#and then went on a huge spiel of not being good enough and it was worse than being cornered at a party by a drunk love confession

[abimee]

like do i ever miss the attention i used to get? no actually. being 18 years old in the midst of the worst mental spiral of my life and random anonymous people (unintentionally) fueling the flames of it because they liked me was the worst thing ever and i hope to one day douse that entire section of my blog so i no longer get jumpscared with the old art i made in that time that reeks of ''HE WAS UNWELL IN THE MAKING OF THIS''. i like getting close to zero attention and nobody acting weird trying to be my friend

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

my pitch for a phineas and ferb-themed ride at the disney parks (hire me disney you cowards)

the queue is an interior building with pnf-themed decorations. kinda like the figment ride in epcot, a lot of it is winding through a "museum" of pnf and/or doof inventions. most of those inventions disappeared of course, so they're models, parts in glass cases, etc. overhead are tv monitors that play a shuffled loop of phineas and ferb songs, but bc there are so many good songs they can use it hopefully won't get repetitive unless you're there for nine hours. the exception to this is one small part of the queue (small to avoid people being stuck there too long) where it exclusively plays the quirky worky song and you see the pnf gang building the ride you're about to go on, either as statues/figures or through a "screen" that shows looping animation

you get onto the coaster car from the first episode as phineas, baljeet or isabella reads the safety spiel over the loudspeaker. actually as i'm typing this it might be fun to loop each of the backyard gang doing their own version that'd be cute

the ride takes off and you hear the vamp from the "rollercoaster" song as you're loading in.

once inside, the ride is styled like epcot's guardians of the galaxy ride, where you're on a track looping through a mix of screens and sets. the first part plays more of the "rollercoaster" song as you run through the "coolest coaster ever" scenes.

miscellaneous room/scene ideas: fireside girl action segment, carpe diem room, obviously a space segment w/ meap and queen candace and the catu aliens, obligatory scary bit through the haunted house, rock concert w/ love handel, backyard beach/atlantis, owca headquarters, 2nd dimension bit (might be too confusing for new fans?), relatively normal area where candace is gesturing wildly to a linda animatronic that won't turn around and see the rollercoaster car, idk a hamster & gretel segment or smth

a little bit in, you hear a beep and a call for agent p. a small animatronic of perry rises from the front of the car as you enter a tunnel, where a screen of major monogram tells perry to get his ass to doofenshmirtz evil incorporated to fight doof. perry salutes and slides back down into the car, and the ride then takes a "wrong track" (kinda like when you run into a "broken track" on everest) to DEI.

we go inside and see animatronics of perry fighting doof as an inator sparks. it goes off, sending us down yet another "wrong track," which shoots through wilder parts of danville. at the climax, we start looping and the climax of the "rollercoaster" song starts playing ("we're rightside-up and upside-down...")

at the end of the ride, we see an animatronic/animation of doof hanging upside-down from rope as perry glares at him cross-armed, and doof intermittently yells "curse you, perry the platypus!" on a screen, monogram congratulates the riders for saving the tri-state area with agent p. perry makes platypus noise.

you go to another room, right before the exit. you see candace pointing to an empty backyard, saying stuff like "but it was right here! and it was huge!" as phineas and ferb sit under the tree and address the guests. if you're far enough away from the last room, perry can be sitting under them being cute.

the exit queue has posters for dwampyverse stuff, like "love handel reunion", "doctor zone: the movie", the og rollercoaster poster, etc.

you exit in a gift shop where you can buy perry the platypus inaction figure (he doesn't do anything!) and big sticks

lastly,

you know when rides break down or stop for a sec and you get in-character voiceovers telling you to stay seated or w/e? i think we should have three that loop: one of doof giving a basic spiel, one of milo murphy being like "yeah i went on the ride. sorry about that. it should start working soon lol" and one where literally the whole thing is candace yelling "NO MOM I SWEAR IT'S A WORKING ROLLERCOASTER AND PHINEAS AND FERB BUILT IT! MOM LISTEN–"

[simplepotatofarmer]

'techno is too cool to be a sexyman'

he once had a genuine voice crack over finding out zombies stomp on turtle eggs.

he adopts every mob that crosses his path.

he once shut the door on one of his friends because he isn't good at social situations and don't even get me started on the peerpressure.

'techno isn't angsty enough to be a sexyman'

dude went on a whole 'the only safety is in being alone' spiel.

he watched his mentee be murdered in cold blood and then had the most badass moment ever.

his entire character arc was grappling with being seen as a person and finding safety with friends.

he was literally executed.

'techno is too powerful to be a sexyman'

one, sexymen can be powerful and two, dude's achilles heel is his friends and his horse, c'mon.

'techno isn't a bad guy, he can't be a tumblr sexyman tm'

technically, you're correct! he is not a bad guy.

however. huge swathes of the fandom made him out to be the bad guy! he was the villain for destroying a corrupt government and freeing prisoners from being tortured and/or falsely imprisoned! people used to insist that he was emotionally constipated! what is more tumblr sexyman than that, i ask??

in conclusion, techno is the only option. thank you.

[generational-atrophy]

Can I request something for China x reader? Yao has a crush on the reader, and he finds out that they're obsessed with pandas, and he takes Y/N to see and hug some pandas. Afterward, Y/N asks Yao if this was a date because they've had a crush on him for a long time.

Did I mention that I love pandas?

hetalia china taking reader to a panda sanctuary

1.1k words ~ gender neutral scenario

tw: none!

a/n: dont hug pandas in real life ): they are bears.

Yao was a man prone to overzealous spending and trips. The entire time you had known him, he'd been in and out of every country, indulging in extravagant expenses and experiences. It was hard not to become a little jealous, at some points, but he always made sure to buy something to send to you back at home. Sometimes golden jewellery and sweet perfumes, but most of the time, it was something related to pandas.

You had always loved pandas, a trait Yao loved. Pandas were always important to him and his culture, so he appreciates being around someone who appreciates them just as much as he does. It's stupid in retrospect, but he has to admit it's partly why he became so attached so fast.

The moment Yao showed you your ticket to Beijing, flying on his own private jet, you were like you were in a dream. You'd lived such a modest life, and now you were being given this opportunity for what? For being Yao's... well, Yao's something? That's it? It was almost guilt-inducing.

Now, a couple of days later, sitting in an expansive panda enclosure felt even more like a dream. Yao had always been given special privileges for some unknown reason, but this must be crossing some line somewhere.

But how are you supposed to think about anything when you're surrounded by pandas?

The instructor had given Yao a whole spiel before you two entered, but it wasn't like you could understand a single thing she had said. He chose to translate the entire speech very simply, ”Don't be mean, don't get too rough, don't pet them too much, and back off when something seems wrong.“

Simple enough. She didn't say anything about hugging them then.

As soon as you entered the enclosure, one panda immediately took to you two. Her name was simply Yangguang, and she was easily one of the cutest there.

She was a tad younger, around 4 years old, and still perfectly fluffy and chubby. Her eyes were like buttons, her pouched stomach barely hidden by her stubby legs, and her mouth permanently curled into a smile.

Although the other pandas bristled when they saw you and Yao, Yangguang had no problem being loved and hugged. Sure, her fur wasn't as soft as you wished it was, but it still felt like hugging a massive stuffed animal.

Like heaven on earth, she even leaned against you, basking in your unprompted affection. It was then that two more huge pandas lumbered up to you. Now you had three, adorable bears chirping at you, presumably wanting food.

As you pet them, all Yao could do was watch. He'd been here plenty of times, so it's not like he was desperate to hug them like you were. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, seeing you have a good time made him just as happy as those pandas made you.

After about 30 minutes of overwhelming panda affection, including getting to watch them munch on some bamboo like the giant cuties that they are- Yao told you that your time was up.

So you were forced to dejectedly leave Yangguang alone in the forest once again, following behind Yao as the zookeeper went on and on about who knows what. It's always difficult to focus after a life-changing experience, and cuddling pandas for the first time definitely counts as that.

Eventually, the zookeeper leaves the two of you to your devices, and the overlook you were standing on is suddenly deserted except for Yao. Now it was quiet, except for the soft sounds of birds and distant crunching of grass under the panda's paws.

Looking over the enclosure, you were suddenly struck by how beautiful it was. The grass was a vibrant green, contrasted against the slender trees, all along the backdrop of a scenic valley. Mountains rose high above the two of you, almost giving you vertigo as you gazed upon the cloudy peaks.

”Do you like it here?“ Yao asks softly, looking over at you instead of the stunning surroundings.

”Yeah, it's- I don't know how to describe it. It's incredible. Thank you for taking me here, Yao. Really,” You respond quickly.

“You're always welcome back,”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course! Say the word and I'll bring you here. I promise.“

You break out into a wide smile, your eyes crinkling in the corners just the way Yao loved.

”You know, the lady said that Yangguang hasn't found a mate yet,“ He said after a peaceful moment.

”Really? Nobody?“

”Yes, it's very strange. No boys has shown any interest in her. Normally it's the other way around.”

That made you stay quiet even longer, thinking of all the failed romances of your past. Hurt, over and over again, and for what?

Every time you have feelings for someone, something goes wrong. That's why... that's why you and Yao were stuck in this uncomfortable stalemate. Maybe he knew your feelings, and that's why he's doing this. To let you down easy. Or maybe... it was something more?

“How could no one like her? She's so nice and cute,” You remark halfheartedly.

Yao, turns to you, leaning on the railing, ”That is what I was thinking.“

It was hard not to notice his cheeky smile, looking not unlike a panda himself.

“What?” You were forced to ask.

“I know another person who is nice and cute and yet doesn't think anyone likes them either,”

You felt your stomach drop a little, looking at him nervously. You took a deep breath, and asked, “Are you talking about me?”

Yao smiles, this time gently, ”Of course.“

All you can do is scoff and turn back to the enclosure, face just a little bit flushed. The silence between you two became deafening, drowning out the sounds of the forest.

After what seemed like forever, you were startled by the feeling of Yao's soft hand over yours.

”Will you be my Yangguang?“

You spun to face him, shocked at the question.

”What?“

He only smiled wider, “Will you be with me?”

“R-Romantically?” You sputter out, not believing your ears.

“What else?” He asks incredulously.

“I- Well- I- Yes!” You stutter.

Yao breathes out a sigh of relief, visibly deflating. He reaches out to brush aside a strand of your hair, looking at you just as you had looked at Yangguang earlier.

“Was this a good way to ask?”

“It was perfect.”

“Good. That's what you deserve. Perfection.”

[elliespectacular]

Regarding that "Raffle"

On March 17 2023 I uploaded a YouTube Poop called "The King Files His Taxes" where King Harkinian is kidnapped by an IRS agent and finds out he owes $6000 - an unsubtle allusion to my own tax situation. The first half is on DaThings Archives if you want to see it, but the second half was a promotional stunt I pulled. There were a lot of things wrong with it. Things that could have legally gotten me in trouble had they come to pass and still has the potential to do harm. So we're gonna talk about what went wrong and how to move forward in a way that treats you fairly and with dignity.

Here was the initial pitch - Link talks about a raffle where you can join my monthly Ko-Fi supporters for a chance at winning some prizes. Already we've hit a couple of roadblocks and to understand why we need to talk about Raffles.

