#and eventually mother earth will make all of us pay up

[amplifyme]

So I've been watching a bunch of nature programs lately (the Our Planet series on Netflix is full of goodness) and I had an epiphany tonight. And it is this:

We are the most highly evolved, intelligent, and sentient species on this planet. And we have managed to absolutely and completely fuck it all up. Not just for ourselves, but for every other living thing who shares this earth. We're destroying our home. And it's the only one we've got.

So when is that sixth extinction supposed to arrive? Cuz, boy howdy, do we deserve it.

[giorno-plays-piano]

Binary Star

Part I

Pairing: academic rival!Satoru Gojo x reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, power play, hurt/comfort, no curse au, this series will get darker as the story progresses.

Words: 1.2k

Summary: It has to pay off, he thinks as he waits for the headmaster to finally announce the valedictorian, knowing she is there too, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently. What face is she going to make when his name will be called? Is she going to cry? To yell at him and publicly demand a re-evaluation? Or will she, perhaps, finally admit he's done a fantastic job and won fair and square?

____________

He is really going to get her this time. This is the finish line, quite literally: the graduation; his last attempt to win and emerge victorious from the very last battle between him and her. It has to be it.

If he couldn't win against her for the last time, Gojo would probably have a mental breakdown right in the middle of the ceremony. Geto standing right next to him rolls his eyes to the ceiling over his friend who's shaking from excitement and fear. Of course, Satoru wouldn't admit it even under torture, but Suguru knows better. The girl his friend has been competing with throughout high school isn't just smart: she's completely insane like Gojo and as big pain in the ass as him. Who knows, perhaps she'll really win this round. He prefers not to think of it.

Satoru searches for her in the crowd, standing on his toes despite already being a foot taller than anyone else in the hall. Is she here? This nightmarish woman who has been pushing him to give high school his all because she dared to take away his crown of the best student during their freshman year? When Satoru saw the scores, he thought he might have had a heart attack. There was no way he was no longer #1.

"That's what you get for messing around the chem lab," Shoko snorted while Satoru dumbly stared at the name of that annoying girl, always the teachers' pet, heading the list. His name was written right under hers.

What the actual fuck?! She got a better score than him? Him, the genius, with his undeniably superior IQ of 180 that he flaunted at any given time? Who did she think she was, Sheldon Cooper or something?

It got him so fired up he actually started studying.

"You're so dumb," Geto eventually said after his friend had gotten in the argument with the girl during their ethics class - again. "You know you could be making out with her now, right? She's the only person who could actually get along with your stubborn ass."

"Wha-a-at? What about you?" Immediately disregarding his question, Satoru was already pouting like a kid. "Wouldn't you date me?"

"Yeah, over my dead fucking body."

To be fair, it's not that Gojo never thought of her that way - she was pretty, even if he was never going to admit it out loud - but she was also so insufferable Gojo really couldn't focus on anything else but beating her in that game they were playing. The best score on the history exam? They both wanted it. Math test? Him and her were working on those questions as if their lives depended on it. Biology project? Satoru made sure to do the impossible, submitting something he would get a Noble prize for, and yet he still somehow managed to get the same grade as her. It was absolutely infuriating.

Why on Earth did she decide she could be better than him? He was Satoru Gojo, after all. The one and only son of Gojo family, who was not only embarrassingly rich but also fucking smart - his parents used to flaunt his talents throughout his whole childhood and continued doing it well into adulthood. He couldn't tell them he was no longer #1. What would his mother say? Dear God, it was hard to imagine what would happen to his father of he learned some random girl got a better grade for that English paper than him. It was, at the very least, unbecoming of Satoru.

But she was unrelenting, irritated with his status of the school genius, and ready to fight him on every occasion. Satoru had no idea what could piss her off so much - in the end, he was the most charming guy around, wasn't he? - but there wasn't a day she'd let him have his way. She was brave, persistent, and knowledgeable, and he hated her very much.

The fact that Shoko and Suguru were asking him to please get together with her and stop antagonizing the whole school only riled up Gojo even more. As if he was going to date that nerd!

When he learned she'd be running for the valedictorian, it was the last drop. No fucking way. She couldn't take it away from him - even if he had never actually cared about being a valedictorian.

If his friends had thought he was obessessing over her, now they realized Satoru went completely nuts. He started studying so much he barely slept: it was a given, considering the bags under his eyes were making his skinny ass look like a starving raccoon. Geto couldn't drag gim out even in between lessons because Satoru was immediately burying his head in the books.

It has to pay off, he thinks as he waits for the headmaster to finally announce the valedictorian, knowing she is there too, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently. What face is she going to make when his name will be called? Is she going to cry? To yell at him and publicly demand a re-evaluation? Or will she, perhaps, finally admit he's done a fantastic job and won fair and square?

Pfft, of course she won't. She'll probably stab him in the parking lot once he tries to get into his car.

But when the headmaster finally announces the results, and his, Satoru Gojo's, name is called, he no longer sees her in the crowd, and the sweet taste of victory suddenly turns to ashes in his mouth.

Where is she? She couldn't have known it would be him. To be frank, he didn't either. How could she leave right before the results were announced?

He gives his speech with a stupid smile plastered all over his face, but his mood has already soured. She had to be there to hear he was named this year's valedictorian! What face did she make? Did she leave right after she heard it wasn't her? Did she cry? Did she run away because she couldn't take it? Wasn't she going to say to him anything at all?

How could she just... vanish?

He doesn't know why he expected her to be the bigger person and come tell him he did great, but he truly did. Suddenly, he realizes he wants her to look him in the face and say he is good enough.

Did he need to be the bigger person, perhaps? But, wait, isn't he a bigger person by default because he's the winner, he wondered. The winner is always the bigger person if he doesn't rub loser's face in the dirt, right?

In the end, he couldn't even enjoy the victory he had been craving for so long.

"She had something urgent come up," Shoko says later in the restaurant, making a tsk-ing sound while Gojo listens to her with a frown on his face. "Something about her family."

Something about her family? What could be as important as the announcement of valedictorian?

"Are you dumb?" With a sigh, Suguru cocks his head to the side. "Plenty of things are more important than this valedictorian crap."

Maybe to somebody else, but not to her, Satoru thinks. Beating him has always been the only thing on her mind, and nothing could have changed that.

__________

He will be mulling over it for a long, long time once he realizes she did not follow him to Harvard despite her scholarship.

Part II

Tags: @minshookie29

[trashpandato]

Romance

Earth customs are weird. 

Kara knows this; has known it for many years. And sure, she’s spent all those years trying to learn, trying to understand what makes humans tick so she could mimic it successfully enough to not stand out. 

“Fake it til you make it”, Alex used to say, implying that if Kara spent enough time pretending, human behaviour would eventually become second nature to her.

And fake it she did. Some Earth customs were easy enough to adopt. Like wide smiles that cover up her pain, the concept of comfort foods or all-you-can-eat buffets, or even humans’ tendency to find excuses to turn any random day into some kind of celebration - Hump Day, Tax Deadline Day, Polar Bear Plunge Day, National Frozen Yogurt Day. (She’s half-convinced that most of these are inventions by Alex to confuse her, but she celebrates National Gummy Worm Day on July 15th anyway.)

But if she’s honest, a lot of the things that humans do, their customs, their rituals, still seem a little strange to Kara. Even after years of trying to understand.

Chatting up strangers, for example. On Krypton, interactions with someone not known to a person would have required some sort of intermediary, an introduction through a trusted person. If Kara had even dared to walk up to a stranger to talk to them, she would have faced discipline not just from her family but also from the broader community. When she first landed on Earth, she relied on Eliza or Alex to make introductions and felt intensely uncomfortable when kids at school would randomly talk to her. It took her a long time to believably mimic these kinds of human interactions, and if she’s honest, she still prefers an official introduction over just chatting up people out of the blue. (It’s why she was happy to tag along with Clark for her first encounter with Lena.)

Or there’s the act of blowing out candles on a birthday cake. Extinguishing light instead of keeping it burning as a means of celebration. The first time Eliza prompted Kara to blow out her candles, Kara was horrified and it took a lot of gentle reassurances from her adoptive mother to even consider partaking in this peculiar human tradition. To this day, Kara prefers her candles away from her cake and to leave them burning for as long as safely possible.

And then there are all the gestures associated with romance. With Krypton’s system of arranged pairings based on compatibility across a number of important factors, there was no need to wine and dine anyone. She could remember her parents showing affection for each other, but there was never any ritualized approach to romantic moments. Humans, on the other hand, humans have rules about dates, about which flowers are appropriate to give to someone and when, about who pays the bill at the fancy restaurant, about slow-dancing and little gifts and how many feelings to reveal and when. 

It’s a lot to keep track of and confusing, and all the romance movies in the world cannot prepare Kara for her first official date with Lena.

She shows up with plumerias, because she knows Lena likes those and she knows, knows, that she’s supposed to bring flowers. But then Lena has tears in her eyes as soon as Kara hands them over, and she’s also wearing this dress that hugs her body in ways that make Kara’s higher brain function fizzle out. So she doesn’t protest when Lena pulls her inside with her hands fisted into the lapels of Kara’s suit jacket, follows Lena’s lead when she pushes her against the kitchen island and kisses her senseless, and finds herself naked and sweaty in Lena’s bed not long after that.

When Kara’s stomach rumbles a couple of hours later and Lena calls to have some food delivered, Lena chuckles.

“We kind of did this all backwards.”

Kara frowns. “How so?”

“Well,�� Lena leans in and presses her lips close to Kara’s ear, making her shiver, “usually, the clothes come off after the fancy dinner.”

“You humans have a lot of rules about romance,” Kara huffs, and Lena laughs.

“I suppose we do. But I’m happy to break every single one of them with you, Kara Zor-El.”

[gallilovesf1]

P1 Into You: Goodnight

🏁 Character Introductory 🏁

MASTERLIST

Pairings (applied to the whole fic): Sergio Pérez x FemHorner!Reader, Toto Wolff x FemHorner!Reader, Lewis Hamilton x FemHorner!Reader

Warnings: Slow burn, mentions of sexual topic, Dom/Sub dynamic, Soft Dom! Sergio, Dom! Toto, angst, cheating, fluff, mentions of death

Author's Note: I haven't seen someone write for Sergio so I'll just do it myself, this will be a long fic so bare with me! Enjoy!🏁🏎️

══════☆════════════☆══════

You graduated as a mechanical engineer at Harvard University, honestly it's one of your greatest achievements in life. Before your mother passed you promised to her that you’ll be a mechanical engineer just like her and you did, years of studying hard, all those sleepless nights, it eventually pays off.

