry about that…” The guns were folded back into storage. “Thought you were…somebody else.”

           “Yeah, I kinda picked up on that.” Rachel repositioned herself, leaning up against the curve of the wall and settling into a semi-comfortable sitting position. “Who built these vents, anyway? They’re HUGE.”

           “You know, I am not gonna look the gift horse-droid in the mouth here.” XR put one hand on his side, leaning cockily as he fired Rachel a coy grin. “So. What’s a nice gal like you doing in an air vent like this?”

           “Well,” Rachel began, “when you went missing, I figured you were hiding from NOS somewhere because you were scared out of your wits – “

           “Scared? Me?” XR was snapped out of his smug act, speaking quickly. “No. I am not scared. You’re thinking of some OTHER robot who always panics whenever energy vampires are involved.”

           “Riiiiiight,” Rachel replied with a smirk before continuing, “Anyway, I asked around and got the tip on the vents, and so then I started overthinking about NOS getting in here and cornering you in the middle of a dark, cramped air vent, and now YOU’RE probably overthinking about NOS getting in here and cornering you in the middle of a dark, cramped air vent, so, long story short, I thought you could use the company.”

           “I was NOT overthinking it,” XR insisted. Then, rather meekly as he tapped his metal fingertips together, “I…wouldn’t mind if you stuck around a bit, though…”

           This was good. It had been far too long since they’d talked like this. It felt right, natural, as easy as slipping on old shoes. While Rachel was well aware the break had been necessary for her to nurse her emotions, she now realized how much she’d missed this. How much she’d missed her friend. This was so much better, now that she was through with the thought of chasing his heart (metaphorically speaking, though she’d heard rumors of the LGMs having added a beanbag heart to his inner workings just to be cheeky).

           “So,” XR suggested, “as long as we’re here, and will be here for the forseeable future until everyone else manages to short-circuit NOSy…”

           Rachel knew that was absolutely not the pleasure they’d be allowed, but she let him carry on without interrupting.

           She hadn’t seen when, exactly, he’d retrieved the pack of cards; he flicked his hand and the entire deck was fanned out in it. “The usual?” he asked.

           “Deal me in,” she replied. “Let’s…not put a wager on this one, though.”

           “Deal.”

           Her first card: a three. The second was a two. “Hit,” she decided, seeing XR’s seven.

           As he handed her a card, she pointed out rather nervously, “So, we’ve…kinda been on a hiatus.”

           “Yeah, and what’s with that?” XR asked, suspicion rising in his voice.

           “I had some shit to work out,” Rachel said calmly. And if there was anything she’d learned after all this time, it was how to not clue him in by overreacting. Though, really, now that the drama was over, what was the harm in him knowing? “Might tell you later. I really just wanna know what’s been up with you.” A consideration on her cards. “Hit.”

           “Me?” XR replied. “Oh, you know…just…” An overly dramatic sigh. “Contending with the scars of heartbreak. Trying to erase the memory of 42 from my hard drive. Being unable to purge it. …Mostly because if I forgot about her, I’d probably try to go after her again, and boy, would that be awkward.” The look of suspicion returned. “But this is what you didn’t wanna talk about.”

           “I worked out my shit,” Rachel stated calmly. “It’s all good. You may proceed.”

           “It’s just…for all my life, all the decades I’ve wasted – “

           “You’ve barely been online for a year.”

           “ALL THE DECADES I’VE WASTED, I’ve been chasing one woman after another. Why? Who knows, really? The thrill? The allure of wanting everything I couldn’t have?”

           “This sounds suspiciously like lines you stole from a trashy romance novel,” Rachel pointed out.

           Without acknowledging that statement, XR went on; “And my nonexistent heart truly beat for no one, until I found her, and that was when I realized it didn’t just beat, but it bled – “

           “THAT IS FROM MY FUCKING FANFICTION.”

           The reply she received was a metallic wink. She stuck out her tongue in retaliation.

           “But seriously,” XR condensed, “42 is the first woman I ever wanted to actually commit to. And you’d think I’d like being free of what a lesser man might call the ‘ball and chain,’ but the usual routine just doesn’t do it for me anymore. We were going to be partners. And I really, REALLY wanted that. I can’t just go back to throwing out bad pickup lines at every pretty face now that I know what being happy with someone REALLY feels like!” He paused. “Hit or no?”

           It took Rachel a minute to realize he was referring to the game. She surveyed her cards. “Hit.”

           “You have something really low under there.”

           “You would know. You probably dealt me what you did on purpose.”