In a raffle, one person sells the opportunity to win something in a game of chance where a winner is selected at random and the odds are determined by the number of participants. The raffle holder tries to make a profit by selling beyond the number of entries needed to offset the cost of the prize.

However in most of the US, events like this are classified as an illegal lottery. The main sticking point is that the raffle holder takes in a profit rather than supporting a school or charity. But beyond that, the law is there to protect would-be participants from getting scammed.

I don't want you to get scammed, so we need to think about how to do things ethically. But before we get there, there's another roadblock to my original plan. Ko-Fi's terms of service clearly state that "You are prohibited from using the Ko-fi platform, service or page in connection with […] Raffles, lotteries, giveaways or games of chance where a fee is paid to enter and winners are selected at random". Ko-Fi is a great platform and we want to stay in their good graces too.

So let's look at our situation again. I as the event coordinator have two goals: Drum up enough Ko-Fi support to get out of the $6K hole, and send my belongings to good homes. However, promising supporters the chance to win prizes creates an illegal lottery.

And I'll admit, I didn't do enough of my research before posting the original video. I could have gotten in huge trouble if it weren't for the folks who gently pointed me in the right direction. I figured being upfront about what's at stake would be enough, but it turns out operating things this way creates an undesirable scenario for everyone.

So here was my original workaround: People who support on Ko-Fi are paying for the listed perks - names in the credits and Discord privileges to be specific - and agree that their purchase is not in any legally binding way considered a Raffle Entry.

But we're still violating Ko-Fi's terms on the same line because now it's a giveaway where winners are randomly selected.

We could get around this a little by selecting winners "arbitrarily" instead of randomly - basically I can use any logic I want other than randomness to determine the winners and we can call it a game of skill. But that feels phenomenally less fair, especially if I were just plain evil and decided my logic is to just pick my friends.

So where do we go from here? First and foremost I want to very sincerely apologize for this whole entire mess. The raffle idea was misguided and poorly researched, and was predicated on promises I can't legally keep. I tried to mask my desperation in confidence and spin it into a fun event, but in doing so I not only dipped my toe into legally hot water, I also misled many of you. That was the last thing I wanted and I've already lost sleep over it.

So before I get into my spiel about making things right, just know that if you were misled and you sent a Ko-Fi tip with the expectation of getting a raffle entry, you can get a refund no-questions-asked.

Refunds for PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/how-do-i-issue-a-refund-help101 Refunds for Stripe: https://stripe.com/docs/refunds

The reality we're in is that a bunch of kind people believed in me and already gave me their money with no expectation of a refund. I still have a debt to pay and objects to share. How do we make everyone happy?

Well first, I have to legally tell you that there is no raffle and that paying for Ko-Fi only earns you the perks listed on my Ko-Fi page, which does not include any kind of raffle entry.

HOWEVER I do still have all the would-be prizes and I'd like to thank my supporters by giving them away. Since I can't do that randomly as per Ko-Fi's terms, I'm going to do it arbitrarily. So all I can say is don't be surprised if I message you and ask if you'd like one of the Lots.

And as a gesture of good faith, I'm going to be considering ALL Ko-Fi Tips that have been made - not just the monthly ones - going back as far as the opening of the Ko-Fi page itself. Honestly the whole reason I made that restriction in the first place was because I was scared of being in this debt situation again - but that was selfish of me. I shouldn't have prioritized certain kinds of support over others. I am sorry for that.

In addition, there is no more unlocking Lots at different combined tiers - I don't want to keep all this stuff. It's all gotta go, including the YTP requests.

No amount of apologies can fix the heart of this whole ordeal though - the truth is that my carelessness got the best of me and I have to accept the consequences of that. Some might see this as a whoopsie, but others may see this as broken trust - which they're right to, and I accept whatever negative reactions folks might have.

I plan on moving forward with DaThings as I have the last few years - focusing on silly videos and keeping updates like this rare. I'm sorry for flooding your subscription boxes this week. Please take good care of yourself.

Thanks

[sfppn]

#TimeShared - Day 5

Zion Crossroads, VA

Well, it's come to this--the rationale for the hashtag.  We partly came down here to attend a timeshare presentation (and get a cheap hotel, travel points, and a gift card in the process). 

We drove about 20 minutes from the hotel to the resort (where they chose NOT to house us--probably not the best way to ingratiate themselves with us).  After filling out a form basically saying we wouldn't slip out during the event, we sat in a conference room and got the spiel.  If you've never done the timeshare thing, you get handed from one smiling person to another, part of a battalion of salespeople.  There's videos, testimonials, talk about your dream vacation--and then comes the hard sell (which they swear isn't one).  Think about the last time you bought a car, and multiple the "what do I have to do to get you in this Corolla?" bit times ten. We got a quick tour, and the model homes seemed very nice.  The math just doesn't work, especially when a quick Google search shows people selling the same places for pennies on the dollar (if that), and a class action lawsuit underway.  So, we politely said nyet, got our stuff, and left.

On to lunch at the Well Hung Vineyard--an andouille crostini, a chicken sammich, and a flight of wine slushies.  It was all very good.

We had originally planned to go to Monticello on this trip.  I went there as a kid, but Mindy has never been.  Unfortunately, we discovered that a) you have to reserve a time weeks in advance to avoid being rushed through at the end of the day (which we couldn't do vs. an unknown time for our timeshare event) and b) someone decided to go the Disney route and charge you an arm and a leg.  With these in mind, we chose instead to go to Highland, just down the road from Tom's colossus, and the home of President James Monroe.  We walked in, paid a reasonable fee, and took a tour with a knowledgeable docent.  The grounds are lovely, and the whole place is well maintained.

Then back to the still-elevatorless hotel for a nap, followed by a trip back to Charlottesville (getting very used to the 15 mile trip) to visit the Downtown Mall , and the Citizen Burger Bar.  I had a huge burger, while Mindy had fries with burger on the side.

Enough for today--more from VA tomorrow.

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

WELCOME BACK TO KNOX RAMBLES ABOUT THAT MONKIE SHOW AND CALLS IT AN ANALYSIS, THIS TIME FEATURING 

MACAQUE AND HOW HIS PERCEPTION OF MK EFFECTS THEIR DYNAMIC (briefly)  AND HOW THE WAY IT CHANGES EFFECTS HIS CHARACTER GROWTH (in more detail) 

Alright, so, getting right into it: Macaque doesn’t really see Mk as a person at the start. 

It’s “…nothing personal!” because he has no personal connection to Mk at this point. Sure he might think he’s funny, might even enjoy training him in a weird way, he even says he’s a good kid, 

but he’s Sun Wukong’s student and a stepping stone to get to his Mentor and nothing more. 

If Mk was killed in the battle between him and SWK he couldn’t have cared less, just another mortal not a huge deal, there’s lots of good ones that die out there and he’d probably be doing him a favour anyways so that he doesn’t have to experience the stuff that comes with knowing the Monkey King personally. He shows no remorse for endangering Mk, mostly due to the fact, I think that his focus is entirely on Wukong. 

Mk beats him instead of Sun Wukong (the first account of Macaque underestimating Mk) and Macaque disappears for a while to regroup or figure out some other way to get Sun Wukong to fight him since Mk can clearly take care of himself and Wukong’s already proven he’s not going to fight Macaque all out even if he endangers his student so mainly stays out of the way for a while. (Honestly all speculation, I have no idea what this dude’s plan was BGSDL;KFJS) 

Then we get Shadowplay and the dynamic shifts again. 

Now Macaque seems to see Mk as less of Wukong’s student and more of just straight up another Sun Wukong. 

He pokes at him, monologues at him, and shoves him into the same box he has Wukong in with the whole “got too powerful and so you ditched your friends cause you’re selfish,” 

and keeps talking about how he’s “just a that bit too much like him.” 

He can’t get Wukong to fight him so he redirects most of his focus on Mk for a while and relishes any chance he gets to beat him down and show him how good he’s not 

because he thinks this is a Wukong he can manipulate and he still doesn’t see Mk as Mk yet. His attachment is there because this is a Wukong he can mess with, and whenever Mk proves that’s not true and beats him, which he always looks thrown by,

 he runs off and gives some theatric dramatic spiel about being his mentor and all that. 

During the ses 3 arch he’s got a weird sort of attachment to Mk and it’s starting to become it’s own separate thing from Wukong but it’s still because of Wukong. He’s familiar with him in a way that gets a reaction out of Mk because he likes messing with him, not really cause he feels close to him. 

“Hey, kiddo. You miss me?” 

“No.” 

He’s still treating him like someone who’s being gaslit by Wukong and needs his guidance. He talks down at him, takes every opportunity to mess with him, and is blindsided by how Mk responds because he still seems to only see him as far as his own connection with Wukong.

He does a bit of the same thing to Tang, making the assumption that he’s much closer to Monkey King than he actually is, and pins the blame of Tang being benched on Wukong when he actually kinda had nothing to do with it. 

He seems to think he needs to “save” people from being around Wukong cause the fallout isn’t worth it, and yet all he seems to want is to be around him and beat him. 

Just a theory here, but I think it would be fascinating if Wukong “abandoned him” when he went to fight Heaven for the last time before he ended up under the mountain and told Macaque he couldn’t come because he wasn’t strong enough, he wouldn’t survive. It would explain Macaque’s incessant need to gain more power and fight Wukong, because if he misinterpreted that as Wukong saying he wasn’t as powerful as him so he wasn’t worth taking along and he never came back, then a lot of what he does would kinda make sense because he might have been basing his worth as a person off of how powerful he is, and if he can finally beat Wukong to show he’s just as powerful, no more powerful, then he’ll finally have to accept he’s worth something and he was stupid for leaving. (Dude’s got issues whatever the case.)

Macaque’s whole thing seems to be about proving he’s stronger than them. He throws Mk around, 

goads him into fighting him, 

usually by threatening his friends 

 tries to get Wukong to go all out on him even going so far as to threatening to straight up kill Mk, and no matter how many times Mk beats him,

he still stands back up and pretends he has the upper hand. 

He walks away from battles before they end like a kid who knows they’re losing the board game so they tap out saying they got bored and they could win if they wanted to, they’re just not interested anymore. 

The exception to that being when he’s hyped up on LBD magic, but the moment that’s gone and he’s faced with an angry Sun Wukong he just tries to run without even bothering to pretend he has the upper hand because he knows he doesn’t. 

All throughout season 3, Mk is trying to reach out to Macaque,

 and Macaque keeps rejecting that.

 And still doesn’t seem to see Mk as his own person yet. He cares about himself more than he does anyone else, and despite every display of selfishness Macaque gives, 

Mk still reaches his hand out and gives him a chance to be something more. 

Wukong was ready to beat the crap out of him for what he did to Mei, which, fair, but Mk still offers him a spot with them, to fight for something more than himself, and it destroys Macaque’s perception of Mk in that moment, when he refuses to leave his friend, even though he knows he could die if he doesn’t, and even amidst something Macaque helped cause, he still reaches out for him, and every bit of Macaque’s warped perception of him being a mini-Wukong shatters. 

Mk extends his hand yet again, and he rejects it.

 His view has been flipped on its head. He steps back, runs without belittling, he rejects him without the violence he’d usually lash out with, he vanishes without deflecting, but doesn’t go far. We see him keeping an eye on Mk during The Corrupted King 

and even rescuing him when things go to heck.