Of course as expected, your dad's not happy on what you've done, you did what he also wanted, worked as one of the engineers in Red bull, you expect him to compliment you for a little but he didn't, except he pressured you enough to cry every night, blaming yourself that why aren't you good enough for your dad to be proud at you, but the good thing is your brother, Jonathan. One of the drivers in red bull is supporting you, you and him always have the best bonds as siblings. He teaches you some stuff on formula one, telling you the basics, like the teams and its drivers, team principal. Besides that he also supports you as an artist, growing up you always love drawings, you always tell your parents how much you love doing tiny doodles and showing it to them, but as always the only person who cares about you is your mom and your brother.

“Y/N?” Your brother says as you snapped back into reality, “Earth to Y/N?” “What-?” “I said, Dad needs us in the paddock, are you coming?” “Yeah, give me a minute-” you said as you grabbed your phone as you and your brother went to the paddock.

You and your brother arrived in the paddock as your saw checo, your best friend and also one of the drivers of red bull alongside your brother.

You met checo at your brothers first win in sakhir grand prix 2020, Checo’s on podium 1 while your brother is in podium 3, you're so happy for your brother that day, checo and your brother celebrated their victory as a team, later that night the red bull team threw a party and you had a blast, you made some new friends, talk so some new faces, until checo approached you, “Y/n, Right?” He smiled shyly as he looked at you up and down, “Yes, that's right, You're Sergio, right? Congrats by the way, you did so well earlier!” You complimented him as he smiled at you, ‘god he's handsome’ you thought, “Ah- Thank you, that's- really thank you.” Checo's cheeks turned light pink, “Call me checo, everyone calls me that and I think you should too.” He smiled, “Checo” you said as you liked the way his name sounds, “Yeah-” he chuckled.

Since then you and checo got really close, he always treats you, going on a dinner date with him, watching a movie with him, having some fun time together, and lastly going in some art museums around the world whenever the team travels for the race.

He knows that you're a big fan of art, he knows that you always liked drawings as a kid up till now, he thinks that you deserve to be treated like what he's doing, making you feel worth it and not neglected.

“Y/N, Luz solar-” says checo as you heard his little nickname for you, “Checoooo!” You run towards him as you give him a tight hug as if you haven't seen each other in years, “How are you?” You said as you smiled up at him, “I'm doing good, Miel, how about you did you enjoy the city here in Mexico?” He smiled at you, “Yeah! I liked it here already, though I haven't explored the city yet since you know, dad always needed me here” you rolled your eyes as checo chuckled, “Luz solar, I'll tell you what, after the practice we can go and take a look at the city, we can eat and maybe find some museum to go in.” He smiled as I pats your shoulders, “Can I come?” Your brother says as he looks at checo then to you, “ye-” “No.” You said “¿Porque mi amor?” (Why, my love) Checo says as he looks at you confused, You chuckled, “Dummy of course you can go! You two are my supporters, I wouldn't be like this if you guys weren't here for me!” You smiled to both of them as checo and your brother chuckled, “Ah, sí, after the race ok? We'll talk about it later-" Checo winks at you as he leaves, leaving you and your brother.

“I swear he likes you-” your brother teased as he scoffed, “He's literally way much older than me, what do you mean?” You looked at him confused, “C’mon, you and checo have been friends for 4 years now and you think checo doesn't like you? He always treats you like you're his wife!” Your brother said as he chuckled, “He's always like that, I think he's just kind and sweet, he knows everything between me and dad, so maybe he's just making me feel appreciated in a way he can.” You said as you had flashbacks of your moments with checo.

It's true, Checo's been treating you as if you're his wife. Honestly, you find checo attractive and god he's so perfect, his eyes, his face, the way he looks at you whenever he talks and listens when you're talking. You liked him, but you just don't know how you will say it to him, you don't want your friendship with him to go to waste if your relationship with him didn't work out.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The Free practice was done and you cheered your brother and checo as they got the pole position 1 and 2, Checo is in P1 while your brother is in P2, his highest position so far in this season.

“You did great!” You said as you hugged your brother, “Thank you sis! I'm excited for tomorrow-” your brother replied as he pulls away from the hug, You saw checo walking towards you while smiling, “Checoooo- you did great P1 is your highest so far! I'm proud of you-” you cheered as you hugged checo, “Thank you, Mi amor, Are we still going out though?” “Hell yes!” You said as you looked checo in the eyes, admiring his brown eyes, “Way to go checo!” Your brother said as they hugged each other, “You did well too.” Checo smiled as they both pulled away from each other, “C’mon let's get out of here I'm excited to explore the city!” You said as the three of you went to change clothes.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The three of you arrived in a restaurant, not far away from the paddock, you entered first as you bumped into a tall man, you felt like you bumped into some hard wall, “I'm so-” you said as you looked up seeing The team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff.

“I'm sorry-” you said shyly as you looked up at him, ‘Fuck, he's tall.’ you thought, he leans down at you slightly, “It's ok, don't apologize.” He said, smirking down at you.

“Is that Toto?” Your brother says, asking Checo, “Yeah and that's Y/N talking to toto?” They both looked at each other confused. “Y/N-” checo called your name as you looked behind you seeing your brother and checo walking towards you, “I'm really sorry I didn't see you passing by-” you apologize again as you lowered your head in embarrassment, Toto said nothing as he looked down on you as he nodded and left.

“You ok?” Checo said as he looked at you slightly confused, “Yeah, I just didn't see him that's all-” you said smiling at him, “Toto? You didn't see him?” Your brother chuckled as he teased you, “I Don't know, I don't even know who he is, ok?” You said chuckling. “That's the team principal of Mercedes, one of our rival teams, dad hates that guy.” Your brother replied, “That's him?!” You said shocked, “Yeah, your father and Toto are not the best of friends.” Checo said as he looked at your brother and you, ‘Why would dad hate him, he looks kind though-’ you thought, “Hmm, I see, let's just forget it- we need to celebrate for what happened on the practice earlier!” You said as you smiled at Checo and your brother.

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

The three of you sat down as Checo asked the waiter for the menu, the three of you took a while from choosing what to eat, “Since it's your hometown, why don't you tell us what's the best food to order?” You said looking at Checo while smiling, “Yeah!” Your brother agreed as checo grins “Ok- how about we choose this?” He said pointing at ‘Torta’ in the menu, “Torta? What's that?” You asked, “Well it's like a sandwich filled with a lot of vegetables and meat-” he said looking at you then your brother, “Well that's sounds delicious to me-” your brother said smiling as checo looks at you, “What about you Y/N?” “Hmm I want to try it!” You said as Checo smiled at your words.

Few minutes later all of your orders have arrived, checo ordered a torta with a diet coke on the side, your brother ordered the same, while you ordered a torta and a sparkling water, the three of you ate and exchange conversation, you liked the food that Sergio suggest to eat, “So, why did you bumped into Toto earlier?” Your brother asked, making checo nod, “Yeah, it's impossible for you not to see him, that guy is tall!” You chuckled, “Well yeah I didn't kinda see him because I was admiring the outside view of the restaurant, plus I'm really excited so I didn't bother to look In Front of me, the next thing I realized is that I felt like I bumped into a wall-” The three of you chuckled, “That's a weird and funny interaction of you and toto- is that the first time you saw him in person?” Checo asked, “Well…Yeah- given that dad only describes him with words and I only saw him in interviews and pictures, so I wasn't expecting he'll be that intimidating…” ‘and damn hot…’ you thought.

The three of you exchanged conversation as you remember that there's a museum close by the restaurant, “Checo, can we go to the museum across the street, please?” You begged as you gave Checo an irresistible eye, checo chuckled, “I don't know should we go, Johnathan?” Checo asked your brother as they teased you, “Hmm let me think about it checo-” Your brother teases you too, you looked at them unimpressed, “alright, ok, jeez-” your brother says as checo chuckled, checo paid the bill as the three of you head out, checo and your brother searched the museum that you might like, “Y/n, what about this?” says checo showing you a picture of ‘Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico’, “Wow- that looks so beautiful…” you said as checo looks at you saying “Yeah, Beautiful…”

You, Checo, and your brother arrived in the museum, you proceeded inside as Checo and your brother bought some tickets. Inside you saw a lot of beautiful carved stones with a lot of symbols in it, you took a picture to post it later on your Instagram, “Enjoying already, Y/N?” Checo asked seeing you taking a picture, “Yeah- these are beautiful-” You chuckled, as you saw your brother having his alone time at the other part of the museum, you and checo strolled along the museum, checo took some pictures of you, “We should take a picture!” You smiled as Checo seemed to be surprised, “Yeah, ok” you took out your phone as you took a photo of you and Checo, Checo's arms are on your shoulders as he looks at you, while you're looking at the camera smiling. You smiled at Checo, “Should we post that? I mean ya know?” As a mechanic of redbull and Checo a red bull driver, you don't want controversy or issues in the paddock, so whenever you and checo are going out or taking pictures you always ask him permission or he will ask you permission to post the pictures, “Of course- it'll be good for your Instagram eh?” He chuckled, “ok ok- I'll just tag you and Jonathan-”

─ ⋆ ────── ⋆ ────── ⋆ ──

After thousands of pictures with Checo and your brother you decide to go home to get ready for qualifying tomorrow, “I'll see you guys tomorrow ok? And I know that both of you will do well tomorrow.” You hugged your brother and checo, “Thanks sis! Love ya!” Your brother said as he opened his hotel room door, waving to Checo and you.

Your brother lives in 4th floor of the hotel, while you and checo lives in 5th floor, he said he wanted to be close to you just Incase you need anything, you find it very thoughtful of him, I mean…he's always like that to you, sometimes you think why you and checo aren't together.

You and Checo entered the elevator, he pushed the number 5 button as you posted the pictures on your Instagram, tagging checo and your brother. Silence filled the elevator, Checo's the one who breaks the silence first, “So, how did it go? Did you enjoy it?” He looks at you with full admiration, your eyes lit up “Yes! I enjoyed it a lot- I wasn't expecting Mexico to be a beautiful place, so thank you Checo.” You smiled at Checo as the elevator door opened. You walks out first then checo, standing In Front of your door as checo took a picture of you, you chuckled, “What's that for?” “Nothing, you just look beautiful.” He smiled, “Hmm..” you opened your door as you turned to face checo, “Thank you for today checo, You're the best.” You said tip toeing and kissing checo on the cheeks, “Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow.” You saw Checo's face turned red, you went inside your room quickly, closing the door behind you, ‘Fuck, why did I do that-’ you thought as you sat on the floor.

Checo's still standing outside your door, still shocked by what you just did, “Goodnight too…” he mumbled, smiling as he left going to the other door beside your room, opening it as he caressed his face where your lips once were.

══════☆════════════☆══════

Omg I hope you like it! This part of the fic is All about checo and Y/N, and of course the meet of Y/N and toto!!