           “Actually,” XR said, matter-of-fact, “I turned my algorithms off completely for this one. I’m playing on luck and risk evaluation.”

           “So you’re saying you don’t have a perfect 21.”

           “I am saying I MIGHT have a perfect 21. You have no idea. But if I have a perfect 21, it didn’t get that way on purpose.”

           Rachel took the final card, nodded, and lay it down. “Done.”

           “There’s a pretty good chance you won this.”

           Rachel flipped up her cards, showing a total of 19. “Pretty sure I did win this.”

           “Well, what do you know?” XR remarked. “I turn off my algorithms, I give you a fighting chance – “

           He turned up a 20.

           “ – and you still lost.”

           “Dammit!”

           As the cards were reshuffled, Rachel asked, “What was she like? I mean, what did you like about her? I never really got to know her that well.” Maybe now she should, now that she’d sorted everything out. Put the final nail in the coffin and befriend 42, who it sounded like Rachel could get along with anyway. Once Rachel could act mature around 42 and not feel hurt, she would know it was all over, and all three of them would be free. Though, now that she thought of it, it probably wasn’t a good idea to bring up XR’s ex and ask him to describe her. “But if you don’t wanna talk about her, I get – “

           “She was more radiant than a thousand suns,” XR was already waxing poetical. “Bitter, at first, but that was part of the allure. There’s just something about kicking off a relationship with a good old-fashioned trading of insults that makes you feel alive. She was a CLASSIC romantic, too. A walks-on-the-beach kind of person. Yes, yes, I know she couldn’t WALK at the time, but that didn’t stop her, which just goes to show how much of a dreamer she was. But most of all, when I looked into her pixelated eye graphics, I felt like she KNEW me inside out, and I thought for the briefest moment that I knew her. Though, boy, did I have her wrong. She needed to fly free while I wanted to latch onto her like a remora. She wanted to touch the sky. I wanted to invest in a tandem bicycle. She wanted adventure. I wanted what I am realizing is a series of incredibly mixed metaphors.” The cards, he remembered. Two for him, two for Rachel.

           She peered at her hidden card, hardly registering it as she asked, “If you could have the woman of your dreams, now that you’ve been with 42…what would she be like?”

           “Well, she’d have to have a sense of humor,” XR mused. “This isn’t a REQUIREMENT, but if our relationship evolved out of a playful rivalry, that’d be bonus points. Somebody who’d go for a romantic night on the town, maybe dancing at the less shady clubs in Trade World, which are still pretty shady, but look better by comparison of what they’re next to. Someone who’d actually want to be on my team so we could be together all the time. And, of course, it wouldn’t hurt if she worshipped the ground I rolled on.”

           Rachel stared at him, dumbfounded.

           “I’D DO THE SAME FOR HER,” XR said defensively, thinking Rachel was floored by the selfishness of the last qualification. “If she was the right one, she’d be nothing short of ethereally beautiful, and I would let her know that every hour, on the hour. You could time me.”

           Rachel doubted that was literal, but she understood the sentiment. She condensed what XR had told her, just to be sure she had it right: “So you want someone who started out bantering with you, would become your friend and think everything you did was hot shit, laughed at your jokes, TOLD bad jokes, went along with you on pretty much every adventure, and would love to be taken out dancing on Trade World.”

           “Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”

           He couldn’t really be that oblivious.

           Except he was XR. He actually was that oblivious.

           “No,” Rachel said. “I hope you find the woman of your dreams.”

           If he’d managed to describe her perfectly, and he’d still never thought of her as an option, then the coffin really was closed.

           “Your turn,” XR said rather smugly.

           “Huh? Oh. Hit – “

           “Nooooo,” XR corrected, singsong, “I want to know what YOUR perfect guy is like.”

           “My perfect guy?” Rachel repeated, fiddling with the face-up card in her hand. “Well, I mean…I used to have this laundry list of requirements. You’re gonna love this, but back when I was growing up on Capital Planet, I actually thought I’d only ever be into humans.”

           A dramatic gasp from XR that Rachel wasn’t sure about: real or exaggerated?

           “Yeah, yeah, I know,” she brushed off. “Miss Inclusivity thinking she’d only ever go for a human. But I had a thing for guys with black hair. Raven fucking black. I was pretty much into your standard skinny white boy package. You can fill in the blanks. After I grew up a little, I realized that attraction could come in more than one exact body type, so my list got less physical and more about personality. Moral paragon, musical connoisseur, had to bolster my self-esteem…maybe be willing to play my therapist a little and remind me that I’m pretty when I don’t believe it…or, you know, all the time…”

           “And you think I’M selfish for wanting a woman to be enchanted by me,” XR said in a tone of mock disappointment.