 Because without all the bitterness he has for Wukong warping his perception of Mk, he’s finally seen, at least partially, who Mk is (thought not fully realizing it yet) and wants to accept that invitation to join them. But he doesn’t. 

He helps them without joining them, in a way that he doesn’t have any expectations on him. He brings them the mayor 

and tries to talk them through what he knows, 

but when they bring him into their plan all he has to say is: 

“I’m not up to being a hero, kid.” 

And Mk counters without missing a beat: “We don’t need you to beat him.” “We can do this. You can do this.” 

Macaque tries to deflect again, and Mk’s having none of that. He calls him out. Macaque is there for a reason, and he plays at being this selfish guy so hard he’s convinced everyone around him and almost himself too, and Mk can see him not for what he is, but who he has the potential to be. 

And then in the first bit of honest dialogue we get from him, without any cocky smirks or attempt at deflection, just quiet and a little self loathing. 

“I’m not a hero, bud.” 

“Then be a Warrior.” 

Which, essentially is Mk saying that he doesn’t need to be a hero. And he doesn’t expect that of him either. Macaque looks at heroes, he looks at Mk and Wukong and cannot see himself fitting into that mold, so why even try? Why even try to be more than what he is. Why join the heroes when he can never be one of them? And then Mk comes in saying he doesn’t need to be. He doesn’t need to be anything but himself. 

And that’s when it really clicks. That completes Macaque’s realization of the type of person Mk is. Macaque stops seeing Mk as a stepping stone, a way to get to Wukong, a mini-Wukong, or anything else, he stops being scared of accepting an offer for fear he can’t live up to it and in that moment he starts seeing him as Mk. Because somehow, despite everything, despite his many displays of selfishness, endangering his friends, making their lives so much more difficult, Mk still doesn’t hate him, he won’t hate him. And he isn’t asking him to be more than what he already is. He looks at this messed up shadow Monkey who believes he can never be a hero and tells him being a warrior is enough. 

And then Macaque drops back. He stops pretending. “Okay, kid. You win.” Stops hiding what he is

“What can I say? I’m dramatic.” 

He stops trying to prove something. 

He’s not the main point of focus anymore (kinda like Red Son’s arch now that I think about it,) he stops trying to get in their faces, he stops talking down to Mk, stops playing at trying to be his mentor like he has something to teach him, 

stops pushing him off balance, he waits for him without pushing him

 and when Mk is knocked over he actually goes so far as to pick him back up again, and leans on him in a hidden display of support to keep him steady and act casual. 

He’s willing to face Wukong, not to win, he knows he can’t

but just to buy time because he doesn’t need to prove he’s stronger or better after Mk just flat up tells him all he needs is to be what he is and what he chooses to be. He chose the Warrior moniker and Mk basically gives him permission he didn’t want to admit he needed to just be himself. Macaque isn’t a super terrible person when he’s not pretending to be something he’s not.

Even at the end in that little scene with the crew relaxing, he could have went back to goading Mk or talking down at him, looming above him, but instead he’s down at his level

“you were done with that, right?”

His little theatre drama is back a bit, but its the most playful and non-confrontational we’ve seen him, even when Wukong is right there, because Mk isn’t Wukong’s successor anymore he’s just Mk to Macaque, just like how Macaque isn’t anything but himself to Mk. He’s not really pretending to be his mentor anymore, or one of the big baddies he should be fighting either. He’s just Macaque. You see him close right up again when Wukong starts talking, stands up, crosses his arms across his chest, gets defensive, looking away

but his issues with Wukong are no longer directed at Mk because he finally sees that Mk’s his own person, and that bias he previously had is gone. He’s a lot calmer, chill, and is okay with being seen out in the light. He lingered aroudn the group for a bit rather than dipping right after like he might have before. Which honestly is a huge step for his character and WHAT AN AMAZING ARC THAT I DIDN’T APPRECIATE ENOUGH WHEN THE FANALE CAME OUT BECAUSE I WAS GETTING BODYCHECKED BY BURN OUT BUT M A N

I honestly don’t know how the next arc will handle his and Wukong’s dynamic there or if we’ll ever get closure or an unbiased account on the fall-out that happened between them or how the crew will write that, but honestly I don’t mind this dynamic they have right at the end there so much because, while the arguing/banter is easy to fall back into and just seems to feel like a safe spot for the both off them (i’m not sure they know how to react to one another without that bit of a challenge in the conversation anymore, but a lot of the bite is gone,) Macaque seems, for the most part, to be done trying to fight Wukong. He’s got acceptance from Mk and by extension the Monkie crew, and suddenly it seems like getting Wukong’s attention, doesn’t seem to matter to him as much anymore. At least at that moment. 

His good-bye is him trying to get under Wukong’s skin, with less aggression than before, just for the sake of messing with him rather than actually goading him into a fight,

and then he softens right up when he says goodbye to Mk, like, actually softens, not to get under his skin, not to talk down at him, but in a more genuine manner, because he finally sees them as separate people and there’s a respect there for Mk that he didn’t have before. He doesn’t need to act so much around him, so that mask he has on, that drama, that “Dunno, somewhere i can do a bit of scheming probably,” turns into a much more genuine, quiet “see you around Mk.”

Mk knows who and what he is, and is okay with that, so, Macaque doesn’t need to pretend to be anything less or anything more. And he’s always welcome back in their little group whenever he’s feeling up to it

The last we see of Macaque, he gives a genuine private smile at the doodle Mk sent with no one else around to see it and the camera pans up with him looking into the sky at the light of the sun, and if that ain’t a blatant metaphor for a brighter future for him with the word “redemption” narrated by Tang right over that, I dunno what is GSDLKJFSD

In any case, there’s a lot of assumption in this analysis/hc post so I could very well be wrong and there’s no guarantee the new director is gonna keep the direction that’s going right now, but this was fun and I’m glad Macaque’s character could get a little bit of a start of a redemption arc there at the end. He’s got a long way to go, but MAN if that ain’t some fire storytelling on the first bit of progress. This show does an amazing job writing it’s characters and I am so glad I’m around to be watching the show. 

(Also, I say this about like, 90% of the characters in this show but like MK IS BIG FAVE. He has an amazing ability to just grab the good in people and pull it out so they can see it themselves and just, when they’re ready to change he accepts them in an instant and I am SO curious as to why he choses to be the way he is and i WANT MORE OF HIM SO BADLY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND HE IS UNDERRATED EVEN AS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SHOW, I ADORE HIM AND WHAT HE BRINGS OUT IN THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM THANKS) 

ANYWAY HOPE Y’ALL HAVE A SPECTACULAR DAY, SENDING YOU GOOD VIBES AND THANKS FOR READING o7

[unoriginalmess]

Untitled Feralnette Fic Ch. 1

Hiya there anyone who happens upon this first chapter of this fic. I would like to start out by saying that this is my first fanfic ever. I've been wanting to write a fic for the miraculous fandom for a while but I haven't had any inspiration until I stumbled upon this glorious AU created by @bigfatbreak. I highly suggest checking out all of their posts about this au because they are hilarious and genius and about 100 other amazing adjectives that could be used to describe them and their posts. Anyways enough with my rant and let's get on with the fic. ⚠️Slight angst⚠️ ⚠️Swearing⚠️

--------

When Marinette got home after her and Luka's breakup, all she could do was cry. She wanted to be with him, but her Ladybug duties came first. If lying is a deal breaker for him, then maybe it was best that they ended it now while their relationship was still in its early stages. Still, she couldn't help but feel the loss of her first relationship. She ended up crying for a whole entire day. She just hoped that Hawkmoth(or Shadowmoth or whatever the fuck he wanted to be referred to as this week) wasn't feeling particularly akuma-y today, because she didn't know if she could bottle up all these feelings, even though the world is relying on her ability to do so.

Ugggghhh!! It has been exhausting having to be "happy and perfect Marinette" and "happy and perfect Ladybug" All. The. Time. She's also pretty sure that Hawkmoth had discovered the similarities in her personality as Marinette to Ladybug, and that's why she's been targeted by multiple akumas lately. She has had to have her emotions under control even more than usual. If only there was a way to get Hawkmoth to stop targeting her. Maybe she should just not give a fuck anymore. Haha as if! It couldn't be that easy! Could it?

The more she thinks about it the more it starts to make sense. If she just let herself go completely crazy as Marinette, she would be killing like 10 birds with one stone. She would get hawkmoth off of her trail, she wouldn't have to deal with having to hide her emotions all of the time, she wouldn't have to deal with the added stress of maintaining her perfect persona, she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of Lila's lies taking her friends away if she didn't have friends in the first place, and so much more stress would be taken off of her plate! It was perfect! It might hurt a little at first, but it's for the best in the end. She spent that night planning out her outfit for tomorrow, doing her homework, and going to sleep knowing that, in the morning, François Dupont isn't gonna know what hit them.

....

Adrien Agreste had been having a rough week. He had been abandoned on patrol by ladybug, been broken up with by his girlfriend, and was feeling completely and utterly alone. He knows that his lady has been feeling overwhelmed by her guardian duties lately, and that he 100% deserved that verbal lasting that kagami had given him but he couldn't help but feel this way. He was also feeling guilty about lying to kagami and leading her on for so long. After she broke up with him he took some time to assess his feelings for her and realized that he had more of an admiration for her than an infatuation. He definitely didn't feel the same way about her that she felt about him. She told him that she LOVED HIM, and he was so distracted (blinded) by ladybug that he didn't even process her confession. So, he was looking forward to Sunday morning. He cleared his schedule and on that beautiful Sunday morning, he did what he is only allowed to do on very rare occasions: sleep in. Or at least... thats what he had planned on doing.

When Nathalie had knocked on his door that morning Adrien was not in a good mood. He vaguely heard her say something about father wanting him downstairs in some amount of time for something involving a business partners child and some other robotic sounding words that his half asleep brain couldn't process completely.

"I have a cleared schedule this morning, Nathalie. What could father possibly want me for that is more important than my precious sleep?" He asked snappily.

"Your father wants you downstairs to welcome the new guest that will be living in the house for the rest of the school year. You have 15 minutes to make yourself look presentable and I suggest leaving the attitude upstairs," she half informed/half reprimanded him. As she walked away, Adrien reluctantly rose from his nice warm bed and went to go get ready with only one thought racing through his mind: Who could possibly be staying with them?

....

Felix Culpa was not looking forward to living at the Agreste mansion for the rest of the school year, but for their parents' sake they would do what they had to. It wasn't all for their parents either, they were also concerned about the strange "dissapearance" of Emilie (who was his aunt in all ways except blood relation) and about the treatment of Adrien since said "disappearance".

You see, Felix Culpa is the heir to the Culpa Fabric Empire. The Culpas have been the sole fabric supplier of the Agreste brand since the very beginning. Felix's mom Diana was best friends with Emilie since their college days. Diana and Emilie made the deal with the two brands because as best friends who are both involved in the same industry, it just made sense to have a business relationship with each other. Diana never really cared for Gabriel as a person, but she could tell that he loved Emilie more than anyone else in the world so she could tolerate him for the sake of her best friend.

