#and you should all be grateful I didn't include it as an actual option. I took pity.

[obsessedelusional]

Camp Counselor Munson

paring ✦ Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

summary ✦ You’ve been attending summer camp since forever. This year a new camp counselor joins, it’s Eddie. You’re the cheer captain, he’s the town freak. What could possibly happen between you two?Modern AU Contains smut

word count ✦ 4,800ish

authors note ✦ I love Eddie so much ): this took me forever for whatever reason lol hope y’all enjoy

masterlist

FEEDBACK AND REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!!

⊹ ꙳ ✦ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹

This was your seventh year attending Camp Summer Haven. You've been here a few weeks out of every summer vacation since you were 11. Now at 18 years old, headed into your senior year of high school, you were too old to be just an attendee. Since you turned 16 you have been volunteering as a camp counselor. All you really had to do was make sure the six girls you were in charge of didn't miss activities and they made it through the two weeks alive.

You had grown to love this place it was an escape from the real world. Two whole weeks with friends you only seen once a year. With the no phone rule you were able to make actual connections with these people. As the cheer captain at Hawkins a lot of your friendships felt forced. For two weeks you weren’t one of the most popular girls, just another girl at camp. A few of the kids also went to your school but as you got older they stopped showing up. Which you were grateful for, you already spent all school year around them. That was more than enough for you.

"Okay guys, go get settled in your cabins," Trevor, one of the camp leaders, announces to the group of camp counselors in front of him, you included.

"The kids should be here in an hour. When they arrive please make your way to the entrance building so we can get the kids split up between everyone." He explains, passing out the cabin keys. You all nod in agreement before he takes off. Your key lets you know you'd be staying in the Cabin nine, the one the farthest away from everything. Great you mumble to yourself, annoyed.

"Yes! I got cabin two." Jessie cheers.

"Which one did you get?" She asks when she notices your sour attitude.

"Nine," You groaned. Everyone knew that cabin nine was the farthest away so usually the most neglected. Also rarely did it entice camp leaders to make the trek out there. Meaning you could possibly get away with more but that didn't matter because you never tried to get away with anything especially with six kids staying with you.

"Sorry chica," Jessie laughs.

"I'll be fine. Just late to everything." You joke back. You two had gotten extremely close several summers back.

"Well once you get settled in were all gonna meet up at the rec hall and catch up till the kids get here." She smiles when you agree and then you both part ways. Making the long walk to cabin nine.

—

About thirty minutes later your on your way to the rec hall. You changed into your Camp Haven get up. A t-shirt with the green and orange logo and the matching shorts. As a camp counselor you had a few different options to wear, you usually wore the shorts because if you were being entirely honest you liked the way you ass looked in them.

When you enter into the rec hall a few of the girls are standing around in a circle, whispering.

"What are we talking about?" You ask infiltrating their group discussion.

"The newest camp leader." Jessie chimes, her tone of voice leading you to believe he must be hot. You follow her finger where she points to Trevor speaking to the long haired, tattooed camp leader.

"Oooh," you coo agreeing with Jessie, he was fine. At least from behind, his jean so perfectly hugging his butt.

"What do we know? What's his name?" You ask, needing to know all details.

"His paperwork said Edward." Lucy answers your question, she spent most of her time helping in the office so she was the go to for all information.

"That's a ugly name." Lacey laughs. Lucy and Lacey were basically twins always attached at hips. Blonde hair, blue eyes; borderline perfect.

"Maybe he goes by Eddie." Jessie suggests and that's when all the pieces start to connect. You groan outwardly when you realize its none other than Eddie Munson. The long haired "freak" who would make a fool of him self on a daily bases at school.

"What?" Jessie asks at your groan.

"He goes to my school."

"No fucking way." Jessie chirps, all the girls attention on you now.

"Unfortunately yes."

"Girl he is so fine. Why are you so distraught?" Lucy asks, puzzled by my reaction.

"If you went to school with him you'd understand." You tried not to judge anyone but its pretty hard when he's jumping on lunch tables hissing at the jocks, some your friends unfortunately.

"Whatever. I call dibs." Lucy laughs and you listen as they all argue over who gets to claim him. Lucy was known for sleeping around with the male counselors, rumors starting when she was 15. So she'd probably get him, she always got what she wanted.