Taglist: (Let me know if you want to be added to our taglist!🏁)

@cheyxfu

@simbelmyne20niniel

@barcelonaloverf1life

[hubba-hubba1]

I’m so glad that the women and girls who discover radical feminism and 4b are finally waking up about the lies they were told by the degenerate toxic patriarchal society who tries to groom them into being vulnerable and exploited housewives or worse. I saw on reddit and other platforms how former tradlife, conservative, liberal, or ‘pick me’ girls realized a male’s attention wasn’t worth it after torturing theirselves about their appearances or being criticized for every single thing by male peers and other female peers who want male validation. A middle aged former conservative lady told about how she was the “perfect” wife and went to church and took care of the kids and house even dressing/looking the part, but her ex husband still ended up cheating on her for a younger woman and she was left with almost nothing after the divorce. There is hope for women and girls after all if they spread the word and avoid messes like these.

On another note, women and girls in the global south or others who are in a similar situation where they come from poorer areas are more prone to violence from the men in their communities because they have less resources to deal with them. One lady told me how her uncle and aunt tried to abort their baby once they found out it was a girl and they got away with it at first even though that was illegal in their country but thankfully she eventually told on them to the police. More women are taking back their power and showing the same energy by supporting other women and girls financially or being there for their sisters in other ways, adopting or having girls and teaching them radfem values, aborting males which saves other girls and women from future violent criminals, focusing on their careers or having a good means of income, and avoiding those vermin manifesting itself as right wing/conservative men and boys with brain damage, and performative liberal men. I have seen different women and girls from every walk of life in the radical intersectional feminist community and I admire how it tackles how cruel the world is to us while having resources to help other women and girls without babying men + boys irrelevant feelings like any other community would.

What’s alarming is that many disgusting and demonic rich men and their hell spawns/family (rich women that are like-minded and associated with them are not our allies) hold power and spread misogynistic, racist, classist and homophobic right wing propaganda luring in insecure + pathetic boys and men who think they will get a chance to be like them when they’re just disposable peasants in the twisted rich men’s eyes. They also make it harder for the average woman to get better jobs in stem (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers and universities. Notice how women make up the majority of the education and healthcare workforce but are struggling with living costs because they aren’t paid enough? They see that women try to improve theirselves and come up with ways to tear you down. Greedy rich men destroy and exploit women’s countries in South+central America, Asia, and Africa for profit and the average men carry out their dirty work (war crimes, sexual tourism/trafficking) while seeing how those women are living in poor conditions then try to coerce them into sexual and financial abuse. In a better world, both of these groups of oppressors would pay for their crimes against half the population and go extinct, but since this is reality women and girls will need to make it hell on earth for them like how they have been doing to us and stop falling into the soft life propaganda which never worked for your mothers and grandmothers in the past and now.

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

please can I request soft/ fluff HCs with Peter quill? it’s sinful how little fics there are of him, so had to ask you :) 💕 preferably female but GN is fine too

hii! omg yess that’s so true, there is literally no fics of him! I have searched for so long to find some quill fics but often come up empty, so if anyone has recs, please please send them my way (I need them and him) ive never wrote for quill so hope these are accurate. thank you for requesting, hope you like it💌

headcanons/ imagines

peter quill x f reader

warnings || none

a/n || I may have done this first, sorry to all the others in my inbox, this was something fun to do and hopefully it might kick me into writing again

masterlist + rules

taglist

- it’s a given, but you guys talk about music ALL the time, it’s definitely a very important part of your relationship. maybe you share new songs with him from different decades, but you definitely prefer his music and he loves that you love his music

- he has an abundance of funky, fun and cool graphic tees, he loves to share them with you and probably prefers them on you

- he definitely fell first

- he loves to make you laugh, constantly cracking jokes. doesn’t even need to try and you’d just be laughing or smiling at him. his favourite laughs of yours are when you snort or cackle at his unintentional jokes

- it makes him feel special that you pay attention to the little things he says and when you react earnestly to them

- even though he LOVES the other guardians, he definitely prefers one on one time with you and loves to have you all to himself. he also loves your attention, and he definitely craves time with you

- he has major abandonment issues, so he doesn’t like you leaving his side. you’d be like his lucky rock, or a special penny that he always needs near. you are incredibly special to quill and he is often terrified that he’ll lose you too

- he craves validation, especially from you

- he is a lot smarter than he gives himself credit for. he’s definitely learnt tonnes from rocket over the years

- if he ever has to do a mission separately from you (would take a lot of persuasion and reassurance first) but he always brings back some special for you, something tailored and important to you, something that holds significance

- he’s incredibly sentimental, again not always showing it. he feels safe with the other guardians, but even more so with you. he doesn’t often like talking about his mother (he finds it too difficult) it took a lot of time, but he eventually shared that part of his life with you, and he was glad he did because your reaction was exactly what he needed

- an amazing hugger, he’s super comforting and safe. he has a very homely vibe and instantly makes you feel at ease

- you two have a very fun and easygoing relationship, it’s light and airy, but serious and passionate when it needs to be. a very sincere and genuine dynamic

- he taught you how to speak groot, he’s a great teacher but it took some getting used to

- he likes when you sit on his lap when he steers the ship, even though it’s not technically safe, he loves having you near when he is in the captain's seat (or just on his lap in the seat in general)

- but if need be, your seat is behind him, so it’s not too far away

- he loves teaching you things, he wanted to be the one to teach you about the ship and its buttons and controls

- I had this idea: that you take him to earth (he might not be too fond of the idea at first) but you surprise him with concert tickets so you both could see a band he loves. he’d never stop talking about it, and he’d keep the ticket stubs pinned up so he could look at them all the time

- he would do ANYTHING for you, he goes love blind (may have gotten himself hurt a couple of times to protect you)

- you both invented a special code/ encryption so you can talk to each other over comms. if he is on the other side of the ship (maybe tinkering) he’ll send you a secret message to let you know he’s thinking of you

- you guys don’t really argue (that’s not a bad thing either) if you have a disagreement it’s usually very light, and unserious, he’d probably accidentally make you laugh during it and then everything goes back to normal

- but if you ever do get into an argument, he can be quite stubborn

- he is a man-child (but the best kind!!) he can be immature and cocky but he’s always lighthearted. he’s just a fun-loving goof

- he loves when you call him starlord (but you don’t say it too often, so it doesn’t lose its meaning)

- you helped him process his grief, especially after yondu. once he felt comfortable talking about him again, he’d tell you all of these stories about him growing up

- he no longer drinks to forget, he now prefers a social drink after a mission with the crew instead. he doesn’t feel the need to drink himself silly now that he has you

- the guardians think you’re a great addition to the team and love that you make quill so happy

- you and peter share stories of earth with the others, sometimes you’d bend the truth and say wacky absurd things to joke around with them, but that being said it often flies over their heads, especially drax and mantis

- you two are definitely best friends as well as a couple, the perfect balance of friendship and romance, which is what makes the connection so special

[ghanjrho]

A:TLA; how it should have ended.

Recently, I've been on a deep dive into the A:tLA fandom, specifically the Zutara sphere. And that means I've found a lot of long-form meta on the show, it's ending, LoK, script final drafts, you name it. That's all gone in the brain blender, and here's what came out the other side.

Sozin's Comet honestly doesn't change that much; only two real differences.

The magic rock is gone. Instead, we get a flashback to Guru Pathik, and Aang realizes that he has to let go of his attachment to Katara.

The Maiko/Kataang victory laps in the last 5 minutes are gone. Mai and Zuko get a scene where they wish each other well, but acknowledge that they're over. Katara and Aang have a nice moment where they choose friendship. There's love there, but it's Philia, not Eros.

@burst-of-iridescent has a delightful essay series on Zutara, and the part that sticks in my head is that in the run-up to the finale, Aang and Katara are at their least unified. To wit:

In "The Southern Raiders" Aang is preachy, condescending, and more than a little hypocritical about Katara's plan to take vengeance for her mother. The episode ends with Katara explicitly rejecting Aang's belief that Yon Rha was forgiven.

In "The Ember Island Players" Aang is distraught at the idea that EIP!Katara's statements, namely that Aang is like her brother and she's attracted to Zuko, are true. When he questions Real!Katara about this, he responds to her statement that she's confused about her feelings by kissing her. The kiss is not returned. Again, no resolution is had.

Finally, in "Sozin's Comet Part 1" Katara is part of the chorus condemning Aang for refusing to even consider killing Ozai, no matter how many people are at stake. He runs off from the group, and from there disappears into the Spirit World to get Lion-Turtled. Yet again, no resolution, and the two don't reunite until the tea shop.

Now speaking of the Lion Turtles, I'm actually not opposed to them. Yes, they come out of nowhere to deliver an 11th Hour Superpower that handily spares Aang from having to actually make a choice he disagrees with, but at the end of the day it is a kid's show. Nickelodeon was never going to approve a script where Aang killed Ozai. Throw in a little bit of foreshadowing, and I'm good. It's worth noting here that the story of Avatar Wan was supposed to be covered in A:tLA, which would handily cover that requirement.

Now, for the post-canon. We'll start with Fire.

Zuko is NOT left alone in the Fire Nation. Similarly, Iroh does NOT fuck off back to Ba Sing Se.

Toph and Suki stick around. Suki in her canon role as commander of Zuko's Kyoshi Warrior bodyguard, while Toph and Mai use Toph's lie-detection and Mai's insider knowledge to purge threats to the new peace.

Toph eventually goes back to the Earth Kingdom to start a metalbending academy, but first she needs to make sure that her Sparky lives to be the grumpy old man he was born to be.

While Iroh is correct that for political and diplomatic reasons Zuko needs to be Fire Lord, he also bows to the reality that Zuko is plain and simply not ready to be the Fire Lord.

Zuko went from 4th in line to 1st in line basically overnight, and the 5-ish years he spent as Crown Prince were clearly not spent preparing him to succeed Ozai.

So a teenager with a fairly surface-level understanding of "how to monarch" has to self-Reconstruction the Fire Nation, while paying reparations, without having been militarily conquered.

This is how idealists get assassinated. New Plan!

Zuko is crowned Fire Lord. Iroh is his Prince Regent. It's very clear to all involved that Zuko is the one charting the course forward for the Fire Nation, while Iroh is there to convert intent to action, while teaching Zuko how it's done.

It doesn't hurt that Iroh is one of the Fire Nation's most successful military commanders, so the civil war route is a lot riskier for anyone to attempt.

Next, Sokka

Sokka honestly has a pretty good arc in the post-canon. Nothing I really feel the need to correct.

Eventually, Suki is able to hand off her duties in the Fire Nation to someone else and goes home to Kyoshi Island

It’s still home, but it isn’t the same. Or rather, she isn’t the same.

She never leaves the island behind, but it’s usually a stop on the journey from Wolf Cove to Republic City.