When Emilie went missing, Diana was absolutely devastated and tried anything she could to find her. She invested in missing person ads as large as billboards, organized search teams, tried to aid the police in their search for her in any way she could, but there was no leads, no legitimate calls to the number on the billboards, and the search team came up empty handed. While she was doing all of this to try to find her, she couldn't help but be furious over the fact that Gabriel was doing nothing to help in the search. All he did was hole himself up in his oversized mansion and call it a day.

The last straw for Diana was when Gabriel tried to use the "grieving my wife" excuse to try to abuse their business arrangement. That day, she told him that the Culpa brand would no longer be associated with the Agreste brand and that after the new collection is released, he would need to find a new fabric supplier. She knew that the Agreste brand would take a huge hit from having sub-par fabric, but she never thought that Gabriel would try to make up for that fact by using Adrien as a walking mannequin and locking him up in the desolate prison that he calls a home. As soon as she realized that he was doing this she scrambled to find a solution.

That is how Felix ended up here, standing in front of the mansion they would be living in for the next 9 months in exchange for Gabriel getting back into the Culpa brand's good graces. Don't get them wrong, they were excited about being able to be in Paris, home of the most innovative fashion pieces in the world, and about being able to see their honorary cousin Adrien (who wasn't half bad to be around despite him having no backbone whatsoever when it came to anything involving his father) but dealing with Mr. Agreste was definitely one of the low points of this arrangement.

They decided to just get it over with and knocked on the door. It was opened by the man that their cousin affectionately referred to as Gorilla. They nodded a thank you to the man, remembering that he was a man of few words, and proceeded to the bottom of the staircase. Mr. Agreste stood at the top with a very tired looking Adrien a few steps down. Felix wasn't even slightly surprised that this is where he chooses to welcome his guests, looking down on people must give him some sort of power trip or something. It's almost as if he heard the phrase "It's over, Anakin, I have the high ground," and made that his own personal motto. Whatever, let him have the feeling of false power if he wanted it, Felix knows that they have all the power in this situation and they're sure that Gabriel knows it as well.

"Hello Felix," Mr. Agreste greeted them with the same amount of warmth in his voice as liquid nitrogen, "while you are staying in this house you will abide by my rules. Adrien will inform you of them and show you to your room. You will attend school with him in the morning and I'm sure that you already know that you must represent not only the Culpa brand, but also the Agreste as well. I will be in my office working, do not disturb me. Contact Nathalie with any questions that cannot be answered by Adrien." He finished his spiel and left to what Felix assumed was his office space.

"Hello Felix!" Adrien greeted him with as much enthusiasm as he could muster in his sleepy state. "Come with me and I'll show you to your room."

Adrien led Felix to their room and listed all of the rules of the household that they were expected to follow. And... wow. Felix could not believe that their cousin had to live like this. The only social interaction this kid gets is at school and fencing? Pre-approved outings only with people determined socially acceptable by Gabriel? And if he gets even one "B" he isn't even going to be allowed to go to school at all? Felix knew that the living situation was bad for Adrien but know the only question running through their head was: What did they get themselves into??

--------

And... thats it for chapter 1! Mostly background info at this point, but next chapter will be the class' reaction to feralnette and felinette meeting for the first time. I just want to say thanks again to @bigfatbreak for giving me the inspiration to write a fic for the first time ever. Feel free to leave constructive criticism, I'm always looking to improve, especially at writing since this is my first time posting anything I've written online, so I want to get better so that I can make better content for you guys, gals, and non-binary pals. If anyone wants to be tagged just let me know and I'll make a tag list for ya. :)

[ramzawrites]

I've always liked the idea of eastern dragons, long bodied and often aquatic in nature. And ever since the movie Raya and the Last Dragon came out, I've only grown more enamored with them.

Then came the idea of the Sleepy Bois with a water dragon hybrid reader. I don't know, I just thought it'd be fun to see Phil freak out about a mystical dragon hybrid, Techno chilling out with another hybrid friend, and Tommy challenging this water dragon warrior to a fight. It could just be me, but I thought it would make a fun request.

And for fun, this water dragon hybrid wields a trident for a weapon, cuz you know, ocean n stuff.

A Dragon Friend - Reader and SBI

GN

Pairings: None

Characters included: Philza, Wilbur Soot, Technoblade, Tommyinnit

Warnings: none

Series: a request :)

Summary: Wilbur brings home a new friend so his family can meet them. To Phil’s shock it is a Dragon Hybrid, just one of the rarest kind of people out there that tend to stay away from society. No big deal really. Then again of course Wilbur managed to befriend them.

Words count:

Authors Note: I am not too knowledgeable on easter Dragons so I generalized it more into the Dragons I know of, I hope this is fine :0

Wilbur threw open the gate that led into the front yard of his home.

Philza was currently kneeling in the dirt as he took care of the growing vegetables and other plants. It was his little hobby to take care of these plants, though he isn’t the only one who took care of them. Technoblade, the oldest child of his, begun taking interest in this little hobby of his as well. Though right now Philza was working alone. His clothes covered in dirt but still wearing gloves that protected his hands from it.

As he looked up, curious why suddenly the gate crashed shut, he could see an incredibly happy looking Wilbur standing in front of another teen.

He had to do a double take as he realizes who was standing next to him. Blue scales were growing along their jawline, sneaking at times into the face and going down their throat and arms. Ending at their fingertips. Philza also managed to spot unmistakably gills at the side of their throat, now closed shut due to them being in the air.

Though the thing that was probably the biggest give away to their nature was the long, elegant tail behind their legs. Swishing around nervously in the air. It was mesmerizing to see the scales moving around and glinting in the sun.

On their back was a shining and sharp looking Trident. The bright and colorful shine alone gave him idea enough of how incredibly well enchanted the weapon must be.

Philza threw his gloves off and walked closer to Wilbur, his face contorted into a mix of shock and worry while Wilbur looked like he just had the best day in a long while. For some reason he couldn’t help but suspect that Wilbur must have done something.

“Hey, dad! I wanna show you my new friend!”

“Friend? What do you mean friend?”

He needed to know more. During his travels he has only met a few Dragon Hybrids since they liked to keep to themselves. It was rare to meet one and he was pretty sure it was near to impossible to get them to leave their clan to follow someone else around like this. Knowing Wilbur something must have happened, then again, he was quite charismatic and has surprised Philza before with his people skills.

Wilbur nodded enthusiastically “Yes! This is Y/N and they are my cool friend! We met a few weeks ago.”

Well, that explained why he suddenly visited the ocean so often.

Y/N took a step forward and gave Phil a quick nod as a greeting “Hello, I hope this isn’t a bad time. Wilbur just told me so much about his family that I couldn’t help but be curious. He just wanted to help me satisfy my own curiosity towards people on the outside.”

And here was the explanation why they just followed Wilbur like this. They were curios and not afraid enough to follow up on it.

“Ah, okay. It’s, uh, fine. My name is Philza. Nice to meet you Y/N.”

It was obvious that Phil was still trying to wrap his head around this situation. It just kind of felt unreal and yet it just made sense. This family and the world were already so Ender damned weird, this might as well happen.

Wilbur didn’t seem to be bothered by his father’s clear confusion “Where are Techno and Tommy, by the way? Are they home?”

Phil slowly nodded “Yeah. Both should be in the house.”

“Thanks, Dad. Let’s go Y/N! You have to meet my brothers as well!”

He then grabbed Y/N’s hand and pulled them along towards the old but sturdy wooden door that led into their home.

Before Wilbur could open it though Phil yelled out one more thing towards Y/N “If any of my sons are too much or just generally annoying don’t hesitate to get me, I also give you full permission to just tell them off.”

Y/N couldn’t give him an answer though since Wilbur just opened up the door and dragged them in but at this point they were used to Wilbur and taking the charge like this at times so all they did was follow along.

“Your father seems nice, even if a bit sur-“ but Y/N couldn’t finish the sentence. Wilbur pressed his finger against his lips, giving them the sign to be quiet. They were confused but begun following Wilbur as he slowly opened up a door to what Y/N assumed to be the living room.

In the middle of a couch, with his back turned towards the door, sat another teenager with pink hair and pink ears poking out of it.

They might have never met him, but Y/N could immediately tell that this must be Technoblade. The older one between the twins. Even if only by two minutes according to Wil.

Now, Y/N was very interested in meeting Technoblade as well since he too was a Hybrid and they had only been in contact with fellow Dragon Hybrids.

Though right now, Y/N was just watching.

Watching Wilbur who was sneaking up on his brother. His hands out, obviously he planned on somehow scaring him by suddenly touching his shoulder. And just as he got close enough to slam his hands down, Techno loudly shut his book.

The next thing Y/N heard was a bang and saw that Wilbur sank down to the ground, holding his nose and crying out in pain. Techno’s hand with the book in the air.

He slammed the book into Wilbur’s face.

Y/N let out a chuckle but more out of surprise than anything. They knew from Wilbur that Techno was an incredible fighter and had amazing reflexes but somehow they didn’t expect this.

“What the hell, Y/N. Here I am on the ground dying and all you do is laugh?”

They just rolled their eyes and helped Wilbur back up. His nose was a bit red but nothing more, he probably reacted more out of shock than anything.

Technoblade stood up with a sigh and turned around “You really think I couldn’t hear you? I knew as soon as I heard your sneaking steps what you were planning, nerd.”

With Techno now turned around Y/N couldn’t help but be amazed by his Hybrid features. Two huge tusk decorated his face, bristle like fur growing along his arms and now they could see that the ears were definitely that of a pig.

As Y/N stared at him and Wilbur was still cursing his brother out, Techno noticed how Y/N’s gaze was transfixed on him in awe.

He raised one of his eyebrows “Uh, hi?”

Y/N’s eyes widened “Oh! Sorry! My name is Y/N! Wilbur was so nice to show me around since I usually stay with my own clan.”

His own gaze fell then onto his brother who just nodded to show that this was indeed the truth “Mhm, yeah. Pretty much, also, I was so quiet! How did you hear me?”

As an answer Techno just pointed at one of his animal ears “I have better hearing, remember?”

Wilbur scoffed “Yeah, yeah. You are so much better than us. Better hearing, better nose and even better eyes, but we non-Hybrids are pretty cool too.” He then looked at Y/N expectantly as if to wait for them to support his statement.

But Y/N just squinted their eyes and took a good second to stare Wilbur down “Are you- You know who you are talking to, right? I can breathe under water, my eyes are better as well and I have a Ender damned tail.”

“Okay, maybe I talked to the wrong person.” He admitted.

Techno chuckled and moved next to Y/N and held his hand up, palm towards them. It took them a small moment to understand but their own palm soon clapped together with Techno’s.

“Hybrid Buddies?” he asked.

“Hybrid Buddies.” Y/N confirmed.

They might only really know Techno now for about a minute, but they could tell he mostly did this to infuriate Wilbur even more.

Wilbur just sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth “Tommy? Get to the living room for a sec!”

“Oh, are you getting backup?” Techno mused.

At this point Wilbur just looked unamused, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the youngest brother to react.

The sudden sound of rumbling and loud steps from above seemed to be this answer.

“What do you want Wil! I was working on something! Wait, who is that?” Tommy begun yelling out as soon as he arrived at the stairs only to stop once he walked into the room properly to see Y/N who greeted him with a little wave.

“This is Y/N. I met them a while ago and wanted to show them where we live.” Wilbur put his arm around his younger brother as he begun explaining.