The bickering comes to a halt when Trevor leads Eddie to the group of girls to introduce him. "Girls this is Eddie he'll be our newest Camp Leader. He’s going to be heading a guitar class.”

You watch the girls as they introduce themselves all basically throwing them selves at Eddie. You can’t help but roll your eyes at them only for your attention to be drawn back to Trevor when he calls on you.

“He says he’s goes to Hawkins, isn’t that where you go?” Your eyes move from Trevor to Eddie, who’s already staring at you.

“Yes it is.” You smile making eye contact with Eddie. You had never been this close before, his eyes were breathtaking. So much that you don’t hear Trevor’s words so he says your name again this time louder.

“Sorry what?” You ask face red giving your full attention to Trevor.

“I was saying maybe you could show him around.” You nod in agreement, eyes wondering to Eddie once again. He’s actively listening to Trevor explain whatever he’s explaining. You’re too busy admiring Eddie’s features up close to listen to the words. Only to be startled when he snaps his eyes towards you, smiling because he caught you staring at him.

“Oh I think I left your cabin key in the office. Follow me and I’ll grab it for you." Trevor says to Eddie before instructing you to stay put so Eddie can find you when they’re done. You nod yes before they leave you alone with the girls again.

“What the fuck was that?” Jessie laughs the question obviously directed at you.

“What?” You ask playing dumb.

“You we’re one second away from full on drooling.” She says, everyone’s eyes on you.

“Sorry he’s so pretty?” You say as a question.

“He was totally checking you out.” Lacey says while Lucy looks pissed.

"Does not matter I called dibs." Lucy snorts.

"You can't call dibs on a whole ass human." Jessie responds, her tone annoyed.

"Still doesn't matter not like he'd want anything to do with her." Lucy says like your not standing right there. Before you can respond for yourself Jessie speaks over you going off on her. Out of the corner of your eye you see Eddie let himself back into the room, the other girls entirely unaware. You make your way towards him leading back out the door he just came through.

“What was that about?” He asks, backpack and a sports bag in hand.

“Just Lucy be her usual terrible self. She’s kind of the worst.” You admit.

“She gives off that vibe.” He laughs, the two of you walking down the dirt walkway.

“We’ll you better be careful your her next victim.” He looks at you confused.

“She called dibs on you.” You further explain.

“Dibs on me?”

“She wants you. Thinks your so fine.” You laugh mocking her bitchy tone.

“I’m good.” He laughs.

“Good.” You say before asking which cabin he got stuck in.

“So what brings you to Camp Summer Haven? You’ve never gave off summer camp energy?” You ask, leading him to his cabin.

“Joey at the music store told me I could make extra cash this summer teaching kids to play guitar.” He explains.

“You’re getting paid?” You ask acting like your upset.

“You’re not?” He asks.

“No I’ve been going here since I was ten now I volunteer.” You explain.

“You don’t give off summer camp energy either.” He responds.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” You smile, walking ahead of him.

—

Eddie follows you around as you show him to his cabin. Where he unloads all his belongings while you sit outside waiting. After that you continue your tour highlighting all the most important places.

“This is the cafeteria. If you’re ever in need of a late night treat I can teach you how to sneak in through a window in the kitchen.” You motion to the window that sits above the sink, the lock has been broken for years. The camp too oblivious to notice.

“Is that an invite?” He asks.

“Perhaps. Promise you won’t say anything. If they find out the lock is broken I don’t think I could ever forgive you.” You tease, sort of joking.

“I promise.” He laughs.

“Good. The ice cream is to die for.”

—

After your tour is over you two head to the front gate to greet the kids. All the camp leaders and counselors are gathered. Trevor quickly approaches the two of you. The two of them start a conversation while you notice Lucy shooting you a dirty look. You slip away from them to find Jessie. She sits at a picnic table with other people so you join her. Mostly sitting in silence listening to everyone else talk.

Shortly after a couple busses filled with children start to show up. Once they’re all off and waiting, Trevor gives his pre camp speech. Letting the children know to get in a single file line so they can check in, turn their phones in and retrieve their cabin number. You end up with six younger girls. You introduce your self to them and they take turns introducing themselves as you all make the trek to Cabin 9.