Then, Aang

Aang divides his time between Avatar duties and Last Airbender duties.

Avatar duties involve a lot of sitting in on meetings and reminding people that the ultimate goal is peace.

Last Airbender duties involve a lot of teaching Air Acolytes everything he remembers from his childhood. He gets lucky here, though.

The Airbender Genocide wasn't complete. More than a few Air Nomads escaped the Genocide, and hid themselves away. Some in small villages built in remote mountain valleys, others blended into Earth Kingdom settlements.

Plenty of quarter- or eighth-Air Nomad kids running around with airbending potential they never had the knowledge to develop. Think very early Book 1 Katara here.

The result is that a resurgent Air Nation is being formed, with a culture woven from the threads that survived through relics, the refugees, and Aang himself.

Airbenders are still rare, and it's over a decade before another airbender earns their mastery, but it's not his son and his grandkids when Korra comes around.

Finally, Katara

Katara spends a lot of time traveling. She spends time in the South Pole, helping to rebuild and learning Southern Style Waterbending from the released waterbenders. She also travels the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, doing what she can to solve problems.

There are a lot of problems to solve.

Her travels in the Fire Nation are particularly fruitful; word of the Last Agni Kai has spread, so she is known to be the one that the Fire Lord sacrificed himself for, and who healed his wound.

She and Zuko stay in contact, allowing themselves to have a slow-burn courtship.

After a couple of years she moves to Caldera City and starts getting down to seriously courting Zuko, preparing herself for Fire Ladydom.

The year before Iroh is set to retire as Regent, she and Zuko start thinking about the wedding.

There are a lot of potential traditions to uphold, even just between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation

This goes double for the daughter of the head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Lord himself.

They decide to have fun with it and do everything.

Aang presides over a private ceremony, family/close friends only, that is really just a mutual declaration of love and friendship.

Then come the Southern Water traditions. It's the full gamut, with ice-dodging, sacred hunts and more. In the end, Zuko is an honorary member of the Southern Water Tribe, and he and Katara are wed (again).

There's a diplomatic tour through the Earth Kingdom, stopping at Kyoshi, Gaoling, Omashu, Ba Sing Se, the Foggy Swamp the former Fire Colonies, and ending at the Northern Water Tribe. The language used artfully slides over whether the couple is newly married or about to be married, but overall it works well for the Fire Nation's reputation abroad.

The final act is in the Fire Nation. A full Royal Wedding, a grand affair of state, held at high noon on the day of the summer solstice. When all is said and done, Zuko and Katara now rule alone as Fire Lord and Fire Lady.

Alright, I have more, but I'm tired. Tune in next time for the Fire Nation (extended) Royal Family! featuring Steambabies (Found here)

[angel-in-shibari]

OC kiss week '25

Gonna use this as an excuse to write a few microfics about my characters. Just be aware that these stories are kinda nsfw. There's language, and mentions of sex, even if there's nothing super explicit. The story they're from, Rosary of Thorns, is very explicitly nsfw. There's a link in my pinned post if you wanna check that out, but please read the tags first as it's kinda hardcore.

First day is Desperate, and stars the two main characters from RoT, Rosa and Avery

tags: wlw, lesbians, maids, maid dress, mentions of abuse, swearing, drug trade, mafia romance, jealousy, indentured servitude

I had finally managed to escape the crowded living room, sneaking upstairs to my room. At least thats one bonus of being nothing more than a servant to these rich upper class snobs. No one notices me or pays any attention to me, making it easy to slip away unnoticed.

It wouldn't be too long before someone found me, and put me back to work serving cocktails. I just needed a few minutes to sit down and let my feet rest.

I flopped onto my bed, the fabric of my maid dress brushing against my sheets. Resting my eyes for a minute, I tried to think of an excuse for why I was gone when I would eventually return, when suddenly I heard a voice from the doorway.

"Avery?" Rosa asked. "What on earth are you doing up here?"

My Mistress, and the host of tonight's gathering, stood firm in the light of the hallway, arms crossed, and an unreadable look upon her face. Her curly dark hair rested over her shoulder, and her midnight dress reflected light from the chandler overhead.

Was she mad at me? Was she going to beat me for not doing my job, for not being a proper maid at her party? No, please! I don't want to be punished again!

I quickly scrambled to my feet, no, to my knees, bowing in front of her in remorse.

"I'm sorry, Mistress. Please forgive me."

"Stop groveling, you mutt," she spat. "I'm not mad. I just want to know why you're not downstairs working."

She got down on one knee to lower herself towards me, and extended her hand, brushing my tangled ginger curls out of my eyes.

She wasn't mad? I thought for sure I was about to be punished. Apparently not.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The party was just too much for me. It's not your family, though. I'm sure they're nice people."

I was lying through my teeth. Rosa's family was anything but. Her mother was a cartel leader, and her business produced and sold opium. And her father, a hitman who worked for the mafia. Rosa's extended family were all criminals, rich from exploiting and drug trafficking and treating human lives like they were products to be bought and sold.

That's how I ended up here in the first place. As Rosa's maid.

But what I said was half true. It wasn't her family who I wanted to avoid.

"Then what is it?"

"It's... her," I struggled to say. "Your father's servant. Iris. I can't be around her."

"Why not?" she asked. It was unusual for her to care at all about my opinions, but it seemed like tonight she was being extra compassionate.

"Because... she looks just like me. Red hair, green eyes, glasses. We even have the exact same dress."

Actually, come to think of it, Rosa had mentioned that she had gotten this maid dress specifically designed for me. Was she intentionally trying to make me look just like Iris?

"You're right. She does," she said remorsefully. "I didn't know my father was coming, or that she'd be here."

I looked up at her. "Are you avoiding her too? Why?"

"I never told you about her, did I?" she sighed. "When I was a kid, my father brought home his first servant, a young redhead named Iris. I grew up with her, and she was basically my nanny. As I got older, I started to develop feelings for her. I wanted her. As my own maid. I wanted to make her mine. I wanted to fuck her more than anything. But my father wouldn't let me have her."

I could she the anger in her eyes, hear the rage in her voice. She felt she deserved Iris, more than anything in the world.

"So what about me?" I asked, jealousy building up inside of me. "Am I just a replacement? You couldn't have Iris, so you chose some girl who looked like her instead?"

Maybe I said that with a bit to much force. I shouldn't speak to my Mistress that way. Luckily, Rosa didn't seem to care.

"At first, yes. I picked you out for your looks over your skill as a maid. I gave you a dress that looked just like hers. I wanted you to literally be Iris's replacement. But then I spent more and more time with you. And I started to appreciate you, for who you are, not for who you look like."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"I like you, Avery. More than Iris. That's why I came up here looking for you, instead of staying downstairs with her."

Her words felt meaningless. How could she, a high class aristocrat who comes from a family of criminals, actually like someone as poor and worthless as me? I understand wanting to fuck a maid. Rosa and her snobs of a family see us maids more as sex objects than people. But having feelings for someone a peasant like me?

She was lying. She had to be.

This was my punishment. Not physical torture, but emotional.

"I don't believe you," I said, shuffling back on my knees and avoiding eye contact.

"Really?" Rosa raised an eyebrow in annoyance, before grabbing my collar and pulling me close. "Are you really that scared of me?"

Yes. I was. Rosa was needlessly cruel at times, punishing me for the smallest of mistakes. Yet I was her maid, and there was nothing I could do but take her abuse. It was my purpose in life to serve her, no matter what.

She tugged harder on my collar, until my face was less than an inch from hers.

"I need you, Avery," she whispered. No, moaned.

"How do I know you're not lying? You replaced Iris with me so quickly. How do I know you won't replace me with someone else?"

"I can't guarantee that. But I can assure you that in this moment, I want nothing but you. You're mine, and I won't let anything change that."

I'm hers. Her maid. Her servant. I might as well be her property.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"How's this for proof?"

Before I could react, her lips touched mine as she kissed me. It was long, and passionate. Her tongue forced it's way between my teeth and into my mouth. Time felt frozen, and everything else faded away into nothingness. I let myself sink into this blissful feeling, and wrapped my arms around her.

Eventually we broke apart, and stared wide eyed at each other.

"I..." Rosa struggled to catch her breath. "I can't believe I just did that."

My whole body was tingling from the sensation. Who gives a shit if Rosa is abusive? Who gives a shit if her family is corrupt? Who gives a shit about Iris?

All that mattered was that I got the chance to share a kiss with her.

My Mistress. My Owner. My Goddess.

[oceandirtcountry]

the most fun part about shipping is making kids, both for me and for the characters *ba dum tss*

Aurelia Rose: After kidnapping Ruby and Ben’s Necrofridgian child, doctor Animo planned to torment Ben by turning the two into ungodly abominations. However, he didn’t factor in how absolutely batshit insane Ben can get when maternal instincts of all things kick in, and Ben accidentally fries the machinery, splicing the Necrofridgian child with Ruby’s DNA and making her an identical genetic clone.

Due to her Necrofridgian DNA, Aurelia lacks the ability to make most facial features. Hence, she seems cold and distant from everyone but her close ones. In reality, she’s very close to her mother in talking about her interests.

She sports an upgraded version of Ruby’s Semblance that she dubbed “Freeze Tag”, combining the abilities of super speed from Ruby, plus the cryokinesis and intangibility from Big Chill.

The oldest of Ben and Ruby’s kids, and the biggest handful considering she can disappear at will.

She took her mother’s name, because Ben didn’t think it was right to name her after himself.

Kenny Tennyson: Kenny was conceived naturally, four years after Aurelia. Ruby felt like another one couldn’t be so bad.

Kenny is a splitting image of his dad, but is far more reserved and introverted. He doesn’t like talking to people, and takes a really long time to warm up to somebody—to the point where he doesn’t smack talk his villains.

He received his very own Omnitrix at age 10. An Ectonurite actually took host in the Omnitrix Ben built for him, but Kenny bonded with the visitor and has Ghostfreak as one of his favourite aliens. The Ectonurite, named Kasper, tags along and takes over Kenny’s fighting when he’s too weak to fight.

Kenny feels that violence is never the answer and will attempt to be as peaceful as possible.

After unlocking his dormant Anodite abilities, he swaps to battling with energy-based weaponry. By then, Kasper was appointed as his Plumber partner, so he ends up passing the Omnitrix to Charlie, his little sister.

He took his dad’s name as Ruby wanted to have one kid taking Ben’s surname as well, just to be fair.

Charlie Tennyson-Rose: Charlie was the wildcard that nobody was expecting. Basically, somebody forgot to use protection.

Two years younger than Kenny, Charlie is the bundle of joy that takes after her dad. At family gatherings, she basically talks with everyone, and resembles her aunt Yang more than Ruby or Ben.

