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[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Leader of the Pack 1

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Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: On a night out at the bar, you're promoted from wing woman to main star.

Characters: James Conrad, short!reader

Note: it’s hump dayyyy.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

"Go grab us a pool table," Martyna demands as she leans on the bar. 

"Oh, sure," you turn to search the bar. There's only one table and it's taken. You frown. "Someone's already on it." 

"So what? Go put a stack of quarters on it," she says, "I can't. I gotta get my drink." 

"Right, er," you teeter on your feet and look back at the table, one man lining up his shot as the other watches, his thick hands around his cue.  

The shooter snaps the stick and the clack of balls is sharp and strong. You near nervously, pulling out change as you keep just outside their perimeter as the second man considers his turn with a suck of his teeth. Where he's burly, with a shaggy dark beard, and faded ball cap, the other man has blonde hair and is lithe. They are both tall, though the slimmer man has at least an inch on the other. 

You step forward as the man aims from the other corner. You set down four quarters in a stack, just enough to feed the table for another round. The thicker man pauses as he pulls back the cue and narrows his eyes. 

"Eh, you're gonna mess me up," he barks. 

"Oh, sorry," you recoil and fold your hands over your chest, "I was only..." 

You quiet as he grumbles and shakes his head, eyes pinpointing on the felt. You shake your head and back up as the other man tisks. 

"Syverson, don't have to be so rude, the lady is merely claiming her turn," the slender man intones, just a foot from you as he twirls the cue, it's butt set to the floor. "Don't fret over my companion," he girds in his peculiar accent, "he's a sore loser." 

"Heh, what's that about..." the other man hits the cue ball and sends a striped one into the pocket, "losing?" 

You're quiet, nodding as you try to think of the proper response. No one's ever called you a lady. Most people don't notice you. It's why Martyna prefers you as her wing woman, you keep her company until she finds someone fun. 

"Rather, you set me up finely," the first man retorts. 

You cross your arms protectively and back up, making sure you're out of the broader man as he stalks around to place his next shot. His friend watches calmly, unbothered as he knocks another ball in, then lines up for the third. That one's a miss. 

"Shit," the man in the ball cap stands straight and sends you a look. You're not even close to the trim. 

"Oh, don't even try to blame her," the blond reprimands, "that's not very valiant, is it?" 

"Whatever," the other grumbles as he plants his feet and watches the other. 

The slimmer man puts his first shot easily in the corner, the next he sends two balls into opposite pockets, and the next sees him with only the eight ball left to sink. His opponent huffs and shakes his head. You rock back and forth, you hope he wins if only to clear the table. 

"Finally," Martyna nudges you as she comes up beside you, "they didn't have Corona, you believe that?" 

"Oh, that's crummy," you say, watching the mam measure his shot. 

"Mmph, I know you don't give a crap," she scoffs, "why didn't you grab a ginger ale?" 

"I'm fine, just had that iced coffee," you shrug. 

She hums again. She knows you don't drink, that this isn't your scene, that you're not exactly a social butterfly, so why does she act so disappointed. She invited you. It's always her idea, never yours. You just go along, otherwise you'd have nothing to do and no friends.  

"Kinda cute," she leans over to whisper, "look at his shoulders..." 

You lower your brow as your cheeks burn. You hadn't really thought of that. Then, you wonder, which one she's talking about. They both have nice shoulders and muscular arms. 

They're strangers! You shouldn't think of that. You uncross your arms and once more clasp your hands together. 

The man finally shoots, calling left pocket. He calls it true. The ball rolls in and his buddy sighs and swears. 

"Nice," Martyna pops her lips off her bottle of flavoured vodka, "our turn." 

She steps and grabs the quarters. The bearded man tilts his head at her and fixes his camouflage cap. His cheek dimples as the other man rounds the table and pats his shoulder, "better luck next time, chap." 

"Isn't luck," the burly one utters and rolls his eyes, "hustler..." 

"And yet you keep falling for it," the other snickers, "come on, I'll buy you a celebratory pint, eh?" The blond turns and strides toward you. "Miss, you're up." 

He offers the cue and your lashes flick. You couldn't see his eyes before. They're so blue. You gulp and accept the wooden stick. 

"Thank you," you squeak. 

Martyna chuckles and grabs the triangle frame from the slot and sets it out. The blond leads away his second, the man with the beard sending a glance at Martyna as she loads the quarters to release the balls. You wait for her to set up, standing back with the cue in hand. You can still feel the warmth of its previous holder's grip. 

Martyna swigs from her bottle and sets it back on the trim. She fluffs her black curls and makes a pouty face. She's not doing that for you. 

You glance behind her, those men are watching. The blond nods cordially and returns his attention to the bar. The beard one continues to leer in Martyna's direction. You spin back. 

"You wanna break?" You ask. 

"Sure, whatevs," she turns to the table. 

You wait patiently as she scatters the balls. She sinks two solids. She's always been better at this than you. You don't mind losing. It doesn't make much of a difference. 

She sinks two more before your turn comes. You regret not grabbing a soda as you mouth grows dry. Martyna is sure to loudly tell you about this guy she works with and how much he wants her. You just humour her with smiles and mhmms. It isn't you she wants to hear her. You know her tricks. 

You sink a stripe, then a solid. Back to Martyna. You aren't very good at the game. Your arm's are too short. Maybe if you could get on the table you'd have a chance but that's not proper. 

She narrows the solids down to two plus the eight ball. You try your hand again. Scratch. But she misses her shot and you get another go. You sink two before you're done. Still, you're behind. 

She empties her bottle, a dramatic gulp that extends her whole body. She outshines you in all aspects; her hair, her looks, her height, her clothes... 

She wiggles her but as she bends to clean up. One ball, then two, then she lines up for the final blow. The eight. She calls the corner. She bounces it easily into the pocket and squees and hops, her shirt doing little to contain her amped up excitement. 

You lean the cue against your arm and give a clap, "good job, Mart," you say. Genuinely. It was fun enough.  

"Aw, you did good," she preens, "how about a rematch? Got any more change?" 

"Ahem," a voice interrupts as you grab your purse. The jangle of change comes from behind you and a shadow steps forward, "perhaps you might want to make it interesting? Fancy a round of pairs?" 

You glance over at the man with blond hair and lilted accent. Well, you look at his sleeve and follow it up. His profile is well-forged. If you had a type, he might be it. You never considered many men, they never considered you either. 

"Pairs?" Martyna toys with proposal coyly and eyes the bearded man as he comes up beside his friend, "I guess it makes sense. But girls vs boys?" 

"No fun," the blond agrees, "we might mix it up, eh?" He grins, "James," he touches his chest, "this is--" 

"Sy," the other man, who you called Syverson, speaks up, "ladies." 

"Martyna," your friend rolls out. 

You offer your name in a pitchy stammer. You already feel like the odd one out. The tension is thick enough to choke you. 

"Sy, fetch us some cues," James demands, "I'll claim a partner," he looks over at you, "do you mind?" 

"Oh, er, yeah, but um, I'm not very good," you say, certain he must have been able to see as much from across the room. 

"I'm certain we'll work fabulously together," he assures. 

"Here," Sy returns with two sticks, nearly jabbing the James with the spare.  

You cling to your cue and fidget. You have no idea what to do now. Someone has to begin. 

"I'll break," Sy insists. 

"Of course, loser's first," James quips. 

He gets an arch of the thick brow in return before Sy bends to aim between two fingers. You dig your nail into the wood of the cue in your hand. James sidles closer, crowding you as you catch a hint of something citrus. 

Sy bends and pulls back the cue. He hits the ball and sends it zooming fast enough to crack the triangle on the other end. The stripes and solids scatter, bouncing all around. James chuckles and leans towards you. 

“You’ll see he’s about strength, he doesn’t realise the significance of precision,” he intones, “I can show you. It isn’t about how hard you hit but the exact angle,” he tilts his hand to demonstrate as the balls still but non fall into the pockets. “Ladies first.” 

You don’t move right away. At first, you don’t get his meaning. You lift the cue and approach the table. You look around. It’s your choice; stripes or solids. Whatever you can get, as usual. 

That number four is hovering right at the side pocket. It’s an easy score. You’ll take it. 

You position yourself, overly aware of your audience. It feels like the whole bare is watching. You blow out your breath and set your sights. You pull back and snap forward. The cue ball wobbles in its path but hits true, knocking the four into the hole. 

It isn’t exactly precise. You stand straight and let out and oomph as your back meets an unexpected wall. James brings his arms up and puts his hands around yours. His proximity is suffocating. 

“You’ve got an easy in on the five,” he advises, guiding you to bend with him as he directs your stick. “Loose,” he wiggles your front hand and squeezes your back hand. “Keep it like this, not too high.” 

He holds you like that for a moment then draws back. He steps to the side and crosses his arms. You focus on the ball, your skin speckling with heat. His scent lingers, perhaps a touch of orange in his cologne. You keep your hold loose and grip tight the butt of the cue. You shoot and the white ball clacks off the red solid, sending it neatly into the corner. 

Martyna giggles and you look up. She’s not laughing at you. Sy is muttering something to her. You blink and stands straight, glancing over at James. You understand what this is but you’re the placeholder, the wing woman, you just keep the friend busy while she has her fun. You know how this ends. 

“You’ve got another go,” James says. 

You nod dumbly and face the table again. You search for your best hope and shift around to the other side. You nearly cross your eyes in your efforts to bounce the ball from one wall into the opposite pocket. You just miss. You cringe and back away. 

Your gaze meets James’ as you find him watching you still. Martyna moves to line up her shot, giggling over her shoulder as she does. As you edge away from her, that man’s eyes follow you. They’re so blue. So, intense. 

You look at the tip of the cue and tap your thumb to the side. You’re in your head. He’s not really staring. When you peek up again, he hasn’t looked away. Not even as you hear the balls hit. He winks and your chest pounds in disbelief.

This can’t be real. 

[trippinsorrows]

ltye + 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 oneshot

authors note: the wonderful @callmekayd asked about roman's conversation with fetu where he called solana his light, so i figured, why not write it?

only gonna tag a couple of people, cause i'll link this with the next update.

gif belongs to @romanreigns

words: 2.3k

warnings: some angst, discussion of solana's trauma

“You’re quiet, tonight.”