“So where’s everyone from?” You ask trying to get to know the kids. They all speak at once, firing off their hometowns. Some of them look familiar from previous years, the oldest whose 15 lets you know she’s from Hawkins too. Her names Mandy.

“Hawkins? Do you go to Hawkins High cause I do and I think I don’t recognize you.” You admit.

“Probably cause your one of those stuck up cheerleaders. No you’re actually the queen of the stupid cheerleaders.” She retorts, her eyes rolling back into her head.

“Okay.. just gonna try my best to not get offended by that.” You laugh as an attempt to lighten to mood.

“Whatever.” She says, attitude apparent in her tone. She doesn’t respond again so you continue to converse with the other girls. Pointing out significant places to know while staying at Camp Summer Haven. Once you arrive to Cabin 9, you continue small talk. The clock on the cabin wall lets you know, it’s nearly time for the first get to together.

Everyone slowly shows up in the recreation center, sitting in circles taking turns saying their name, age and fact about themselves. Switching every five minutes as an attempt to have everyone get to know each other. You catch Eddie more than once staring. Or maybe he was catching you staring at him. Who knows?

“Everyone switch!” Trevor yells, so everyone listens. Your with Jessie’s group now, you quickly make you way to her. She leads the activity as you sit back and let her. The kids begin, one after another. You’re not paying any attention, too busy trying to see if Eddie’s back looking at you.

“Girl Lucy is fuming,” Jessie laughs.

“Why?”

“Because she’s trying to get Eddie’s attention but he’s too busy checking you out.” She says, pointing over to where Lucy is sat. Her annoyed face tells you everything you need to know.

“That’s a shame.” You tease, laughing.

—

Dinner rolls around and your group of girls follows you to the cafeteria where you all wait in line. You notice Eddie’s already here sat at a table. When he catches you he smiles and waves, you shoot him a shy smile. Confused why he’s got you feeling this way.

“Disgusting.” Mandy says to you, actually the first thing she’s said to you in hours.

“What?” You ask.

“The way your practically drooling over him.”

“I’m not.” You lie.

“You totally are.” Another girl chimes in, a few years younger than Mandy.

“It’s okay though, he’s so cute.” She adds causing the other girls into a fit of laughter. Only Mandy doesn’t laugh, rolling her eyes for the millionth time.

The line moves slowly but eventually you have your dinner. You follow the girls to where they want to sit, when in reality you kinda really want to sit near Eddie. Your too distracted following the young one ahead of you to notice, the leg that stretches out to trip you. You fall forward, your plate goes flying as you hit the ground with a loud thud. Silence falls over the room. You look up where the leg came from, it’s none other than Lucy. She’s sat there giggling, along with Lacey.

“You should really watch where your walking.” She snickers as you attempt to pick yourself up off the floor. Her plan backfires entirely because a pair of hands lead you up, your greeted by those chocolate brown eyes you haven’t stopped thinking about since you first seen them today.

“You good?” He asks as you get back on your feet, wiping away the dust that sticks to your shirt.

“I am now.” You say and it comes out more flirty than you had intended. Doesn’t matter because the smile that spreads across his lips makes it all worth it. He helps you clean up the mess Lucy created, walking to the trash can with you.

“Thanks for the help.”

“I saw her trip you.”

“That’s Lucy for you.” You respond, looking over to where she’s sat. Her eyes already on you, giving you the nastiest look.

“What did you do to make her feel the need to trip you?” He asks, bringing your attention back to him. You could either play dumb or tell him the exact truth.

“She’s jealous.” His face tells you he wants to know more.

“She thinks there’s something going on between us. She called dibs, remember?”

“Is there?” He asks, shocking you a tad.

“Maybe.” He nods his head, trying to rack his brain. How he came to some random summer camp only for Hawkins Highs Queen to be here, lowkey flirting with him.

“If there is, maybe you’d want to sit with me for dinner. Really stick it to her.” He teases, you bite your lip thinking. Trying to decide what you should do. If anyone from school knew you were throwing yourself at Eddie “The Freak” Munson it’d be social suicide. For the most part you want to believe that you don’t care what they think.

“Yeah let’s do that.” You respond finally.