Charlie is the only one to have an irrational fear, being flamingoes. Her dad has vowed to never bring them to the bird park.

Having no special abilities, taking after her dad’s lack of Semblance, Charlie runs her mouth giving logistic help to her siblings and other Huntsmen from the backlines while still training her fighting skills. Eventually, after Kenny hands her the Omnitrix, she dons the title “Charlie 20”, twice as good as Ben.

Her favourite transformation is Jetray, and like her dad, subjects it to overuse.

She takes both surnames because Ben and Ruby were running out of reasons.

Summer Cunningham: Wanting to distance herself more from the Schnee family name and paying homage to the greatest Huntress to ever live, Weiss let Cunningham’s surname take the spotlight. Summer is unable to wield the Ninja mask, much to her dad’s disappointment. However, her Semblance of Schnee summoning and some Ninja Earth attack allows her to influence her summons with Dust.

However, Winter spoils her rotten, and she’s probably the next candidate for the Winter Maiden powers.

Summer acts close to her namesake, being bright, bubbly and positive, but is really airheaded. Randy and Weiss have made sure that she’s really nice, but she very much doesn’t understand what it’s like to be middle class, spending money for her friends like water.

She’s the same age as Kenny, and the two have some odd feelings in between them that remind Ben of his own.

Randy has retired off the Ninja role post Salem’s death, but since he’s unable to pass it on to his kid, he decides to give it to Rex’s son.

Jake Xiao-Long: One of Yang and Blake’s twin son’s (which you shouldn’t ask me how they had him), Jake is about as stubborn as Yang. His Semblance is a bolster to this, leaving behind an explosive imprint of himself—he can leave clones, which he can detonate at will.

Yang starts to feel the real pinch of how her dad raised her, as Jake is as much of a crazy party animal, literally as a lion Faunus, and picks fights about every couple minutes. However, his heart (and hair) of gold means that he often does so to stand up for those he cares about.

He’s oddly closer with Blake, as she knows how to keep him in check as compared to Yang, who’s still working on keeping herself in check.

Ruby dotes on him because he chose a scythe that splits into twin sickles as his weapon of choice.

(it’s low hanging fruit. I have to name the kid Jake Long. He’s…it’s so…it fits…)

Sherri Xiao-Long: Sherri is a jackass. Coming off as quiet, shy and unassuming, she loves to play pranks on everyone, and nobody suspects her. Her twin brother finds her a little obnoxious, but they mostly end up being partners in crime as Sherri helps him sneak out of the house.

Her Semblance allows her to create a field of heat-induced hallucinations, the illusions seeming almost solid due to Blake’s cloning abilities being amped up.

A Panther Faunus, Sherri isn’t exactly lacking in the power department either, but would much rather not fight, and when she does, it’s with underhanded techniques and borderline cheating.

She longs to become the Ninja with all its fun gadgets and abilities, but she can’t.

Pietro (Junior) Salazar: Penny and Rex’s only son. Not wanting to burden their son with nanites, they made sure that he was nanite-free. It left him with Penny’s weapon-telekinesis abilities, which didn’t work as well until Randy offered him the Ninja mask “in secret”.

Now armed with an entire Ninja arsenal, Pietro whoops ass on the battlefield and keeps Bash, the heir to McFist’s company, from trying anything.

Pietro is calculative and tends to focus on the smaller things, and can seem hard on many people. However, he opens up to those he’s close with, which is extremely rare.

And yeah that’s it

[vahalia-cress]

⸸ As Above ⸸

Trigger warning(s): Execution, death, gore, blood.

Torchlight cut through the thick fog, rolling in from the ocean shores of Black Water, the moon starting to rise making its ascend to the highest point of the night sky, dusk had long since been in the wings when the small crowd gathered within the Laeves. It was a private and quiet gathering which Vahalia preferred.

She had a promise to make good on and after her discussion with Voss earlier that day, she knew deep down she had to finally settle on a decision on how she would have to carry out that promise.

To release herself from guilt, to stay chained to the lack of being able to grieve truly. Anger was a familiar feeling, driving her ever toward the edge of madness and unravel.

The Whitlock’s were in her grasp now and there was no escaping the path in which they would be unleashed upon. The things Kaevia shared….the in-depth information she had been openly exchanging to the Head of House upon the island.

The crows among the trees, blended into the darkness as the trees rustled, eager to begin their carrion feed from the vein of earth that neared Vahalia’s feet.

A small sapling had begun to sprout within the peppered fae circles that littered the lush grounds of the Laeves, whispers circled in a gentle hush between those who gathered and she finally stepped forward with the lit torch within her grasp, “This evening we pay witness to the find step in life for three before us. Thieves, liars, and murderers eventually their misgivings have caught up to them.” Vahalia spoke, the hood she wore hidden away much of her visage though the basilisk stare drenched in liquid gold roved over all those gathered. She too was among thieves, liars, and murderers but it was not she who had been on trial that day.

She lifted her hands to cast her hood back, “To the blood that was taken from us, we give it back to the earth and ground as a price paid. A price that may only be paid in blood; in full. In threefold we watch as justice will be delivered this night.” swaying the torch from her face, she walked towards a large structure that had been resurrected earlier that day, three men hung upside down by their feet, stripped bare as they had been the first moment they entered the Star. 

The rule of three had always been a tenet of Vahalia’s family. A matter of which her mother had woven into the fabric of her being.

Cast the circle thrice to keep the evil spirits out.

The witch-woman circled the grand structure all while the thick knots of the rope above her creeked and the wood protested under the weight of the men. Two had been badly wounded and the marks and marring along their bodies certainly proved they had put up some semblance of a struggle and fight to be where they had been currently. Watching the feet of the strangers in the darkness and the dizzying feeling that began to rush south.

It mattered little as soon their vital would be reclaimed.

Thrice she walked the circumference and stopped where she began, passing off the torch to the woman behind her, the blonde with striking red eyes most had come to know as Castien.

By the waxing moon, chanting out the Witches’ Rune.

Just below the structure was a long iron trough with a hollowed-out center and a pipeline that funneled out towards the sapling that stood out along the freckled white blips of the mushrooms in their natural state

Pulling the sickle from her belt chain, Vahalia rose it high to inspect it against the torchlight, the moon dappling the surface of the blade caused the woman to stray within the moment for several beats, bathing the steel in natural light from the night. Moon, stars, and the velvet blanket of darkness above.

When the wind blows from the West, departed souls will have no rest.

The winds had been present in a soft lull despite the fog that crept on the ground and slithered through the trees, “An offering, three blood payments were the price.” she spoke once more and the curved hook of a blade lowered. Within the empty trough, it had begun to be filled with items from cursed charms, dried flowers, stones, sticks, sage, and small bottles of seawater. Elements around them all collected in some natural form were offered and as time passed the prisoners struggled against their confines more, their hands bound behind them where they had been denied a scratch if one were to itch. To decline them a fight before their final flight.

There was no way out of their bounds or escaping their fate.

With the wave of her hand, the iron trough before Vahalia had grown hot and the items within began to flicker and burn, a small fire flared with each piece it caught, the light brightening Vahalia’s face as she finally rounded towards the first Whitlock man.

Pricking her finger along the tip of the curved blade, Vahalia swiped it along the man’s forehead in a runic symbol, crimson painting his flesh, “Vahalia!” the man shouted and as if she hadn’t heard him, she hummed a low tune and settled beside him to cradle the back of the man’s head.

“You cannot do this! Tell me there was something to this, between us!” his words were garbled at best, likely due to the heavy disfigurement along his jaw and eye that maimed him thoroughly. There was no coming back for Kalem Whitlock as he had played his role as a blind eye. A coward who stepped to do nothing to stop the injustice Valeria had been subjected to.

Still, the woman in black had not responded to him and as quickly as he opened his mangled jaw to speak once more, a gurgle left him when the curved blade met flesh and sinew, rendering his words as nothing but a rattle, spittle, and cough spewed forth. Releasing his head he slumped, body twitching and hanging where the deep wound along the front of his throat bled a deep red, a crescent smile to match the moon above.

Moving on she stopped at the second as Abel hung, trying to sway around Vahalia to see Kalem but his path of vision was blocked. For a few moments, the two struggled and Vahalia eventually drew the rune to his forehead like his kin before him, grasping Abel by the hair as she craned his head back, apple exposed to those who watched, “The maker comes for you! ALL OF YOU!” he bellowed out but the yells were short-lived as like Kalem before him, he too had been released and his body swayed as the death rattle took hold.

“You are no judge,” Volricc spoke and he looked sidelong to Vahalia as she approached, his brother’s vital spilling out into the irons below and snuffing out the fires of the ritual as was intended. Burned ashes of the offerings mixed with the lifeblood began a thick trickle down the iron pipeline that fed down into the base of the sapling. The smell of copper filled the air.

Volricc remained still, naked as he was suspended and fearing little to nothing that came his way, even Vahalia with the witches’ sickle in hand, “You are no tribunal.” he spoke again, hoping to score and marr bits of Vahalia away, hoping to eat away at her ego.

“No.” she agreed calmly and Vahalia lowered herself to Volricc’s ear, “I am neither but I am your executioner.” looking to those gathered she reached for Volricc’s patch and removed it. In his socket where an eye would have been had been nestled a glinting emerald. She did not flinch or hesitate when her hand reached and fingers dug into the socket to pluck the gem from its hollowed pit.

Through grit teeth and far too much pride to show how he suffered, Volricc seethed in anger and pain drivel loosed from his gob. The rune was marked and taking the other side by his face, Vahalia rose the sickle, “BUTCHER!” he called.

His last word echoed through the woods nearby and down the stretch of the Laeves and as most would have expected a third, swift cut, the point of the curved steel met below the portion of his naval, diving deep and hooking downward as Vahalia gutted him vertically to his sternum. The splay of innards and blood pooled out, over her arm, hands, and down Volricc’s torso as cavity and insides were displayed for all to see.

The ungodly sounds that escaped the man carried on the wind and when Vahalia’s fingers curled around his intestines to coax them forward and to waterfall down his body, she released the ichor and fleshy parts of him into the trough below.

He bled fast and painfully compared to Kalem and Abel, their bodies swinging ever so softly as the wooden structure creek once again. The remaining movements, jolts, and twitches had been the souls and life’s essence of the body releasing, dying off, and finding the lifestream.

She felt lighter but not entirely devoid of the weight that nestled itself into her being for months. Not that any manner of their deaths would have completely erased the knotted feeling she carried with her.

Whispers among those gathered picked up and Vahalia began reversing the steps she had taken. Thrice more circling the structure and the sacrificial particles within the trough fed the dirt, grass ,and earth below her bare feet.