Roman looks over from the bottle of corona he was spinning in a circle on the wooden dining room table. “Am I?”

Fetu chuckles, snatching the bottle from him. “Smartass.” She pops off the cap and takes a swig, Roman sitting up in the chair.

“Should you be drinking that with your medications?”

“Probably not.” She answers so casually, so nonchalantly. It makes him sigh. This is what Ava was talking about. “But, I’m old, so I do what I want. Now stop trying to change the subject.” Placing the cap back on the drink she’s now commandeered as her own, she asks again in a more serious tone. “What’s going on, atalii o le uso?”

That’s such a loaded question, so much so that he’s not sure where to start. “Solana….”

“Your wife, right?” He nods, eyes glancing to the phone that’s screen up on the table. She hasn’t text him in a couple hours, which could either be a good or bad thing. He’s not sure. “How is that going? I know you weren’t very happy about it the last time I saw you.”

Roman is the one to chuckle. It’s almost unreal how much his tune has changed since his last visit with his aunt where he essentially expressed both disinterest and acceptance with the arrangement. 

“Yes, it’s about her, but….not in the way you think.”

When he doesn’t say anything, Fetu impatiently implores, “well, would you hurry up, boy? I may be old, but I still need my beauty sleep.”

Rolling his eyes, Roman shakes his head, growing quiet, muddled thoughts floating into something less disorganized and more cohesive. “She’’s—she’s not what I thought she would be.” 

At that, Fetu asks, “Oh?” She offers a warm smile. “Tell me.” 

Another loaded request he’s not sure how to handle. Roman swallows. “She’s…..kind.”

Fetu snorts, again grabbing the beer he really should try to take from her and would if not for the fact she’d probably bust it over his head in the process. “Well, they say opposites attract.” Roman rolls his eyes. Granted, she’s not entirely wrong, hence why he offers no disagreement. “What else?”

Leaning back in the chair, Roman tries to think of the best way to describe her. To describe the last person on earth he ever expected to care about but has done just that. “I’ve…..I’ve never met anyone like her. She has a big heart, and she’s so innocent. Despite being raised in this life, surviving hell, she still….she still has this softness about her.”

Fetu hums, reminding him, “not everyone in this world is cruel and unkind, Roman. There are very much good people, and it sounds like you’ve maybe been lucky enough to land one of them as a partner.”

He nods, quietly admitting. “I have.”  Roman traces his finger over the imperfections of the wooden table. “But, she’s had a lot of trauma. It’s been….not the easiest to get to where we are.” He takes a deep breath, disclosing, “we haven’t even consummated the marriage yet.”

Fetu’s eyes widen a bit as she asks, truly out of genuine curiosity, “wasn’t that the point of the marriage? To create an heir?”

“She was gang raped as a child,” Roman informs in a low voice, only feeling comfortable sharing such sensitive information because he knows it will never leave this room. “So touch is….it’s hard for her. She asked to work up to intimacy, so we’re trying that.”

“Oh, that poor child.” Fetu’s expression is visibly disturbed and saddened. “Sick fucks.” Roman doesn’t say anything, but the murderous urges boiling underneath are something he has to push back down. In due time. “Wait. Don’t take this as me agreeing with that bullshit requirement, but if she wasn’t a virgin, how did the Elders approve of the marriage? It obviously wasn’t her fault, but we both know how they are. Traditionalist pricks.”

If not for the nature of the conversation, Roman would laugh. “Her father had the doctor lie on her medical report. It stated she was still a virgin.” Roman feels the need almost to defend, “wouldn’t have made a difference to me either way. You know this.”

“It better not. I didn’t raise you to be a hypocrite.” Fair. “Wait, her father did that?”

That actually makes Roman chuckle, but there’s no humor whatsoever. “That’s why I’m here.” Hand naturally forming into a fist, he continues to share information he would never share with anyone else. “Her mother was stabbed to death when she was ten. Solana was there and stabbed too, but she survived.” His jaw clenches. “Her father and brother are both pieces of shit who used to abuse and torture her.”

Fetu is visibly perturbed by the heavy details. “My God, that girl has been through hell.”

“I know.” It doesn’t make sense to Roman how with everything she’s experienced, she still stands, still keeps going, keeps fighting. “But, she’s made tremendous progress since leaving her family. I made her start training, and I think it’s helped a lot. She’s made good friends with Naomi and her friend Bayley. Solana is half Mexican, and Bayley is Mexican, so they seem to bond a lot over that.” And he's happy she has that. Glad she has people she can talk to and connect with. “She’s……happy now.”

Better.

Much better.

Fetu tilts her head to the side. “Something tells me there’s a but.”

There is. A major one. Roman releasing a heavy sigh and running his hand over his face. “I found out her father was behind the hit that killed her mother and was intended to kill Solana too, but she survived. And when he couldn’t afford to pay off the balance, he sold Solana’s virginity and had it set up like a home invasion.”

Fetu says something in Samoan, her own expression slipping into something angry. “What a fucking piece of shit. His own wife? His child?” She asks, an almost demanding element to her question. “You’re going to kill him, right?” Like it’s less of a request and more of an order.

“Of course.” That’s a no brainer. Roman’s new number one mission in this life is to see Xavier, his bitch ass son, and Solana’s rapists meet gruesome, painful deaths. And he’ll be sure to see it through. “But, I don’t—I don’t know if I should tell her. “ He quickly adds, “but, I don’t want to lie to her either. I promised her I’d never do that.”

Fetu nods, her lips pressed together in a sort of frown. “I see…..”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” he admits in a low voice. “I don’t—I can’t see her hurt.”

“Roman….” Fetu’s voice takes on that gentle tone that’s always been comforting to Roman. That, for a long time, before Solana, was the only source of comfort he truly could find in this life. “It’s obvious you lo—care for this girl.” She catches herself. In his own timing. “But, the truth is, there is no way around her being hurt by this.” Roman looks away, jaw clenched, clearly not wanting or liking what he’s hearing. As expected. “She’s going to be devastated. As would anyone to find out their own flesh and blood, let alone a parent, could be so evil.”

“She’s tried to kill herself when she was younger.” Recalling this specific piece is by far the hardest part. Just thinking about the medical report he read detailing the emotional aftermath Solana’s attempt. How distraught she was. “I just—I just don’t want to be the cause that pushes her over the edge.”

Fetu reaches over the table, placing her hand on top of his. “It wouldn’t be because of you.”

He shakes his head. “Yes, it would. Either because of what I tell her or I don’t tell her, and she finds out some other sort of way.”

“Is there a way she could find out?”

Roman has to think about it. One of the first things he did was cut off contact between Solana and her family. For the mere fact he knows Xavier is up to something, wants something out of Roman’s marriage to Solana. Roman knew that he would try to use her, and just from what he saw at the outset of this whole thing, he knew the last thing she needed was to be dragged into some type of wicked plan.

Xavier has no way to contact her, and he’s not stupid enough to show up or send his dumbass son to her job. 

He knows it’d be walking into a deathtrap. So, no, it seems like there’s no chance for this information to ever get out and arrive at Solana’s doorstep. 

But……there’s still a chance.

“I don’t know,” is the answer Roman settles on. ‘But, I can’t—I won’t do anything I think could hurt her, and this…..this will do more than hurt her.”

It could destroy her. Destroy all the progress she’s made. Regress her so far back that he’s not sure she’d be able to recover. 

And he can’t have that. 

“I think she deserves to know the truth. It was her mother. Her assault. She has a right to know.” Roman doesn’t disagree with that. “But, I’m also thinking about everything you’ve told me regarding her mental health, and I guess my concern is what that truth could do to her. If she could handle it.”

And that’s exactly what his fear is.

Roman’s voice is full of vulnerability that he could never show outside of this safe space. “I don’t think I could handle seeing her the way she used to be. I—I care about her too much to do that to her.”

“I understand.” Because she does. Oh, she does. And if not for the heavy nature of this conversation, she’d be more expressive at the joy bubbling beneath the surface. Her elation at finally having years worth of prayers answered. At having comfort in knowing her sweet boy has finally found his person. His soulmate. “Your intentions are good, Roman, and I can’t tell you what to do, though something tells me that’s what you’d prefer.”

He scoffs, shaking his head and admitting, “I just needed to talk to someone.”

That much was obvious. She continues, advising, “what I can tell you is to just continue to support and be there for her, because when she does find out, whether from you or some other means, she’s going to need you, son.”

Roman doesn’t say anything, sitting on his aunt’s wisdom. She’s right. This truly is the depiction of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, but for the sake of Solana’s mental health, it’s not in her best interest to know the truth.

He’ll tell her.

But only when the time is right. 

Fetu, however, has a question of her own. “I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.”

Roman sits up and sighs, “I’m always honest with you, uso o le tinā.”

“Because you know, even with how big and strong you’ve gotten, I’ll still whoop your ass, little boy.” She’s pleased to see the small smile that accompanies his eye roll, a brief glimpse of that young child she once knew so long ago appearing for the first time in a long time. And she’s pretty sure she can bet just what’s brought that dormant side out of him.

Or who.

Her voice is gentle. “If you knew then what you know now about Solana, would you have still agreed to marry her?”

It’s a valid question. 

It’s also something he doesn’t have to think about. 

“Yes.” Fetu smiles. Knowing. Confirmation. “I wouldn’t change anything.” It’s the easiest thing his aunt could ever ask him. It requires no thought. No contemplation. Just an automatic response. “Solana is…..she’s my light.”

Her heart swells, and she finds herself with unshed tears. There’s this invisible weight that’s suddenly lifted off her soul. A worry that’s been destroyed by one woman. One strong woman who’s managed to capture the heart of her sweet boy.

Even if he hasn’t realized it just yet.

“Well, she’s obviously a strong woman to survive all she has, and she must be to deal with you.” She flicks his hand, pulling back and asking, “let me see a picture of her.”

Roman grabs his phone, unlocking it and opening his photos album. Hitting the favorites folder, he selects one of the photos taken of Solana the night she went out with Bayley and Naomi for Cinco de Mayo.