           “You are,” Rachel argued, “but I never said I wasn’t, now, did I? The thing is…where I am now, less and less things matter.”

           “Fewer?”            “What?”

           “Whenever I use the word ‘less’ like that in my reports,” XR reminded her, “you change it to ‘fewer.’”

           “You KNOW I don’t give a shit when I’m TALKING OUT LOUD.”

           “‘Biek’ wasn’t out loud.”

           “WILL YOU LET THAT GO?” She did love this routine. “Anyway, FEWER and FEWER things mattered until it kind of just boiled down to one thing. If he’s someone I can get along with, someone who makes me feel like we get each other and can have each other’s backs, and we have a lot of fun together, then, if a spark happens, which it very well might, I’ll give him a shot.” A pause. “Oh, and also, he can’t want to have sex with me. That part’s important.”

           XR took a minute to process this before saying, “That’s it?”

           “That’s it.”

           “You have REALLY got to raise your standards.”

           “Trust me, I told myself the same thing SO many times.”

           “Why would you – “ It clicked. “OHHHHHHHH. You had a thing for someone. You had a thing for someone RECENTLY. I knew it. I KNEW it!” XR pointed at Rachel proudly.

           “It’s not Booster,” Rachel sighed out of habit.

           “I figured that out,” XR said proudly. “You didn’t have the chemistry I thought you had with him at all. Which is probably good, since I still have no idea how old he is.”

           “The thing is,” Rachel admitted, “I kinda realized I had to…get over this guy. And now that it’s all over, I think…maybe I can actually tell you. Let you add this to your list of blackmail material you have on me.”

           “Would I ever blackmail you?”            “Evan already knows. He read it in my head. You telling him who I like will have literally no effect.”

           XR pretended this didn’t bother him for a full ten seconds before muttering, “Dagnabbit.”

           “You’re gonna get a good laugh out of this, though,” Rachel said with a smile. “I used to have a huge…crush…on…”

           Why was it suddenly so hard to say? Was it just out of hesitation, knowing that he’d lord this over her for fun? But he knew, now, where the limit was. She trusted that. Her throat seemed to dry up all the same, and her heartbeat was now strong, the feeling of it pulsing in her neck. After keeping this secret for so long, it was finally coming to light, and perhaps that was why this was as difficult as it was.

           “I appreciate the atmosphere of suspense you’re cultivating here,” XR told her, “but I kinda need to know the answer already.”

           “I – sorry,” Rachel squeaked, clearing her throat. “Okay. The punchline of my life is that this whole time, I’ve secretly been into – “

           “BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!” XR cried all of a sudden.

           “…What?” Rachel replied incredulously.

           “That…explains…EVERYTHING!” XR realized. “He talked you into accepting life on Team Lightyear really easily. You didn’t want him to go out with Bonnie Lepton because you wanted him for yourself! But you couldn’t tell him because after the Plasma Boy incident, you thought you’d be pressuring him into a relationship he didn’t want! What a plot twist! You arguing so hard to get me to help you bring him back if he ever went loco, your obsession with his sexier evil clone showing up everywhere, your feeling like the only rookie who didn’t earn his respect – it all fits! How did I not see this before? Oh, the tragedy! Oh, the star-crossed fate!”

           “You couldn’t be more wrong,” Rachel said, deadpan.

           XR took a moment to study her face. “You’re putting on an awfully cool cover if I’m right.”

           “That’s because it’s not a cover, and also, if I was going to tell you it was him in the first place, I wouldn’t be putting on a cover now.”

           “True, true…” XR relented. “Okay, proceed.”

           Rachel heaved a deep breath. “The guy I had a thing for is – “

           “WARP DARKMATTER!”

           Rachel leaned the back of her head against the metal wall, thudding it several times consecutively.

           “You said it yourself,” XR reminded her. “You have a thing for guys with black hair. And probably black souls to match. You wanted yourself some of that bad boy action, but he would NEVER have eyes for you!” If Rachel wasn’t mistaken, XR’s eye-lights were misting slightly.

           “IT’S NOT WARP DARKMATTER,” she groaned. “Are you gonna let me tell you or not?”

           “…Okay, it’s obviously not Warp Darkmatter,” XR realized. “Then who could it be…?”

           “Try someone a little less…tall,” Rachel urged him. “And…conventional.”

           She waited to see if he’d guess, but he simply made a “hmm” noise of deep thought.

           “Someone who always has to have the last word?” Rachel prompted. “Someone…not human.”

