#and instead of going on a road trip to rescue him

[dreamhot]

this is kinda like mangoball if you think about it

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

I promised you some lions! Let's talk about manes, males, and management.

This is Tandie, the current male lion at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Notice anything odd about him? He's got one of those hilarious awkward teenager manes. Except... this cat is nine years old.

I was, of course, immediately curious.

Manes serve a lot of purposes for male lions, including being an indicator of health and fitness - it's actually a sexually selected trait and a social signal. Mane texture / hair quality / length is dependent on nutrition and the body having energy to grow (and carry around!) that much hair! The color is also a signal: males with darker manes have been found to have higher testosterone levels.

In one research report, wild males were much more likely to avoid a lion decoy when it had a longer or darker mane - but the girls really loved a dark mane. It's thought this is because a long, dark mane is an indicator of mate quality. Males with longer, darker manes have higher testosterone and were pretty healthy: meaning they had more energy for fighting, had a better chance of recovering if they got injured, and generally had a higher rate of offspring survival. Manes matter!

So, back to Tandie. He was actually born at the Woodland Park Zoo in 2014 alongside two brothers, to dad Xerxes and mother Adia.

This was Xerxes (rip).

Obviously, a very large, dark, lush mane on Xerxes here. So where did these blond muttonchops come from on his son?

I asked the zoo docents and got an answer that didn't make a lot of sense. They told me that after the three cubs grew into adolescents, they were moved to the Oakland Zoo together. But living together suppressed his testosterone, and he never grew a mane.

Hmmmm.

Here's a photo from 2016, when the brothers debuted at Oakland. They're a year and a half old in this photo.

(Photo Credit: Oakland Zoo)

And here's from an announcement for their third birthday.

(Photo credit: Oakland Zoo)

Okay, so these dudes obviously all were growing manes as of 2017. I think Tandie is the one on the left in the first photo, and laying down in the middle on the second. What happened?

I was just in the Bay Area for a zoo road trip, of course I went to Oakland and tracked down a docent to ask some questions.

It turns out that shortly after the brothers turned three, they started acting like adult male lions: they started scuffling regularly. It's a normal social thing for male lions to live in groups, called coalitions, but according to my lion experts there's generally a baseline level of some social jostling within them. It wasn't quite clear from what the docent said if they couldn't manage the boys together, or if they just wanted to avoid the scratches and small wounds that result from normal lion behavior. Regardless, they put all three of the boys on testosterone blockers in order to be able to keep them together as a social group.

Now, I don't know a lot about the use of hormone alteration as a form of captive animal management, except in the case of birth control. I don't think it's something that's unethical - there was just a webinar on it that I saw go by - but I don't think it's commonly done with big cats. Lions have kind of complicated reproductive cycles, and for instance, we've been learning that female lions can take much longer to come into estrus again than expected after coming off hormonal birth control.

In males, testosterone blockers (or being neutered) means they lose their manes. This is why a lot of rescues will do a vasectomy on their males instead of a neuter - it allows them to keep their mane and the social signals that accompany it.

Tandie returned home to Woodland Park Zoo after Xerxes passed in early 2022, and the docent told me all of the lions had been off their blockers "for while." I'd guess those things happened around the same time, since bringing the trio down to a duo at Oakland would reduce some of the social tensions.

Hormones are such interesting things, though. One of Tandie's brothers has a full mane again, and the other is still totally mane-less.

As for Tandie, his mane is growing back in, and it looks like he might rival his dad for length and coloration.

He started here, in February:

Yesterday:

What a difference four months (and maybe proximity to a girl) makes!

[thebellearchives]

I wish you would write a fic where Inumaki watches non sorcerer!reader from a distance since the Shibuya incident. He’s always there, making sure they’re safe and healing, and reader swears they see his face in passing crowds, passing it off as a coincidence. Until a chance encounter…

𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍

~ inumaki toge ; jujutsu kaisen

✧˚ · . S Y N O P S I S : you long for the comfort of the arms of your saviour, until you realize that he might need comfort in your arms instead

‧₊˚ c o n t e n t s : gn!reader, non-sorcerer reader, mutual pining, comfort, mentions of blood, suggested trauma, a little emotional ?, probably inconsistent with the canon shibuya incident-itadori’s extermination transition

‧₊˚ a / n : i started writing and it just kept getting longer and longer and i couldn’t stOP, this one qualifies as hurt-comfort i think? so ill tag it as both fluff and angst oop, hope you like it anon 🫶🏻

Ever since Shibuya nothing has been the same. Debris, cough, grey days, lavender eyes. Fear, panic, emptiness, white hair flowing in the wind. Silence, visions, dark purple fabric. You tell yourself you must be going insane, seeing him around the corners of dark alleys, standing at at the other side of the road outside the store, in the reflections of broken glass on the floor. But you wake up from your bed every night gasping for air, wishing he’d come to your rescue once again, thinking he’d come through your door. Longing to feel in the air that sweet scent of lilies that came from his clothes when he picked you up and took you to safety. To hear once again the hypnotic sound of his voice that saved your life that fateful day.

And as you make your way back to your apartment you hold your things close to your chest. There were many things about the incident that didn’t make sense, the whole situation was just ininteligible to you. The rumbling of the floor and the loud noises, the way things would just hit on the walls or the asphalt around you and not being able to tell where they were coming from. The huge, insect-like monster that stood on its hind legs as it took impulse to lunge forwards and take your life. Until you heard his voice and the monster exploded, fading into thin air just as quickly as it had appeared in front of you. But if none of that had happened, then how did his hands on your shoulders feel so real and warm? The worry in his lovely lilac eyes as he checked that you were in perfect conditions, or the way you could almost swear you could smell the copperish scent of the blood on his lips?

As you walked, you held in your hand the small bottle of cough syrup that he had accidentally left behind that night, the only proof you had that he existed. Your brows furrowed as you stared at the bottle, your steps coming to an end. If you could only see him once more and thank him for saving you, just hold onto him and feel like everything would be okay again…

A sudden movement caught your attention from your peripheral vision. Startled, your eyes drove to a narrow alley to your left, fear almost freezing you in place. But you caught it: a little glimpse of a familiar figure. So the fear turned into anxiety, maybe you were going crazy, or maybe not, but there was only one way to figure it out. Your feet moved almost automatically, sprinting towards the alley.

“Wait!” you voiced, wishing with all your might you were talking to him and not to a panic induced vision.

The figure continued to quickly try and escape by turning into different directions to lose you but it didn’t fade away, so your heartbeat quickened. It was him, it had to be.

“Wait, please! I just wanna talk!” you tried to pick up the pace, but your rushing only made you trip. You hitched a breath and tried not lose balance, looking down by pure instinct, but when you glanced back up he was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, you started running now. You couldn’t let him go, not when he was so close to you, not when your chance to feel that relief again was escaping like water through your fingers. You turned to your left, right, left… until you were no longer sure where you were at all. The alleys seemed to had turned into a maze at some point with nothing more than trash cans and plastic bags everywhere.

A knot formed in your throat and you could feel tears of frustration gathering at the corners of your eyes. Why did he leave? Didn’t he hear you? Had you really imagined him after all?

A pile of trash fell down somewhere behind you, making you turn around instantly. Your heartbeat quickened in a glint of hope.

“Hello? Are you there?” taking a hesitant step forwards, your eyes tried to scrutinise the scene, trying to catch a glimpse of his figure, maybe his hair, anything.

“Listen, I just want to thank you… I thought…” you stopped yourself for a second, taking another step forwards and a deep breath “i thought i could just have a word with you?”

No response, a pained frown slowly appearing in your face, you bit your lower lip in doubt. Fine, one last try.

“Okay, you don’t have to talk, you don’t have to say anything, I’ll do the talking. But please… just come out, I want to see you.”

Something else fell down behind you, startling you once again and making you turn around in panic. A bad premonition grew in your chest, something wasn’t right. You could now feel it in your bones: you should not be there. And if there was something around it surely wasn’t who you were hoping for.

“What- ? Who’s there? Don’t come close!” you tried to flee, turning towards the direction you had come from.

But you ended up running into something that wasn’t there before, falling down onto the cold hard floor. You looked up just to find a horrid creature. Your eyes widened, panic weakening your legs and a scream getting stuck in your vocal cords. It was so similar to the one monster that had tried to hurt you the night of Shibuya, with dark green skin, multiple arms and eyes. The monster showed a creepy smile, widening its mouth, ready to attack.

You felt your stomach turn, your body trembling and the panic traveling through your body until your survival instinct kicked in. Somehow you managed to stand up and tried to run away, only this time you ran into something else. Or rather someone.

The white haired boy quickly grabbed you by your waist and moved you behind him, shielding you and defiantly glaring at the creature. You felt all your air freeze inside your lungs. He was there, he was real. His white hair was slightly disheveled, his purple jacket had one of the sleeves ripped off and you noticed he was now missing one of his arms. You wanted to speak to him, say anything, but you didn’t even know his name.

The creature laughed, sending a wave of disgust down your spine. Lunging forwards, it extended its arms wide and ready to attack. The boy didn’t hesitate, his powerful voice filling the alley loud and clear.

“Explode!”

The sound waves of his command hit the creature head on, causing a spark of fire to ignite in its skin and suddenly causing an explosion that sent it flying backwards, ripping its skin into shreds and filling the air with ashes and a strange smell of sulfure. You stood there behind him, eyes widened and your jaw dropped, until he suddenly started coughing.

“Are you okay?!” you tried turning him around, but he stopped you and nodded immediately, frowning a little and clearing his throat.

He glanced back at you with concern written all over his eyes. You remembered the last time had saved you and how he had stared at you just like that before holding your face in his hands and your shoulders in search of wounds. And he did just that again. He reached with his hand to cup your cheek, lifting your chin a little to make sure you didn’t have any scrapes or blood, before checking your neck and your arms.

“I’m fine, I’m-” he coughs again, your brows furrow in concern when you catch a glimpse of blood dripping from the corner of his lips “but you’re not, let me help you”

You reach to brush his hair out of his face and clean the blood, but he pulls back slightly. You freeze, and so does he, blinking a little before his eyes go back to yours cautiously.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to cross a line” you reply as gently as possible, pulling your hand away before hesitantly taking out the small bottle from your pocket “I have this… will it help?”

His eyes widen a little when he sees the small bottle of cough syrup in your hand and he can’t help but smile slightly. Nodding, he takes it from your hand and drinks it as if it were juice, sighing in relief right after and cleaning the little droplets of blood from his lips with the back of his hand. You take your time to carefully study him, trying to engrave every single detail of his into your brain. The messy rebellious hair strands that refused to go back to their place, the way his long white lashes moved along with his gorgeous lavender eyes and the lines and circles that framed his thin but rosy lips. He looked tired, like he had been fighting for longer than he should have, like he could use some comfort. The comfort that you had found in his arms last time. So when he looks back at you you can’t stop the words from leaving your mouth.

“Would you be okay with a hug?”