There was a haze within her mind’s eye, the metallic scent called Creature forth, stirring him from whatever slumber he had taken, and once again the familiar darkness behind her eyes became shutter-like. Growling, purring, elated but not quite sated.

On the last drawing of the circle to close, Vahalia then walked to the sapling and laid the sickle down carefully into the mixture of vital, offerings and dirt. Next had been the choker which Valeria once wore – it was only right that it remain where it should.

Her own offering.

“There would be blood,” Vahalia whispered to herself, and when she crouched she pressed the family heirloom into the dirt at the base of the sapling.

A promise made. A promise kept.

The crowd began to disperse as Cyrus and Castien took their leave, family members, connections, cohorts, villagers – those close to the Cress Matriarch each offered kind words or nods in their passing of the woman in the shadows. 

When Kaevia rounded towards Vahalia, the witch-woman stood, “I didn’t expect to see you here this evening.” Vahalia spoke as she rose to her full height.

“I….I had to see it for myself.” Kaevia replied and she turned casually away from the scene and what remained of her keepers. The very same people who had loosely cared for her for a decade.

“It’s good that you did.” Vahalia took the other woman’s hand and rested the hefty emerald into the warm palm of the accepting Priestess. Perhaps she did not know fully what was being handed to her until it was too late to withdraw, the blood-coated emerald heavy against her flesh, “Trade it for something nice in the market…” Vahalia spoke again and she left Kaevia with silence as she turned towards the hill that led to the road heading north along the Island, back to the Keep.

The knell of the bell at her throat was the only sound she left in her awake aside from the glide of her cloak and skirts at the grass.

Lighter, but not absolved.

Clear minded but her senses flared and Creature begged to be released upon the remains.

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #28

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 2, The Clue, shoemaker

...

Hairstyle Notes

The hairstyle is much like the one in the previous scene and when last in this space, or a space very similar to it.

This space is a damaged human-built structure with an open threshold. There is some semblance of a roof.

This hair length and style looks to be the human reading for this minisode. Sitis is the human already occupying the space when Job enters. Both humans in this space believe Crowley to be their human friend, Bildad the Shuhite.

Many angels appear before Crowley enters. Aziraphale enters a little later than the other angels.

Crowley enters the space last. The human children will be transformed later, and based on the available clues, probably entered with Aziraphale.

Depending on the camera angle and lighting, sometimes Crowley's hair looks a little more fluffy on the bottom or a little more red. Overall, I still think the hairstyle is meant to be regarded as the human-space type reading. Otherwise, the variance helps show us that Crowley himself is a dynamic character.

Even though there are more angels than there are humans, the space still gave Crowley a hairstyle most like the one when he first encountered Job and Sitis.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

When Job collapses in grief, he touches the Earth itself with his hands.

Various names, numbers, and questions are said. Those are standard dialogue points.

Self-touches are all over the place.

Crowley stands on...something gray and solid.

Paying attention to the pockets...

Gabriel makes a pocket with his hand when he says, "Seven more children."

Crowley makes a pocket with his hand close to when he says, "I am a professional."

With his hands when talking about "twin professions," he is ensuring each hand has the fingers grouped as two together.

Crowley visually pockets himself between Sitis and Job when giving the instructions on how to restore the children. He crosses his wrists in the process. His right hand makes a closed pocket with itself that eventually opens whereas the left hand makes an open pocket with itself.

Once his arms are uncrossed, he makes closed pockets with his hands yet again when telling Sitis to pull out the three ribs.

The wrists cross each other yet again when Crowley gives instructions about a simple embrace. Pockets are made and managed with the hands yet again.

As Job and Sitis embrace, they obscure Crowley completely over the pocket the visual pocket he was in.

After Aziraphale miracles the children back to their human form, the visual pocket between Job and Sitis opens, showing all three children and Crowley. Crowley is then in a pocket between the children, who are in a pocket between the parents.

For me, the most intriguing move is actually what Crowley does after Jemimah hugs her mother. This part is one of the things I know to look for or notice but generally don't know what it actually means. Crowley has his left hand clasped over his right, and the right finger is extending both the index finger and the middle finger, which is generally the signal for "2". This hand position is shown twice.

He had the fingers set as grouped two together earlier in the scene.

Based on what I know of how the Tied Hands retie, they should be retied by now. The best I've got is that the record has 2 "6"s and 2 "G"s, so if Aziraphale is picking up on little details like these, he'll consider them as part of why he should get himself to 66, Goat Gate. If it's not that, it's clearly beyond my ability.

...

Story Commentary

There are 4 unfamiliar angels with Gabriel and Michael. There is no Uriel, no Muriel, and no Saraqael. With no explanation from the story, I've gone with guessing it's a sign of that who shows up when and where among the angels changes with the times.

This scene establishes that Crowley and Aziraphale worked together to perform a trick as far back as 2500 BC. They both knew they wanted to save the children but showed some level of improvisation to get things where they needed to be. They also had to heavily rely on Sitis to trust Crowley in what they were doing.

There was a switch with the ribs and the children.

Sitis communicates to Job with her eyes and tone of voice that he needs to get in on the lie that they are new children, to keep them alive. He eventually catches on, but Enon doesn't. As such, circumstances require Aziraphale to lie in front of the other angels, which he does, putting himself at great risk in front of Crowley.

Crowley silently applauds him in response.

The clues of this scene might be more specific to what happens at the ending of the season overall or solving their own puzzle and beyond what I can do at the time of this post. However, on a more general level, this minisode shows how Crowley and Aziraphale work together this time. They take cues from each other. They make moves. They have a shared goal in mind.

They were successful. The children lived.

The season 2 present day will show how Crowley and Aziraphale work together separately, most obviously during the ball invitations.

When Aziraphale leaves the bookshop and makes his way to the pub for the elevator lift to Heaven, they are also working together separately, but it's not as obvious due to extra complications.

...

Getting back to this minisode scene, it's always struck me as a little odd that none of the angels question what's supposed to happen with the other 4 intended children. Why only 3 at once instead of all 7? It's a non-issue for them. Michael questions the children not being babies but not the number of children there are.

...

I think each minisode is supposed to match a Horseman of the Apocalypse who isn't Death. In this case, this minisode is a match to Famine due to Job's loss of so many of his worldly goods, including things that would feed the family.

...

Aziraphale and Gabriel

After this portion of the minisode concludes, the story takes us back to the bookshop with only Aziraphale. He senses someone nearby and says, "Crowley?"

It's not Crowley. It's Gabriel. That helps establish that Crowley and Gabriel have a similar sense of their presence for Aziraphale. Season 1 showed something similar the first time Gabriel showed up while Aziraphale was eating sushi. Back to this scene, Gabriel informs Aziraphale that Crowley went away.

Other things are said, but mostly, I wanted to bring up the similar sense of presence and that during this encounter, neither Aziraphale nor Gabriel touch earthly objects. The interaction doesn't look particularly deceptive on its own, but it makes me think of the argument scene in the bookshop for the Final Fifteen. That particular scene was, for me, one of the biggest clues about the hidden Earthly Objects game within the story. So, this scene in episode 2 looks like a match to the idea happening there. We'll see something similar at the end of episode 3 with Crowley and Gabriel.

Aziraphale waits for Gabriel to leave before he starts touching earthly objects again where he then touches a chair, the rug by visibly walking forward on it, and picking up the record for a solo set of 3 points.

...

Up next....The Pocket Trick will officially start. I recently updated the main post about the incoming touch to help prepare. I haven't drafted the incoming Crowley S2 Hair post yet and will have an interesting challenge on how to go about such a thing. In the meantime, I recommend at least skimming that updated post about the pocket touch. You can find it here: The Pocket Trick Touch #1 - Triple Part 1 - Between Building Windows.

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[misterspectacular]

My elaborate "how I'd make Burnsmithers canon" episode goes like this

One day Burns is noticeably softer, he came to the realization how much Smithers means to him. Always being with him and caring for him. Burns tries really hard, and fails at first, but he eventually tells Smithers how important he is to him, and Smithers in the moment decides to confess. Of course he's like "I'd never expect it to change our relationship, but I do want to say it with my full chest. Sir, I truly love you. Everyday I'm blessed just to be put on this earth to serve you. You've brought my life meaning", something like that. And Burns finally realizes it. It makes sense, and he accepts it. The episode continues with them slowly building the confidence to spend more time together outside of work related duties. It's like a quick timeline of events, important details or whatever of them dating. At the end, Burns asks Smithers' hand in marriage. (Tax benefits totally)

So it cuts to their wedding day, Burns is walked down the aisle because he's the most specialist little princess. Everyone is contemplating if they should be happy because it's a wedding or like "the fuck????? Okay nevermind he's marrying Smithers, that's the only mother fucker who can handle his ass" (The food is really fucking good though)

Yes... Burns walks up. Content with where life is heading.

That is until Burns trips and hits his head face flat on the floor. Completely unconscious.

2 options

The funny one: Burns just fucking dies, roll the credits.

The angst: Burns lives but he forgets their entire romantic relationship, and is yelling why Smithers would joke about them getting married or being in a relationship, especially since he almost died.

The show goes back to the status quo the next episode

Haha I was thinking about the tax benefits the other day. I could imagine that being the sole reason (or at least he pretends its the sole reason) Mr. Burns decided to marry Smithers in an episode.

Mr. Burns: Smithers! Fetch my tuxedo, we're getting married.

Smithers: Wha- what?! Really?! Sir, you've made me so happy! After all this time, you've finally realized we're perfect for each other!

Mr. Burns: (Chuckles) Oh, good gracious, no! I could simply use the tax break. And remember, if you divorce me and request alimony, I'll have you killed! (Smiles and wags finger)

Smithers: Surprisingly... that's fine by me.

I did some research on the subject and apparently you don't get tax breaks if both partners in the marriage are well-off financially. Smithers is able to spend a good deal of money (often on Mr. Burns, but with his own paycheck), so I would say he's well-off. I do wonder how that would work, too, if your partner is your boss (I just looked it up and apparently the boss would still have to pay for their employee's/spouse's social security/medicare taxes for them. But since Burns already does that -- supposedly, who knows what he gets away with haha -- that's not entirely relevant).

I mean, they could find a way around it. If Mr. Burns decided to stop paying Smithers, Smithers would then NOT be well-off, and THEN they'd get a tax break. It was said if one partner is financially sound while the other isn't, they get the tax break. So they could come to some kind of agreement, where Mr. Burns supports Smithers (by doing the bare minimum, of course, as Mr. Burns isn't quick to hand money out, especially if he doesn't have to). Smithers would have to be considered unemployed, though, because legally Mr. Burns would have to pay his employee at least minimum wage (which I would assume hes doing already). Perhaps they could decide on Smithers instead becoming a volunteer HAHA. He's fired, and returns as a volunteer. I feel like Smithers would go along with it -- I do think his love for his job stems solely from the fact that it puts him in close proximity to Mr. Burns and allows them to spend nearly every waking moment together. Being a volunteer expected to do the same tasks would be quite the same, and if he's supported financially, through the marriage rather than the work (at least enough to thrive), I don't think he'd mind. I mean, he's married to Mr. Burns, dream come true.