Tommy seemed to be incredibly confused but nonetheless intrigued. His eyes darting from Y/N to Wilbur and only for a split second jumping to Techno “Okay? Hello, Y/N. I’m Tommy.” He then squirmed away from beneath Wilbur’s arm, taking a closer look at them “Woah! What are you? You look awesome! Is that a trident? I thought they were super rare! It’s also enchanted! I mean… you seem to be alright, I guess.”

Y/N laughed, more at the reactions of both Wilbur and Techno who seemed to grow incredibly tired as Tommy went along with his usual spiel “Oh! I’m a Water Dragon Hybrid! Also, yeah, I got that trident from my parents as a way to protect myself. We primarily live in or close of water, so, tridents are incredibly useful to us. Also, they mean a lot to us as well.”

They then got the trident off their back to let Tommy have a better look at it. He looked awestruck. Not only at the revelation that Y/N was a Dragon Hybrid but that weapon seemed to really have enamored him somehow.

A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes as he looked back up “This is cool but nothing against me and my sword.”

Technoblade seemed to be bewildered at that “You just have an iron sword what are you talking about?”

But Wilbur put his hand on Techno’s shoulder “No, no. Let him. Let’s just watch.” It was clearly Wilbur’s chaos was getting the better of him and Techno was too tired to deal with that.

“Your sword? Are you sure? Even if you have an enchanted iron sword, I’m pretty sure it would be nothing against a trident, especially since I am very well trained with this weapon.” Y/N seemed almost smug.

Tommy puffed up his chest and placed his hands at his sides “But my father is the one and only Philza and he taught me everything! There is no way you even stand a chance against me! Fight me and I’ll prove it to you!”

Y/N rolled their shoulders “Okay, little one, let’s get outside and fight! I’ll show you.”

“Little one? Little one?!” Tommy repeated flabbergasted. How dare they call him little.

The sound of the closing front door rung out through the house which was soon followed by an annoyed groan “I swear by Ender. I leave you alone for a few minutes and I already hear Tommy screaming about wanting to fight our guest. Amazing first impression for Y/N.”

He appeared at the door, gloves still on this time. His expression pulled down into a strict frown as he looked around at the scene in front of him.

Both Tommy and Y/N were standing in the middle of the room, turned towards each other due to their bickering while Techno and Wilbur stood to the side. Techno had a skeptical look about him while Wilbur couldn’t help but smirk at the argument of the two.

He purposefully didn’t say it, but Y/N was being trained as a full-fledged warrior of their clan. It was their job to keep off mobs and unwanted guests away from their family. Tommy would have no chance against them, but he couldn’t help but still wanting to see it. Besides Y/N wouldn’t seriously hurt him.

Honestly if anything Wilbur really wanted to see Techno and Y/N fight. In Wilbur’s eyes Techno was definitely the best fighter he knew but Y/N was a close second and while he couldn’t understand it, he also knew that those two would probably bond over fighting each other.

Tommy pointed at Y/N “Well, they started it! Just strutting in here with a weapon! I have to protect our home!”

Philza shook his head, already done with his mischief “Is that right?” He directed that question towards the other teens.

Wilbur just continued smiling while Y/N and Techno just shook their heads.

“Alright. Tommy, stop lying and no fighting. How about you guys just help me make food, at least then I know what you guys are up to.”

This seemed to pull Wilbur back out of his chaotic loving thoughts “Oh! That reminds me! Can we make cookies? Y/N never had any.”

Even Techno, who acted calm and collected, looked shocked towards Y/N. They lived for this long with never eating any cookies? Now that just seemed wrong.

“Sure. Let’s make some cookies then. Is that alright Y/N?”

Y/N’s eyes widened “Oh? Uh, yes! I would love to! It seems to be a big thing that I never had any so I really want to try them!”

Excited Tommy threw his arms in the air “Cookies!”

Laughing at his little brothers’ antics, Wilbur joined in and cheered as well “Cookies!” He then followed said brother and his father out the living room and into the kitchen. Leaving Y/N and Techno behind.

While Y/N was excited as well they were still a bit overwhelmed with this sudden reaction right after being threatened by Tommy. Techno seemed to notice this and put one of his hands on their shoulder “Don’t worry too much about what Tommy said. He was seriously impressed by you, but he unfortunately has an incredibly huge ego with nothing to back it, hence the insults and threats. So don’t worry too much about it. Wilbur seems to really enjoy your company and I too think you are… interesting company. Yes, let’s say that. If you are really such a great fighter, we definitely have to spar at some point though. I rarely get the chance to test my skills against other people besides my family and mobs.”

“I would love that.”

“Nice. Let’s join the others. Seriously, you have never eaten any cookies? How is that possible?”

[marrys-dream-world]

Imposter

Read on AO3

Summary:  Adrien's mother is kind and sweet and loving. The only problem is that it isn't her at all.

Notes: This is based off on this post by @infinitysgrace and a post athat I can’t find anymore, but was about how Emilie’s eye color could be wrong in the wishmaker flashback because it wasn’t her, it was a sentimonster. I took some liberties with sentimonster lore because I’m not 100% sure about all that, but I think it turned out well. 

One of Adrien’s earliest memories is of crying. 

He was young, perhaps three or four, and his room was blurry through his tears. When he grew older, he would get used to his father’s insistence that a night light was coddling Adrien, but at the moment, all he knew was the darkness surrounding him. The room was too big and his bed was in the middle of it, the light from the huge windows playing shadows that tricked his eyes. So he started crying, hoping it would call his parent’s attention and that they would come to him.

(When he grew older, he would learn that crying was useless.)

He felt more than saw his mother coming in, leaving the door open in a crack of light. Her arms wrap around him and she hums soothingly, the sound filling up his chest. She’s warm and smells sweet, like her favorite lavender perfume. He sinks into her, tears drying and sobs reducing to whines. He has tired himself out with that and would probably fall asleep even if left alone, but his mother doesn’t leave. She tucks him in and stays as his eyes close.

The last thing he sees are her wide blue eyes. 

-

Both his parents have drastic mood changes, but Adrien would say that his mother is the most prominent example of this. His father is usually just stoic and, if Adrien pushes him enough, gets annoyed with him. At worst, he’ll get angry and rage at Adrien, calmed down only by his mother’s calm words as she diverts his attention so Adrien can get away. His mother, though, always feels like whiplash.

“Why can’t I go with you?” Adrien, aged seven, asks his mother. He’s sitting on her bed as she packs her bag for another trip with his father. He stopped keeping count of them after the fifth. 

“You’re too young, baby.” She said and even the pet name didn’t stop the sting from her dismissive tone. “Next time, okay?”

He bits back a ‘you said that last time, too’. 

“But I’m already- “

“Adrien.” His mother chides, frowning. Her (disappointed) green eyes held him down. “I said you could stay here with me if you weren't going to be disruptive. Can’t you behave, just this once?”

He swallows back a lump in his throat. “I-I’m sorry, mother.”

But she already turned her back to him and packed the rest of her bag in silence. His mother leaves out her customary goodbye kiss when she leaves for the trip. He isn’t allowed downstairs to see them go and Nathalie insists it isn't a punishment, even though it feels like it. Adrien mopes in his room, not feeling up to enjoy his free day, no tutors or photoshoots, when all he can think about is his mother.

That’s why he’s taken back when she walks in his room.

“Mother?” He gaps, unable to hide his surprise. “I thought you left. Aren’t you going to miss your trip?!”

“I changed my mind, Adrien. Your father and I decided that the trip would be more productive with just him.” She said, eyes warm. Adrien always thought it was beautiful how her eyes could look blue or green, depending on the light. 

“But why?” He asked. She had been so excited for the trip!

“To stay with my precious son, of course.” His mother said, taking him into her arms.

All his questions evaporated right then and there. 

-

After their last trip, his parents decided to take a break from traveling. To network, his father informed him, which meant more boring family dinners and stiff ties. His mom always tuts when he complains about it, so he stays silent this time. At least it’s a dinner with Chloé, his best friend, and her family, so he and her are really only required to have dinner and then they can go off and play in the hotel rooms. 

“Arnold- “ Mrs. Bourgeois starts during dinner, before being nervously corrected by her husband.

“It’s Adrien, dear.”

“Oh right, Adrien. You grew up really well, you look more like your mother everyday.” Other people say it gushing, followed by a ‘so cute’ and pinches to the cheek. Mrs. Bourgeois says it like it’s a fact she approves of; Chloé even copies the small nod her mother makes. “You have her eyes.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I don’t think so.” He says as politely as he can, but everyone in the table still throws him confused glances.

“You don’t think you look like your mother?” His father asked, raising an eyebrow.

Adrien shook his head. “No, I just don’t think I have her eyes. Mother’s eyes are blue and green and mine are just green.”

The Bourgeois family looks at him like he grew a second head. His parents, however, become tense all of sudden.

“Emilie, Gabriel, I think your son might be colorblind.” Mrs. Bourgeois says dryly and Adrien waits for his parents to come to his defense. They don’t. 

“Maybe. You know how children are.” His mother says, lightly. “I love your hat, Audrey. Is it new?”

The topic changes to Audrey’s new fashion exploits and Adrien and Chloé are finally allowed to go play. 

(Nathalie takes him to an eye doctor Mr. Bourgeois recommended the next day. The colorblind tests come back as negative.)

-

At age eight, Adrien was already used to working on fashion shows for his father’s brand. It didn’t make them easier to go through, however. 

It’s a summer one, this time, and his clothes are light and airy and his skin felt itchy and hot in the air conditioned cat walk. Looking at the bright lights around him hurt and the camera felt like it was looking uncomfortably deep into his soul. Was it too obvious that he wanted to run away? The crowd claps everytime he comes and everyone is smiling. Except for his father. 

After the show, his father spends the rest of the ride in silence as his mother tries to defuse the heavy tension that permeated the air with small talk and gushing compliments about the clothes and Adrien’s performance. It falls flat as she hardly looks like she’s up for talking, dark shadows under her eyes and skin paler than usual. Whenever Adrien asks her if she’s sick, she denies. As soon as they arrive home, he drags Adrien from the car towards the house, grip strong on his left upper arm. 

“Do you enjoy embarrassing me in front of everyone, Adrien?” His father asked calmly, but his hand tightened on his arm. 

Adrien couldn’t speak. It felt like it was happening to someone else, his mind weirdly detached from the situation. The only thing stopping him from floating away was the pain in his arm. 

“That’s enough, Gabriel.” He heard his mother, voice muffled. It felt like he was underwater in the pool and she was speaking from far away. Her hand, though, he felt acutely as she extricated his father’s hand from his arm. “Adrien, go, please.”

He runs away without second thought, only pausing guiltily at leaving his mother with his irate father when he starts hearing his father’s screaming. Adrien hides under the blankets in his room, heart racing long after the noise stops as he tries to focus his mind into anything else. He startles when he feels a hand touching his blanket cocoon. 

“Shhh, it’s okay, baby.” He hears his mother’s voice and frantically tears his blanket away. 

Adrien relaxes as he looks into her wide blue eyes and comforting smile, trying to leap for a hug. She stops him. 

“Let me see your arm first.” She says and he reluctantly takes off his jacket, wincing. The bruise on his arm doesn’t look pretty, so it’s for the best that he doesn’t go out much after fashion shows. “I can’t believe I let you get hurt.”