           “That doesn’t really narrow it down…”

           “Someone who thinks he’s hot shit.”

           “That eliminates a few more of the obvious candidates…”

           After waiting a little longer for XR’s next guess and not hearing it, Rachel sighed one more time. “The person I had a thing for – “

           XR’s jaw dropped. “NO.”

           She knew he had it. “Yes.”

           “All this time – “

           “Yup.”

           “For a YEAR – “

           “Yyyyyyup.”

           “I KNEW it was suspicious how you were always defending him!” XR proclaimed. “No one in their right mind would try to paint him as a misguided good guy unless she was head-over-heels for him!”

           Or maybe he didn’t have it. “…I don’t think we’re talking about the same person here.”

           “And you always were fascinated by that molting thing, and, let’s face it, he OBVIOUSLY wouldn’t do the do the way humans do – “

           “ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT EON?” Rachel screamed in newly ignited horror.

           “YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH POTENTIAL HE HAS FOR GOOD!” XR reminded her.

           “IT’S NOT! FUCKING! EON!”

           “And thank whatever deity exists for that,” XR said with a sigh of relief.

           “All right,” Rachel groaned, “you’re done guessing.” Though, as usual, XR’s sheer airheadedness combined with his lack of vocal filter had done its magic. She was no longer nervous, her heartbeat quelled. Playful frustration lent her confidence. “I’m gonna tell you. And you’re gonna listen.”

           “Okay. No more interruptions. We cut to the chase this time.”

           “The person I liked,” Rachel said slowly, deliberately, “was…hey, how about you give me a drumroll?”

           XR rose to the cue, rapidly tapping his fingers on the metal wall so the sound reverberated.

           Rachel put out an arm dramatically. “And the lucky man is - !”

           “Hey, guys!” Mira said from behind Rachel as her upper half phased into the vent.

           She’d meant to ask what Rachel and XR were doing hanging out in an air vent, but the question died on her lips immediately, for the moment she’d appeared, she’d startled them both so badly that they were now screaming bloody murder, instinctively shooting to each other to cling onto each other’s bodies chastely but tightly.

           It really was a shame they hadn’t worked out, Mira thought; they were a cute couple. A cute couple of dorks, to be specific.

           “So, uhhhh, we’re going on patrol,” Mira said once the screaming had died down, “and it’s kind of a whole-team thing.”

           “Actually,” XR said from his position locked within Rachel’s grip, “we had a better plan. You, Buzz, and Booster are really more skilled at the whole ‘vampire-hunting’ thing, and this Parsec guy seems like a real…vampire slayer. You know ‘em when you see ‘em, and he’s one of ‘em. Now, Rach and I, we are REALLY good at guarding these air vents and making sure nothing gets in the base through them, so we’re just going to stay right here and – “

           “Uh-uh.” Mira shook her head. “Not a chance.”

           “I just want it on record that staying in here was completely his idea,” Rachel said flatly, XR’s arms still locked around her.

           “I know it’s dangerous out there,” Mira pointed out, “but danger is what we signed up for when we became space rangers. It’s our job – “

           “To do dangerous things so no one helpless has to deal with them,” Rachel sighed. “I know. Come on.” She disentangled XR from her arms, waiting for him to do the same – which she now needed him to do for more reasons than one.

           For when they’d grabbed onto each other, her heart had leapt with excitement. She had thought she’d done a thorough job of murdering her feelings for him. But it wasn’t over at all. It was a good thing Mira had come along when she’d done so, because if she’d clued XR in while she still had feelings for him –

           “You can let go now,” she told him gruffly, even though she didn’t want him to, not ever again.

           She didn’t miss the light tremble in him as he got as much distance from her as he could in the cramped vent, his arms now to himself. “All right,” he said with a bravado-laden tone, “I’m nothing if not a team player.”

           “That’s a laugh,” Mira teased.

           “But if I get torn to shreds out there,” XR told Mira, arms folded, “you’re the one paying for my reconstruction.”

           “Done and done,” Mira said with a nod.

           “Wait a – “ XR did a double take. “You said that like you are VERY SURE I’m going to get shredded.”

           “Uh, yeah, we’re leaving in five minutes,” Mira said before vanishing through the bottom of the vent.

           “Let’s do this,” Rachel said resignedly, making to head out of the vent. Then: “Um…you should probably lead. You’re the one with lights.”

           “You got all the way in here without lights.”

           “I ran into a LOT of walls. I have bruises.”

           There was enough room for them to switch positions, but due to the curvature of the walls, it did involve XR temporarily skidding on the side of the wall and Rachel losing her balance completely and falling with a thud. Eventually, they were arranged in a procession of some dignity, XR now out front to light the path while Rachel crawled on hands and knees behind him.