I'm not fully informed on TAX STUFF but this is what I've deduced based on research.

YES he hits his head and has amnesia and forgets everything. But being married is so much like what they already have, I can imagine Mr. Burns wouldnt even notice a difference if Smithers didnt say anything HAHA! Like he just assumes they're sharing a bed merely so that he can absorb Smithers warmth.

Mr. Burns: You mean there's SENTIMENT attached to this?! (complete shock as Smithers spoons him)

[venactricisfics]

Bucking Tradition: A Yellowstone Fanfic

Chapter Six

This chapter buts us right up to the start of the series. So will start seeing some overlap in future chapters. Let me know what you think.

The days following my big win were a whirlwind of calls and congratulations. Kayce was the first. He shared his pride in me, and we talked about how big Tate was getting. I promised to visit them again when I got back—though I wasn’t sure when that would be. Jamie and Lee both called, their voices filled with pride. Even Beth reached out, which was a surprise in itself.

But Dad didn’t call.

Days turned into weeks, and the silence from him grew heavier. I knew why. I had defied him, and this was the price I’d pay. Disobedience in the Dutton family didn’t come without consequences. Now, I didn’t even know if I could go back home—or if I’d be welcomed there at all.

I supposed I could call him, apologize, and promise never to disobey again. But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t the kind of girl to go running back, desperate for Daddy’s approval. That part of me had long since burned away. I had arenas full of people screaming my name now, cheering for what I could do. But no matter how loud the applause, it didn’t fill the same void.

And then there was Ryan.

Not being able to go home also meant not seeing him. We talked on the phone nearly every day, his voice a bittersweet lifeline. But we hadn’t made any promises. I had no claim over him, and he had no obligation to wait for me. Hell, he’d never even said the words back.

I didn’t regret telling him how I felt. Still, the ache of not seeing him grew sharper with every mile that stretched between us.

Travis stuck with me on the circuit for the first few months, but eventually, he had to head back to Texas. That left me alone—or at least without anyone, I could fully depend on.

I ended up befriending a barrel racer named Laramie. She was a few years younger than me but could ride circles around most of the competition. She was also a magnet for cowboys, charming them left and right. Laramie reminded me of my sister, Beth—if Beth hadn’t carried the weight of our mother’s loss. Laramie had a lightness about her, a carefree spirit Beth lost long ago.

“Hey, girl,” Laramie called, poking her head into my trailer. “Some of the guys want to take us out for a few beers. You can’t stay cooped up all the time.”

I let out a sigh. I’d passed on so many nights out, I couldn’t say no again. People were starting to talk, giving me looks that suggested I thought I was better than them.

“Okay,” I said, pulling on a clean shirt. “But don’t expect me to bring one of them back here with me.”

“I know, I know,” she teased, grinning as she leaned against the doorframe. “You’ve got your cowboy back home. But, Alex, you’ve gotta loosen up. You’re too young to be tied down.”

Her words stung more than I let on. She wasn’t wrong—I was young. And Ryan and I hadn’t made any promises. We hadn’t even said I love you to each other. Well, I had, but he hadn’t said it back. It wasn’t that I doubted his feelings; he showed me in other ways. But the longer I stayed on the road, the more those doubts crept in.

I missed him—his quiet strength, the way he smiled just for me, the feel of his arms wrapped around me. But what if being apart changed things? What if the distance made him realize I wasn’t worth waiting for?

“Earth to Alex,” Laramie said, waving a hand in front of my face. “You coming, or what?”

I forced a smile and grabbed my jacket. “Yeah, I’m coming. Let’s go.”

Maybe a night out would take my mind off everything, even if it was just for a little while.

I was having fun, well the most fun I’d had outside of the arena in a while. I laughed and drank a few beers. I beat one of the bronc riders at a game of pool. Though he may have let me win, I watched him more than once look down the front of my shirt as I leaned over to make a shot. 

“Let’s get a picture for the gram,” Laramie said as she ushered us to squeeze together so she could snap our picture. The bronc rider placed his arm around my waist and his hand rested on my hip. I stepped away from him as soon as she snapped the photo.

“I don’t want to give you the wrong idea,” I told him, “I have someone.” That was sort of true. It was too complicated to really get into now. 

“That’s alright,” he smiled, “I gotta wife back home too. But she ain’t here.” 

“Well, I’m not interested, whether he’s here or not,” my words were sharp. 

“Can’t fault a guy for trying,” his eyes scan me over, “suit yourself.” 

I didn’t dignify that with a response. I leaned over and whispered in Laramie’s ear that I was ready to go back. Gave her an excuse about needing to train first thing in the morning. 

Laramie frowned, her eyes darting between me and the bronc rider before nodding reluctantly. "Alright, let me finish this drink, and I’ll walk out with you."

I could feel the bronc rider’s gaze lingering as I stepped back, pulling on my jacket. My stomach churned—not from the beer, but from the way he so easily dismissed his vows. It reminded me of all the reasons I kept my guard up in places like this.

Laramie drained her glass and looped her arm through mine as we headed for the door. "You okay?" she asked, her tone softer than usual.

I shrugged, trying to shake it off. "Yeah, just not in the mood for... that tonight."

She nodded, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes. I was grateful she didn’t press further. The night air hit us as we stepped outside, and I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head.

As we walked toward the trailer park, Laramie gave me a playful nudge. "You know, you don’t always have to be the good girl, Alex. A little fun won’t kill you."

I laughed softly, though it didn’t reach my eyes. "I’m not looking for fun, Laramie. Not that kind, anyway."

Her smile faded slightly, and she gave me a sideways glance. "Still hung up on your cowboy back home?"

I didn’t answer right away. The truth was, I didn’t know if I was hung up or just hopeful. I still hadn’t heard those words from him, and part of me wondered if I ever would.

"Something like that," I finally said.

We walked in silence the rest of the way, but my mind was loud, replaying the night’s events and wondering if Ryan would even care enough to be jealous—or if he’d just let me go.

—--

The early morning training session wasn’t a lie, I rode Denim around the training yard for over an hour. I had to get there before the barrel racers set up to train. After hopping down and leading Denim to his stall I pulled my phone from my bag. 

127 missed notifications. All from Instagram. All on that stupid picture Laramie uploaded. The one she tagged “Rodeo dreams and poolside scheming!” 

My stomach dropped as I scrolled through the notifications. The photo Laramie had posted wasn’t bad by itself—just me, her, and a few others from last night squeezed together. But it was the comments that sent my heart racing.

"Looks like somebody’s having fun without her cowboy. 👀" "Watch out, Alex. That bronc rider’s trouble. 😂" "Guess the guy back home doesn’t matter on the road, huh?"

I closed the app and leaned against the stall door, trying to calm the sudden tightness in my chest. It wasn’t true—none of it was—but the picture and the comments painted a different story. One I wasn’t sure Ryan would believe.

Before I could think it through, my phone buzzed with a call. Ryan.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the accept button. I took a deep breath and answered.

“Hey,” I said, trying to sound casual.

“Alex,” his tone was clipped, “you got a second to explain what’s going on?”

I winced. Of course, he’d seen it. “It’s nothing, Ryan. Just a stupid picture. Laramie wanted to post something, and I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Yeah, but that guy—”

“Means nothing,” I cut him off. “I told him I wasn’t interested. End of story.”

There was silence on the other end for a beat too long. “I want to believe you,” he finally said, his voice softer, “but it’s hard when I see stuff like that.”

“It’s not fair, Ryan,” I said, frustration bubbling up. “I’m out here chasing my dream, and I’m doing it alone. I’m not running around or screwing up. I’m just... trying to make this work.” 

He sighed heavily. “I know. It’s just—seeing that picture... I don’t know, Alex.”

“Then trust me,” I said firmly. “Because that’s all I’ve got to give you right now.”

Another long pause. “Alright,” he said, though it sounded more like a concession than agreement. “I’ll trust you. Just... be careful, okay?”

“I will,” I promised.

But as I hung up, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us—and not for the better.

—-

Eighteen months. It felt like both a lifetime and a blur. The rodeo circuit had become my world—early mornings, late nights, and the endless hum of the road in between. I’d built a name for myself, with wins stacking up and sponsors taking notice. But success came at a cost.

Ryan’s calls had dwindled to almost nothing. At first, I told myself it was just the distance, the busyness of his life on the ranch. But as the weeks stretched into months, I couldn’t ignore the growing void.

I stared at my phone, scrolling through old messages, rereading his words. “I miss you.” “Wish you were here.” But the most recent texts lacked the warmth they once held, reduced to short replies that left me feeling colder than the empty hotel rooms I stayed in.

I’d tried to call him yesterday—straight to voicemail. I told myself he’d get back to me when he could. That he still cared. But the silence was louder than any cheering crowd I’d performed for.

My chest tightened as I shoved the phone back into my bag. The next stop on the circuit loomed ahead, but for the first time, it didn’t feel like enough. Winning didn’t fill the ache. The roar of the crowd didn’t drown out the nagging question:

What if I’d lost more than just time on this journey? What if I’d lost him?

I checked my horses and loaded them into the trailer, preparing them for the next stop, when my phone rang. It was Kayce.

“Hey Alex,” he said, “how’s things?”

“They’re going good. Levis sponsored my last leg of the circuit, so I’ll get some free jeans, too. They want me to model them,” I rolled my eyes, remembering all the girls modeling jeans photos the guys in the bunkhouse tried to hide when I came in. 

“That’s awesome,” he said, I could hear the worry in his voice, “Dad wants to get to know Tate.” 

“What does Monica think about it?” I asked.

“She’s nervous about it but knows that family is important,” he responded. “That’s why I called. I don’t know if I could face going back to the ranch if you weren’t there.” 

“Lee and Jamie are there, you don’t need me,” I was just as nervous as he was about going home again. We both defied our father and had to face the wrath of that. 

“It’s not the same,” he said, “I understand if you’re not ready to face him again. Just like everything else we can do it together.” 

I felt a lump form in my throat as Kayce’s words sank in. His understanding, his willingness to support me, meant more than he could possibly know. I wasn’t ready to go back yet.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready to face him,” I admitted quietly. “But… if you can face him after what happened, maybe I can try. For you. For Tate.”

Kayce’s relief was palpable over the line. “You don’t have to do it for me, Alex. Just know that when you’re ready, we’ll be here.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in the weight of his words. “Thanks, Kayce.”

“Anytime, sis,” he replied, the love in his voice clear.