Reaching the phone to his aunt, he watches her slide her glasses over her eyes, mouth ajar just a bit. “Oh my goodness, she’s beautiful! Too pretty for you.” Roman smiles. “You know if my tits still sat nice like that, I’d wear stuff like that too.”

And just like that, a scowl is on Roman’s face. That was the last visual he needed. Ever. 

Taking his phone, Fetu implores, “I want to meet her, Roman.” He stills, hitting the lock button after checking for any texts from Solana. “It’s bad enough I can’t have gentleman callers or anyone else come see me. The least I can do is meet your wife.” It’s a fair request, though something he’s unsure about. “I’m tired of seeing your big ears and Ava’s massive forehead all the time. Bring Solana here.”

This request, however, is not the easiest thing. He doesn’t have an answer for her right now. “I’ll think about it.”

“Well, don’t take too long,” she warns. “I’m not getting any younger.”

Roman tenses at that. He hates when she jokes like that. 

He stands up, walking over and kneeling in front of her. “Thank you.”

Fetu smiles warmly, reaching over to kiss his forehead. “Ou te alofa ia te oe”.

He doesn’t hesitate to reciprocate. “Oute alofa fo'i ia oe” 

-------

Translations: 

"atalii o le uso" = nephew

"uso o le tinā" = aunt

“Ou te alofa ia te oe”. = I love you.

“Oute alofa fo'i ia oe” = I love you too.

[popcornforone]

PEDROTOBER 2024

I have never done this before & I know it’s technically a drawing challenge set up by @alyssamariag & @norththelemon but I was away on holiday & had some time to write, so I thought why not. Yes I should have worked on WIP & other things but you know this is gonna be fun. I’ve taken some liberties with some but you’ll understand why.

I will be updating this every day in October so stay for the that. Most of these are short with hints of smut but some are well you know all to well.

So please let me know peoples how you find these

Warnings before we start:- some of these fics will not be for those under the age of 18 so please read at your own discretion, also assume consent is used for most of these unless stated & swearing will be included in a few of these. Any other warnings will appear per fic

1) Dreamy (Mr Fantastic)

2) Bromance or Romance P1 (Dieter Bravo)

3) Only the Best (Agent Whiskey [nails prompt])

4) Unspoken (Silva)

5) Be a Good Girl (Detective Tim Rockford[Esquire prompt])

6) Bromance or Romance P2 (Dieter Bravo)

7) Home (Ezra)

8) Smothered (Mrs Flores & a Special guest[Corona Prompt])

9) Think Fink (Frankie Morales [Fink the Fox Prompt])

10) The Casual Campaign (Ted Garcia[Candid/ T-shirt Prompt])

11) Red (Max Phillips)

12) Pride (Marcus Moreno[Rainbow Trousers Prompt])

13) Speechless (Javi Gutierrez)

14) Domestic (Dave York [free choice])

15) Make Me A Match (The Materialist)

16) Laters Doll, Keep Smiling (Agent Whiskey)

17) Handy (Dave York[Arm Sling Prompt])

18) Smitten (Oberyn Martell)

19) Two Faced (Max Lord[SDCC Prompt])

20) I’ll Make an Exception (Frankie Morales)

21) Bromance or Romance P3 (Dieter Bravo[Curls Prompt])

22) The Wait (General Marcus Acacius [Gladiator II Prompt])

23) Safety (Din Djarin)

24) One Last Dance (Max Phillips [Sundance Prompt])

25) Laundry (Javier Peña)

26) Flying High (Javi Gutierrez [Vanity Fair Prompt])

27) Unlocked (Joel Miller [The Last Of Us Prompt])

28) OCTOBER (Marcus Pike [any Marcus Prompt]{part of the Marcus pike Diary})

29) Sweet Like Chocolate (Lucien Flores[The Uninvited Prompt])

30) Roses (Detective Tim Rockford[Awards Fit Favourite Prompt])

31) Spoilt (Mr Ben [SAG Awards Prompt])

[andavs]

Beers of 9-1-1

Updating my post on the beers of 911 to include the rest of s6 and all of s7! A few more got added because either the show added more, some got used a couple more times, or I just finally managed to figure out the names that have been haunting me.

All of these beers are fictional prop brands, and many have been used in other movies and shows. They come from prop vendors, not the 911 prop department itself.

The show uses a lot of brands of beer! Different brands will peak and get used a lot in one or two seasons, and then they tend to get relegated to background extras, or occasionally a non-main character will drink one. It adds variety and a little realism, so not everyone is always drinking the same beer.

There's been many more beyond these, but they've either been used once, they're only in the background, or I can't read the labels—yet.

Alexander’s Famous Ale This beer was mostly used in season two. Chimney was drinking it in Chimney Begins and then Athena and Hen each had one while discussing the bank heist in Oceans 911—the only time they’ve had beer during their chats. Since then, it’s become a background beer that extras drink, but Ramon was drinking one during Eddie’s homecoming party, and Red was drinking one when he and Buck first met. There was a can of it on a table at the bachelor party in There Goes the Groom.

American Colonial A new beer with season seven that so far has only appeared in There Goes the Groom.

Blind Fox Ale This was the most used beer before Genuine took its place in season six, but as of 7.10 they're tied. It was used the most through seasons two and three. Buck has had it the most (six times), but Chimney, Hen, Eddie, Tommy, and Michael all drank it too. It hung out in the background a bit, and then came back when Eddie and Buck drank it at the bachelor party in There Goes the Groom.

Brenner’s Black Cat Brew This is a mostly background/set dressing beer. Buck, Chimney, and Maddie each had one while talking about the call center takeover in The Taking of Dispatch 911, but otherwise it mostly shows up in the background or in fridges (usually Buck’s).

Cerveza Extra This is a Corona Extra dupe that was mostly used in the third season. Chimney was drinking one in the party for Buck in Kids Today, and he drank several at the bar during Seize the Day. Buck was drinking one when Eddie dropped off Chris in The Searchers, he had one at Eddie’s party in Seize the Day, and then he served one to Connor in Peru in Buck Begins. There were also a couple around Eddie’s house in Seize the Day.

Curson Light This is a Coors Lite dupe that’s only popped up a few times. Buck and Eddie each have one in Fallout, when Buck’s apologizing for not being there during the lawsuit. Eddie has another one in Fools while he’s talking to Buck about Chris, while Buck has a Grand Ale. It was also used for extras in the bar scene in Seize the Day.

Genuine Genuine first popped up in Hen Begins; Hen drinks one while she’s out with Athena for the first time. After that, it didn’t show up again until Hen and Chimney’s reunion in Fear-a-Phobia, but in season 6, it became the most used beer of the whole show.

Eddie and Buck drink it the most (Let the Games Begin, Recovery, Mixed Feelings) but so do a lot of other characters and extras. The guy who blew up his neighbor in Crash & Learn was drinking one, Buck gave one to Connor in Recovery, and Chimney and Maddie had a bunch in their fridge in Lost & Found. A number of the extras around the poker game were drinking it, and they were sprinkled around the hotel room in There Goes the Groom.

Grand Ale Grand Ale was pretty much only used in the third season. Chimney drank it while he and Maddie discussed having kids in Kids Today and during the poker game with Josh in Fools. Buck also had one in Fools while he and Eddie were talking about Chris and the skateboard. Michael had one with dinner in Athena Begins. It got used in the background a couple times, and Rita/Jeanine was carrying one at the beginning of What’s Your Grievance? in season four, but as far as I can tell, it hasn’t come back.

Heisler Gold Ale Heisler didn’t appear in the show until There Goes the Groom at the bachelor party, and so far it hasn’t been used since.

This is such a well known prop beer that it has a cult following. You can get it on shirts. It’s been used in How I Met Your Mother and New Girl and probably hundreds of other shows and movies.

Isla Tropical This is mostly a background beer for set dressing, but Lucy was drinking one in Love is in the Air when Buck and Natalia ran into her at the bar. It showed up a few times in What’s Your Fantasy?, scattered around the college house where Darius lives.

Meichtry Lite & Draft We have yet to see anyone actually drinking these beers, but they are used for set dressing, specifically in Buck and Chimney’s fridges (Recovery, Starting Over), and at the frat house call in Animal Instincts. It’s also a pretty common prop beer that’s been in a lot of shows. (Note the Brenner’s Black Cat in Buck’s fridge on the left behind the ginger beer!)

Mendoza Lager This beer showed up mid-season five in Outside Looking In. Buck was drinking one at the bar, and he had another in Starting Over on his balcony with Maddie. Hen drank a couple on her first date with Karen in Tomorrow. It was also on the counter behind Ramon in Hero Complex.

Penn Pavel’s This beer has only been used twice. In Kid’s Today, Buck had a couple open on the counter when Eddie came to get him out of bed, and then Eddie was drinking one at Buck’s loft during Treasure Hunt.

Rio Negro So far, Eddie’s the only main character who drinks Rio Negro. He and Lena each had one at the junkyard fight in Rage, he had a couple at the bar in Seize the Day, and he had a couple at his parents’ house in Hero Complex. As far as I can tell, this is the only beer that’s this character-specific.

This beer comes up regularly with background extras, usually in bar scenes, and extras were drinking it during the party at Eddie’s house in Seize the Day. In Step Nine, Herman was holding one in the photo on his dashboard.

Samuel Jacksons This is a fairly new one and a Samuel Adams dupe. It first popped up in Boston, while Chimney and Eli were talking in Eli’s basement and there were a couple scattered around in the bagpipe rescue scene, and then it came back in season 7. Buck opened one before Tommy kissed him in Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered, and then he and Eddie were both drinking one when Buck came out to him in You Don't Know Me.

Tux’s Red Ribbon This beer is a Pabst Blue Ribbon dupe and has only been in two episodes. Chimney had one at the party he was hosting at the end of A Whole New You, and then it was the only beer anyone drank in In Another Life. Buck and Chimney each had one, and Buck, Daniel, and Phillip all had one together on Buck’s couch—which is notable as something being off because Phillip is usually drinking scotch. I don’t believe it’s ever been used as a background beer.