He blinked a little in surprise before his tense muscles relaxed slowly and a little smile lifted the corners of his lips. He nods gently again, you smile back in tender concern. Not waiting for anything else you crashed onto him, hugging him tightly. Closing your eyes, you let the warmth of his solid body calm down the still agitated beating of your heart, the worn down scent of lilies you remembered filling your senses once again.

“Thank you” you whispered “for taking care of me all this time”

Sighing, he hugged back, his arm wrapping around your waist and resting his head on yours. Now you knew it: he was real, and you weren’t going to let him go now. Not when both of you were in this dire need from the solace that your closeness brought.

“Always.”

[vidavalor]

The Bentley was so Aziraphale's wingman in 1941. It's a magicked car impervious to destruction so how did that suitcase of liquor wind up broken, hmm? Bentley? You have something to say, old chap?

The liquor was in the boot of The Bentley. It should have been fine. It also should have been leaking liquid through the seams with that much broken in it but that would have kept Crowley from going into the theatre with it. Instead, he doesn't realize the bottles are broken until he and Aziraphale are already inside and Mrs. H is right there and ticked off, providing Aziraphale with the perfect opportunity to rescue Crowley with his powers of prestigiditation.

The Bentley, on its road trip with Aziraphale in the present, also played "Moonlight Serenade" when Aziraphale asked for something "more modern"-- *the* song of WW2. A little in-joke for its favorite.

Remember when we tried to get him to figure it out in the '40s? He's such an idiot, I know... Have a travel sweet, babe.

The Bentley has been trying to get these two idiots together for a century and is so over it.

[obxsummer]

End of the Line // JJ Maybank

summary below the cut to avoid spoilers for s3 ep5

part of #obx3celebration

navigation

--

request: hi can i get jj x reader, soo basically instead of kie she is the one on the bike with j BUT she refuses to jump off so they distracting the cops together

warnings: cursing, accidents, minor injuries

--

In terms of a quick and simple in-and-out rescue mission of the cross, this was the worst outcome you could imagine. Pope and Cleo had managed to find the correct train car, but the whole train started moving before you guys even had a chance to see if the cross was inside.

“Shit! Let’s go.” JJ began to shuffle off the train car that he, Sarah, Kie, and you were looking off of. Sarah had somehow managed to convince Topper to let your group use his dad’s truck, but he was slowly becoming freaked out by what you were doing.

“Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison,” Topper said after Sarah asked him for jumper cables. She handed them over to you before you moved to climb on the bike of JJ’s bike.

“Uh, if it gets to that, yeah. I’ll do it for Pope,” Your boyfriend didn’t leave room to argue before taking off, the two of you in the lead for Topper and your friends to follow. 

JJ took the first turn a little too sharp causing you to tighten your grip on him. You were used to his recklessness at this point in your relationship, and of course, you trusted him to keep you safe, but this bike was not on the list of your favorite things.

“This should be far enough.” JJ pulled off the main road into the grass to park before you both ran towards the train tracks. You made it a whopping three steps before JJ tripped over nothing into the dirt below. He groaned and got back to his feet, sparing the glance to see you laughing at him. “I meant for that.”

You hummed, “Sure you did, babe. Let’s go.”

The plan was simple - use the jumper cables to reverse the charge so the train would have to stop, hopefully leaving enough time for you guys to unload the cross and get out of here. JJ connected one of the cables to the crossing lights before placing the other two on the tracks. 

“Okay, now all you have to do is change the current,” He scrambled around to get everything in the right order.

You looked behind you, the horn of the train getting louder by the second which didn’t help your nerves. “Please don’t get electrocuted.”

“Yeah, no promises with that.” He placed the red cable on first before clamping the black one next. The two of you looked up at the signal, anticipating the lights to change to red, but they continued to flicker green. 

“Why isn’t it changing?”

“That’s literally what he would do. He would do, and-and then it would change to red. Oh my god.” JJ started pacing in frustration as the train continued to near. “Think think think. Okay, what if I blockaded the track?”

You crouched down by the cables, giving him a look. “How about moving the cable because the train touches both sides of the track, hmm?” You switched the red cable over to the other side before standing up. JJ’s fingers curled around your wrist in anticipation as you stared up at the crossing lights. They blinked green for another few seconds before switching to a solid red. 

The two of you cheered at the color change, JJ reaching for a high five. “You’re a genius.”

“Nope, it’s all you.” You kissed his cheek quickly before grabbing his hand and tugging. “We gotta hide.”

It didn’t take long for the train’s brakes to kick in and start slowing down. JJ let out a small ‘yay’ once it finally stopped in front of you, hopefully giving Cleo and Pope a chance to climb off. The excitement was short-lived, however, when a service truck pulled up next to you.

“Shit, back up, back up.” JJ tugged the back of your shirt, moving the two of you further into the tree line.  “This was not part of the plan!”

Two workers climbed out of the truck and started surveying the area for the possible cause. “What is this bullshit?” It didn’t take long for them to find the jumper cables attached to the tracks, both you and JJ mumbling curses when they did. They were quick to remove the cables so the crossing lights turned green.

“You’re all set over here. Some asshole put jumper cables on the tracks.”

You turned to JJ as the workers climbed back in the truck. “You think that gave them enough time?” The answer to your question came in the form of the train honking that it would start moving again.  “We gotta go get them.”

“There goes the plan, come on!” JJ offered his hand to get you off the ground, the two of you sprinting back to his bike.  The engine kicked to life beneath you just as a familiar pickup truck came flying around the corner with a large crate in the back. “That’s Top. And that’s the cross. Get on!”

You didn’t hesitate to climb behind him, arms looped around his waist tightly before he took off behind your friends. Blue lights came up behind you not too long after.

“J!” You placed your forehead between his shoulder blades, suddenly terrified about what would come next. 

“I know, I know!”

The bike moved faster beneath you, JJ guiding it to ride alongside Topper’s truck. You glanced over to see Cleo and Pope in the bed of the truck, staring right back at you. “What the hell are you doing?” Pope yelled.

“Get ready to jump,” JJ yelled back at you. 

“What?” You flicked him in the neck. “Are you insane?”

Pope let out an expression of equal shock, the two of you in disbelief that JJ would actually suggest this.

“Probably,” Your boyfriend replied back, his eyes not leaving the road. “Get ready to jump.”

“JJ, I’m not fucking leaving you!” You argued back, grip tightening around him to reinforce the idea. “You can’t make me.”

JJ’s whole body tensed at your disagreement but he didn’t have time to argue back. Brakes kicked in as Topper’s truck moved ahead, JJ using the momentum to swing the two of you around. He hesitated for a second, wanting to chew your ass for how stubborn you were.

His eyes met yours for a brief second. “I’ll rip you a new one later. Grab that rock.” 

You did as he asked, grabbing the hefty stone from the roadside before rebalancing behind him. 

JJ let out a sigh as the police sped closer. He turned back to you one last time. “I love you.”

Your throat tightened at the tone of his voice, like this was the last time he was going to say it. You nodded, kissing his cheek before settling behind him. “I love you too, but I’ll tell you that again after we’re done with this.”

JJ revved the engine, the tires squealing beneath you as he got back on the road, this time in the opposing traffic lane. The second the cop car was close enough, he yelled back, “Throw it!”

You did your best to remain balanced behind him and launched the rock at the windshield of the car, watching the glass splinter as soon as it made contact. JJ continued to drive steadily, the only goal in mind to get the two of you out of this safe and sound. He took a sharp turn, the cops drifting behind as you hit the overpass. 

Everything happened so fast. One second, JJ had a clear road ahead of him, and the next thing he knew, a pair of headlights were blinding him. The car honked, swerving towards you at the last second.

The bike collided with the concrete barrier, and both you and JJ got separated and thrown onto the ground below the overpass. The air in your lungs escaped as you hit the solid grass beneath you, your body aching with the sharp collision. You could hear the sirens above and the screech of tires, not wanting to know what damage you left behind. 

“Fuck,” You hissed as pain radiated through your body, your wrist suddenly numb and your head pounding. “Jayj.” Your voice was hoarse from getting the wind knocked out of you, but you needed to find JJ. Now.

“Right here, I’m right here.” He came stumbling out of the brush next to you, his knees hitting the grass next to you. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

You used him as a support to sit up, clenching your jaw at the movement but shook your head. “Probably sprained my wrist and have a concussion but I’m good. Are you okay?”

JJ stared back at you, eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t you ever fucking do that to me again, do you understand? I can’t lose you, Y/N. I-” He sniffled, looking up to the sky so his tears wouldn’t fall.

You shushed him and pushed yourself up to hug him close. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” JJ let you hold him for a moment, relishing in the feeling of you on his body. “You’re severely mistaken if you think I’m gonna let you do stupid shit like that yourself. I’d go to the end of the line with you, if you asked, J.”

JJ let out a small laugh before kissing you a bit harshly. He’s had too many close calls with losing people important to him. The shouting of voices interrupted your moment, the blond Pogue getting to his feet to help you up. 

“JJ!”

“Y/N! Answer us!”

JJ’s arm wrapped around your waist for support as the two of you stumbled up the hill to the roadside. Topper’s truck had slid to a stop just before JJ’s totaled bike, your friends desperately searching the area for you with their backs to you. 

“I wish I could say we did that on purpose,” JJ interrupted their concerned conversation as you looked up at the broken bridge above. “But that was quite literally, the gnarliest powerslide I’ve ever done.”

Pope reacted first, slamming into JJ with a hug. “You’re alive!”

“That was gnarly, dude!”

“That was trucking, dude!” JJ winced as Sarah’s hands collided with his chest, her face purely angry before she embraced him tightly. “Oh Jesus, oh God.” 

Kiara’s arms wrapped around you tightly, Pope on top of her as the two of them held you close in relief. “Don’t ever do that shit again.” Pope’s voice was strict as he mumbled into your shoulder. “John B would kill us if you two died.”

Sarah practically pulled you away from them to hug you herself, her eyes scanning for obvious injuries. She sobbed beneath you, reality setting in for everyone on how close of a call that actually was. 

“The pleasantries are really nice, but we should really get out of here!” Pope interrupted the reunions to run back to Topper’s truck. 

Sarah gave you one more squeeze before heading to the passenger seat. JJ moved towards you, hands reaching out before you crashed into his chest. “Can we never do that again?” You whispered, tears falling on your cheeks in shock.

“Hey! Hey, you kids, don’t move!” A flashlight interrupted your calming moment, sending the two of you running for the truck. JJ was quick to shove you in the backseat with Kie behind Sarah before climbing into the bed of the truck with Pope and Cleo.

Topper took off a second later, rushing to get away from the scene. It didn’t take long for the group to start arguing about Topper’s driving only for you all to hit a bump in the road and have the wooden crate go flying from the back. 

“Shit!”

“You guys told me to go faster!”

You tumbled out of the backseat, Kiara and Sarah right behind you as everyone rushed towards the crate. Pope shoved the top of it off, everyone stopping short at the contents inside. Concrete-filled tires were lying in the place of where the cross should’ve been. 