As I sat in the truck, the road ahead felt a little less lonely and I was going home soon. I wasn’t sure if I could call it that anymore but I didn’t know anything else. 

I was ready for a break, to settle back into the normalcy of ranch life. Even if it did mean I’d have to face my father. I felt my heart in my throat when I crossed the threshold of my father’s ranch. I was nervous and excited. I missed my brothers and even Beth. I pulled my truck and trailer up to the barn. 

“Well, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Lloyd spoke. The old ranch hand always made me smile.

“Hey, Lloyd,” I said, stepping out of the truck with a grin. “Miss me?”

“Every damn day,” he said, his weathered face breaking into a smile. “Figured you’d be too busy winnin’ to remember us lowly ranch folk.”

I laughed, the tension in my chest easing a bit. “Never too busy for this place. Or for you.”

Lloyd looked me over, his sharp eyes catching everything. “You look good, kid. Different, but good. Rodeo life suits you?”

“It has its ups and downs,” I admitted, glancing at my horses in the trailer. “But I needed to be back. Even if it’s just for a while.”

“Well, you picked a hell of a time,” Lloyd said, his tone turning a bit more serious. “Your dad’s been in a mood lately. Had an accident. He’s alright just you know. Don’t let it get to you, alright?”

“I’ll try,” I said, though my stomach twisted at the thought of facing my father. “How are my brothers?”

“Still breathin’,” he said with a wink. “Jamie’s buried in paperwork, and Beth’s... well, Beth.”

That made me laugh despite myself. “Sounds about right. Kayce here yet?”

Lloyd patted my shoulder. “I ain’t seen him yet. Why don’t you go get settled? I’ll make sure your horses are taken care of.”

“Thanks, Lloyd,” I said, grateful for the familiar kindness.

As I walked toward the house, each step felt heavier. The ranch hadn’t changed much, but I had. I just hoped I’d find a place here again.

[nuevo-city]

can i have. oc infodump please im genuinely so curious

HI HI OKAY HI.

some background info on this world; ~700-1000 years in the future. cyberpunk dystopia. almost all of the world is a desert, with only one city of mutated humans remaining. nuevo. these humans main survival adaptation is their ability to survive the slight remaining radiation from the nuclear apocalypse that happened, as well as their ability to drink saltwater, but they have powers too. the city has been divided into three “levels”, all built vertically on top of each other.

the lower levels are a cyberpunk undercity type place, with crime both violent and harmless running wild due to the lack of the hero society’s influence here (i’ll talk about them in a seperate post, but unfortunately to convey it simply, imagine the heroes from mha if they were basically the fbi and the cia at the same time and also even more corrupt and like. paying off the villains to kill people)

. the middle levels are basically solarpunk aesthetic with none of the e benefits of solarpunk, vaguely-futuristic nyc. think spider-verse earth 1610 for what daily life is like, just a lot more future-y.

upper levels are where the hero society mainly influences, the city in the sky. the RICH people live here. generally if you’re up here you’ve got ties to the hero society or the government, or you just work here and live in the middle levels.

NOW. this is my precious son leo grayson arnaud. vigilante name red noise. bisexual transmasc disaster/professional enabler older brother/part time wannabe wine aunt. he is sad and pathetic and here for a bad time, not a long time. (*cough cough* leo-grayson-arnaud.carrd.co check it out if it still works)

he’s a vigilante!!! he’s awesome!!!! he’s a boyfailure!!!!!! he’s cool as fuck!!!!!!

some info: he’s deaf! his powers let him control sound waves, so he uses them to be really fucking loud so he can utilize noise to electricity to electrocute people with the power of punk rock, but uh…. (garfield meme here) you are not immune to power drawbacks. safe to say, he’s lost most of his hearing. he was also raised the cyberpunk equivalent of a catholic lol? but it’s more akin to like,,, the legal religion from the silt verses than anything. he’s also got an AWESOME boyfriend

(the cowgirl in the second image is @the-lonelyshepherd’s oc shay. if you’re reading this and don’t know her, check her out!!! she’s cool and shep’s stories are so awesome)

this is sam pines. my BOY. fellow disaster tboy, professional hunter noceda relater-to. absolute poor little meow meow. he’d probably like mother mother but he doesn’t even HAVE a mother mother, carrion bird motif, “my guilt does not purify me” ass.

(the flower clasp is only part of his design while he’s in the cult.)

anyway he’s a born and raised lower level kid. he was abandoned by his mother (DO NOT THINK SHE WAS BAD FOR THIS. it was her only option) and grew up in the foster system until he was nine. at that age he was roped into a cult known as the sentinels. (ill go more in depth with them in another post too) they promised him food and shelter, and he needed it, so he took it. over time he was made to be a soldier for them.

he’s basically a prophet for the sentinels? of sorts. it’s very confusing and strange because it’s a Cult and that’s how they are but yeah. he does get out eventually but it’s more “outcast as a heretic and hunted down and almost killed and then saved by the leader because she thinks he’ll be useful if he still has some devotion left”

bonus info: he’d probably like will wood and jhariah tbh. he lost an arm to his own powers (if i had a nickel for every time power drawbacks showed up in my main ocs if have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice). he feeds stray cats. he falls asleep in the weirdest positions. chronic pain haver (the haverrrrr). all i can think of as basic info rn but im working on making full refs and posts for the rest of the team

[antiquitea]

𝐖𝐈𝐏 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘.

tagged by @swifty-fox who shared some of little beasts and kingdom for a kiss, which both currently live in my head rent free 😍

just sharing my masters of the air wips because if i shared any more than that my tumblr might implode on itself.

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𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲

The door to the diner opened and Gale looked up from his pile of discarded single serve creamers, stacked inelegantly on top of one another, some nested in others like a haphazard and poorly made nesting doll. It was a younger couple, Gale tracked them as perhaps being on their first date. They both look nervous, but for different reasons. The boy, hoping that he was making a good first impression, the girl, fussing with her hair which Gale could only assume was done in a style that she wasn’t accustomed to. 

So intent was he on paying attention to the teenage couple on their first date, navigating all the unwritten rules and social mores of courting, that he didn’t notice John slip into the booth across from him. 

Gale didn’t give him the satisfaction of being startled.

𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝

John moved toward the bathroom, and stood in the doorway for a moment, letting out an appreciative sigh. In the large, claw-foot bathtub was Gale, submerged in the water and naked with the exception of his tags resting against his chest, book in one hand and a bottle of Coca Cola in the other. His blonde hair was damp, loose, not carefully styled as it normally was, pieces of it stuck to his damp forehead. His skin was almost red from how hot the water was, steam rising in tendrils from the bathtub, the steady rise and fall of his chest betraying the thundering of his heart behind his rib cage that John knew was there.

Though he had clearly taken the time to paint the image of a man nonchalant and spontaneous, John had no doubt in his mind that this was carefully crafted, specifically for him to walk in on.

𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 (soulmate au)

John learned of soulmates from his mama when he was young. He straddled that line between boyhood and manhood, thinking that love was gross, but also desperately infatuated with Dottie Clements at school. He sat at the dinner table, helping her peel potatoes, asking questions about her and his dad growing up as a thinly veiled way to learn more about love. Mama Egan was no fool, she knew her boy had a schoolyard crush.

“There’s something bigger than all of us out there, Johnny,” she murmured, peeling her sixth potato while John was still only his second. “One great love for every person on earth.”

“So Daddy is your great love, Mama?”

Mama Egan was silent.

John learned of soulmates from his mama when he was a boy. He learned from living life that not everyone was lucky enough to meet theirs.

𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 (1980s summer au)

“Johnny!”

John Egan had ignored the shouts from his mother to come inside for the last time evidently. Her voice turned into something shrill that he could hear even down by the lake, where he could normally escape all manner of ruckus that came from the cottage. It wasn’t that noisy, he supposed. But it was difficult to get a moment of peace and quiet when his whole family - his ma and dad, his sister, and himself - were all crammed into the small two bedroom space.

When they were kids, John and his sister, Billie, would bunk together in one room, at first sharing the one bed, John then eventually sleeping on the floor when he “got too long,” as his dad put it. But when one is suddenly seventeen, and the other is fourteen, bunking together isn’t on the table anymore, no matter what Ma said. John would just as soon take the couch, which he was too long to fit on comfortably anymore, in the living room, or grab a tent and camp out under the stars if the weather was nice enough.

“Johnny Egan!”

The last name was included now, it was getting serious.

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no pressure tags: @hederasgarden, @imjess-themess, @wildbornsiren, @magneticghouls, and anyone else who would like to share!

[rubenellis78-blog]

So I a few weeks ago I did a poll on whether anyone actually wants to see my OC’s. Like 4 people voted but they all voted yes so that’s good enough for me, lol.

This is Troy Barnes, aka Guardsman. He’s half human, half alien on his fathers side. His dad’s genes give him access to an invisible force field or aura in his body that he can manipulate in all kinds of ways. He can use it to fly, make himself invulnerable and enhance his strength, speed and senses to beyond super-human levels. He can also project his aura outwards as either beams of kinetic energy from his eyes or as a forcefield that can wrap around a person to protect them.

That was a long winded explanation for his powers so let’s move on to his bio. He was born and raised in small town Georgia by his mum. Growing up he knew he was different, his powers were apparent from 6 so his mum told him his father was an alien who crash landed on earth. He was a member of a group of intergalactic peacekeepers called The Guardsmen who spread peace and justice throughout the universe. Troy’s mother found his father and they fell in love. When he fixed his ship she lived with him in space for a few years but eventually came back to earth, pregnant with Troy but beyond that she was reticent to share any information. But even with an unclear past He knew he must be here for a reason. Guided by his mothers morals and inspired by the story of his father he realised He had the power to help people and the strength to stand up for them, he could guard others from the hits they can’t take. He made a suit inspired by what he was told of his father and Troy became Guardsman, the last of the guardsmen to his knowledge. Troy was made to be a hero and he wants to do what’s right. The feeling of saving someone or stopping something from going wrong, using his powers for good is what gives him meaning but he’s so focused on this he’s been inattentive to other areas of his life. He did well in college but since becoming a hero he’s neglected his civilian life, just taking odd jobs. Anything that could pay rent and give him enough time for his for his duty. Deep down he wants do more, to have a real life, friends, connection but to him he doesn’t get to have a life and be a hero at the same time. He had to sacrifice that because to he feels like if he’s not giving everything to the job, he’s being selfish, not doing everything he can.

This would be the point in his story where the real story starts in the comic I’ll make eventually. I have a whole universe of characters like Troy in my head that I really need to write down. In conclusion I really enjoy this character. He’s a charming, sweet guy who genuinely wants to help people and wants to do his part but he needs to learn he doesn’t have to shoulder everything alone and that not neglecting your own needs isn’t selfish.