Her tone is soft and she looks, weirdly enough, genuinely confused as she touches the bruise on his arm and coos in apology as he flinches. 

“Father is just stressed.” Adrien parrots back his mother’s usual spiel after his dad does something less than exemplary. “It’s just how she is, it’s okay.”

"It 's not okay.” His mother says right away. “I’m supposed to not let anything hurt you, Adrien.” 

She says that with such a passion that he can believe she actually means it. But instead of the elation he expected when he heard it, all he felt was a surge of anger. Because why now? After all those moments when she scolded him for avoiding his father or not looking him in the eye, why now?

“There isn’t anything we can do about it, is there?.” He snaps, echoing her words to him from what felt like yesterday. 

She deflated. “I’m sorry. There isn’t.”

-

His father went away from a trip again and his mother, once again, decided to stay. 

Spending time with his mother during father’s trip was great, especially since she was in such a good mood and looking much healthier than she did these days. She lets him have an extra scoop of ice cream for dessert as soon as Nathalie turns her back on them, she spends the whole day playing with him in the garder, she helps with his homework and makes him a snack between classes. They play the piano together, making up different tunes and giggling. 

“Don’t I have to practice this?” He asked, pointing to the sheets of the classical song he was supposed to learn. 

His mother wrinkled her nose.

“You already work too hard, Adrien, it’s nice to have some fun once in a while.” She said, twisting her wedding ring on her finger. She usually didn’t wear it when spending time with him, only when she spent time with father, so it caught his attention. “Besides, nobody has to know.” 

They watch a movie he picked that night. His mother rarely did that and when she did, she was very picky about it. Artist stuff, he supposed. This time he got to choose, though, and he picked on based on a manga he liked, Astroboy. His mother seemed excited in the beginning, but her mood quickly subdued as the movie went on. 

“Are you not liking it?” He whispered to her and she shook her head.

“I am, baby, don’t worry. Are you?”

“Yeah. It's not really like the manga, but I like it.” He said. “I just think it’s a little unfair, you know. How he doesn’t know he isn’t really the scientist’s son, that he’s just a robot.”

His mother’s arms tighten around him. “I don’t think it’s unfair.”

“Really?” Adrien watched as the images from the screen played on his mother’s blue eyes.

“Really.” She repeated. “Him knowing would be crueler.”

-

At age ten, Adrien is awakened on a rainy night by his mother shaking him.

It was the night his father was supposed to come back from a trip and he had spent a fun day with his mother, studying and playing (“You need both to be a healthy boy, Adrien!” She grinned at him and he beamed back at her). His mother had looked a little skittish earlier, looking over her shoulder often only to just find Natahalie and fidgeting with the ring on her hand, that she usually wore every time his father was traveling. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong and insisted she hadn’t been sick. Nevertheless, he worried. 

“Mother, what’s wrong?” He asked, sleepiness fading away as he noticed how frantic she looked. 

“Adrien, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Every moment I’ve been conscious, it’s been on my mind. Can you trust me?” She asked him, stroking his head with the hand that wore her wedding ring, and he nodded. “I need you to pack a small bag and come with me, okay? We’re going on a trip, just you and me.”

“A trip?” It was all he ever wanted, but the look in his mother’s blue eyes made him hesitate. “Is everything okay?”

“No, baby.” She said, kissing the top of his head. “But it will be. Hurry up, I need you to pack while I handle some things. Meet me downstairs in five minutes, okay?”

With anyone else, even his father, he would have asked more questions. This was his beloved mother, though, so he just got up and started to pack his clothes and some of his stuff that he couldn’t do a few days without. He carefully closed his door, running down the stair and to his mother by the door. She looked damp, her outfit changed and an umbrella hanging by her feet along with some bags. 

“Adrien?” She asked, turning her green eyes to him. In her left hand, she held her wedding ring.

“Mother? Are you okay?” He asked, noting how much paler and shakier she looked than when he saw her upstairs. 

“Yes, of course.” His mother said as she put her wedding ring back on. “Whatever I said to you upstairs, forget it, okay?”

“W-what?”

“I didn’t know what I was saying.” She said, eyes staring straight at her ring. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen again. Go back to bed, baby. Your father is back earlier than expected and he won’t like to see you up so late. ”

He nodded, unwilling to argue, and took his bag back with him to his room. His mother suddenly acting weird and standoffish wasn’t anything new, it was fine. She would go back to being his sweet, kind mother soon enough. He was sure of it. 

(She never did.)

[theoddcatlady]

Third Shift

Vampires were a noble breed. A cut above the rest. Elegant, classy, and perfect in every way.

“Would you like fries with that?”

It was hard to be any of those things when you had to wear a stupid cap with golden arches on it. But frankly, Isaac needed to pay rent somehow, and third shift at McDonald’s was all he was qualified for.

Isaac groaned and pressed his fingers against his eyeballs once the latest customer left with their order. “How much longer until I can clock out?” He groaned to no one in particular.

“You still have two more hours, Isaac.”

Ah, there was his boss. Ed slid in beside Isaac, his eyes bloodshot and smelling like he’d just had a fresh encounter with a skunk. “You good?” He asked.

“Mmm…” Isaac took a deep breath (regretting it quickly, he’d never cared for the smell of marijuana and he didn’t believe he’d ever been around Ed without the man being stoned) before he nodded. “I got it. You can head into the back.”

Deep breath. Just another two hours. He was over a century in age. He could last another two hours.

He heard someone approaching and went into his spiel. “Welcome to McDonald’s, what would you-”

“Hey Isaac.”

No. No way. Isaac froze for a moment before he slowly looked up. The woman across from the counter wouldn’t appear as anyone special, just another person with the late night munchies. But last time Isaac saw her, he had come very close to getting a stake through the head.

“Juliette?”

Read On...

If you’d like to see more stories in this style, let me know by liking/reblogging this post!

(Big thanks to @sanguisfulgur​ / @lunakinesis​​ for being a huge source of inspiration for these stories. They’ve forever influenced how I write my vampires, and I can’t praise their writing enough. <3)

[plaidbooks]

Unlikely Timing

A/N: This is an AU based off a thing William said in an episode--he mentioned Mike wanting to bartend at a place called Lucky’s after the Army. So, here’s bartender!Mike Dodds x writer!reader. This covers the Writer square in @adarafaelbarba​ moodboard bingo!

Tags: alcohol mention

Words: 1131

Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart​ @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @permanentlydizzy  @ben-c-group-therapy @infiniteoddball @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @lv7867  @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @alwaysachorusgirl @glimmerglittergirl @joanofarkansass  @caracalwithchips @berniesilvas​ @qvid-pro-qvo  @averyhotchner​

You’ve been meaning to get out of the house more often recently; you were pushing yourself to write in your novel every day. It didn’t have to be huge strides or writing hundreds of pages in one setting. As long as you wrote something every day, that was a win. But this also meant that your free time outside of work was now dedicated to sitting in your house, typing away. So, as a compromise, you decided to go to a restaurant to write.

You tried a few different places, trying to find a place that 1) had decent food and cheap drinks and 2) had a good vibe for writing. After a week of searching, you found that you enjoyed a restaurant with a bar inside called Lucky’s. Not only was the food good and the atmosphere friendly, but the bartender was way too cute.

The first day you showed up, you were a little nervous; it was almost completely empty of people. To be fair, though, it was also a Thursday afternoon, but still. The bartender gave you a bright smile as you came in, quickly grabbing some menus and coming over to you.

“Anywhere you want,” he said.

You chose a tall table that was near the bar, but far enough to keep your space in case it became busy. “Is it always this dead in here?” you asked as he gave you the food and drink menu.

“On a Thursday afternoon? Yeah, usually. This place is more for dinner and weekends…plus sports games,” he explained.

You smiled. “Good; that means I can miss the crowds.”

He smiled back. “Not a big crowd person? And you live in New York?”

You laughed and he chuckled. “Usually I don’t mind, but I have, uh, work to do.” You placed your laptop on the table, and he nodded.

“Well, now’s the perfect time. Though, I do have to give you the spiel,” he grinned, and you leaned on an elbow, head resting on your hand, heart melting at that smile. “My name is Mike and I’ll be your server today. Drink specials on Thursdays are peach margaritas, and my own special called Mike’s Special.”

“And what’s in a Mike’s Special?” you purred.

His smile widened, and you swore his eyes dropped to your lips before flicking back. “Vodka, peach bellini, orange juice, and a spritz of sprite for some bubbles.”

“Sounds sweet.”

“Just like me,” he joked, and you chuckled again. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear he was flirting with you.

“I’ll take it,” you said, smirking.

Mike gave you a nod. “One Mike’s Special, coming up.” With that, he went back behind the bar, taking out a pint glass and his materials. He knew you were watching as he started flipping bottles, showing off for you. You giggled as he threw a bottle from one hand to the other, pouring liquid after liquid in. He put the shaker on top, making sure it was sealed before he started shaking it, looking at you while he did. You gave him a sultry smile, and he gave you a wink.

He took the shaker off, then took some cherries and tossed them over his shoulder, hitting 2 for 3. “Impressive,” you said, giving him a pity clap.

Mike bowed before bringing your drink over to you. “I try my hardest. Know what you wanna eat?”

You felt heat in your face as you realized you hadn’t looked at the menu yet; you’ve been watching him. “Uh, I was a little distracted…” you said sheepishly.

He gave you a smirk. “Happens to everyone. I’ll give you some time; just holler if you find something you like.” He headed back behind the bar to clean the glasses, his back to you as he rinsed them. But instead of looking at the menu, you found yourself stuck watching him.

 ***********************

You didn’t go to Lucky’s every day, of course, but you did start going at least once a week. You always went in the middle of the day, when no one was there. Well, no one except Mike. He always seemed to be working when you went in…not like you were complaining. You both flirted with each other every time, something you just figured he did with everyone for better tips. But when other people were there, he never flirted like he did with you. He’d be nice, and he took care of everyone that came in, but he always gravitated back to you, chatting with you constantly.

He knew to stay away when you were typing, at least. You had told him you were working on a novel, and he gave you your space, only coming over to refill your food or drink. But every now and again, when you had that look on your face, he’d come to talk to you.

“So, what’s your novel about?” he asked one day.

Your face heated. It’s not that you were embarrassed of your writing; you were embarrassed because, well, you had written Mike into it. After the first day at Lucky’s, you had a dream that night—a sexy dream about Mike. And since then, you couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“It’s a, uh, romance novel…. Not one of those cookie-cutter, photoshopped-abs-on-the-cover ones…though there’s nothing wrong with those, I just…. It’s a romance novel that’s about a woman searching for the love of her life in all the wrong places before she, um, finds him in an unlikely way,” you said, internally wincing at your summary. You didn’t mean to ramble on like that, but you were nervous that he’d somehow find out that the love interest was…him, with yourself as the lead.

Mike had nodded along with you, not at all looking judge-y or embarrassed. “I like that; it’s like a coming-of-age novel but for adults…. I mean, I assume it’s not a young adult novel?”

“It’ll be marketed towards 20- to 30-year-olds, but anyone can read it. I don’t, uh, plan on anything raunchy.” Your face was on fire as you said that, and you wanted to bury your face in your hands.