“It’s fake.”

You groaned, covering your face with your hands. “Of course, we almost died for stealing a fake.”

“Pope, I’m so sorry.”

Silence enveloped your group for a moment before the noise of sirens approached again. Topper held his hands up. “Y’all hear that? Okay, I can’t be here. My grandfather’s a judge.”

“Dog, would you relax? They’re not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is part of a robbery.” JJ argued back to Topper, the two of them occupied as they climbed into the vehicle. You let out a deep sigh before following Sarah into the truck, ready for this nightmare to be over. 

You eventually got dropped off at your house, the entire mood somber for whatever had just happened. You would’ve gone back to the Chateau but that was out of the question since you didn’t know where John B was. Luckily, your parents were fast asleep, leaving you and JJ to your own devices. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” JJ hovered by the doorway of the bathroom, the concern never leaving his eyes. “I’m sorry for putting you through that.”

You were quick to dry off your hands from washing your face and stepped towards him. He looked much better after you both had taken a shower and put fresh clothes on. Placing your hands on his cheeks, you brushed your nose against his. “A few scrapes and bruises are nothing compared to losing you, J. I’d do it all over again if you asked.”

JJ gave you a sad smile before wrapping you in a hug, resting his chin on your head. He was used to doing stupid shit all the time, obviously, but you’d never been in the direct path of his decision-making before. He felt horrible knowing he’d put you through an accident like that, something that could potentially be the end of the line for the two of you. But in moments like this, where it was just you and JJ, he felt so overwhelmingly grateful to have you. 

“Let’s agree to avoid any high-speed chases from here on out, yeah?” You looked up at him with a teasing look on your face. “Someone’s gotta keep you safe.”

JJ chuckled before kissing you softly. “Anything you ask, baby. No more high-speed chases.” And he’d make damn sure of that.

--

navigation

[firesmokeandashes]

Greetings, Tumblr dwellers. I am here today with a bunch of bkdk/mha incorrect/correct quotes. Because I, unfortunately, am lacking inspiration to write anything else at the moment :[

Please enjoy.

□□□□□□□

Izuku and Katsuki: *arguing about something*

Katsuki: "Stop yelling at me, nerd!"

Izuku: "IM NOT YELLING AT YOU! IM SIMPLY... PROJECTING MY VOICE TO MAKE A POINT!"

Katsuki: "OTHERWISE KNOWN AS YELLING!!"

Izuku: "BUT NOW, YOU'RE YELLING!!"

Katsuki: "ONLY BECAUSE YOU YELLED AT ME FIRST!"

Izuku: *starts powering up one for all and charges at Katsuki* "AHHHHHHHH!!!"

Katsuki: *powers up his explosions and charges at Izuku* "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Izuku and Katsuki: *catches each others fists and begin making out aggressively instead*

Denki: "...."

Todoroki: *sipping coffee tiredly*

Denki: "So.... why were they fighting again..."

Todoroki: "Deku said he thought Bakugou was the better hero out of the both of them. Which made Bakugou extremely angry because he thinks Deku is the better hero out of both them, and it kind of escalated from there."

Denki: "...."

Izuku and Katsuki: *intense angry making out noises*

Todoroki: *continues sipping coffee out of his '#No.1 Wonder Duo Supporter' mug*

□□□□□□□□

Katsuki: "...."

Izuku: *standing in a slightly burnt looking pile of paper towles and plates covered in hot chocolate and feathers*

Katsuki: *watches as a featherless and slightly disoriented duck imerges from the pile*

Izuku: "I may have made a mistake..."

Katsuki: "Actually, it seems you've made several mistakes all within the past 5 minutes while I was changing my clothes"

□□□□□□□

Katsuki: "Hey, Izuku! What'd ya say about coming with me on a road trip to the mountains for some hiking?"

Izuku: "I would say 'yes', but Im still recovering from the last road trip we went on"

Katsuki: "Izuku, that was ten years ago, and we were in high school!"

Izuku: "And you got kidnapped! And we had to come and rescue you!"

Katsuki: "That was one time, Izuku. ONE. TIME."

Izuku: "Yes, and I would very much not like to repeat the experience!"

Katsuki: "We're full grown-ass adults Izuku!"

Izuku: "I don't care! It was a traumatic experience that could still happen now that we're adults!"

Katsuki: "We're two of the highest ranking pro-heroes in Japan! WE FUCKING BEAT ALL FOR ONE! I highly doubt anyone is going to try kidnap either one of us!"

Izuku: "...."

Katsuki: *incredulous annoyed silence*

Izuku: "I'll go pack my bags..."

Katsuki: *silent contemplating look of disappointment at his boyfriend's ridiculousness*

□□□□□□

Katsuki: "You have to make a decision."

Izuku: "I did. I've decided not to decide."

Katsuki: "We're in the fucking drive-through Izuku! You have to choose something to eat!"

Izuku: "I can't! It's too much pressure!"

Katsuki: "You're the fucking number one hero you live under pressure! And you can't decide what to eat at a drive-through!?"

Izuku: "That's different!"

Katsuki: "How is saving people from birning buildings less stressful than choosing a meal at a fucking fast food joint!?"

Izuku: "Because saving people doesn't involve having to choose between chicken nuggets shapped like dinosaurs or chicken nuggets shapped like space ships!"

Katsuki: "....."

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Katsuki and Izuku: *staring at horribly disfigured homemade clay All Might figure with a hand(??) sticking out of his head and four legs 3 of which look like tree stumps, that they made the night before while partially drunk*

Izuku: "So.... Do you think we can fix it?"

Katsuki: "No. And Im not even going to try"

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Katsuki: *walking around a hero gala, his PR agent dragged him to*

Izuku: *walking slightly behind Kacchan, following him*

Izuku: "Where are you going, Kacchan?"

Katsuki: "Towards the answer of all my problems"

Izuku: But Kacchan, you're walking towards the exit"

Katsuki: "Exactly."

Izuku: "...."

Izuku: "Can I tag along with you, then? Because I really want to go home and finish watching the final episode of Sasaki to Miyano, but my ride won't be leaving for a while."

Katsuki: "Sure. We can pick up some ramen on the way to your place so we can eat it while we watch those two idiots finally get together."

Izuku: "Yay! Thanks, Kacchan! You're the best!"

Katsuki: "I know, I know. Now, let's get going before my PR agent catches me and makes me go talk to more people."

□□□□□

Welp! That's all I got for now! I hope you guys liked them!

[rachelbethhines]

Five Tangled AUs I'll Never Write Because I Don't Have The Time

1. Eugene gets adopted by Quirin instead of going to the orphanage.

He still becomes Flynn Rider and rescues Rapunzel from the tower, but his turn to crime is due to a falling out between him and his dad after his and Varian's mom disappears under mysterious circumstances.

Quirin is keeping secrets, and thier relationship is strained, but after meeting Rapunzel, Eugene is trying to mend that relationship with him... Only for the amber incident to cut that short.

Obviously the biggest change here is that Eugene and Varian are brothers, so Varian isn't left alone after the snow storm. Rather, Eugene is trying to protect Varian from King Frederic while also trying to stay in his future father-in-law's good graces... All while dealing with his own grief.

This drastically changes the conflict and outcome of season one. Forcing Rapunzel to confront her father directly and own up to his misdeeds, and brings Varian along on the season two road trip.

Also Eugene has even less reason to accept Edmund because Quirin is the man who raised him and is his 'real dad' for all intents and purposes.

Also, thier mom, Ulla, being trapped by Zan Tiri and finally escaping would be a major plot point in season three.

2. Digimon AU

Rapunzel, Eugene, Cassandra, Varian, Lance, Styalan, and Caine are all college students who get sucked into the digital world.

They each get their own digimon and must face off against the seven digimon demon lords in order to return home, and in doing so confront their own worse vices.

Rapunzel's digimon is Coronamon. She is The Leader of the group and her element is Fire/Light/Sun. Her nemesis is Belphemon, and her main vice is Sloth. Because she keeps avoiding her problems by chasing after frivolous pursuits. Such as standing up to her abusive mother Gothel, or dealing with her responsibilities as the leader of her team.

Eugene’s partner is Kudamon. He’s The Mediator of the group. The voice of reason and common sense. His elemental is Wind. His nemesis is Lucemon, and his main vice is Pride, for his uses vanity to compensate for his low self esteem born from growing up in the foster system.

Cassandra’s digimon is Lunamon, and her rival is Leviamon. Her fatal flaw is Envy, for she’s jealous of Rapunzel. She’s The Second in Command; because she offers a counter balance to Rapunzel’s way of doing things, but they butt heads often. Her element is Darkness/Moon.

Varian is The Brains of the outfit. His digimon is Labramon, who can change to either a vaccine or virus upon evolution. However his main thematic element is Electricity. His nemesis is Daemon and his vice is Wrath. As the youngest in the group, he often feels unheard and will lash out in anger.

Lance is The Heart of the team, as he’s forever the optimist. His digimon is Otamamon and his element is Water. His rival is Beelzemon, and his fatal flaw is Gluttony, for he never had enough growing up in the foster care system, therefore he shows no restraint when given opportunities, even if it means hurting someone else.

Caine is The Muscle of the group. Her digimon, Goblimon, is a heavy hitter when he digivoles, and she’s the most likely to throw a punch against a monster on her own. Her enemy is Barbamon, and her vice is Greed. She’s criminal on the run for theft, but it’s a life she feels she was forced into. Her element is Metal/Ground.

Stalyan is The Chick, for lack of a better trope term. She’s daddy’s spoiled little rich girl who is in for a rude wake up call when she gets to the Digital World. Her digimon is Floramon and her element is Grass. Her rival is Laylamon and her fatal flaw is Lust. She’s in love with Eugene, but he doesn’t return her feelings. Her obsession with him, is tied to her own insecurities and desires for being accepted.

3. Prince Varian

Varian is Rapunzel’s little brother. He’s actually Arianna and Quirin’s son, but Frederic raised him as his own. Both are ignorant of Varian’s true parentage, with Varian just believing Quirin is his bodyguard/mentor. 

Yet with the return of his long lost sister Varian feels even more out of place with in the Castle and keeps sneaking off to Old Corona to visit Quirin, who is now a retired knight, and to work on his experiments in secret.

Only the truth comes out after a horrible lab accident that traps Quirin in amber, and now Varian doesn’t know where he belongs.   

4. Eugene is raised by Hector

Horace knows who he is and his duty to keep the moonstone safe. He has rarely traveled beyond the great tree. But he begins to question his entire place in the world when a group of travelers come in search of his family's treasure, with one of them claiming to be the living embodiment of the fabled Sundrop.

Since Eugene/Horace never left the Great Tree, he never became Flynn Rider, never stole the crown, and never met Rapunzel in the tower.

This means Rapunzel never leaves on her 18th birthday to see the lights, but her tower is destroyed by the black rocks six months later. Leaving her and Mother Gothel without a home.