“Let me grab another plate and then I’ll be there.” You add before leaving to replace the food that was wasted. Once you’ve done that, you race to Eddie’s table sitting right next to him. You smile at Lucy before letting yourself scoot closer to Eddie. He looks down at you with a smile before continuing his conversation with whoever.

“Really Eddie?” You recognize the voice, it’s Mandy.

“What?” He responds.

“You’re just gonna forgive her? She’s the queen of all the people that treat you like dog shit.”

“Mandy stop.” Eddie demands.

“No it’s bullshit.” Mandy yells before standing up and leaving the table.

“Sorry. She’s my cousin, when her mom found out I was working at this camp. She thought it’d be good for her. If you couldn’t tell she has some anger issues.” He explains.

“She’s right though, my friends are dick heads. I’m sorry.” You contemplate leaving, embarrassed.

“You’ve never been a dick. That’s all that matters.” Eddie says, giving you a reassuring smile. When you can’t come up with a response, he continues.

“You’ve been nothing but kind to me. If you promise not to judge me for what other people have to say about me. I promise to not judge you because of your stupid friends.” You sit momentarily, trying to take in everything he just said.

“Deal.” You respond, smiling. You two continue the conversation with small talk, nothing too deep. Eventually people sit around you guys, taking Eddie’s attention away from you. So you listen and watch Eddie intently when he talks, nodding every so often.

Dinner is over, you and Eddie walk out of the cafeteria. It’s nearly 9pm, time to call it quits for the day.

“So we sneaking in tonight to get some ice cream?” He asks, reminding you that you had offered that earlier in the day.

“Yes let’s meet by the window at 11. Usually by then it’s safe.” You smile before separating. Mandy and the girls follow shortly behind. They are not so quietly whispering about Eddie and you. How they ship the two of you, while Mandy disagrees. Bringing a small smile to your lips, shook that Eddie Munson is the one causing you to be so giddy.

—

11:10

“Where is that-“ You say aloud, getting interrupted and spooked all at the same time. Eddie is finally here.

“Hey,” he smiles, trying his best not to laugh at how he startled you.

“Sorry I’m late. Trevor showed up to my cabin, wanting to talk about tomorrow.” Eddie apologies.

“It’s fine, your here now.” You respond, pushing the window open. It was much easier when you were younger, to slip in. Now you had help because all of a sudden Eddie’s hands are guiding you in. In that moment your extremely grateful he can’t see your face. Realizing quickly your ass is not full display as you climb in. Once in, you jump with a thud off the counter. Turning to face Eddie who has no problem making his way through the window.

“It’s in here,” you speak, walking over to the freezer. Eddie shuts the window before following you. You pull out two ice cream sandwiches. Sitting down, letting your back slide down the wall in the process. You look up to Eddie who’s looking down at you with a smile. Handing the second ice cream sandwich over as his sits down next to you.

Eddie is the first to start eating, you follow his lead. There’s an borderline uncomfortable silence between you two as you realize you two are alone.

“This is some good ice cream.” Eddie speaks up, breaking the silence. You face him, watching him go to town on the ice cream. Bringing a small laugh to you. Before you can even get in a second bite, his is all gone.

“You got something on your face.” You point to the chocolate that sits on his upper lip.

“If this some sick ploy to kiss me, I won’t stop you.” He says with a smug grin.

“Damn I wish I thought of that.” You tease back, taking another bite of your ice cream.

“You convinced me to come to this secluded area, all alone. Dark as fuck. Either you want me or you want to murder me.” He says, your response is laughter. Laughing harder than you laughed in a while. Only stopping when you remember you’re not suppose to be in here.

“I’m gonna murder you actually.” You respond, flatly. Finishing off your ice cream as Eddie talks.

“Makes sense. Hot cheerleader seducing the schools freak for some sick murder ritual, sacrifice type shit.” He let’s out a defeated sigh, sitting back as if he’s ready to be murdered sending you into a fit out laughter again.

“I wasn’t joking though you got something right there.” You say before doing the unthinkable. Something you could of ever imagined yourself doing in a billion years. You close the space between the two of you, pressing your lips into his. Shock radiated through Eddie’s body, causing you to pull away feeling as if you did something bad.

“I’m sorry I thought-“ You apologize.