But Mike smiled softly. “That sounds great; it’s a great message. Sometimes, instead of looking for love, you should just…live your life and jump at the opportunities as they present themselves. I think love finds you when you’re not searching for it.”

“Y—yeah, I agree,” you replied, relaxing since he was being so sweet about this.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything.” He gave you another one of his heart melting smiles before heading back to the bar. Your heartrate doubled from the smile, and you found yourself watching him once more, unable to focus on your work.

[megsmulti]

Day 2: “If we don’t get out of here-” “We will!”

First off, before I begin, I just want to give a special thank you to @fighterkimburgess for introducing me to this rare, but beautiful, ship. I know you’re going through some things right now, so I hope this puts a smile on your face!

This takes place around s3 of Med, around the time when Sarah Reese’s father comes to Chicago. 

                            ----------------------------------------------

Sarah Reese was not having a good day. Or week as far as she was concerned. Her father came back into town and at first, she was elated to see him, but now that she found out that he’s supposedly a psychopath, how was she supposed to feel about all of this? 

She had a patient waiting up in the psych ward, so she decided to take the elevator because she was almost late and she didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer. However, someone else wanted to take the elevator as well. 

“Dr. Reese,” Connor said. 

“Dr. Rhodes,” Sarah replied.

“How are things with your dad going?” He was the doctor that was working on the man’s heart after all, so it never hurt to check in. 

“Oh, same ol, same ol.” A ding sound was heard and the elevator opened. Connor let Sarah go first, being ever the gentleman. There was no one else coming, so it looks like it will be just the two of them heading up to where they needed to go. 

The elevator was working fine and dandy for about a minute or so until it started moving frantically and the lights were flickering all over the place, jerking both of them around. 

“Whoa!”

“What the hell?” Connor muttered. The elevator suddenly stopped. “Great, just great!” He slammed his hand on one side. “Of course, on the day I have a huge surgery planned!” The lights came back on. 

“I’m sorry, Connor.” 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Looks like it’s just the two of us for a while.” Sarah nodded. Boy, did the day just get longer. 

                       -------------------------------------------------

About half an hour passed since Connor and Sarah got trapped in the elevator. They tried everything, including pressing buttons on the panel, (yes, they did call the fire department without a phone signal) to finding weird and obscure ways out. Obviously, they were unsuccessful. 

“I swear to god, if we don’t get out of here-” Connor said, patience running way past thin now. 

“We will!” Sarah replied. Neither one of them could blame the other for being on edge. Their patients were probably worried sick and it’s all because a damn elevator decided to be stubborn. 

Connor leaned on the side wall and sat down. He figured if he was gonna be stuck inside this thing for a while, he might as well rest while doing so. 

“Sarah, I’m sorry I’m springing all of my anger onto you.” She didn’t seem worried about it in the slightest. “It’s just that every time a surgery of mine gets canceled for some reason, Dr. Bekker ends up gloating about hers when she gets done with the patient she was working on.” Sarah just looked at him, seeing if he’ll say more. “I’m just tired of it. Tired of needing to prove myself to be validated. I’ve already had enough of that throughout my life as it is.”

“I understand.” Connor looked up. “What you’re going through.” He was confused. “I lied earlier when you asked me how things with my dad were going.” 

“Well, how are they going?” 

Sarah sighed. Looks like it was her turn to confide in him. “Not that great. Apparently, Dr. Charles received a package that contained newspaper clippings of women that went missing. My dad taught in those exact same cities on the exact same days of those incidents.” Connor widened his eyes, not liking where this was going. “Come to find out he murdered them.” She was in tears at this point and he wasn’t sure what to do. “I didn’t know about all of this until a few days after he got the package.” 

“God, Sarah. No one deserves to go through that.” Sarah swears she’s heard that message a million times before. She knew Connor meant well, but that sentence gets old real fast. “How do you feel about all of this?” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t know. I don’t know whether to be angry at my dad for killing innocent women and being some kind of deranged lunatic or whether to be mad at Dr. Charles for keeping something this important from me for so long.” 

“Just go with your gut.” Connor’s really piling on the wisdom today, isn’t he? “Go with your gut and see where it takes you.” He added on a light smile at the end of his spiel. 

“I’m also worried that I’ll end up a psychopath.” 

“Sarah, if I know anything about you, it’s that you are super loyal to your patients. I know damn well that you didn’t stop until you got a diagnosis on Robin when she was sick. You were the only person I trusted to be her psychiatrist because I know you would shoot me straight and not give me pity like everyone else would’ve.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. You’re also willing to step up to the plate and help out when needed, even if the patient isn’t yours. That’s the kind of person you are and I am so happy and grateful to be friends with that person.” Connor full well knew what was going on inside Sarah’s head. He was telling her that she won’t end up like her father. It’s the same message that he’s been trying to tell himself for years. 

“Thanks, Connor. I know you weren’t planning on being a therapist to a psychiatrist of all people, but I needed that.” He laughed. Leave it to Connor Rhodes to make you feel better even when he’s not in the best of moods himself. 

Both of them heard a noise outside the elevator. Tools were being inserted inside and a lieutenant was barking orders at his crew. CFD must have showed up and they weren’t paying attention. Within minutes, the door to the elevator opened and they were able to get out. Everyone in the ED crowded around, worried about their friends. 

Connor & Sarah might not have been super close, but it took the two of them being stuck in an elevator to feel like more than that. Not more than platonic, but closer than ever before. Their friendship is not going to be taken for granted again, that’s for sure. 

[atlabeth]

transferred part four - atla smau

TRANSFERRED - zuko x fem!reader

masterlist | part 3 | part 5

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well.

warning: cursing

a/n: IM SORRY I KEEP SWITCHING POVS the one at the end is katara lmao

taglist:  @ourbestfriend-mishacollins , @lil-lex1 , @xxshad0wxb1rdxx , @zuko-is-the-sun​ 

You slipped your phone into the back pocket of your jeans and got out of your car, taking a few moments to stretch out your arms and legs after the long drive. It was a little weird to think that this was going to be your new home and university, especially after so long in Kyoshi, but you were honestly looking forward to the change. After the disastrous breakup you endured, it was time for a new chapter. 

Your eyes instinctively snapped over to where you heard a noise, and a huge grin broke out on your face. Two people were coming out of the complex, and they were none other than your two roommates. 

“Sokka, Aang!” You yelled as you ran towards them. You barreled into Sokka and wrapped him in the tightest hug you could muster, looping Aang into it as well for a few moments before you pulled away, smiling so wide your face hurt. 

“Aang, it’s so good to see you, and Sokka — Sokka, you’ve gotten so tall!” You mussed up his hair with your hand which he swatted away. 

“It’s good to see you too, Y/N, but it hasn’t even been that long! And I don’t know how many times I have to remind you that you’re only a year and a half older than me!” 

“Sokka, I haven’t seen you since I moved to Kyoshi for college. It’s been far too long.” You gestured with your head for them to follow you as you started walking over to your car. “And Aang, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you too! You better be treating Katara well.” 

The shorter boy smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, faint red tinting his cheeks. “I like to think I am, we’re really happy together. She’s the best person that I know and the most beautiful girl ever and she always h-” 

“Okay, that’s enough! Seriously Y/N, you don’t have to whip out the interrogations right away.” Despite his complaints, Sokka gave you a genuine smile and you could tell he was just as happy to see you. 

“Whatever. I’m gonna need all the details on everything that’s been going on the past three years. The occasional facetime call has not been enough.” You went to the back of your car and opened your trunk where most of the boxes were, turning your head when you heard another car pulling up. 

“That’s Katara’s car!” Aang exclaimed. “That must be her and the other girls!” 

The car pulled in two spots away from you and as soon as it stopped, an auburn-haired girl jumped out of the driver's seat and streaked over towards you, wrapping you in an even tighter hug than you gave Sokka. 

“Suki!” She was practically suffocating you but you were so glad to see her that you didn’t even care. “I’m so glad you’re here!” 

“Like I would miss my best friend’s moving day?” The two of you pulled away and went through your increasingly elaborate handshake, ending in a hip bump that caused you both to dissolve into giggles. “You look amazing, Y/N. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been together.” 

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore, because I’m here to stay! At least for the next four years.” You laughed and looked over to where your sister was helping Toph out of the car and gave her a wave. 

“As much fun as I’m having with all these greetings, we gotta start moving these fuckin’ boxes! At this rate, I’m gonna be sleeping outside.” You hugged Katara as well when she walked over, then you picked the first box up and motioned with your head for everyone else to get one as you started walking backwards towards the apartment. “Toph is the only one who’s exempt from this, everyone else gets a box and s-” 

You stopped in the middle of your sentence when someone bumped into you from behind, causing you to nearly drop your box. You were just as surprised when you felt hands on your waist, keeping you steady and helping you regain your balance. You turned your head and could immediately feel your cheeks heating up as you hastily moved away, laughing nervously and occupying yourself with the box in your hands. 

“Hey! Zuko! Nice to meet you! It is Zuko, right?” His golden eyes seemed to burn into you, but they were offset by his kind smile and the casual nod he gave you. 

“Yeah, that’s me. Sorry I’m so late, I was showering. I didn’t think you were gonna be here so soon.” He waved at Katara and Suki and they smiled back at him. 

He was even more attractive in person. His jet black hair, still a little wet from his shower, hanging just above his eyes was really doing it for you, and god, his eyes. They were intense, but more like a comforting campfire than a raging wildfire. You didn’t even realize you were staring until Sokka elbowed you. 

Your eyes widened slightly and you quickly averted them, adjusting your hold on the box and letting out another nervous laugh. “Now that we’re all here, how about these boxes, huh? I don’t have that much stuff because I’m broke, which is good for all of you.” 

You had gotten out of your flustered state by the time that everyone had a box in hand, save for Toph, and conversation flowed much easier while you and the rest of the group walked into the complex. 

“How was your drive, Y/N?” Zuko asked, holding the door open with his back as you all filed inside.

You shook your head and scoffed as you hit the button to call the elevator. “As boring as you can imagine. Traffic wasn’t horrible, but I swear I hit every single light on the way here. My music was the only thing that kept me sane.” 

“One pro of being blind is that I always have company in cars, but it also kinda sucks when the only source of conversation you have is Sokka or Katara,” Toph said with a teasing grin. 

“What?” Both of the aforementioned yelled at the same time, causing everyone except them to dissolve into laughter. 

“This is what I missed. I don’t even have to make up for three years of missed teasing because Toph’s had it taken care of.” You patted her on the shoulder as the elevator door opened and everyone filed in. “What floor are we on?” 

“Three. There’s a lot of foot traffic and we have some very annoying neighbors, but it’s one of the cheaper places here!” Sokka pushed the button and the doors closed. 

“Sounds.. fun!” You couldn’t really complain because you had practically begged for Sokka to let you live with him, plus you couldn’t afford anything more than splitting rent four ways in a cheap apartment. “Is there anything else I should know?” 

“Sokka never washes his dishes and only takes out the trash if you yell at him to do it. Zuko always leaves his towels on the ground but he’s a neat freak so the cleanliness of his room leeches into the rest of our apartment, it’s great. And I’m a perfect roommate,” Aang said with his smile that could convince you to give him everything you owned. 