While in search of a new place to live they meet, Varian, who is trying to figure out the mystery of the rocks, Cassandra, who is searching for the lost princess to prove her worth to her dad, and Lance, a thief who offers to be their guide in order to hide from the Stabbingtons who he owes money too.

The five of them go on a quest to find the moonstone when Varian shows them the piece of his father's scroll (who is not trapped in amber this time) much to the discouragement/disapproval of Mother Gothel.

Gothel tries to dismiss the legends of the moonstone while keeping her and Rapunzel's identities secret. (Everyone figures out she's the Sundrop/connected to the rocks right away, but not that's she's the lost princess) But as she can't be too far away from her precious flower for too long she gets dragged on the quest anyways.

Cue Gothel reluctantly becoming everyone's mama as she tries to keep them alive and convince Raps to give up this silly quest and find a new home, while also not letting it slip that she's really Cass's birth mother, nor the thief of the long lost princess, nor an ancient sorceress who betrayed a powerful demon in order to have eternal youth and said demon could come back to kill them all if released by the Sundrop touching the Moonstone.

Basically what I'm getting at is we have a scenario where a manipulative asshole who is desperately just trying to survive while not being caught in her web of lies, is slowly coming to care for a bunch of snot-nosed, bratty, insecure teenagers, and she hates it!

This also means that by the time the gang reaches the Great Tree, Rapunzel's and Eugene's roles are reversed. She's the experienced adventurer using him, though unintentionally on her part, to get what she wants, while unexpectedly falling in love, and he's the sheltered shut in who discovers that there's more to the world.

And just to complicate matters, King Frederic, Quirin, and Adria, team up to invade The Dark Kingdom in order to destroy the moonstone with Adria's sword. Quirin betraying his brother Edmund because he thinks Varian is dead from the rocks having destroyed their village/castle in the night.

5. Cassandra is the Dark Princess

I mean, I think this should have been cannon anyways, but Cassandra and Eugene are long lost siblings. Both are heirs to the Dark Kingdom and it's their mom who is left alive to guard the Moonstone.

Said Mom thought they were both lost when the kingdom fell, not knowing that their nurse saved them on the night Edmund went mad.

The Queen convinces Cassandra that protecting the moonstone from the Sundrop is her duty, believing that both coming together will destroy the world. Not realizing that Cass would actually grab it away from Raps in their fight over it and become possessed by Zahn Tiri in the process.

[galvanizedfriend]

what are your top ten favorite klaroline fics?

Hello, nonnie! I see your asks have made the rounds. Really nice to see lots of rec lists circulating!

I had to give this a thought. It's very hard to come up with just 10. I could easily do a part II. 😂 But without further ado, and in no particular order, 10 of my favorite KC fics:

. The Parisian Deal by Borzoi

I honestly vary between The Parisian Deal and Paradise Lost as my favorite Borzoi fics. It depends. I think I'm in my Parisian Deal era, though. I've recced this a few times over the last few months, whenever someone's asked me for my favorites or humanity-less Caroline fics. For me, this is the best one that comes to mind. Borzoi's fics are all brilliant. I love their writing style to bits. It reads like a novel, it draws in and it grips you by the throat until the very end. This one features Klaus being called to the rescue by a desperate Salvatore clan when Caroline turns off her humanity and fucks off to Europe. Unlike her friends, Klaus doesn't threaten her, doesn't try to force her to feel; instead, he offers her a deal. And it's perfect. I love this story with my whole heart, I can't even tell you.

. In the Backseat by Lila2

After leaving Hayley as a wolf in the Bayou and earning the hatred of his entire family, Klaus shows up with baby Hope on Caroline's doorstop. He has no idea what to do with a baby, is too proud to apologize and is in desperate search of some validation, which invariably leads her back to her (just like in 5x11). Caroline is torn between being mad at him for having a baby with freaking Hayley, and also the fact that she loves kids and there's a part of her that resents him precisely because he gets to have them, when she never will. In her own way, Caroline puts him in his place and convinces him to make amends and go home, take Hope back to her mother - but only if she comes with him on the road trip. And boy, is it worth it. 🥰 It's a fic that has the baby as a catalyst for everything, at the center of everyone's woes in different ways, but it's not about the baby, in case you're a baby fic hater. And the writing is just chef's kiss.

. the birth and death of the day by @little-miss-sunny-daisy

For a good while there, this fic was my entire fandom personality. Whenever anyone gave me a second of their time, I'd preach about the birth and death of the day. I was obsessed. Kelly is a brilliant writer, so, so, so talented. I am not kidding when I saw I wish I could write like her. And the greatest proof of that is how this fic was everything to me, in spite of not being at all my cup of tea on the tin. I don't like Supernatural, I never watched more than two episodes, and the Klaroline bit here kind of takes on a secondary role to the end of the of the world. But it's such an intense and brilliant character study on Caroline that it had my whole heart from the start. Her relationship with her BROTHERS Dean and Sam is so heartfelt, and it exposes so much of who Caroline really is as a character. The plot is INSANE and AMAZING and HUGE and it's so incredible how it ties in so seamlessly with the Mystic Falls shenanigans. And then there is Klaus! When I saw secondary, I don't mean irrelevant. I just mean there's more to the story than just their relationship. But it is still brilliantly developed. Honestly, just writing about it brings me back memories. I love it so much.

. Quiet Light by @definedareasofuncertainty

I am biased when it comes to Luiza's fics because I'm a fangirl and I have been one since day one, before we even became friends. But in the years (years 🥲 we have been here so long, friend) we have known each other, her writing has only gotten better and better. It's atmospheric and understated and it has this mindfulness about it that I can't really explain. It really feels like being in the characters' stream of thinking, you get instantly pulled into it. It evokes emotions without it ever having to be minutely described, and I think that's such an incredible talent. I wish I could write like this! And Quite Light not only brings all of those things forward, but it also brings COMPLEXITIES and MORAL QUARRELLS and it was also WRITTEN FOR ME. 😌✨ Luiza thought she was getting revenge on me by torturing Elijah, but LITTLE DID SHE KNOW I actually loved it. I went into this thinking it would be just a rom-com style story (which I love), but it's so much more. By the end I was crying real tears. 🥲 It becomes such a beautiful story about the relationship between Klaus and Elijah. Honestly brilliant.

. light years by @definedareasofuncertainty

Honestly, this fic has a very specific target audience, and that target audience is ME. I'm not even exaggerating; this is one my favorite pieces of fic ever written in the KC fandom. The way a Klarolijah fic speaks to me can be so personal. 🥺 I love the Klarolijah dynamic. I really do. But it takes a very specific balance for me to feel it. It can very easily go from me loving it, to me wanting to throttle someone. And this! THIS!! This is absolutely it. 🥲 And it's just about my favorite thing ever. This is actually three mini drabbles combined into one. Each of them is written through a different POV - Klaus', Elijah's and Caroline's. And the combination of all three, the way they tell the same story through different eyes, is just !!!!!!!!! Honestly, I don't have words. This has ✨Yokan my beloved✨ written all over it and I feel it very much. Luiza has a ridiculous talent for writing things on the spot. She got prompted to write an Elijah piece, and then a Caroline piece, and then a Klaus one, and she wrote them all in like 30 minutes on one of her mini drabbles challenge, and OH MY FUCKING GOD. I hate her for how good she is. 😭 (I don't, I love her, but I also v much envy her talent).

. this is a harvest by @highgaarden

I spent a solid few minutes here thinking about which of Hannah's fics I wanted to list, because she has this huge catalogue and I've basically read all of them and have gushed over almost every single one over the years. But even though there are others that could easily be in my top 10, I always end of going back to This is a Harvest. I remember when I first read it, I closed the tab at the end and was just… Done. Not in a 'I can't stand this story/ship/fandom anymore', but in a 'this is the fic to end all fics' kind of way. And it's not so much about the style or the writing, which are both stunning, but the way the story is told. It's a canon divergence that spans over years and I felt it in my heart that this was where the story could've gone. The choices they could've made. The way Caroline's story could and should have ended. And I was satisfied. I started writing and reading KC fanfiction after TO was over because I was so indignant about the way the show ended, so unhappy that I needed to give it my own spin, and read other folks doing the same, and when I read this story I felt like I had achieved that. This is it, I can put this to rest.

Obviously, I was way too deep by then that I couldn't really abandon the fandom (even though, just between us here, I kind of wish I could), but for a whole week or two, I was at peace. This fic gave me peace. That's it.

. Into the Woods by @jinxedwood

"But Yokan, how would you like to see Klaus' part in Legacies play out?" Like this. Exactly like this. This story accepts the finale we were dealt in The Originals, and then makes something absolutely amazing with it. I love the premise, I love the mythology involved, I love how unique this take is, and I love how even though it's poignant and bittersweet, it still packs up everything about Kc that made me love this ship so much. Caroline has been in Europe for years trying to find a way to help her daughters with their Gemini situation, and then she ends up stumbling across something else entirely. While she thought the thing she most wanted to see on a brief stint on the Other Side would be Gemini witches, her heart betrays her by taking her to who she really misses the most.

. it takes a while to settle down by theviolonist

This story is so old school it was written before Steroline. It's about Tyler. But we all know who Caroline ends up marrying, so in my heart, this is really what happens before Caroline marries Stefan. And honestly, it works just as well. This story is a punch to your stomach, but it is PERFECTION in 8k words. It's hot, it's bittersweet, it's SO in character. Caroline's denial, telling herself that Klaus is there to see her because he still ones revenge on Tyler, when it becomes very obvious, very fast, as it always does on the show, that it's never about Tyler, it's all about her. UGH. Honestly, brilliant. (third fic on this list with a The National reference on the title, I SENSE A PATTERN).

. As One Wishes to Live by @lalainajanes

I had never in my life read a genie!AU, and simply could not wrap my mind around anything of the sort that wouldn't be extreme crack!fic. Imagine my surprise upon reading this story. It's bittersweet in the best possible way. At the same time it's endearing and adorable (and so very IC) to watch Caroline fumbling for a fair and non-insane way to handle Klaus, the genie Katherine accidentally gifted her with (and who just happens to look incredibly alluring), it's so very poignant to read Klaus' POV. He's Klaus in the way that he's suspicious and dismissive and kind of snobbish, really, but he's resigned to his fate. This is a Klaus who has been broken by years of enslavement as this prop who's there exclusively to serve others. Every time he mentions one of his past masters, you just get that stab - and so does Caroline. Laine is one of the most prolific and talented KC writers ever, and I have read and enjoyed so, so many of her fics, but this definitely has a special place in my heart.

. Psychedelic Kicks by @notalittlebutalottie

This is an ensemble story that has Klaroline at heart, but that gives every other character a moment to shine. And shine they do! Everyone gets their own side stories, and absolutely loved following every single one of them. Lottie made me care for characters I hate in canon, like Katherine and Kol. Even Stefan and Elena had my heart here. This fic is a journey, full of ups and downs, and it has such a satisfying end. It's also incredibly original in its setting and tone, which I think it's one of Lottie's greatest talents. It's very are for historical fics to be set in the 60s, and not only did Lottie choose this very particular time, but she also did such a remarkable job incorporating the decades' aspects into the story. Not just the fashion, and the music, and Woodstocky vibes, but the social and political unrest as well. This is a story with LAYERS, my friends, and it's incredible. I could totally see this being a TV show or a movie tbh. It's that good.