           Yet XR didn’t move, standing stone-still. Or attempting to, anyway. His nervous shaking was now visibly apparent, even in the dim light.

           “XR?” Rachel said softly.

           “What?” he replied quickly. “Oh, no, no, yeah, I’m fine – “

           “I know what you’re thinking about,” Rachel informed him. “All that stuff you told me. I know you’re afraid of what he can do to you.”

           “Look, I don’t wanna go over it again and get it in my head right before any of it could ACTUALLY HAPPEN,” XR spat.

           “Just…do me a favor and look at me first.”

           He trusted her, and so he spun, treads still pointed forward but the rest of his body rotating to face Rachel.

           She dared to place a hand on either side of his helmet, telling him, “Look me in the eye,” as she did the same to him –

           Then she recoiled with a loud “AGH, FUCK!”

           Staring a robot in his brightly illuminated eyes was a bad idea, it turned out.

           “Can you turn down the brights?” Rachel grunted, eyes shut tight.

           “Heh…yeah…sorry about that…aaaaand you’re clear.”

           Rachel eased one eye open to test the environment. She could now just make out the lines of XR’s face, his eyes dimmed to the softest glow. Opening her eyes completely, she became aware that the spots of dark green and magenta swimming in her vision from the accidental bright-light exposure were stunning even in the dark. They were, however, temporary. “Now look me in the eye for real,” Rachel commanded, gently.

           Her hands hadn’t left him. He looked to her with a now-obvious vulnerability that she knew he hated showing.

           “I can’t promise anything for sure,” she said as she fixed her gaze directly on his. “NOS is a badass, and I am a fucking wimp. I’m probably going to lose whatever fight I get in. So I can’t say I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, because knowing my luck, I’ll try, I’ll get fucked up, and you’ll need a backup plan. But you KNOW how I feel about letting you get hurt, no matter how many times you can get rebuilt. When we get out there, stay close to me. Because I’m going to do my ABSOLUTE DAMNEDEST to try not to let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

           Dead serious, he said, “You sound like you’re going to try and fight an energy vampire mono-a-mono to stop me from getting a few paint scratches.”

           “Yes. Because that’s what I fully intend to do. I will fight him. I know I cannot win, but I will fight him.”

           A pause. “What do you want outta this? Your next order at Cosmo’s is my treat?”

           Rachel flinched, disgusted with the insinuation; “I’m not going to protect you because I want you to OWE me – “

           “I’m not saying you are. I’m OFFERING.”

           “Oh.” So that was it. “This is free, okay? You’re already helping me cover up my anxiety stuff and – and you make me smile all the time, so there’s that. But you need to let me do this for you. Because I – “

           Could she do it, now? Tell him the absolute truth?

           “ – I have a lot of friends,” she concluded, “but none of them are quite like you. You’re my best friend.”

           That was, absolutely, the truth.

           “And I can’t – “ Here, she faltered. She was about to say those damning words, “lose you,” but then that would give him the idea that that was a real possibility, and even though it was, she didn’t want either of them to entertain it. She was silent for far too long, looking for the politically correct rephrase.

           “Hey, you don’t have to finish that.” He actually sounded jovial; his teasing tone was more honest now, and Rachel could feel that somewhere along the line, he’d stopped shaking. She froze like a deer in headlights when she felt his hand wrap around her own on the side of the glass. “I know I rag on you all the time, and you rag on me, but I really lucked out with you, didn’t I? You’re the only one who does this. Gets all protective, I mean. And I get it. I get why. An adult robot outfitted with the latest and greatest Star Command technology SHOULDN’T need to have his back watched. And probably doesn’t, all considered. I mean, I’ve run into him THIS many times and I’m still here, soooooooo…”

           “If you think you’ll be okay out there,” Rachel said, “then that’s good. You’re capable. You’re a rock star. I’m STILL going to look out for you out there, though. Whether you want me to or not.”

           She twisted her hand as much as she could to be able to grasp his in return, firmly squeezing the metal, and this was probably going far too overboard, now that she realized how she still did feel, but as much as she liked the attention and the touch, she wasn’t doing this for that, she was doing this because knowing how afraid he was put cracks in her heart –

           “Just stay with me,” she reiterated, hardly able to get the words out, voice almost inaudible.

           “Fine,” XR teased, “but only ‘cause somebody needs to watch YOUR back out there.” She was starting to avert her gaze, her face falling from the gravity of the situation, and his free hand tapped her under the chin and lifted her head back up to see that he was now smiling with confidence that wasn’t falsely plastered on to hide the depths of fear, but rather shining through the ever-present fear. “Ya sap.”