[norththelemon]

Pedrotober Day 8: Corona

6”x5” gouache on watercolor paper

SORRY i keep forgetting to update over here😭😭 corona, beachy boy. Buckle up for two more lmao.

[mythaura-blog]

Development Update - September 2024

Hello folks! Miyazaki checking in with our development updates for the month of September. Between getting our newest art team member onboarded, cooking up some really exciting Fall Quarter concept art, a new color, and a new Mutation, it's been a really creative month for us.

Koa and Sark are hard at work on the back end, creating the systems that power the game. We've got functioning inventories, and Koa was able to have a Beast successfully use a healing potion in the Wild Area! I'm making headway on our intro quest, working in tandem with the art team to create assets to bring our very first area to life.

All in all: some solid progress this month!

Also, for Tumblr users: the August update didn't get posted here (I apologize!), but you can read it here.

Inventory System

This month, we focused on refining Mythaura’s inventory system, with special attention on making starting items function as expected. One of the most exciting additions is the Satchel feature. The satchel begins with 18 slots and can be expanded using non-premium currency, allowing for plenty of space to bring essentials on your adventures.

When preparing to explore, only provisions can be transferred from your stash to the satchel, but along the way, you’ll be able to pick up and store all types of loot. Additionally, the first row of your satchel is now displayed as a hotbar while exploring, enabling quick use of items like the Godspeed Potion, which boosts your movement speed, or a Torch to light your way in the dark.

However, be cautious—if you’re defeated while exploring, you’ll drop your satchel, leaving your items behind. You’ll need to return to the floor you were defeated on to recover it. If you’re defeated again before retrieving your original satchel, those items will be lost for good.

Fall Quarter (2024) Concepts

It’s the first day of Fall Quarter 2024, which means we’ve got new Quarterly Rewards for Sponsors to vote on on our Ko-fi page!

Which concepts would you like to see made into official site items? Sponsors of Bronze level or higher have a vote in deciding. Please check out the Companion post and the Glamour post on Ko-fi to cast your vote for the winning concepts!

Votes must be posted by October 27, 2024 at 11:59pm PST in order to be considered.

All Summer 2024 Rewards are now listed in our Ko-fi Shop for individual purchase for all Sponsor levels at $5 USD flat rate per unit. As a reminder, please remember that no more than 3 units of any given item can be purchased. If you purchase more than 3 units of any given item, your entire purchase will be refunded and you will need to place your order again, this time with no more than 3 units of any given item.

Summer 2024 Glamour: Corona Dragon

Summer 2024 Companion: Venomous Stalker

Summer 2024 Solid Gold Glamour: Solid Gold Griffin (Young)

Custom Color Contest Winner

In another round of incredible color concepts pitched to our team, we came away with an exciting new color, courtesy of user Noxith: Canyon!

Their reference images were canyons with a beautiful gradient of reds and oranges, along with other geographical features of the American Southwest, such as mesas.

Canyon adds a wonderful richness to the Mythauran color wheel. We encourage you to share your Canyon creations made in the Beast Creator with us!

New Mutation: Celestial

Astrology plays no small part in Mythauran culture, so perhaps it's not such a surprise that the genes of some Beasts born in Mythaura are mutated to show a map of brightly glowing constellations around their bodies.

As a reminder, Mutations are not Specials that can be applied via item. Instead, a Beast can rarely be born with a Mutation or they can rarely be obtained via a late-game boss encounter.

Mythauran Astrology: October

The month of October is referred to as Greenbright's Close, representing the official beginning of autumn and the winding down of greenery as foliage turns gold and red. This month is also associated with the constellation of the Physician and the malachite stone.

Mythaura v0.32

Dependency upgrades were made to improve stability.

Implemented new inventory services

Created satchels and added services to manage dropping and retrieving them.

Added energy and position tracking to wild area sessions.

Implemented filtering and context actions for inventories.

Starting items were created for each class and are automatically delivered to the satchel at game start.

Added battle item structure and functionality.

Added the ability to use an item from your satchel in battle.

Added functionality for health & energy-related items.

Added functionality for revival items.

A Hotbar with adjustable keybindings has been added to the UI when exploring.

A semi-final version of each skill tree was fully populated and began implementing said skills.

Thank You!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of the post, we always look forward to sharing our month's work with all of you--thank you for taking the time to read. We'll see you around the Discord.

We are also keeping all those impacted by Hurricane Helene in our thoughts. We hope you and your loved ones are all safe.

[tangledbea]

A Comprehensive Guide to the Thugs in Tangled: The Series

When I watch shows on my computer, I usually have the subtitles on. Because of this, I have learned the names of some of the series thugs who are never addressed, or even never have speaking lines, because the subtitles will inform me who just laughed or grunted or screamed. I've also learned some of them through supplemental reading material.

So, without further ado, here are the names of Corona's criminal Underworld (and surrounding areas). I am including the names of those that we all know perfectly well. After all, it's a comprehensive guide. (Some of them are still unnamed, but I'm going through the episodes when I feel up to it, and will update this post as I discover new things.*)

*Last updated: January 11, 2024 9:23 AM PST

Lady Caine and Her Crew

Lady Caine

The leader of her own band of thugs, with a personal vendetta against King Frederic and Rapunzel, she disguises herself as the Duchess of Quintonia in Tangled: Before Ever After as part of the plot to get inside the palace during Rapunzel's coronation. Implied past linked to Eugene.

Pocket

Lady Caine's right-hand man. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

Axel

Lady Caine's favorite horse and Maximus' #1 nemesis and rival. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

Otter

A hired thug who works for Lady Caine during Tangled: Before Ever After. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

Bandana

A hired thug who works for Lady Caine during Tangled: Before Ever After. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

Dwayne

A thug who idolizes Lady Caine, but also works on his own when not directly hired by her. Helped her escape prison in "Max's Enemy," and had a third of the focus in "Day of the Animals." He's not a very good thief.

Skull Ruffian

A hired thug who works for Lady Caine during Tangled: Before Ever After. (Because his design was based on an old character from a previous version of the movie, I personally call him Crowley.) He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

"Unnamed" Caine Thug 1

A hired thug who works for Lady Caine during Tangled: Before Ever After. Can be spotted in the background in Vardaros. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

"Unnamed" Caine Thug 2

A hired thug who works for Lady Caine during Tangled: Before Ever After. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

The Baron and His Men (and Daughter)

The Baron

A criminal kingpin who operates out of Vardaros. He hired and exploited Eugene and Lance when they were children, and did the same to Kiera and Catalina. Has a personal vendetta against Eugene for "stealing his prized Stalyan." Is bitten by a highly venomous spider at the end of "Beyond the Corona Walls" and isn't seen again until "Flynnpostor," but now is disfigured from the bite.

Stalyan

The Baron's daughter and Eugene's ex-fiancée. She attempts to force Eugene to marry her in "Beyond the Corona Walls". Teams up with Rapunzel in "The Eye of Pincosta" to get a priceless gem that will ensure the freedom of Eugene and everyone else Rapunzel is traveling with during season two.

Anthony the Weasel

The Baron's right-hand man, and our first introduction to this branch of Eugene's past in "The Return of Strongbow." He's sent to collect Kiera and Catalina on behalf of The Baron in "Big Brothers of Corona," and attempts to take over Vardaros in The Baron's absence in "The Return of Quaid." He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas."

Cutter

Sent to collect Kiera and Catalina in "Big Brothers of Corona," he's also one of the thugs to jump Eugene, Lance, and Shorty in Vardaros.

Arkus and Farkus

Twins who work for The Baron, they were sent to collect Kiera and Catalina in "Big Brothers of Corona," and are also at the forced wedding of Eugene and Stalyan. (I am admittedly not sure which is which, since they're always seen together.)

"Unnamed" Baron Thug

One of the thugs to jump Eugene, Lance, and Shorty in Vardaros. (I personally call him Dante, because I think he looks like a Dante.)

Separatists of Saporia

Andrew/Hubert

The leader of the Separatists of Saporia, his goal is to take over Corona in the name of his ancestors, after a marriage between Saporian General Shampanier and Coronan King Herz der Sonne joined the two kingdoms under the name Corona. Introduced in "Under Raps" as Cassandra's love interest, he quickly shows his true colors when he attempts to kill her in order to get the Book of Hearts, which includes maps to all of Herz der Sonne's underground tunnels. Is later to be shown having succeeded in taking over Corona in Rapunzel's absence along with the rest of the Separatists and Varian.

Clementine

A Separatist magic-user who cast a memory spell on King Frederic and Queen Arianna to aid in taking over Corona.

Juniper

A Separatist who helped take over Corona.

Kai

A Separatist who helped take over Corona.

"Unnamed" Separatist of Saporia

A Separatist who helped take over Corona.

Independent Criminals

The Stabbington Brothers

Patchy and Sideburns (nicknamed "Burnsie"), these two have a long-standing history with Eugene and Lance. It's possible that they, too, were taken under The Baron's wing, but that's never canonically confirmed. They hold a grudge against Eugene for double-crossing them with the Lost Princess' stolen crown. They appear in the movie Tangled, "Cassandra v. Eugene," "Peril On the High Seas," and for the final time in "The Return of the King," though a teenage version of them appear in "No Time Like the Past," when their bodies are inhabited by a time-traveling Rapunzel and Pascal.

The Daylight Thieves

Petunia and William are only seen in "Vigor the Visionary," where they are preying upon the town Fortuna. They pose as Kiera's parents, after a case of mistaken identity, since they took over their house, where she found them. Though Eugene and Rapunzel realize who they really are, they arrive on the scene too late to save Kiera and Catalina, since the girls have rescued themselves from the situation.

Dale

Introduced in "Fitzherbert P.I.," Dale disguised himself as The Giovanni, a renowned Italian portrait painter who comes to Corona to paint Rapunzel's first official portrait. He's caught by Eugene before he can escape with the priceless painting of Corona's former king, Robin the Eleventh. He's also on the prison barge in "Peril On the High Seas," where we learn his real name.

The Collector

Hired by Anthony the Weasel in Vardaros during his attempt to take over in "The Return of Quaid". Never says a word, and we never see his face.