[itsoutrageouss]

Like a bellflower - chapter one

chapter one of like a bellflower, a Joel Miller x Fem!Oc fanfiction.

warnings: violence, death, blood, the word 'rape', general apocalyptic angst things yk

words: 2,6k

Story taglist

1. A stoic rescue

✿✿✿

“If we don’t find some more fucking ammo soon I swear i’m going to kill someone,” Kade grumbled as we all walked along a broad gravelly road. He bit into the last of his dried meat with anger, ripping the flesh apart aggressively with his teeth. His arm nearly hit me as it swung back. I always stayed behind the four of them. Kade, Ryan, Sarah and Cole. When they found me, and agreed to pick me up along with them I thought I could find solidarity in Sarah. A girl. Or a woman I should say, because she is a lot more woman than me. 

Her shoulders were as broad as the mens, her figure sturdy and hardened like her face. No solidarity was to be found in those eyes. She met me like the men did; looking down at me with clenched jaws, demanding I fix us all food and making mean jokes when I try to brush and fix my hair. 

“That ain’t going to fix nothing sweetheart- how about a trip to the salon instead? It’ll be on me,” Kade would say with a nasty grin and they would all belt out laughter while they tended to their guns like I tend to my hair, with the same kind of care. The kind you should never use on weapons.

“But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue,” I always quote, biting my tongue until metal melts in my mouth.

“You have to calm down, we’re almost at the next town. If there isn’t any ammo, we’ll butcher someone that has some.” Cole replies, walking with fast, tough steps. They were always so hard, so violent. I watched intensely as my feet kicked the gravel. My gun didn’t have a lot of ammo left either but I would rather not have to hurt someone to get more. I’d run if I had to, but I really didn’t. 

The rest of the walk was silent, until old suburban houses started appearing. No one spoke to me. Wordlessly everyone divided to ransack the houses. Cole and Kade went together, so did Ryan and Sarah. Sarah, a dainty, feminine name for a woman with cold, rejecting eyes. No solace. I walked on my own, shoulders slumping. 

The house was a pale blue, the door was off the hinges completely, and I stepped over the rotten wood. Dust swirled in the beams of light that were pushing through barred windows. Someone had stayed here for a while, it looked like. Empty cans of food were piled on the dirty kitchen tiles. When I glanced back at the broken down door, I noticed the beating it had taken. The blood stains that the wood had absorbed. Scratch marks. I didn’t want to think of what had happened here, and instead I filtered through the flashes of sunlight, the warmth pulsing on my cheek. The air smelled like rotten wood too, as well as flowers. They bloomed in the corners of the walls, through broken tapestry they unfolded like nothing had ever bothered them. Like the whole world wasn’t dying. Untouched by the destruction, pretty and blooming. I wished to be like the flower. 

There was no ammo, but in the back cabinets I found old cans of beans that must’ve been forgotten in whatever hurry had happened here. Between the wooden beams that barred the window I saw the others gathering in the middle of the road. Soldiers, they looked like. Machines. They made my skin crawl and every soft thing inside me hardened. I solidified, when everything I fought for everyday was to be soft. Free, fresh and blooming like a flower. A war between me and the world to preserve the delicate human I was, but I felt like throwing it all up when Kade looked at me. He made me feel like he wanted to rape me. His eyes were wide like a drug addict, and his stare a direct look into the most damaged soul I had ever met in my life. I had no clue what his story was and I was terrified to find out. He wanted to hurt the world like it had hurt him and I didn’t want to be here to see it but I had nowhere else to go. 

They talked aggressively to each other, heads bent close together even though there probably wasn't anyone around for miles. I still never got used to seeing people standing in the middle of the roads. The cars were supposed to be there. And now all the cars were flipped upside down and stripped for parts. Sarah crushed a spiring dandelion under her foot. Her black, greasy hair flipped around her head when she talked. The day was beautiful but the people were not. 

We decided to camp there, in the house I found. I found a broken family photo in a bedroom upstairs. I was frozen, sitting on a four poster bed with a family full of strangers in my hand. This room was a memory in time. A photo in itself. If not for the barricaded window, where the sunlight slowly turned red, you wouldn’t be able to tell that life had died everywhere around it. So I stayed there all night. I went downstairs silently, like a child who’d awoken from a nightmare. But there were no parents downstairs, and I crept silently around them to grab a can of beans. Kades big hand squeezed my fragile wrist harshly and the can dropped from my hand. “You’re not taking all of that,” he spoke harshly before opening the can and pouring almost all of the content into an empty one. The rest he gave to me. “Sit down,” he stroked my wrist where he’d hurt me and I coiled away, sitting down reluctantly. I never joined their talk. Ryan was the nicest of them all, though the difference in their behaviors were minimal. They had been just them for so long that Sarah was Ryan and Ryan was Cole and all of them were Kade. Not one authentic trait that wasn’t given to them by the apocalypse. None of their own selves left from before. I pitied it, sort of. When they dozed off in their sleeping bags I snuck back up and crawled under the cold comforter in the bedroom with the photo on the pillow next to me. I tried to imagine living here. With my family, when they were still here. Sleeping next to my parents in their bed even though i probably was a bit too old for it. We wouldn’t tell anyone. Tomorrow we’d make breakfast together, maybe? 

Those thoughts put me to sleep. 

Bang. I woke with such a violent start that my hand flung the photo to the carpeted floor. It was already broken, but now the glass had fallen out of the frame in pieces completely. I had ruined the last memory of this family. Another bang. It was gunshots and the crashes that followed rumbled the old flooring beneath me. Impulsively I ripped the photo from the frame and stuck it in my pocket. I didn’t know how to move. We had never been in this situation. I had never been apart from the group when we were attacked. They were always there and always merciless. I had to fend for myself still, because they prioritized each other over me anytime. Sometimes it was as if they would purposefully let me fight on my own despite them being fully capable of helping me. I swung my backpack on, in case I had to run again. My hands trembled and the gun nearly slipped from my grasp. I creaked open the bedroom door, right at the top of the stairs. “Fucking get him!” I heard Ryan yell. More crashes, grunts. The stairs creaked as I took a step but another noise covered it. Blood sprayed on the wall next to the broken front door. Greasy black hair, fell with a thud to the ground. Blood started to pool around Sarah’s head, which was all of her I could see from this angle. I breathed in. It smelled like being on summer camp. Sunlight, fresh air but a metallic, wooden scent interfered with the peaceful memory. Kane roared and I heard him  surge towards whoever the perpetrator was. I closed my eyes harshly until it hurt, then I opened them and ran down the stairs as the spots faded away from my sight. My gun was stretched in front of me. Everything after that happened so fast I barely caught it. An elbow to Ryan's face who stumbled backwards. To clean shots through Cole's stomach. Bang, bang, thud. Bile rose in my throat. My gun was still in front of me. I didn’t move. I didn’t know what I felt. 

A loud grunt, a missed shot but a punch to the gut from Kade to the stranger. He was hardened too, but not in the cold, menacing way of the others. He looked human, I thought, right before he twisted Kades arm around in a nasty crack, pushing his back into the man's chest before firing a bullet right through his temples. Kade looked at me then, and for the first and only time I saw something else in his eyes. He looked scared. Like a little boy who’d been told off. Who’d been left alone and scolded and shown no love, who now pleaded for it for the last time ever. And then my eyes turned sympathetic. I did everything I could to give him that last piece of whatever feeling closest to affection I had for him and a peace fell over his eyes right as the bullet tore through him. My mouth was sour, and I leaned down, throwing up right next to Sarah’s body. 

The stranger let Kade fall to his knees, discarded him and stalked towards me with a reaction time that seemed inhuman. I expected the harsh, calloused hands of a man piercing my skin. Like Kade’s used to. I dropped the gun. It landed in my own puke. The man stopped between me and the mess. We both looked down. Then we looked up. My eyes were filled with hot, stingy tears from throwing up. Maybe fear. He breathed harshly, quickly and his nostrils flared. His eyes were dark as he looked demandingly underneath his furrowed brows. He had a handsome face, salt and pepper scruff, a hooked nose and sloped lips. But he also was hardened from this world. 

His shoulders fell, quickly aware that I probably wasn’t the biggest threat around. That irritated me, and I squared up, fisting my hands. “Get away or I'll punch you.” I said. There was volume in my voice that I didn't expect. He didn’t move, but looked down on my petty gun again. Then he turned around, and started searching the bodies of my old crew. He took their guns, searched them. I stood still. I was shaking like a leaf and tears rolled down my cheeks now silently. I wasn’t sad for these people. I was sad for the last time this happened. When it was the people I cared for that lay still while I stood up. I cried for them,  tightly fisting the photo of the family I found in my pocket. The man stopped, and looked at me. “I’ll leave some stuff for you,” he said. His voice was gruff. And it hit me like bricks, so hard I nearly folded into two again. I was going to be left alone. The man was looking done, about to leave again. Then there would be silence, like when snow falls. Nothing. 

“Take me with you,” I said, too desperate for my liking but suddenly he felt like the last thing I had in the world even though I didn't even know his name.

“No,” he said, and walked out the backdoor without looking back. I wiped my gun off in Sarah’s shirt, with a little regret but not so much that i felt guilty and followed the man out. He had a horse that was tied to a tree.

“You have to.” i stated, my breathing quick and shallow. I would not let him leave. 

“I don’t, actually.” 

Did he not feel any remorse? What if that was my family he just killed, and then left me for myself. Not even so merciful as to put me in the grave with them? But they weren’t my family and I would not go with them into death, but this man didn’t know. 

“You just killed everything around me.” It wasn’t the first time that had happened and I felt like I was grasping at water, trying to hold it in my hand. I heaved in a gasp of shock and sorrow and it was what finally made him look at me. His brows furrowed even more, if possible. His face softened, and I swore I saw guilt flash across his still-new features. He was listening.

“I’m silent. You won’t even know i’m here. And as soon, I promise, as soon as we come across somewhere else I can stay, I'll leave. But you owe me a ride.” I wasn’t used to selling myself, to making me sound like someone you’d want along on your travels and even though my face heated with embarrassment and the words I spoke, it was all the hope I had not to curl up in that four poster bed until I withered into nothing. 

He said nothing for a while, looking somewhere behind me in thought. I mustered my most desperate eyes. I tried baring my soul through them for him to see that I needed this. He already seemed ways better than any of the four people that had taken me upon since the tragic incident. 

“As soon as we find something.. livable, you’re gone.” he grumbled. The relief made my knees weak, air seeped out of me uncontrollably and I had to hold onto the tree so as to not fall in on myself. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I whispered, tasting tears on my lips that I wiped profusely. I was not to be a burden to this man before I had even gotten onto his horse. 