           That got her to laugh.

           Mira’s echoing call of “FIVE MINUTES ARE UP!” from the entry to the vent labyrinth spurred them both to move. Following behind XR, Rachel knew she had a lot to think about. But the foremost thing on her mind was how she was going to make sure he was safe with NOS-4-A2 on the loose – something more easily done in fantasy than reality.

           But as soon as his lights, now on full brightness, alerted her to the vertical shaft she’d nearly fallen down on her blind trip into the maze and missed out of pure luck, the foremost thing on her mind became that and processing the worst-case scenarios that hadn’t happened.

[beyondthetemples]

{{ “Be Honest” mun meme

{{ Questions list taken from here:

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/hellhaeths/182092480007

What would prevent you from following someone? Not trigger-tagging, or not using cuts for ns//fw scenes. (I have really intense emet*phobia, so if you don't tag for that, or won't tag for it upon request, I absolutely cannot follow. Savior catches most posts for me, even if they're not tagged, but there are just So Many Euphemisms and Various Ways to Describe It that it only works 75% of the time.)

Are aesthetics important to you? If they are, why? As far as blog theme, not really-- I just like fiddling around to find something that evokes their General Vibe, and seeing what themes other muns like! I won't judge by them though. When it comes to thread aesthetics, I actually prefer to leave them utterly unformatted and plain-text as possible. I have ADHD and Fancy Unicode and Symbols and All That makes it really hard for me to focus on what's going on in the thread, not to mention I don't have the attention span to match another mun's Styling like that. (Also, fun fact: I always have my Tumblr Dash at 75% zoom, and Dove’s theme already has text at a Very Readable Size, so nothing ever needs to be Smallified for me.)

What current rp trend do you hate? I don't think there are any I "hate", though I get confused on all the Different Verses that everyone has. (In all my years of writing fanfic, I've only ever written Exactly One (1) AU, and I never read them outside of rp. AUs just aren't my thing.)

How do you explain rp to someone in the real world? "Taking turns writing what the characters are doing." Everyone afk has been pretty supportive. (They all know I'm a writer, so like... it's Nothing New.)

Do you prefer interacting with male muses or female more? Why? I genuinely don't care either way! Guy, gal, nonbinary pal: as long as they're fun to write with, I don't mind a bit. (And Dove has no preference, either.)

Do you prefer writing male muses or female more? Why? Statistically, I have 3 female muses (4 if we count Evangeline as her own person and not just A Part of Dove Manifested)... and only 1 male. (And technically, both Srentha and Leyla are genderqueer, so it's really only Dove and Kary that are cis women.) But that's not intentional? Evangeline is feminine because Dove is feminine, and Kary was originally my girlfriend's-- if she was a male I still would've hardcore adopted him. It just kind of worked out that way. I just enjoy writing people, not gender roles.

Name any three things about the rpc that bother you. 1.) The aforementioned Verse Thing. (It doesn't really bother me, I'm just easily confused by Similar-Except-Vaguely-Different Things due to the ADHD.) 2.) Some people still don't know that godmodding isn't okay. 3.) The distaste for OCs??? I guess that doesn't exactly "bother" me either, because people are allowed to have preferences... but, I mean, I spent several years active in, and then Actually Running, a group of 1300 members on dA completely DEDICATED to OCs, and it was a blast, so I just don't understand why people don't like rping with them as much as canon characters. I personally find OCs more satisfying to explore, more surprising in every thread because you just don't know what to expect, and you have a LOT more freedom for plotting and reactions! Like! You can Shed the Constraints of Canon and Revel in your Newfound OC-Based Freedom!! Truly Become your Character's GOD!!!

What is your opinion on exclusivity? Do you practice it? Why / why not? Nah, I love the variety different muns can bring to the same muse! Other people can stay exclusive if they like. Being an OC mun, it doesn't exactly affect me. 8F

Have you ever had a bad experience with commissions? As either someone who makes them or as someone who buys them? (I don't really know how this pertains to RP?) But there was one time when someone gave me a really vague commission request, out of the blue, for a fandom I know absolutely nothing about, and just kept saying things like "Whatever you think they'd do!" when I asked for plot, characterization, or preference details... I never finished it because I Didn't Even Know how to START.

What do you know now about rp that you wish you knew when you first started? The reply doesn't have to be perfect. Or dramatic, even. Not every reply is going to shatter someone's heart or absolutely make their day. And that's perfectly okay!