"Unnamed" Thug

First seen as a background character in Vardaros, "Peril On the High Seas" is the only other time I remember seeing him.

[hell-is-a-teenage-girll]

HEALTH UPDATE

Well.. Guess who finally got Corona.

On top of everything this was exactly what I needed. I joke that I'm just always late for the trends 💅.

But seriously, I'm in so much agony. Before ending up at ER last night, my heart had been going 130bpm + whole day. (my watch literally congratulated me on my fitness) it went up to 161bpm. When I went to the doctor my blood pressure also was way to low. My fever was climbing close to 40°. (sorry for all my Americans on here, I'm European so I'm not converting it haha)

So they send me there.

I never felt in so much agony. I think mixed with my already existing illnesses and disabilities it's just a mixture for disaster.

I've cried from pain, and I don't do that normally. Or atleast not infront of someone, not even my partner, now I been crying with her. She's also positive btw.

I'm also already dealing with the disappointment of most likely not being eligible to be helped by the state for paying for an implant in my brain.

It would cost me 20.000 and after 5 years to replace the battery again 15.000. I don't know how to place this. As this implant was for me always my safety plan, my dream plan, and the one with the most succesrate to reduce the pain.

Now I don't know anymore how to live like this.

I also went to England recently with my gf and a friend, and I have never realised more that I'm disabled. And that things are getting worse and God. It feels terrible and the reality is hitting me HARD.

I must say they were so helpful to people with accessibility at the airports and all. I had never experienced that ❤️

[neocatharsis]

240107 HAECHAN Update

"i felt too feverish...."

"i suddenly had a fever which was surprising, but fortunately they said it's not flu or corona virus"

"i really wanted to perform today"

"it's too bad i couldn't so i'm sorry"

"my fever went up to 39 degrees in the middle of the night, so i had no choice but to rest. i told you that i won't get sick yet i'm really sorry that i'm sick again..."

"i'll make sure to eat and take my medications properly so that i'll recover as soon as i can"

Translated by hcheartbbl

[mash-masha2011]

Chapter 1: Amnesia

So, imagine if Varian lost his memories in battle of Old Corona and went on a trip with Raps and co without knowing what he had done! That's it!

So, I kinda just scrolled Pinterest one day and saw Varian amnesia au picture. I searched everywhere and din't find any like what I wanted, so decided to write myself! That's the story! The post was drawn by @chiscribbs. So, yeah. Also, I'm new on tumblr. Just decided to write it here.

One more thing! I will update slowly. Like, last time it took me few month! Though, it was the end of the school year with all exams and all but... still it was really long. And now that I warned you, go ahead and try my au! I really hope you like it!

Giant automaton ran straight on Rapunzel. Boy inside watched with hatred on his young face how princess touched black spike looking rocks that appeared few half a year ago, but his face quickly changed to shock and maybe even fear when he saw how rocks started to glow bright blue and how Rapunzel could, somehow, control them. Varian's shock gone as fast as it came. In a second he was leading his robot to girl he hated the most that moment. He didn't care when black rocks cut off his robot's leg, neither he cared when they did the same with another leg. He could still run without legs while he still had both arms. When Rapunzel broke robots left arm machine fled a few meters before crashed down. Last thing Varian remembered was falling and pain.

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

Varian slowly woke up. His head hurt and his wrists were chained together. He opened his eyes as fast as he realised it and looked around. There was a lot of people, some in armour, a few others in regular clothes, most of them had swords like they were fighting and the most strange thing was every time someone looked at Varian there was a with mix of fear, disgust and hatred in their eyes directed to him. Aside from that there was a lot of metal pieces all around, strange black spikes growing from the ground and a huge hole in a huge wall.

He noticed a girl with unnaturally long blond hair - like 70 feet or something! - arguing with a big man in all black, woman a little away from them with short black hair and a man with goatee. As fast as long-haired girl noticed that he woke up she quickly came to him with worried look on her face.

"Varian! Are you okay?" She asked carefully with some strange emotions in her voice. There was worry, guilt and... fear? Why would someone fear him? 

"I think so" Varian answered slowly "My head still hurts a little, but that's fine" He answered and tilted his head in confused gesture "Do I know you?"

"Wh-what do you mean? Of course you do!" She said with round eyes and shock in voice. After a small pause she added in higher voice than before "Do you not remember me?"

"I should?"

"Yes!" She looked at him with terrified

"What's wrong, Blondie?" Goatee-man came and put his hand around girl's waist protectively "Did he tried to hurt you again?" 

Again? What does he mean 'again'? Did he already hurt her once? Is that why there was fear in her voice?

"No, Eugene, but..." Girl breathed deeply to calm down and looked at man with still round eyes  "there's a problem" 

"What's wrong?" Man looked at blonde girl 

"Varian, do you remember him?" Girl asked Varian and then looked at goatee-man again

"No..." Varian looked confused. Should he remember them? If yes, then why don't he? What happened here before he woke up? Wait. What happened before he woke up? "I don't remember anything..." Varian whispered

"What?" Eugene asked and no one was sure if it because he was shocked or because he was curious what boy said

"I don't remember anything!" Varian answer louder. His voice was high and shook as his knees and hands.

"You don't ?" Eugene looked shocked and scared but then narrowed his eyes "How do we know Stripes's not lying?"

"Eugene, calm down! We don't, but I won't leave him be thrown in dungeons if he don't even remember for what!" Girl answered. She started calm but her voice grew stronger with each word. 

"I hate to admit it but Fitzerbert is right. We can't trust him after what he did!" Short-haired girl said appearing behind blonde girl

"Cass, I know we can't, but neither can we check if he's lying or not! And I won't leave him alone!" Long-haired girl said confidently and then added guiltily "Not again..."

"Fine, but what do you suggest we do?" Black-haired girl - blonde girl called her Cass - asked clearly annoyed

"I will talk to my dad, explain him situation and..." Long-haired girl thought for a moment "ask if he could go with us on a trip!"

"No way!" Eugene said shocked, but girl already ran off

Who are they? Why am I in handcuffs? Why does this place looks like a battlefield? Who am I? Why don't I remember anything before I woke up? Who are these people in armour? Why does everyone look at me like I was the cause of this battle? Why does that girl has seventy feet of hair?

All three sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Uhh... so, who are you?" Varian broke the awkward silence. 

"I'm Eugene, Blondie is Rapunzel and this ice cold, soulless and heartless demon is Cass" Eugene said with a smirk on the last few words

"For you it's Cassandra" Cassandra said in a really cold tone

"And who is that man in all black Rapunzel went to talk to?" Varian looked at that man and back to Eugene 

"He's the King of Corona, and her father" 

"Wow! So she's a princess! Cool!" Varian's gaze fell on handcuffs and smile appeared on his face fell. After a small pause he asked "Why am I in handcuffs? Am I a criminal? Why does this place looks like a battlefield? Who were you fighting? Where you fighting me? Is that why I'm in these?" Varian started slowly but with each word he spoke faster and higher.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down!" Eugene saw boy was panicking "Breath with me! Breath in. Count to ten. Breath out. Count to eight" After Varian calmed down Eugene sighed "Lets... talk about it later, huh?"

"Then... tell me a little about myself" Varian looked at Eugene 

"So, you're Varian, you probably already know it, you're fourteen, have a pretty strange pet raccoon named Ruddiger. Speak of the devil, here he is!" Eugene gestured to a raccoon climbing Varian's shoulder "You live here- actually, no, your village evacuated due to black rocks so no, you live in Old Corona, and your dad is a village leader" was Eugene thought guiltily "And, of course, you love alchemy!"

"Wow, that's cool. Where is my dad?" 

"Uh... he... went on a... long trip and asked us to look after you!" Eugene knew it was an obvious lie but to his surprise kid believed him. 

"Okay..." Three sat in silence for few more minutes "Why is Rapunzel's hair is so long? It's like..." Varian looked at girl's hair "seventy feet long!"

"She's the embodiment of the sundrop!" Eugene sounded like Varian should know what sundrop is.

"What is 'the sundrop'?" 

"Oh my gosh!" Eugene said slowly 

"Fitzerbert" For the first time in a long time Cassandra spoke, sounding very annoyed "if he's not lying, which is unlikely, then he doesn't remember anything, so we will need to explain him sundrop, black rocks, and other magical stuff"

"There's no such thing as magic! It's just something that people can't explain yet!" Varian sounded like he was explaining the easiest thing to the dumbest kids.

Cassandra's face turned stone cold as she glared at him.

"Yeah, that's closer to Varian I knew!" Eugene laughed a little. Next second Rapunzel came with an exited smile on her face. "Hey, Blondie! How it went?"

"My dad told me Varian can come with us!" While Rapunzel saying this was full of excitement, Cassandra grimaced and rolled her eyes. "Varian, you will come with us on a journey!" 

"Hold on, Blondie, we don't even know yet if he wants to come!" Eugene reasoned her

"Right. Varian," Princess turned to Varian "do you want to come with us?"

"It's not like I have a choice, right?" Varian asked but saw expression on Rapunzel's face added "I mean, I have no memories, my dad is outside of Corona and won't be back soon and judging by Eugene saying nothing about my mom she or left me or dead so I don't have any choice!" after a small pause he asked "So where are we going?"

"Right! We are following the path of black rocks which appeared when I touched one of them!" Rapunzel said gesturing to the black spikes "Let's go! i will tell you everything!"

"Yeah, about that... I don't think I can walk in these!" Varian gestured to chains he was in

"Crap! Sorry, Kid!" Eugene quickly bend down and lock picked the cuffs on his hands and ankles in no time "Here you go!"

"Wow! That was so fast!" Varian looked absolutely shocked and awed, but Cassandra just rolled her eyes

"We have keys for this, you know?" She said flatly

"Don't mind her" Eugene whispered in boy's ear with a smirk "She's just jealous of my handsomeness!" 

"Let's go now!" Rapunzel said visibly struggling to stand in one place

"Okay, okay, Blondie, we're coming!"

When the four of thew started walking Rapunzel finally was able to let out all the energy she was holding in, which to Varian seemed like energy of a whole world.