“Just follow me and stay quiet,” he said, pulling the horse along with him. We walked, and I didn't look back. The blue house I swore to leave forever behind me. The photo I held onto. The sun was only just rising, cold and bright as it stretched over the abandoned houses. We walked in the middle of the road, on each side of the horse. I felt warmth on my skin, on my hair and I combed it down with my fingers and braided it down my back. And no one laughed, or said anything. I realized this might have been my rescue as I looked up at the pine trees ahead, instead of down at the gravel. I looked anywhere I liked and made my hair look nice and I stroked the now curled up photo with my thumb, looking over at the man.

“What's your name?” 

I had already broken one of three rules: stay silent, follow me, leave me alone as soon as possible.

He sighed, “you’re not very good at this.” 

Even his scolding, and his glare was everything Kades wasn’t. There was no malice, no intention to hurt. I didn’t feel fear in my gut. 

“I’m Belle. Like the princess” I peaked over the horse’s moving body.

“Like bellflowers,” he said, glancing at me for barely a second. Like a bellflower, blooming, delicate and untouched by the world. I wish it was so.

“Joel. My name is Joel”

✿✿✿

chapter two

[thelordofgifs]

the fairest stars

What if Angrist was a little tougher, and Beren and Lúthien managed to steal two Silmarils from Morgoth instead of one? Somehow I’ve already written NINE parts of this unhinged bullet point AU here and decided it was time for a fresh post to avoid that one getting too long.

Where we left off: Lúthien has been negotiating with Mandos like a pro, Maglor is nearly-but-not-quite-dead in Menegroth, Thingol has taken one Silmaril from him, Fingon has the other Silmaril and ditched Curufin outside the Girdle even though they did some bonding on the Worst Road Trip, and people are still upset about Celegorm’s death. YES I am well aware that the pipeline from the fairly normal first sentence of the post to this mess is insane.

Fingon and Maedhros are both very, very good tacticians. Between them, it isn’t very difficult for Fingon to follow Maedhros’ directions towards Menegroth, and then to find the hidden pathways by which Huan led Maedhros out of Thingol’s halls.

It helps that Thingol is still under the impression that the Girdle is impenetrable with the aid of his Silmaril, so he doesn’t have anyone keeping an eye out for the High King of the Noldor sneaking into his realm on an Adventure.

Finding Maglor's sickroom/prison cell/whatever is a little trickier, but not impossible. Long ago in Tirion Fingon was a mischievous child, so he's well aware that the best way not to get caught sneaking into a forbidden place is to make it perfectly clear that you belong there.

He strides confidently down the corridors, silently reciting Maedhros' directions to himself. Nobody stops him.

He's hoping that Curufin was wrong, and he'll know Maglor's door by the holy light showing through the cracks; but when none is evident he's forced to take his chances and start trying doors in the area Maedhros indicated at random.

Since he has plot armour is very lucky with this whole improbable-rescue thing he comes across Maglor without any trouble.

Maglor is only half-conscious – quite apart from the wounded leg, he hasn’t eaten in days – but his eyes flicker open when Fingon comes in.

“Hello, Makalaurë,” Fingon says, deliberately cheerful. “I’ve come to take you home.”

“You can’t do that,” Maglor says dazedly. “It burned – in the Bragollach – remember?”

Fingon opts not to answer that. “Russo said you were healing when he left,” he says instead, frowning at the bloodstained bandages around Maglor’s leg. “What happened? Has Thingol been mistreating you? I thought Lúthien at least was kind!”

Maybe he was too hasty in leaving Curufin outside the Girdle.

Maglor hurries to explain that Lúthien is dead, and that he’s actually in this pathetic state by choice or something.

“Right,” says Fingon, “well, you’re coming back to Himring now.”

But Maglor shakes his head. “I can’t, Finno,” he says. “Thingol took the Silmaril from me. I don’t – I’ve been trying to hold it back. The Oath. But I can’t leave it in Doriath and go, I can’t. So you’ll have to leave me behind.” He manages a brave and tragic smile.

On Thangorodrim while Fingon was struggling futilely with Morgoth’s iron shackle, hopeless tears running down his face, Maedhros said, You’ll never be able to free me, Finno, just kill me, please—

Fingon is rather sick of Fëanorian melodrama.

“One step ahead of you,” he says brightly, and he produces Maedhros’ Silmaril from its box, handing it to Maglor before his Oath can stir at the sight of it. “Here it is.”

This would never normally work. But Maglor is very tired and ill, and not thinking as clearly as he otherwise would.

As long as the obvious question doesn’t occur to him until they get outside the Girdle again—

Maglor takes the jewel and gives a relieved little sigh as the bite of the Oath eases. “You really took it from Thingol?”

“Of course,” Fingon lies. “Let’s put it back in the box for now so that it doesn’t attract too much attention?”

Maglor acquiesces. He and Fingon aren’t close exactly, but they get on well – certainly far better than Fingon does with Curufin. There’s an odd shared camaraderie that comes from loving Maedhros; it lends itself well to cooperation in difficult circumstances.

Fingon picks Maglor up – he's alarmingly light – and they begin to make their way back out of Menegroth.

"You're to be my betrothal gift," Fingon tells Maglor, and Maglor actually laughs.

Unfortunately it's much harder to look innocuous when you're carrying someone about five minutes away from expiring on the spot.

They haven't got very far before an angry voice comes from behind them: "Who are you and where are you going with the Fëanorion?"

Damn.

Meanwhile

[I should clarify my definition of "meanwhile" here. Evidently time runs much slower in Aman than it does in Middle-earth, even post-Darkening, or it's difficult to fathom why Beren and Lúthien canonically took two years to return from death. In vague support of this, the Fellowship find that time runs slowly in Lothlórien, presumably with the aid of Galadriel's ring, so I posit that the more Divine Stuff there is near a place (and Galadriel was ofc a student of Melian too), the more weird time shit occurs. So since I've anyway fudged the timelines so that travel times work out conveniently, we can also put the bits of story occurring in Aman here for funsies.]

Meanwhile, Finrod has been following Celegorm around in the Halls of Mandos.

"Was it worth it?" he asks. "Did you take joy in the lordship of Nargothrond, once I was gone?"

"I could ask you the same," says Celegorm, responding for the first time. "Did you die for anything in the end, Ingoldo? The mortal's here, after all your efforts. So much for your oath."

"So much for yours," says Finrod; "it looks like that eternal darkness you doomed yourself to wasn't that dark. Or eternal. So what was it all for? Do you even regret any of it?"

The dead can't lie. Artifice and deception are matters of the flesh, and they are buried with it.

"I didn't want you to die," Celegorm says.

"Well, that's a start!" says Finrod. "I can't say I'm glad to see you here, either."

"O Fair and Faithful one," says Celegorm, "spare me none of your pity. They are already whispering that you will be released soon, first of all the Exiles to walk again in Aman. So it's all turned out rather well for you, despite your evil cousins' machinations."

"I suppose it has," says Finrod, thinking.

The thing is, it was worth it. Beren's life mattered. It mattered that he saved it, even if he died to do so, even if Beren is dead now too (although word is that might be changing).

He did not do it expecting a reward.

"And my werewolf was bigger than yours," says Celegorm.

Finrod rolls his metaphorical eyes. "At least I actually killed mine."

Cousinly bickering is still kind of fun, even when you're dead.

Curufin, fuming outside the Girdle, would not agree.

After a time he's forced to conclude that the only thing he can do is head back to Himring.

The ride through Himlad, once as green and fair a land as any, does not improve his mood.

Also his burned hand is still hurting.

Look: here's the little stream where Celegorm caught a huge fish once; and here are the low hills where, a couple of centuries ago, they held some war games and Curufin's people thrashed Celegorm's decisively.

Here's the copse where, years before the Dagor Aglareb brought tentative peace to East Beleriand, Curufin and his son were surprised by a party of orcs, who took their small patrol all captive.

Tyelpë was just barely of age at the time. How trusting his eyes, then, how baby-soft his hair: how easily he had believed that his father would fix everything.

As for Curufin, he spent the hours-long ordeal learning anew what terror was, rendered compliant by the mere possibility that they could hurt his child.

They were fine, in the end. Celegorm rode up to the rescue while the orcs were still quarrelling over where to take them.

But Curufin remembers: how disabling love can be.

Meanwhile Fingon finds himself surrounded by a crowd of angry Iathrim in their home city.

He sets Maglor down on the floor and sets a hand on his sword-hilt, wondering if he is about to become a Kinslayer again.

(Fingon regrets Alqualondë more than anything; and he'd do it again, for Maedhros' sake. He knows this about himself.)

Before things escalate too far, Thingol shows up at the scene of the disturbance.

"We haven't met," Fingon says. "Fingon son of Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor in Beleriand. I've come for my cousin." He gives Thingol a rather dangerous smile.

Thingol thinks he might be in serious trouble. He attempts to adopt a conciliatory tone (which is really really hard for Thingol ok he's trying).

"He'll die if he's moved," he says, nodding to where Maglor is slumped against the wall, shivering.

"He'll die if he stays here!" Fingon says. "Is this the famed hospitality of your halls?"

"He has been offered every treatment he could ask for," Thingol says. "It is not the fault of Menegroth if he chooses to refuse them. Now tell me, son of Fingolfin, how came you through the Girdle of Melian – without her leave or mine?"

Maglor puts the pieces together. "Finno, you lied to me," he breathes, glancing at the box in Fingon's hand.

Fingon wonders if it would be diplomatically insensitive to kick Thingol.

"The jewel alone does not explain it," Thingol insists. "While I hold the Silmaril my daughter won, surely—?"

"I could have told you that, had you asked," says Maglor. "Silmarils aren't weapons! You can't use one as some sort of military defence."

Thingol is now questioning all his life choices.

He only took the Silmaril from Maglor in the first place because he thought it would protect his kingdom, and now—

Maglor is feeling resigned. He should have known Fingon's claim was too good to be true. Thingol still has the Silmaril, and Maglor can't leave Menegroth without it.

Face pale and set, he attempts to get to his feet, mostly unsuccessfully.

Fingon looks down at him. "Seriously, Makalaurë?" And when Maglor ignores him, he says, "Sorry about this," and kicks Maglor's bad leg – carefully, but still hard enough to hurt.

Maglor faints.

Fingon picks his limp body up. "The Silmaril isn't yours," he tells Thingol.

"The white ships of Olwë my brother's people were not yours, either," Thingol returns.

Fingon inclines his head, acknowledging the point. "I don't wish to start a war over the Silmaril," he says. Maglor is so cold and still in his arms. "My cousins have done enough for that cause lately. Only let me take my kinsman home."

Thingol hesitates. The iron box in Fingon's hand is so close, and Fingon is outnumbered, and he has his injured cousin to worry about—

It could all be over, if he took the second Silmaril. He'd never need to worry about his people's safety from invasion again.

"Elu," comes a voice from behind him, "enough of this. Let them go."

"Queen Melian," says Fingon, bowing his head.