Have you been involved in drama? Do you regret it? Nnnnot on Tumblr. (There was a LOT of drama amongst admins of the dA group, which strongly attributed to the decline of me RPing on dA, but I definitely do not regret standing up for myself. I do wish I'd been able to foresee it, though, and brought someone else on staff who was actually going to, you know, do the job they applied for?)

Have you ever thought about leaving rp? What caused it? What changed your mind? Never! Well not on Tumblr anyways. There was a period where my favorite partners were all going inactive, and I couldn't find anyone who wanted to interact with Dove, so of course I was despairing, wondering if I'd ever get to explore what I wanted to explore with her. But then I decided, you know what, so what if I can't find any canon Titans to advance her Tumblr timeline? I'll just fill in the blanks with fanfic canon, and work from there! Making that decision was so freeing.

Do you think rp has had a positive or negative affect on your life or you as a person? Oh, positive, absolutely. I may be too busy to really attend to it much nowadays, but my writing style has improved DRAMATICALLY, I've made so many friends, and I've learned things about Dove that I never would've discovered in the stories alone. (Or at least, it might've been discovered on a ten-year delay. 8F)

How has rp changed you personally? I was able to find fast friends, make connections with people over common interests, and my very first experience with leadership happened because I hung around a TTOC dA chatroom (because, specifically, I’d gotten ADDICTED to rp), came to love the people and characters, and decided, when the current admins had to step down, I would like to step up.

If you could change one thing about rp on tumblr, what would it be? Why? I'd like tags to stop breaking, that'd be nice. (But that’s an issue with Tumblr itself, not the rps.)

Have you ever sent a message to yourself on anon? Why? Pff, no. Mostly because if I really want something to happen, I'll either post an open, OR I'll do what I'm doing here, and just answer the questions myself. 8F I have a lot of fun doing this with headcanon question lists.

Have you ever sent hate to yourself on anon? Why? No, but that's because I'm all about learning (+spreading) positive self-talk, de-escalation, and avoiding drama. Drama doesn't serve anyone.

Do you delete anon hate or post and address it? Why? I address it and then block the sender, because I want everyone to know I don't stand for that. And I have this stubborn streak about standing up for myself, so, you know... Gotta Address It First. (And I've defended Dove from Mary Sue accusations since I started posting about her in 2006, so it doesn't bother me, but I love pointing out all the reasons that, Jack Rider voice: You Are Wrong!)

Have you ever felt pressured to write something you weren’t comfortable with? Nope, but that's because if I can't or don't want to, I'm open and transparent about it. (Not on Tumblr, anyways. There was one particular person in the dA chats that kept trying to make RPs All About His Muse, but we shut that down too.)

Have you ever followed someone because you felt like you had to, not because you wanted to? Hell no! I've never Automatically Followed Back, and it's right there in my rules, I need a little communication before I start interacting.

What would make you block someone? Anon hate, reblogging/replying to rps that don't involve them, starting their own rps on my posts, Bad Takes in the Tags, shipping something I genuinely can't stand... I use the block button pretty liberally. I just don't need that stuff in my life, in my tags, or on my dash.

Have you ever stolen something from someone else? Well I have adopted a couple of headcanons re: Canon Characters from the teentitansheadcanons blog. (Like hc that, one time, Beast Boy was a bug and someone almost squished him, so now they put all the bugs outside, just in case. I love that for some reason, so I adopted it.) And every now and again I'll see something in fanfic I like: Azarath Has Two Suns, I saw that in a fanfic and it just felt so RIGHT, so I adopted that too. But, I mean, rping as an OC, there's really not a lot I can steal. 8F

Have you ever had something stolen from you? If so, how did you handle it? Not on Tumblr, but somebody once stole a picture of Srentha from dA and used it in a random webs-page blog about their dreams? ??? I have no idea why they used him, or how they even fOUND him, but I kinda just shrugged and let it go.

Are you open to duplicates? Why / why not? (Isn't this basically the same question as "are you exclusive"? Because I have the same answer. I am, because I like seeing other muns' interpretations of the same character.)

How do you feel about vague posting? Use your own judgement for your own blog, but it's not something I do myself. If I have to vaguepost to vent something, I'll usually go on a more private blog, or at least stick it under a Read More.

Do you follow people even if they don’t follow you back? Yes! I like reading rps almost as much as I like writing them.

Do you read people’s rules before following or interacting? Always.

What is your opinion on “reblog karma” and do you practice it? I try to! Sometimes I can't figure out what to send in for the blog I get in from, but most of the time, I'll send something any time I reblog something. I really appreciate it when people send something in before reblogging from me, personally. c: (I get it if you can’t or don’t want to. But it sure is nice!)