"So, long long long long long time ago drop of sun fell from the sky. And from it grew a magic, golden, flower. It had the ability to heal the sick, and injured, turn younger and save from death. Then...

Hey! I wanted also say sorry to everyone who likes evil Frederic or Royal pain, but this time I decided he will be a bit more... kind? Understanding? And giving second chances? Bleh, when I write Frederic and kind in one sentence it's like I'm committing crime! Sorry for that, probably reading about kind Fred also wasn't best experience) 

Anyway, see you next time, love you all!

P.S. Don't forget to comment) I know I'm not the best writer ever, but... it would really make my day! Thanks!

Also I noticed that I didn't mention that this isn't a one-shot! So now I'm telling you this! It's not a one-shot! It's a multi-chapter story and I have a second chapter already written!

And also I have V's look drawn and please like it because it was hard with me being a super bad at drawing! Thanks!

[hanafubukki]

Gothel and Lilia Parallels/Tangled & Cassandra 

I was talking to Mumble ( @/081314) and Amy ( @/the-knaves-world) and how Lilia has a lot of elements from Gothel (From Tangled)

Gothel

Lilia’s new title from the 3rd Anniversary update has been Seeker of Cradles. We know that Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel because she has the healing properties/ablility to reverse age from the flower.

Rapunzel is also the kidnapped princess and with the theories that Silver could be a descendant from the Knight of Dawn, that could make him royalty.

Then we come to the age aspect. Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel so she can use her to become young again. Who else do we know that is old and lacking magic? Lilia Vanrouge, who can’t use his magic and is dying.

On top of that, Lilia has been hiding many secrets especially from Silver. As can also be seen with Gothel and how she hid Rapunzel’s background from her.

If Silver has symbolisms from Rapunzel, then he might also have her abilities as well. The power to heal. In the movie, Rapunzel brought back Eugene with her tears...and who else do we know has been crying? Silver. Maybe it is his tears that heals Lilia? Maybe returns his magic? It would make sense and is in parallel with the live action Maleficent 2 Movie. Since it was Aurora’s tears that brought back Maleficent. If that is the case, that means that Lilia can then help bring down Malleus’ OB.

Most of the Flowers that Lilia has been associated with recently has had healing properties to them, so hoping (please) that means that one way or another Lilia will be healed (or have more time with his sons).

We know that Silver and Lilia lived far away from other villagers, but we don’t know why. Mumble and I assumed it could be because Silver has so many qualities of the Knight of Dawn. Time will only tell why that is so. Gothel kept Rapunzel away so she can keep the child to herself and use her powers.

Lilia, despite becoming weak in the sun, has been in many sun related events. The sun symbol is the main design in the kingdom of Corona. Not only that, but Gothel literally became dust out the window when she fell out of the tower. It was bright and sunny outside, despite the cold and dark inside the tower. Not saying that will happen to Lilia, but he is weak and dying is he not?

Bringing back the point that Eugene got stabbed and then healed by Rapunzel, who got hurt recently in Chapter 4? Protecting Silver no less? Do you see where I am going with this? It points that someway somehow Lilia might get healed and Silver might be the reason. (Love heals all, does it not?)

Back when I was really into Tangled, I read this post that talked about how Rapunzel was raised not to show emotions. We have seen how Fae have trouble expressing themselves, verbally and emotionally. We have seen how Lilia’s role in Malleus’ and Silver’s life has affected them so. Malleus having to act and always keep the image of a king. Then we have Silver, who expressed how he has trouble showing how he feels and how that troubles him (Silver Dorm SSR). That is until we get to book 7 and he breaks down in front of Malleus which ends up cascading to the whole OB event. All of this to say, Gothel raised Rapunzel not to show physical affection and when it was needed, Rapunzel would seek comfort from her and no one else. Just like how Silver can only seek comfort from those he is close with. (though, to be fair, those he is close with know him better than anyone else and we have seen how NRC reacts to how chivalrous Silver is)

Sun Drop/Moon Drop Symbolisms & Cassandra 

Elements from the animated series can be seen as well.

We know that Silver and Malleus have traits that are the same and yet opposites as well,

Silver gives off light vibes. He always had his animal friends even when Lilia was away. Malleus gives off dark vibes. He has always been alone despite being surrounded by people. Silver has lived in a cottage out in the forrest with plenty of sun while Malleus (if we go by animated movie vibes and aesthetics and what we have learned from him) probably lived in a dark atmosphere at the castle, only escaping to visit the others.

There's also the fact that Lilia, Malleus, and Sebek are a type of Dark Fae. Silver is not Fae and could be a descendent of Knight of Dawn. You know dawn, which is the light before the sun rises.

The Sun drop has healing properties. Silver has symbolisms in pastels (which is of course in correlation with Sleeping beauty as well).

The Moon drop is destructive, causes death, decay, ruin, and destruction. It can also drain the life force and vital essence from living things, such as plants and people. Which we know is what's happening with Malleus’ magic as it expands and destroys the nature around him. How people can die if they don't get rescued from this dream world soon.

The moon drop can summon black rock spines...which in instances can look like thorns. The Moon drop can also keep track of the sun drop, as it always knows its location.

Gothel played a role in the animated series as well. She neglected her daughter, Cassandra, and then abandoned her once she kidnapped Ranunzel. To condense what happened in the series, theres misunderstandings which eventually leads to Rapunzel and Cassandra butting heads. In short, Malleus and Silver are currently butting heads. 

Cassandra and Silver has parallels too. Lilia often went traveling leaving Silver behind. (We don’t know to what degree the Zigvolts took care of him nor how often Malleus visited). Silver had to fend for himself and do chores in the cottage. Cassandra would often get left behind while Gothel would got about doing her own business, leaving Cass to fend for herself. 

Cassandra repressed her memories of Gothel and grew to be a mature, intelligent, and skilled fighter. She had the dream to become a Royal Guard just like her adopted father. Who else do we know that shares those same ambitions? Silver who’s adopted father is the General of the Royal Family.

Cassandra is loyal to the King and Queen but was willing to break rules  and lose her job to make Rapunzel happy. Silver is willing to to go against Malleus so Lilia can do what he wished despite his actions hurting all three of them. Silver is also willing to go against his King to stop him knowing that it is wrong and Malleus is not in his right mind and knowing that Malleus is suffering while OB.

Reuniting the two stones are said to bring ultimate power, but what if in this case, Humans and Faes getting along brings peace? (Its not like we can yeet Silver and Malleus to space lol)

Alternatively, we have seen how Malleus has used his powers to fix the stage in Book 5. We have seen how Malleus healed Vil. Maybe, once Silver helps brings Malleus back, both Malleus and Silver can heal Lilia. The ultimate power is the love they share for Lilia, the sun and moon, which ultimately heals. Like how Cass died, but Rapunzel used the two stones to bring her back. (Malleus magic does deal with nature and we have seen how connected to nature and magic the Fae are and Silver has always also had a connection to animals/nature).

Fun Fact: Hikaru Midorikawa was one of the singers in “I see the Light”... I bet Lilia is seeing the light alright--okay, okay, I’ll stop 😂( I know a few people who are going to give me looks for that lolol)

(Disney really out here saying we should focus on the movies and the animated shows 😂, I did not expect to delve into Cassandra as much as I did but it all makes so much sense).

[fortjester]

Gideon the Ninth Eye Colour/Descriptor Guide (Updated)

(Key: CH stands for Chapter; pg. stands for page; EP stands for Epilogue)

(Harrow the Ninth Guide) (Nona the Ninth Guide)

For more immediate, in-depth reference, the quotes themselves have been transcribed below the cut.

All quoted page numbers are per the paperback copy of the book. Quotes are (mostly) in order of frequency, but some characters are grouped together because I don't want to separate them.

Harrow (24 Entries):

Cytherea (18 Entries):

Ianthe (17 Entries):

(+ BABS) “Because they were in closest proximity, her first gaze after the fight fell on the overgroomed cavalier of the Third, Naberius: his eyes were taut, and his smile was unnerved. His eyes were blue, but this close she could see that they were stained through in places with a light, insipid brown that made Gideon think of oily water.” - Chapter 11, pg. 116 (paperback)

Palamedes (11 Entries):

Jeannemary & Isaac (8 Entries):

Corona (6 Entries):

Gideon (6 Entries):

Camilla (4 Entries):

Colum (4 Entries):

Teacher (4 Entries):

God/John (3 Entries)

“He approached her, and she saw that his sclera were black as space. The irises were dark and leadenly iridescent—a deep rainbow oil slick, ringed with white. The pupils were as glossy black as the sclera.” - Epilogue, pg. 440

“Harrowhark picked herself up off the floor and looked her Emperor dead in his dark and shining eyes.” - Epilogue, pg. 441

“He had a ridiculously ordinary face: long jaw, high forehead, hair a dull and leaden brown. But those eyes.” - Epilogue, pg. 443

Protesliaus (2 Entries):

“Protesilaus the Seventh stared at her with the empty eyes of someone who would watch with equal heavy disinterest if part of the wall were kicked out and she were punted down into the sea, but his adept was looking at her—wistfully.” - Chapter 10, pg. 108

“She had been gravely meeting Protesilaus’s murky stare, as though trying to find something out, and now she settled the head on her lap.” - Chapter 30, pg. 338

Characters With Only 1 Entry Each:

(CRUX) “Crux stared back at her with the hate of an exploding star: the empty hate of pressure pulled inward, a deforming, light-devouring resentment.” - Chapter 2, pg. 31

(ORTUS) “But Ortus said, with his big, sombre eyes and his squashed, disheartened voice: “I do fear death, my Lady Harrowhark.”” - Chapter 3, pg. 41

(MAGNUS) “Up close he had a strong jaw, the expression of the terminally jolly, and nice eyes.” - Chapter 9, pg. 93

(ABIGAIL) “Unlike Magnus, she also had the manner some necromancers and librarians developed when they had been working on dead spells for the last fifteen years and no longer worried too much about the living: her stare was far too intense.” - Chapter 15, pg. 169 & 170

(JUDITH) “The Captain of the Second rose too. Her intensely dark eyes settled on each of them in turn before ending on Teacher.” - Chapter 18, pg. 197

(SILAS) “Silas did not step away, but he turned his head a little from her, as though she were a bad breath. He had very brown eyes, startlingly framed by thick, whitish lashes.” - Chapter 26, pg. 298

[bullet-prooflove]

Slowdancing in the Parking Lot Prompt List

Please check the updated character list on my pinned post to see who I am writing for before submitting a prompt!