“That is such a lie, Aang! I do everything that I’m supposed to do; your room is a mess that can’t even be cleaned up by Zuko, plus you stay up super late all the time talking on the phone to Katara! Thin walls buddy, THIN. WALLS.” 

“Do you want to talk about thin walls? Because you play your music as loud as possible, and somehow it’s always when I’m trying to study! And every time we drink, you become a huge mess.” After Zuko put his word in, the three boys all started arguing. You made eye contact with Katara and Suki; Katara gave you a sympathetic smile but Suki just grinned. 

“Alright, boys! We’re here, so kindly shut up.” You elbowed Sokka in the side as you walked out of the elevator, giving him an innocent smile when he scowled at you. “Lead the way, bro.” 

~~ 

It took about ten minutes to get all of your boxes in the apartment with six people helping you, and though the girls wanted to stay they had to get back for some stuff relating to their classes. You thanked and hugged them all, and soon it was just you, your brother, your sister’s boyfriend, and the guy that you thought was hot. 

You spun around in the living room before collapsing onto the couch, spreading your arms out above you and sighing heavily. “I feel like I could fall asleep right here.” 

“I hope you can because that’s where you’re gonna be sleeping.” You looked up at Sokka with shock, and he stared back at you for about five seconds until he started laughing. 

“Ah, you should’ve SEEN your face!” He managed to get out through his laughter, wiping a tear from his eye. 

“Do you enjoy causing me pain?” 

“Very much so.” 

“You and Sokka are sharing a room, Y/N. Aang and I are in the other. And don’t worry, there are two twin beds in each so you don’t have to share share,” Zuko explained quickly. 

“Oh, fantastic. My boyfriend always snored a lot so I’ve gotten very good at tuning them out. You’re lucky that I’m the best roommate ever, bro.” 

“First you invade the sanctuary that is my home, and then the sanctuary that is the group chat for the home, and now you embarrass me in front of all of my friends for no reason? You are not my mom!” 

“Come on Y/N, we can show you around your room and the apartment.” Aang interrupted Sokka’s spiel, still going on in the background as the two of you walked over to a door with a large band poster on it. 

Zuko watched your retreating figure with a small smile on his face until you disappeared into the room, snapping out of his trance when Sokka started pulling him towards the room, grumbling about how ‘no one appreciates my genius’ and ‘can’t believe they left me’. 

[forsworned]

[♥] collegeau! unintentionally roommates {renguko kyoujurou x reader}

Genre: Comedy, Slight Fluff(?)

Categories: F/M

Relationships: Renguko Kyoujorou/Reader

Word count: 1,096

a/n: ,,requests are open part 2 here

➽────────────── ────────────── ──────────── ❥ 

Admittedly, it was a little heartbreaking saying your goodbye's to your family as they dropped you off at campus for your first year at college. Your mom couldn't help but sob and give you the old "you were just a baby in my arms and now you're going to college" spiel. And well your dad, he was trying his hardest not to sob as he helped you unload your baggage. You kissed and hugged them before sending them back off on the road. 

An audible sigh of relief and smile tugged at your lips as you carried your things and headed towards your assigned dorm. It was absolutely surreal watching as students filed in and out of buildings. Most of them scrambling to get to their destinations and settle in their spaces, although you were a bit more prepared than most. You were already familiar with campus, which dorm you'd be in and even met and exchanged messages with your soon to be roommate. 

As you headed into the dorm building, you went straight to the elevator and hit the number 3. And as it was about to close, a hand shot right through the crevice of the elevator where the doors were about to meet. You flinched at the swiftness.

How annoying. You grit your teeth. That is until you saw how captivating the person behind the platform doors were. It was like the sun had erupted when the barrier opened and you could've sworn you heard angels singing. Tresses of fiery hair and eyes to match enveloped your vision in a blazing fashion. The fact that someone could pull off hair as good as him just simply had to be a sin. 

"Sorry about that." He beamed. His smile was enough to spread warmth across your cheeks, yet send a shiver up your spine. 

Oblivious to your being moonstruck, he glanced over at the elevator buttons to get to his destination. "Oh, you're living on the same floor as me?"

You could've sworn your heart stopped in that moment. "Y-yeah, you're dorming on level 3, too?"

Yes, please [name]. Please choke on your words some more while you're at it.

The elevator dinged and you both simultaneously stepped out. "Yeah, I'm at Room," He fished out his key card and caught a glimspe of the number. "302."

ROOM 302?!

He was already a short distance ahead of you and you clambered over to him as he watched the keycard do its magic, going from red to green. Your thoughts were absolutely racing as he stepped inside and dropped his bags to the floor. It couldn't be--it literally can't be.

"Huh?" He peeped over his shoulder to see you there gawking at him. "Oh, hey. I never got your name."

"Y-you're dorming...here?" You uttered in disbelief. 

"Yup." He smiled at you again with such intense warmth, but it faltered when he saw you absolutely crumble to the ground. Yup, you definitely just passed out on the ground in front of rank S hottie. Nice one, [name].

╰ ☼ ╮

The sensation of mellowness hugged at your body and you felt the corners of your lips turn into a pleased expression as you opened your eyes and stretched. But were in for a rude or rather splendidly unexpected awakening.

"Oh, [name] you're awake."

Your body completely froze in place. It couldn't be.

Your head slowly rotated in the sound of the voice that you were already aware of who it belonged to. Low and behold, the glorious hottie that was seated in the bed that was, by now, completely furnished across from where you laid. Your body jolted awake, stiff to the bone as you, once again, stare stupidly and vacant at him.

"How do you know my name and where is my roommate?" It was more of a demand than it was a question. He chuckled at your sudden abruptness. Was it warranted? Most definitely. Was it everyday that a girl dormed with guy? Most definitely not.

"Well," He handed you your card and school ID. "You dropped this when you passed on the floor."

Your cheeks flushed red in embarassment. You what?!

"I--passed out?" Thousands of thoughts cascaded through your head as you sat there blank faced. Oh, you were a big idiot [name]. Huge idiot.

"B-but, you--and I--" Your brain felt like it was absolutely fried and scrambled. Distressed, you hurriedly pulled out your phone and scrolled through you emails.

╔ ——————————————— ╗

2 weeks ago at 2:20am

from: vivenne freecs

hey [name], i know this is probably

going to suck when i say this...

╚ ——————————————— ╝

You clicked the lock button on your phone. There was no need for you to read the rest because you knew what it was going to say. It wasn't a mistake. This was your dorm and he was your roommate.

"Hey, are you alright?" His face was contorted with worry as he took a seat next to you. You looked up and smiled weakly at him. 

"Yeah, I can see now that this wasn't a mistake."

"Well, yeah, it's a co-ed dormitory."

"Co-ed?!" You shrieked. That was almost enough to make you pass out again. If your parents found out about this they would totally freak at you. They weren't crazy strict or anything, but living with a boy who wasn't even blood related or that you knew for that matter. Oh, yeah you were totally dead [name].

The sound of chuckling made your ears perk up and you saw the man who's name you still didn't know trying not to make light at you snickering in the palm of his hand. 

"I'm sorry. It's just that it was on the applications when you were signing up for what dorm you wanted to be in, so I thought every one knew." His expression just merely amused watching how you went through the five staged of grief in a span of 5 minutes.

Slowly, you felt the acceptance embrace the inner corners of your brain. Your parents just might kill you if they found out that you were sleeping in the same room as another boy, but fuck it I guess. There was no turning back now. 

"It is what it is." You sighed, running a hand through your hair. "Well, since we're going to be roommates. I should at least know your name."

His eyes twinkled as he spoke and held his hand out."Kyoujorou. Kyoujorou Renguko."

You couldn't help but chuckle as you shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Kyoujorou."

[bondsmagii]

On that topic about cults and the need to belong, I do think you're onto something there. I usually don't even want to go out to hang out with my friends and would rather stay home on my own, and the idea of having organized meetings with a bunch of random people is just... not appealing at all.

Add to that my refusal to give money to almost anything and you have a perfect recipe for me never going anywhere near a cult. I really don't think it has to do with me being smarter (in fact I would say I'm too cynical and that is a double-edged sword sometimes!) just that if you're a cult, who are you gonna try to recruit? The people who are predisposed to listen to you due to their personal history and circumstances, or the ones who are very clearly averse to all that you offer?

Point is every time I've been approached by these types they end up leaving me alone because I just don't want to interact. I will block you if you annoy me enough. Even if what you say sounds interesting, if you try to even slightly pressure me, I will leave the conversation, no questions asked.

Anyway: cults. They don’t like hermits.

exactly lmao. I do see a fair few people online getting kind of smug because they didn't "fall" for a cult or something (usually in spaces dedicated to bitching about MLMs) but really it seems to me to be entirely about personality traits rather than any inherent intelligence just allowing you to see through the bullshit easier. I think a lot of people kind of forget that recruiters know exactly what they're looking for, so if they come across somebody who's antisocial and who doesn't part easily with cash, why are they going to waste their time? I've been lucky enough to only run across a few major cult or cult-like groups in my time, and the first few times (when I was younger) it was my lack of need for a community that allowed me to avoid getting sucked in, and when I was a little older and it was more about potential MLMs, the thing that saved me was simply me being like "nah, I am not interested in a 'fast-paced family environment' that I have to pay to attend the training sessions of" lmao.

related cult-adjacent story: I remember when I was about 14, my parents and I went to Florida to do the whole theme park thing, and we were offered free tickets to Disney if we agreed to spend a morning at a timeshare seminar. my parents were like "oh man this will be bullshit" but decided to go anyway because free tickets, and oh my god. it was insane. we were shown around these condos on a lake and they were admittedly pretty nice, and at first it looked like a really good deal, but then of course it's revealed you'll only "own" it for a couple of weeks a year, and there are all these terms and conditions and hidden costs, and my parents were like yikes. after the tour the group of us (there were about 50 people being shown around) were all brought into this huge room and sat at individual tables, and then the salesmen came out in force. for over an hour we had to sit there with this woman who would just not take no for an answer. finally, when she realised that our answer was not changing, she called her supervisor or whoever he was over. this guy was obviously the Pressure Guy, and he carried around with him a little microphone. every time he got even the most vague 'yes' from people, he would announce it to the whole room on the mic, all faux-celebratory as people came out of nowhere with paperwork and the new "owners" had to sign it then and there. my parents had noticed this and as soon as the guy sat down my dad was like "listen, we're not buying this, we'd like our tickets and to leave" and just as the guy launched into a spiel this absolutely massive cockroach crawled across the floor in front of us lmao. like this guy could have ridden the amusement park rides on his own. my mam started kicking off about it being unsanitary and she made such a fuss that we were marched over to the desk, given our tickets, and kicked out. the complex was so huge that we had to hitch a ride on a dude's golf cart because we were so far from the car and it was like 1pm in Florida and we had no water. dude on the golf cart said he actually hung out by that door because they always did that shit to people who refused to sign up, and he made good tips saving people from heat stroke.

a running joke for a few days was that the supervisor dude was so pissed off with our salesperson that he would murder her and chuck her in the lake, and then we saw on the news that a body had washed up from that very same lake, right on the timeshare grounds. probably was not her (we left shortly afterwards so never saw the identification) but if it was, yikes, and if it was not, very glad we did not get a property where bodies frequently wash up lol. Disney also kind of sucked ngl. was not worth the price of four hours in timeshare hell. don't do it kids.