How have you responded to popular slang used on tumblr? Do you use it in every day life? Do you use it at all? Not really, but I rarely use slang at all. Unless I'm actually talking about rp, muses, muns, etc, then I'll use those words.

Is there something you don’t know the meaning of but you haven’t asked anyone because you think it’s supposed to be general knowledge? Was there ever something you had to ask someone to explain? I'm that Ravenclaw who always asks questions as soon as I encounter I don't know, and I don't use words without knowing what they mean. Kinda defeats the purpose of words that way.

Have you ever experienced discrimination? Well, Dove has, since people have that "I don't like OCs" mindset. Or "she's related to a canon character, so she's automatically a Mary Sue". It's not as big of a Discrimination as sexism or racism, don't get me wrong! But it HAS limited our scope of interaction, and I personally think it’s a little unfair to make judgments like that.

How do you feel about personal blogs following your rp blog? Go for it.

Have you ever cried while writing a reply? Mmmmaybe once? More often my heartrate just raises a little in an exciting moment, or I write out a ten-paragraph response in a one-hour fit of delighted manic wordsmithing, but I've definitely been touched. (I'm just... not very good at crying when I'm focused on writing. 8F)

Do you read other people’s threads or do you only read your own? There's definitely a bias towards my own! (Before my EHD died, I had about a hundred and fifty rps saved as word documents.) But I also enjoy reading others' threads.

What’s one thing that other people seem to hate that doesn’t bother you? Hmm...Spelling and grammatical errors. When I was copying chat rps to word docs, I started editing the replies for readability, and that habit kinda transferred to Tumblr, so when I'm not in a hurry, or I have an Unusually Long Attention Span, when I copy the replies, sometimes I'll just edit them, but I'm not mad about it. Just got into that habit.

How do you feel about tagging triggers? Do you tag them? How do you determine what is triggering content and what isn’t? It is absolutely ESSENTIAL for me to have triggers tagged for ME, so of course I extend the same courtesy to others. I don't presume to know what triggers people; I've made it very clear that if anyone needs something tagged, they just have to ask, and I'll tag it. No questions asked. (Though if they want to vent about it, I'm open to that too.)

What advice would you give to someone new to rp? Just GO for it! I know it can be scary and intimidating and overwhelming to see a great writer and think, "Gosh I want to interact with them So Much".. .and you know what, sometimes you will get rejected. Sometimes you just won't mesh with muns. Sometimes your characters don't have a very exciting dynamic. But you'll never find those Goldmine RP Partners if you don't at least ASK.

[ayzrules]

posting all these here in case urstyle does us dirty polyvore-style/something happens to my computer :^)))))))))

was for @forebodinq‘s Battle of the Books challenge on polyvore and i used parasol protectorate series

ok so....1) is alexia, 2) was a collection cover (in <15 items!! what is this witchcraft that I have created), 3) was video game version of parasolverse i think, 4) is conall maccon/akeldama, 5) and 6) IVY IVY IVY (plus tunstell lol), 7) biggest OTP ever biffy/lyall, 8) evilyn/felicty loontwill with quotes I stole from edgy aesthetic pictures or something. 9) is our finishing school gals who are fucking up some picklemen (OT but i swear the picklemen are basically the supernatural KKK omg)

so the fancast is as follows:

Indira Varma as AlexiaTarabotti/Maccon

Amra Cerkezovic as Vieve/Madame Lefoux

Camille Hurel as Ivy Hisselpenny/Tunstell

Linus Wordemann as Tunstell

Richard Armitage* as Conall Maccon

Danila Kovalev* as Lord Akeldama

Tom Hiddleston* as Lyall

Daniel Walters as Biffy

Amanda Seyfried as Evilyn Loontwill

Elsa Hosk as Felicity Loontwill

Teddy Quinlivan (w/ red hair...though the dark hair looks good on her too have you seen! her latest digitals!) as Sidheag

OT but if there was any way teddy/sid would know each other in some twisted modern AU parasolverse...i feel like they would like each other. a lot.

Antonina Vasylchenko as Sophronia

Emma Stone (w/ red hair) as Agatha

Dove Cameron as Dimity

Cillian Murphy as the Duke of Golborne

no lie i only have him there as the POS pickleman because somebody on PV made a good edit of cillian’s head eheheh and it fit well with @vampirkaninchen‘s phenomenal clothing edits im lazy sue me

*not a true fancast because I stalked Gail Carriger’s pinterest boards and they showed up but fite me