Also read the rules and do not forget to put the entire prompt into your ask!

I'm rememberin' I promised to forget you now

Singing for you darlin' in the same old way I first saw you

The last time I was in the back of a cop car I fell in love

Watchin' your red dress fall to the floor

Corner pocket at 12 AM

I'm undressing you in my head, my bed

Let's get some candles burnin' And some records turnin'

And the only thing I wanna do is find a spot Stop this car and throw it in park and get just Slow dance with you

My face on a cold window trying to sober up

I can still recall the words you said to me back then

All the lights down low take it nice and slow

But it's rainin', and I'm callin' drunk

Hoping for a slow song to come on the radio now

Midnight into morning with you

And if you leave just give me one more night

Let's lay in the dead grass Stare at the stars

So I've been thinkin' we need A little time alone

I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown

So whatcha say we cancel our plans? Tonight, I'm only gonna be your man

Right now he's got a bargain that he's taken too far

Getting close to you Making the most of whatever we got

I gave your name as my emergency phone call

The way your body's movin' Keep doin' what you're doin' To me all night long

Let's just leave here 'Cause there's nothing left to see

Honey, it rang and rang, even the cops thought you were wrong for hangin' up

I'll rot with all the burnouts in the cell

Writin' our love song

Love that look in your eye

And I still see you walking away And I tried to say I'm sorry

But she won't believe you When you fall down on your knees

We were more than friends from the start

Even if it's just a slow dance in a parking lot

I'm saving you from sharing All the things that I've been through

The things you're looking for Are the things I'll never be

And I don't care what song comes next I'm falling right here, 

Let the passion take us to a higher place Makin' the kind of love we make

Cause there's no one That you'll find that's quite like me

"Son, are you a danger to yourself?"

Ain't nobody get you like I do

What I'd give to have you back and in my arms again

Well, there ain't no way, baby To get me out this house When you look this good

"Son, why do you do this to yourself?"

Girl, I wonder, should we make another mistake?

She's wearing an old dress

And I couldn't find the words to make you stay

Let's wait, I swear she'll call me back

Next to me tonight That's the ecstasy I like

And do you want to take my broken heart?

Don't get me wrong No I don't want to hurt you

And I tried to keep you wrapped in my arms

He's sitting in the corner with a six pack of Corona

So listen to me girl You're just wasting precious time

Hiding all my feelings in the dark

I'd change that in a heartbeat just to feel your body

And I still see your fingerprints Running across my frostbit skin

You think you know me so well Who gave you the lowdown

[cetaitlaverite]

Why All This Music?

Masters of the Air - Rosie Rosenthal x OC

link to the masterlist is here <3

10. Lost Puppies

Freddie had been in training for Operation Corona, as she found it was called, for a week, and she felt she’d finally found her place in the war. She’d liked being a wireless operator, had been proud of the small bits of comfort she was able to afford the pilots before they went out on a mission by being the last voice they heard before setting off, but it had never felt overly interesting to her. Important, she knew - the British government wouldn’t have been spending so much time, money, and resources making it happen otherwise - but she’d always secretly felt like she could do more if given the opportunity.

And now she had been. Her promotion to flight officer quickly became a promotion to squadron officer as it became clear she was a better fit for the job than anyone could have guessed. She’d spent so many years by now listening into German radios she picked up that she’d inadvertently retained their ordering patterns and found, even with the lack of use, she was able to slip into her German seamlessly. There was also the matter of her being the only trainee who had ever actually spoken to a German pilot. Her experience and expertise became invaluable. Suddenly she found herself a leader.

The other wireless operators in the operation had little to no experience working with radios. As such, Freddie helped them. A great majority were Jews who had fled mainland Europe once it had become clear Hitler would stop at nothing until he’d gotten rid of them - Endlösung der Judenfrage, they told Freddie he was calling it. The final solution to the Jewish question. None of them knew all too well what this solution was but they’d had a couple of letters from family since coming over to England which had hinted at horror. Those letters had now stopped coming.

It was grand to get to speak to these people. Gut wrenching to learn of what they’d had to endure to get to Britain, even more so to understand their fears about what was happening to their families, but it was important to Freddie to know. And it was wonderful to get to speak German. Proper German. She only ever got to speak German when she went home - it wasn’t, of course, a skill one liked to advertise - but now she was surrounded by native German speakers who asked about her Viennese accent and gave her updates on the last they’d heard about the city.

Freddie was amongst the first wave of trainees to head out into duty. She was reassigned back to Thorpe Abbotts, as she’d been assured she would be. It was a condition of her signing on; she’d told her recruiter in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t be offering her services if she wasn’t allowed to stay where she was. So, once her week of training was up, she was put back on a train, accompanied by a compartment full of green, freshly trained, native-German-speaking wireless operators, only recently promoted out of civilian life, who hung onto her every word about what to expect of life at an airfield and how to keep calm even when you were talking to the enemy.

She was also returning with a third promotion. She was now proudly displaying the insignia which identified her as a wing officer. The w/op girls were going to lose it when they found out. Now she outranked Jones.

When she stepped out of the jeep which had come to pick her up from the train station - her own personal escort! A perk of her new rank, the driver had told her - she breathed in the air of Thorpe Abbotts and marvelled that at some point over the two years she’d been there it had become home.

The girls would all have been working in the tower at this time of day, Freddie knew, so she headed to her new hut to set up her bunk. She had first pick of the beds and chose the one in the far corner, the most amount of privacy she was likely to get as well as furthest from the rushes of cold air which would fill the room when someone came back from the officers’ club late and, notably, furthest from the bathroom and all of its accompanying smells. She made up her bed with the fresh sheets folded at the bottom, unloaded the bag she’d travelled to training with, then went between her old hut and her new one transferring her belongings.

Someone new had already filled her old bed, she found with a start. Someone else’s belongings were in the footlocker at the end of the bed. But her old footlocker she found right beside Millie’s, sticking out into the walkway which Freddie was sure a few of the girls had complained about. And the pictures Freddie had stuck to the wall above her bed had been moved to the wall above Millie’s. Freddie had no idea why, but the thought of Millie sleeping beneath photos of Daniel and her dogs and her parents made tears fill her eyes.

Carefully, Freddie unstuck the photographs and transferred them, along with her old footlocker, to her new bunk. She stuck them carefully to the wall above her bed and frowned as she wondered who Meatball would live with. He’d always slept on her bed but maybe he was better off with Millie and the other wireless operators he already knew instead of trying to acclimatise to all of the new faces Freddie would be accompanied by.

All of a sudden it was difficult to be so excited about her new post. She was doing something useful, she knew, something that would save bombers’ lives. Something that might go on to save Rosie’s life. It was silly to be upset by things such as where Meatball would sleep and the fact that she would no longer fall asleep beside her best friend. She would be doing a lot of good. She had to hold onto that.

The Operation Corona wireless operators had to have dinner earlier than everyone else because their first briefing had been set for the normal dinner hour. Freddie was more than just a little bit upset about this; she’d been missing her friends for a week and as soon as she was back in their sphere she was being kept away from them. Indeed, the base may as well have been empty for how few people she’d seen around. But dinner passed quickly, all of the new w/ops too nervous about their first briefing to want to talk much, and then the briefing came and went. Their first real mission briefing would be tomorrow, they were told, and their first assignment the day after that. They were less than two days away from directly sabotaging the enemy and nerves were running high.

Freddie did her best to reassure them all and managed to cajole them into going to the officers’ club that night. With no bombing mission set for tomorrow there was bound to be a party.

Freddie herself couldn’t help but feel jittery as she got ready. She had new insignia to show off and a new glow of responsibility. She wanted to look pretty, look distinguished in a way befitting her new rank. Really, she was anxious to see Rosie again.

No one was more jittery than the girls in Freddie’s new bunk, who were so anxious to meet the airmen on base they spent the better part of an hour just on their hair.

By the time Freddie and the others made it out the door she was all but worn out, too tired from deciding on countless hairstyles and helping to set curls and the like to feel much nervousness anymore.

She led her new charges to the officers’ club, smiling to herself at the sound of excited chatter which followed her. Almost the instant she stepped into the club she was met with a shriek.

“Fred!” Millie cried, running at her. “You’re back!”

A wide smile split Freddie’s face. “Mils!”

They tackled each other in a hug, holding on tight and swaying from side to side. A week was longer than they’d been separated since they’d met two years ago. The longest they’d ever gone was three days when one of them would go on leave.

A loud, insistent barking fought for dominance with the gramophone’s music as Meatball came bounding over to them. “Hi, buddy!” Freddie cheered, crouching down to hug him as Millie let her go. 

Meatball kept on barking as she hugged him, then covered her in kisses when she pulled back to hold him at arm’s length. “Oh, my sweet boy,” Freddie cooed, understanding suddenly that his excitement at seeing her again was likely because he’d expected not to. He’d already lost one companion and he’d expected to lose another when she’d gone away for training all of a sudden.

She pressed kisses to his head and his cheeks, taking his paws as he offered them to her and giggling as he started to run circles around her, still barking as loud as he could in his excitement.

“Come here, my darling boy,” Freddie cooed, catching him in the midst of yet another circle and wrapping him in another hug. “I’m not leaving you, I promise,” she spoke into the fur on his neck. “Okay?”

“Looks like he missed you just as bad as we did,” Jem said as she came over.

Freddie laughed, rising to stand and hugging her, too. “Missed you, Jemmy.”

“Missed you too, Fred.”

“Come on,” Millie cut in from behind her. “Come see everyone else.”

Freddie acquiesced, linking her arms with Millie’s and Jem’s.