She barely looks at him, meeting her husband's gaze instead. "Time and again you have disregarded me," she says. "Lúthien is lost, and yet you persist with this. Will you heed me now?"

Thingol stares at her, and then, finally, he waves his hand. The bristling guards move aside, allowing Fingon free passage down the corridor.

"I trust you can remember your way out," Thingol tells Fingon, and turns away.

Fingon looks at Melian. "Thank you," he says, "and I am very sorry about your daughter."

He has met Maiar before, of course, in Valinor: but Melian is still unsettling, with her implausibly flawless face and eyes that hold yet the memory of a time before Time.

"Little king," she says, "only hope that you will not know any such pain yourself."

Fingon manages a smile. "I'm good at that," he says. "Hope."

On that note he leaves Menegroth, carrying Maglor, and begins to make the long trek back through the Forest of Region, and thence to Himring.

Curufin has managed the journey significantly more quickly. On a crisp cold morning he rides back through Himring's gates.

Maedhros has been... managing. Not well, but he trusts Fingon.

Beloved, I will bring them back to you. Beloved, I will bring them back to you. Beloved, I will bring them back to you.

But here's Curufin by himself, looking pale and tired, and after all it was only a hastily-scribbled note, not an incantation.

Maedhros arrives at the gate at a run.

Scarce weeks ago it was the other way around, Maedhros riding into the fortress with Fingon's cloak only just concealing his bloodstained clothes: and Curufin met him as he came in and he can still feel the terrible jolt of knowledge in his stomach, and Celegorm is still dead.

How can it be borne?

A thought comes to Curufin and for a moment he thinks it the cruellest idea he has ever had, but Celegorm is dead and his hand is still burned and nobody expects any better of him anyway.

"They're dead," he says flatly, "they're both dead," and Maedhros just – stares at him.

(to be continued)

[anthotneystark]

One taste of your life (And I own your soul)

So I heard it was @thefreakandthehair's birthday and then I finished writing this, so Lex this is basically just for you now!

The day starts like any other.

He wakes up screaming, shaking, a cold sweat trailing down his spine. He takes a few minutes to pull himself together, reminds himself it’s all over, ignores the feeling of heavy, dark air on his skin. He ignores the sound of screaming in his head, the tightness in his chest. Before he’s really ready, but after he should already have been moving, he pushes himself up and drags himself into his routine.

He showers, feels like he’s trying to scrub the fear and pain off of himself, and hopes that one day that will actually work. He catches himself looking around as he gets dressed, an uneasy feeling prickling at the back of his neck. It’s the feeling of being watched. But there’s no one in his room, so he shakes it off and moves on.

He has his morning phone call with Robin as they both make breakfast. His heart aches at the thought of her being so far away, just the same as he knows hers does, but he’d refused to let her put off school just because he wasn’t ready to leave yet. She comes back when she can, he’s made trips to visit her, but it’ll never feel right until they can live in the same place again. He won’t make her feel bad for getting out, not when he wanted her to, not when he’s so happy that she’s out there doing things she loves and having fun.

When it’s time, when he can leave too, they’ll get a place together and never have to be apart again.

For now though, instead of gossiping during a morning car ride, he tells her all the drama she’s missing out on and lies about how he’s definitely eating over the sink so his bagel crumbs are contained.

When she has to go, her classes beckoning, he lets her go and tells her he’ll update her with the next schedule his boss puts out. He’s on days right now, but he’s hoping he’ll be on nights soon.

With Robin gone, and Family Video destroyed back in March, he hasn’t bothered to go back into the rental business. He opted to follow a different career path, and with the amount of people who fled the town, the fire department had gladly taken him on. Turns out, for someone who likes to take care of people and is willing to take on tasks like herding a group of rambunctious pre-teens, being a paramedic has been the perfect fit.

He throws on his uniform, laces up his boots, and ignores that feeling pricking at the back of his neck as he walks to his car. He looks around, but it’s a calm day. There’s barely a breeze in the trees; the leaves are still, the world is quiet.

There’s no one there.

The drive is easy, navigating the new roads built from his house to the center of town. Once everything started being rebuilt, mostly by the people who were convinced it was worth it to stay, things settled down. With the cracks in the earth closed up, with homes rebuilt, it looked almost like nothing had happened.

He lost count of how many times he wished nothing had happened.

He let himself get lost in the boredom of no emergencies throughout the day, let himself be distracted by the adrenaline of people needing help. There’s a kitchen injury on Maple Street, a ladder incident on Avalon Court, even a legitimate kitten in a tree call just down from the high school. Being the youngest, and thus the one thrown into the grunt work more often than not, he’d been sent on up to get it. It wasn’t his first kitten rescue, not with more than a few displaced pets, but the kitten only scratched him a little as he pulled it into his arms.

Back on the ground, kitten back in the arms of its person, he’d made quick work of cleaning up the blood that welled up on his hand. His movements stilled as he went to bandage it, his eyes darting up, looking around but seeing no reason for the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He brushed the feeling aside.

There was no reason to be on edge.

If anyone had asked him back in high school, he’d have said that 24 hours was a long time, plenty of time.

If anyone had asked him after he found out monsters were real, he’d have said 24 hours was an eternity when the chips were down.

If anyone had asked him today, he’d say 24 hours is a blink, a breath, it’s nothing, a blip of time that only carries meaning once it’s over, once you can feel the loss of it.

Loss or not, he’s more relieved when it’s over and he can go home again. The feeling has stuck with him, the hair on the back of his neck, the on edge, the vigilance. It happens, he’s aware, but he’s also aware that today he’s just being dramatic, just being paranoid. As he waits for his shift to end, his 24 hours nearly up, he watches the bats finish their hunt in the almost-dawn light. They’re a mix of swooping and flailing, graceful and clumsy, and not for the first time, he thinks of a boy who was the same.

He thinks of curly hair and a devilish smile, kind eyes and loud laughter. He thinks of rough hands and the gentle curl of smoke from his lips.

It’s not the first time he’s stolen his thoughts and made his heart ache, and it won’t be the last.

The sting lessens the fear that’s shadowed him all day, and he looks up at the approaching dawn with the phantom hand on his shoulder.

The alarm doesn’t ring in the time he’s got left. He shares the easy camaraderie he has with his team, familiar but not family, because even if he doesn’t love them like his kids, he has to love them enough to have his back when they’re out on the truck. Trusting them enough is easy, he’s used to relying on partnerships and love has always come too easily to him.

But that love isn’t the same as what he’s built through much more real dangers. They know him, but they don’t know him enough to see the struggle of pulling on a smile. They know how to read him in the smoke but they don’t know how to read the emotions he shoves down under bravado and jokes.

It’s fine, they don’t need to. But knowing they can’t does nothing to ease the ache and alarm under his skin.

His whole drive home, he sees shadows out of the corner of his eye. A fleeting movement there. A noise here. He doesn’t run from his car into the safety of his home, he knows better. He knows what lurks in the shadows.

As he steps through the door, the feeling fades, vanquished by the safety of a space that’s his. He slips out of his uniform, puts off doing laundry for later, and drops into the couch in nothing but his undershirt and boxers. He closes his eyes and flicks on the TV, the sound just loud enough to drown out the noise of a creature approaching.

Without warning, with only the briefest sense of alarm flaring up, a small weight comes out of nowhere and lands squarely on his chest.

He doesn’t flinch.

Instead, he lifts his head, lifts an eyebrow, and pulls on his most unimpressed look.

“If I was standing, I’d be doing the Mom Pose.”

The bat, fluffy and almost too dark, just chirps happily at him before crawling up to hide in the crook of his neck.

He doesn’t try to move it.

It doesn’t take much longer for that telltale poof-flash-pop of time and space and whatever else is involved in the transformation, and then he’s left not with a clingy flying rodent, but a clingy metalhead with too-sharp teeth and an unusual diet.

Eddie yawns and settles into his side, nosing at his neck until Steve sighs and tilts his head away.

“You didn’t get enough mosquitos this morning? Or throughout the day when you were following me around?”

“How did you know I was following you around?”

“Survival instinct, I felt you,” Steve retorts. He feels Eddie’s grin against his neck before the sharp sting of his fangs, the sticky-warm feeling of pleasure kicking in moments later. A moan escapes him, but he’s long since given up on being ashamed of enjoying this moment too. Eddie doesn’t take much before his tongue is sealing up the wounds, pulling off of him with a wet pop.

“I’ll have to work on being sneakier then,” Eddie says, using Steve’s blissful relaxation to turn his head toward him, stealing a kiss much the same as he’d stolen lunch; with zero complaints and Steve wholeheartedly on board.

“You do that,” Steve laughs, the words muffled against Eddie’s lips. His own yawn interrupts the next kiss, but he doesn’t need to worry about being too tired. It’s a perfect excuse for Eddie to scoop him up and carry him to bed. The curtains are pulled closed, the covers pulled back, and there, in a bed that felt hostile just 24 hours earlier, Steve sinks into the safety of a man who any sane person would be terrified of just by reputation alone.

There, in arms that are stronger than any human, looking up into eyes that are red when the light hits them just right, Steve lets himself surrender into the sleep that calls his name. There are no screams in his head now, just whispered words about hobbits and dwarves and an adventure that Steve never manages to stay awake to hear in full. That’s okay though, Eddie will read those words to him as many times as needed, with a devilish smile and the occasional curl of smoke from his lips, with rough hands so gently brushing through locks of chestnut hair.

All is right with his world, the weight in his heart has lightened, and there’s no need to be afraid.

Posted on Ao3 too!

[chaos-bites]

🐎 Subtle Sleipnir Worship ⚔️

Take action on something that you've been procrastinating

Stand up for yourself and others

Be a shoulder for others to lean on, but know when you need to lean on others instead

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Volunteer at a local stable or animal shelter

Donate supplies to local stables/farms or animal shelters

Support veteran organizations, animal shelters, or local farms

Have a stuffed animal horse, wolf, or snake

Have imagery of horses (especially eight-legged), Odin, swords/spears, shields, or anything you associate with Viking warriors

Try doing something you consider bold; wear a bold outfit, express yourself visibly, try something a bit risky, etc.

Go running, jogging, or walking outside

Ride a bike or horse

Exercise; get some movement throughout your day

Have some mead or some tea with honey; flavours like chamomile, jasmine, or cinnamon work well

Take a walk/hike in nature

Play in a field; run around and frolic; play with pets there if able

Feed neighborhood dogs, cats, birds, etc.

Ground yourself within nature; take time to be present within the wilderness around you

Try equine therapy if able; if not, try animal assisted therapy or use your pets to help ground yourself

Drink something that will energize you in the morning; drink something that will relax you at night

Fall asleep/meditate to the sounds of the forest or wilderness

Keep a horse's leg bone or hoof; keep eight of each (ethically sourced)

Keep a horseshoe somewhere; maybe hang it above your door

Release the things that no longer serve you

Try to style your hair in a way that makes you feel good; short hair can be styled, look online for ideas if you'd like

Dye your hair a color you've always wanted to try if you'd like

Take care of yourself physically; look after your physical health and well-being

Take a short shower in the morning to start or end your day; refresh yourself

Take a road trip; go somewhere new; get a souvenir

Explore your area; go to shops or places you've never been to before

Find a local community for you; LGBT groups, Gamer clubs, biking/hiking groups, etc.