And this, Freddie thought as the three of them made their way over to the bar with Meatball weaving excitedly around their feet, was home. She hadn’t realised how badly she’d missed it while she’d been away until she got it again. 

“Who are your lost puppies?” Jem asked as they came upon the bar.

Freddie stifled a smile as she glanced back and saw her charge of newly trained wireless ops trailing dutifully behind her. 

“These are my wireless ops,” Freddie said, unhooking her arms to gesture to them proudly.

“Your wireless ops?” Millie echoed with a smile. “Bit presumptuous of you, Fred.”

“Well,” Freddie replied, grinning, “it’s actually not presumptuous of me at all. Last time you saw me I was being promoted to measly flight officer status. I’ve been promoted twice since then.”

“Shut up!” Amy cut in from across the bar. “You’re a squadron officer?”

“I’m a wing officer,” Freddie corrected her, giggling at the absurdity of it. “You should all be calling me ‘ma’am’ and saluting me on sight.”

Freddie accepted the congratulations from all of her former colleagues, laughing as they took it in turns pressing kisses to her cheeks. “I bet I’m all covered in red lipstick now!” she objected when Paddy wouldn’t stop.

Paddy only laughed. “It’ll wash off!”

Congratulations received, Freddie turned to introduce her new wireless operators and smiled as she watched her old friends and her new ones greet each other. In turn, she was introduced to the girl who had taken her place, a twenty-one year old named Cecelia who had been transferred from her boyfriend’s base because she’d gotten in trouble for flirting with him over the radio. Freddie giggled when she heard the story and decided immediately that she liked her.

She was immersed in conversation with Cecelia and Amy, Meatball sitting on the toes of her shoes, about how the girls were trying to hook Amy up with one of the rear gunners of one of the replacement crews when a light hand came to rest on the small of her back. 

Turning, Freddie grinned at the proffered glass of lemonade and the smirking face above it.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she joked. She accepted the lemonade from him and placed it on the bar in favour of getting up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck, giggling as he wrapped his own around her waist.

“Hi, Fred,” Rosie said, his smile audible in his voice.

“Rosie,” Freddie replied, grinning, “I missed you.”

“You did?”

“Of course!” 

He held her just a little bit tighter. “I missed you too.”

Freddie smiled as she pulled out of their hug and picked her lemonade back up, taking a sip. “Thank you for my lemonade.” Rosie smiled and brushed her thanks away. “I hear you went to the flak house - how was it?”

Millie had updated her hurriedly on everything which had transpired on base since she’d been away, informing her that Rosie and his crew had been forced, much against Rosie’s will, to go on rest and recuperation at Coombe House, not-so-affectionately nicknamed ‘the flak house’ for how crews tended to be sent there when their commanding officers feared they were getting ‘flak happy’. In other words, Coombe House was intended to give the crews a place where they could talk to a therapist about how they were handling everything without everyone else having to know about it, while maybe also playing a few games of tennis here and there while they were at it.

Rosie scowled at the mention of his visit to the flak house, opting to take a big gulp of beer before even attempting to answer.

Freddie laughed as she watched him consider his words. “Everything you hoped it would be and more, I see,” she observed.

Rosie cracked a smile at this. “It was fine,” he said diplomatically. “I got something for you.”

Freddie visibly brightened. “You did?”

Rosie’s smile widened at whatever he saw on her face. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “I didn’t think you’d be back tonight, or else I would’ve brought it with me.”

“So sorry not to give you advance warning,” Freddie teased him. “I was let go from training early because I’m just so very good at it, see.”

Rosie grinned. “I’m sure you are. And ‘it’ would be..?”

Freddie laughed, sipping on her lemonade to keep him waiting, purely to entertain herself with the way he watched her do it. “Oh, you know,” she finally answered, fiddling with the straw in her drink, “this and that.”

Rosie groaned. “Fred…”

Freddie giggled. “Give me my gift and then I’ll tell you.”

“Your gift is back in my bunk.”

“Oh, well.” Freddie smiled innocently.

“Wing Officer Leroy!”

Freddie turned, smiling as she came face to face with one of her new recruits. 

“Ma’am -”

“You can just call me Freddie when we’re not working,” Freddie cut her off, smiling, “remember?”

“Right,” the girl, Anneliese, replied, then promptly forgot this information as she continued, “ma’am, are we allowed to fraternise with the Americans?”

Beside her, Rosie snorted.

Freddie fought to hold onto her laugh. “Well,” she began, “not officially, but people do.”

“If I get caught fraternising will you bail me out, ma’am?”

This time, both Freddie and Rosie actually did laugh. “Anneliese, what kind of fraternising are you expecting to get caught doing?” Freddie asked, her jaw just slightly agape at the insinuation.

Anneliese shot a quick glance at Rosie, conscious he was listening in, and then started to speak in German, “One of the Americans - a bomb-aimer, he says - is very handsome. But he lives in a bunk with all of his crew, and I live in a bunk with all of you. Where do you suggest we go as an alternative?”

Freddie laughed, rolled her eyes, and rested a hand on Anneliese’s arm. “I suggest you wait for a weekend pass.”

Anneliese perked up. “Will you give me a weekend pass?”

“You haven’t even been here for a day yet!”

Anneliese sighed with all the air of a teenager being grounded by their mother, even though she was only a year younger than Freddie. “Fine.”

“If you get caught fraternising it’ll be out of my hands,” Freddie warned her, not entirely convinced she was about to take her advice.

“Yes, ma’am,” Anneliese answered, saluted - all of these new recruits loved to salute, Freddie had found, just because they were excited to be working for the military - and then turned on her heel to walk away, presumably off to find her American bomb-aimer.

Rosie waited a moment before speaking. Freddie sighed and started sipping on her lemonade as she awaited whatever comment he was about to make.

“Enjoying your new promotion?” he finally asked.

“You mean am I enjoying wrangling a bunch of civilians into military duty, forcing them to keep their mouths shut about what we’re doing, and also trying to keep them from running off every five seconds?” Freddie sighed, shut her eyes, and sipped her lemonade again. “Why, yes, Rosie, I’d say I am.”

“Looks like you’re good at it,” Rosie observed. “They’re clearly all fond of you.”

Freddie smiled at this, glancing over at a group of them still huddled together by the wall, joined by some of the boys in their outfit now, too. “They’re good people,” Freddie told him. “Most of them are Jewish and had to flee the mainland when war broke out. They’re happy to finally get to do something. They’re going to do a lot of good.”

“Do you like your new post?” Rosie wondered.

Freddie smiled softly to herself and turned back to him. Of course he’d noticed she felt conflicted about it all. “I’m happy to be getting to do something bigger, something more directly important. But it’s lonely, leading them. I haven’t even been back a day and I miss my old bunk and I miss hanging around with the girls and I know I’ll miss talking to all of you over the radio before you go out on raids.”

“We’re all still around,” Rosie reminded her softly.

Freddie nodded, even though her smile had gone sad. “I know. I just worry you won’t be close enough.”

[thehallstara]

year in review

wanted to reflect on the things i've made this year. here goes nothing!

Games

ghost story is a point-and-click mystery made in unity as my final project for code coven's IGM course!! I genuinely think we managed a pretty solid concept and execution in two weeks, and if you like murder mysteries, this is for you!

lungs to burn is a short poem game made for the may 2023 bitsy jam, talking about wildfires, grief, and queer connection. featured in both indiepocalypse #43 and hand eye society's SUPERFestival. in general, the response i got for this one was kinda overwhelming (and a little confusing), but i'm glad it resonated with people! still very proud of it.

no postage required is another bitsy game, this time made for the trans game dev server jam. a somewhat-sequel to the end is near; or a letter to a lost love. there are definitely things i'd redo with this one but all in all, not too bad!

Zines

Kriah: a personal zine about some of my experiences with antisemitism over the years. definitely a heavy read but honestly i stand by it just as much as when i wrote it? idk as someone who has a lot of trauma from years of antisemitic harassment, this has been a WEIRD fucking year, and it's weird to revisit something i wrote at the beginning of the year that feels even more relevant now.

how to the hold the pain is a collage/web weaving zine i did for this year's blaseball zine jam, using blaseball narratives as a way to view crip theory and vice versa. i spent a LOT of time reading through articles for this (both academic and other) and every second of it was worth it. genuinely one of my favourite things i made all year.

Fic

i wrote a lot less fic this year than the previous two for a multitude of reasons but i still put out a few bangers!! here's a brief selection of my favourites:

swallow your guilt (blaseball, 13.2k), a story about the new seattle garages, the old chicago firefighters, grief, and finally growing up, all through the biased eyes of one baby "ruthless" triumphant

spectroscopy, or a snapshot of a light and that which it absorbs (blaseball, 2.6k), the coda to my bright zimmerman series. i technically wrote this in the fall of 2022 but posted it in march so it still counts.

somewhere there's a fire burning (rogue one, 1k), a character study of bohdi rook between the destructions of nijedha and scarif. my first non-blb fic! and still a banger imo

i play dead, come alive (hatchetfield, 12x100), character study of stephanie lauter during the events of npmd. now officially my most popular fic and honestly i'm good with that!!! i think it's a solid little fic.

just all of corona borealis. i did some good stuff about grief and growth this year y'all.

the back half of this year was mostly filled with portfolio updating, job hunting, and just generally struggling with everything lol but!!! i still made some cool stuff and am hoping to get more back to making stuff next year! it's where i feel most at home. have fun checking these out if you do!

[realityandrebirth]

Writing Updates

Gnosia Stella Coronae, the pokémon fanfic I have been working on for literally 15 years is only 4 chapters away from being done, so I might focus on that for the next few weeks and finally finish it.

drinking from the river… it's being written! slowly! but it's being written!

Castys is on a minor hiatus while I finish the fics that are much closer to completion and lower my current WIP count below 20. I expect to continue working on it near the end of the year.

I'm *still* working out fundraiser details; my job starting really threw me out of wack, and it's still a few days before I get an actual schedule (right now it's kind of just "please show up. thanks")

In 2025, I plan to release The Everyman, which is a lego multiverse crossover fic centering around Emmet Brickowski of The Lego Movie. I am very excited for this!

thank you for reading my work !