Go camping; sleep underneath the stars

Start a garden; grow your own herbs or produce; tend to any plant

Feed neighborhood dogs, cats, birds, etc.; be kind to animals

Take time to decompress after school or work; separate your work/school life with your home life

Spend time with your loved ones, especially relatives or found family; show love to your siblings (found family included)

Spend time with your pets; play with them, give them treats, teach them tricks, etc.

Light a bonfire in honor of him; gather around it with your loved ones; have a good time, share some drinks (alcohol or not) and food/snacks

Foster sheltered pets; adopt rescued animals (if you're able to give them the care they need)

Play a video game that's open world and exploration based; ride a horse in the game if you can

Make your space comfortable for you; make it feel like home to you; get a cozy blanket, decorate with pretty lights/vines, hang art of your favorite media, etc.

-

Thank you for reading! For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Sleipnir, but I'll likely add more in the future. I hope someone finds this useful, and take care, y'all! 🧡

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

Lmao I forgot that I wrote this. Back in the days when I still considered Stan my favorite character before Butters and Kenny rotted my brain hahhaha

It's a little character study about Stan and his relationship with his father, before I watched anything past season 15. Something about the dynamic between Stan and his dad in the "Bloody Mary" episode (and previous episodes like "Clubhouses") just had an intense grip on me that it possessed me to write this scene. It stands on its own although it used to be part of a longer fic, so I posted it.

Idk I still really like it :) Re-reading it made me appreciate Stan a lot again. Just thought to put it here, check it out if you wanna.

(The longer fic premise under the cut)

That fic was one where Stan drops out of College after a scandal, reconnects with Kenny and Cartman when he has to go back home to South Park and they steal Randy's car to go on a road trip. They do it under the guise of Stan wanting to make up with Wendy in New York, but of course the real goal is Stan making amends with his long lost Super Best Friend, with whom he hasn't talked in years.

It's a Style story, both romantic and platonic, and mostly about best friends growing apart painfully and not in the most organic way. It was also a kind of take on Stan's depression and cynical nature, and how his worldview is challenged when he reconnects with Kyle's forcibly optimistic & righteous ass. I had a bunch of scene ideas and snippets I wrote, but idk exactly how I would want it to end, so I never actively started working on it.

It also had a Butters/Marjorine Drag Queen side plot where Kenny had everyone do a side quest to rescue Butters from the catholic college that his parents sent him go, only to find out he'd long run away and is making a fat buck in the local Drag Club hscahah. Butters & Kenny's dynamic and characters just became way too interesting for me so I couldn't stand NOT to write a story where they were the main characters instead, hence why I'm working on Chaos Plan now. I'm probably still gonna use that idea for something else because I like it so much hehehhe

Sharing a little snippet I had written bc i don't think im ever gonna finish much less publish this thing lmao

[kradogsrats]

actual, legit SPOILER-spoilers wondercon leak-based speculation:

So knowing that Viren is alive, this is pretty clearly Viren returning to Katolis unless they're going to do a double-fakeout of something like "Claudia uses an illusion of Viren to distract everyone while she infiltrates the castle" or something... so that's kind of a bummer for all my "confrontation with Claudia over the fake prison in the egg room" hopes, but WHATEVER.

Given that we have shots with Corvus, Soren, and Zym following up on the "where is Zubeia" thread early in the season, and then we have shots of Corvus, Ezran, and Zym later involved in the Sunfire plotline, but NO SHOTS AT ALL of what's going on with Soren, I was already betting that Soren and Viren were going to connect up somewhere out there and split off on a "stop/rescue Claudia" adventure.

I PROBABLY should have remembered that they give exactly zero shits about distance and travel time in this show. So we'll just have Viren walk all the way back to Katolis from the Sea of the Castout, and then it definitely seems like Soren and Corvus will return as well and the split into Corvus-Ezran-Zym and Soren-Viren will happen then. Between Soren and Ezran, it's not hard to bring Viren up to speed on the Nova Blade and the Starscraper... but now that I think about it I'm not sure anyone except Callum and Rayla know about the coins. Which will be fun.

Anyway, with it seeming like the potential tension between Callum and Ezran over Runaan will be taking longer to manifest than hoped, we may get some tension over Viren, instead. I expect Ezran will get his own "ma'am I am THE KING" moment with Opeli similar to Callum's scene with her over Rayla, which would be need to see as far as him asserting himself even against the people close to him.

This also leaves Claudia's activities a COMPLETE mystery, beyond that it looks like from the ONE shot of her and Terry that she doesn't actually leave him, at least not immediately. I was kind of hoping he'd join the Viren-Soren road trip just because I think it would be FUNNY AS HELL but let's be real I'm here for tragic clinging, too. (Particularly as we move into Miyana and Karim, ha ha...)

[the-power-of-stuff]

bestie whats your opinion on this vid? it got me Angry. ANGRY! https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=64wpVnM6dlE4b9kc&v=cglBnKGWlP4&feature=youtu.be

Ahhhh yes, this video! I've seen it floating around in the tags but hadn't watched it until now.

I guess my opinion on this overall is that it's a little...unimaginative? I mean, it makes valid points about how the writers hadn't originally planned for Suki to be in the show beyond "The Warriors of Kyoshi," and how she doesn't interact much with the other members of the Gaang. But to me, that's where the fun of playing in the fandom sandbox comes in! Reading between the lines, over-analyzing little details, and finding space for our own interpretation of the events to thrive.

For instance, how many days did the group spend together on Ember Island? Do we really think Suki wasn't hanging out and bonding with anyone else that entire time? What about all the time they spent running around looking for Aang and Iroh right before the comet? Like, they went all the way from Ember Island to Ba Sing Se! That's basically a trans-continental road trip! Road trips are prime bonding opportunities! There's no way Suki wasn't making new BFFs while they were stuck in Appa's saddle all night.

What's the point of trying to prove that Suki didn't actually earn a place in the Gaang when instead you could imagine Suki and Katara connecting over the similarities in their fighting styles? Or Suki and Toph playing pranks on Sokka together? Or Suki and Aang getting emotional with one another while discussing Appa's rescue?

Same with the assertion that Sokka and Suki break up for good... First of all, I don't put much stock in "proof" that relies on material that's auxiliary to the show, the consumption of which isn't necessary to understand and fully enjoy the original source material. This stuff is basically professionally-published fanfiction. But even if it did hold the same "canon" weight as the original show, again, there are still a multitude of ways to interpret what's in the book. And what's not in the book.

Let's say that when they're both ~40, Sokka is back in the Southern Water Tribe and Suki is on Kyoshi Island. So what? From this one scenario, I can still spawn a million different universes in my head wherein Sokka and Suki end up together. I guess I just don't really see the point in claiming that there is an ultimate truth to Sokka and Suki's relationship in this fictional universe, when instead you could write thousands upon thousands of words finding different ways for them to fall in love with each other over and over again. *whistles innocently*

So, yeah... Is Suki part of the Gaang? She is if we let her in! (yes) Where is Suki? Wherever we want her to be! (in Sokka's arms)

I'll leave off with one counterpoint to something said in the video. There was a claim that Sokka only thinks about Suki when she's right in front of him. Otherwise, she's not on his mind at all. To argue this, I would like to present exhibit A: "The Swamp." Sokka has his vision of Yue, and afterwards he tells Aang and Katara, "I think about her all the time." Do we have any evidence of this? No. He hasn't mentioned Yue since his brief conversation with Arnook at the end of the season 1 finale. Does that mean he was lying when he said, "I think about her all the time"? Of course not. Something we know about Sokka is that he tends to keep his emotional cards pretty close to the vest. He's demonstrated that he is capable of thinking about Yue constantly without Aang, Katara, or we the viewers being aware of it. Therefore, it stands to reason that the same could be said of Suki. And I would go so far as to say the fact that Sokka immediately starts crying when Azula mentions Suki while taunting them on the day of the eclipse? Means she's been weighing on his mind an awful lot. Cuz that boy doesn't cry so easy. Not even when Yue died.

[storybookhawke]

Canon-ish AU where Hawke is a vampire (sexy handers edition)

Hawke, a vampire but not a mage, doesn’t approach Anders for maps before Anders sets off to the chantry to rescue Karl. Instead, Hawke tracks the elusive warden down just as he starts fighting the waves of templars. He intervenes just in time, but Anders is gravely injured so he bites him to start the turning process to save his life (since lbr even with justice he wasn’t winning that fight against all those templars).

Anders wakes up in the early morning back at the clinic, with a strange man staring him down from across the room. The man introduces himself simply as Hawke, and explains that he rescued him from the templars who almost certainly would have killed him. Anders asks about the other man there, the tranquil man, and Hawke says it was too late to save him. He was only able to save Anders. It's devastating news to Anders, though in the back of his mind he knew he wasn't going to win, but at least he would have died beside Karl.

Now intertwined by fate, Anders learns exactly how Hawke saved him. He could have sworn he was on death's door! Hawke explains more of what it's like to be a vampire. Sunlight directly touching him will severely burn him, even killing them with prolonged exposure. But the clinic is in Darktown, and most of his life can still be conducted at night. Not to mention, Hawke has invited him on a trip to the Deep Roads, where sunlight never touches so their entire trip would be safe. He owes it to Hawke for saving his life, and he'll hopefully get some funds out of it too.

As vampires, they must drink blood. Hawke finds willing people easily in Kirkwall, but sometimes it's from unwilling victims too. He explains that some people will sell or trade their blood to him, but drinking too much too often will kill his sources. Vampire venom has a aphrodisiac effect on others, so they're so consumed by lust that they don't even notice they're being drained. The unwilling are at least consenting to the rest of it and have a good time. Hawke finds his meals where he can--though the older the vampire, the less they need to drink.

Anders doesn't love the idea of hurting innocents as a healer, so Hawke offers to look around for more people who would willingly sell him their blood. But in the meantime, Hawke says Anders can drink from him directly. Vampires drinking from other vampires doesn't taste as good nor satisfy as long, but it works. As previously warned, Hawke gets the aphrodisiac effect from Anders--flushed red, chest heaving, hard beneath the belt. Their eyes connect, and Anders feels it too, like it's contagious. He offers to help Hawke finish with his mouth, it's only polite, not that it's any chore since Anders finds him super attractive.

Now being available during the same hours, Anders accompanies Hawke about on his business. He learns that Hawke is over a hundred years old, lived all across Ferelden but most recently in Lothering, and escaped the Blight just as many others have. Anders learns about vampire culture, which of course varies depending on the region that the vampire is from, and how vampires don't tend to turn many because of territorial issues. Too many vampires gallivanting around Thedas would eventually spiral out of control, especially with the blood ecosystem, so the remaining vampires tend to only turn their lovers if necessary.