“No don’t apologize. I was not expecting that. You’re you and I’m me, that doesn’t happen. At least not to me.” He laughs, fixing his posture so he’s sat up.

“Well it did happen.” You say.

“Can it happen again? This time I’ll be ready.” He reassures you with that stupid little grin on his face. With a roll of your eyes, you go in for a second kiss. This time Eddie wastes no time kissing you back, hands finding the back of your head pulling you in deeper. The position isn’t the most comfortable so you hook your leg over the both of his, letting your self sit on him. Hid tongue reaches your bottom lip, begging for entrance. You let it in, your tongues fighting for dominance. His hands move to your hips, pushing you down on his growing boner. A sweet moan leaves your lips at the friction.

“Fuck,” Eddie groans, pulling away from your kiss to catch his breath. Also to attempt to wrap his mind around what happening, he’s in the process of hooking up with Hawkin High head cheerleader. What the actual fuck?

“What?” You asks innocently.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? What if we get caught?” He responds with another question.

“Not Eddie Munson worried about being caught.” You say, laughing still sat in his lap.

“I mean like I was specifically told to not fraternize with the camp volunteers. That’s exactly what this is.” He says, worry in his voice.

“But I want to fraternize with you.” You respond, biting your lip. Worried that maybe you miss read the situation.

“Fuck it,” he says before kissing you again. This time more forcefully, palming the meat of your thighs with his hands. You start grinding ever so slightly on the tent in Eddie’s shorts. The feeling of his hard member feel great between the thin clothes you two wear. Eddie is the one to pull away so he can speak.

“If you keep that up I’m gonna cum.” He admits, his voice breathy.

“Can’t have that yet.” You smile, temporarily backing away from Eddie. You pull at Eddie’s shorts, bring his boxers with them. He sits up quickly in a attempt to help you slide them off easier. Letting them rest at his ankles, you had every intention of riding him. You grasp his cock, pumping it slowly. Watching him squirm under you touch, you’re enjoying this way too much.

“Not fair, you’re not nearly as naked as me.” Eddie pouts his bottom lip. You laugh in response before pulling away from his dick, lifting you shirt up over your head. Eddie reaches around you to unbuckle you bra, watching intently as it falls exposing your tits. Eddie goes blank for a few moments just starting at the view presented in front of him. You shimmy out of your shorts. Your bare body on full display.

“You’re so fucking hot.” He manages to get out, lost for words. Still not believing whats happening right now.

“You can touch me ya know?” You laugh at the fact that’s he’s been sat here gawking at you when he could be touching the real deal. It’s like a light bulb goes off in his head, his brain finally catching up with his eyes. Reaching for you, pulling you back on top of him. His mouth finds you nipple, licking it softly causing a small moan leave your lips. You wet cunt rests on top of his cock, begging for some friction. The sound of your nipple leaving Eddie’s mouth makes a pop sound.

You lift your self up just enough to align his cock with your hole. Eddie watches in amazement as you slowly sit on his cock, letting him fill you up completely. The stretch hurts a bit but you’re taking him so good. His hands rest on your hips, waiting patiently for your next move. You start off slow, grinding on Eddie’s cock. Your hands are on his chest, he’s under you letting obscenities leave his mouth.

You’re pace picks up, Eddie’s hands guiding your hips faster. He starts bucking up into you, hitting you right where it feels the best. Moans continually leave your mouth, letting Eddie know just how good he’s making you feel.

“Get on you back.” He demands, his voice deep. You listen getting off of him and laying on the floor, using your bundle of clothes as a make shift pillow. Before you know it Eddie is between you legs, holding his cock to your entrance. He slams into you, wasting no time pounding into you a brutal pace.

“Play with yourself,” he says and it nearly comes out as a growl. You do exactly what he says, finding you clit with your fingers. Rushing circles around in. The mixture of his relentless pounding and the new clitoral stimulation is almost too much.

“Just like that.” He grunts, switching up his angle ever so slightly. This new angle is just what you needed because shortly after, you’re cumming. Your coming undone on his cock, he never slows only pumps into you harder. Not long before he’s pulling out and finishing on your belly, falling next to you. Both of you lay their in silence for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” he says barley audible. You lazily nod in respond unable to respond with words. Eddie stands up throwing his clothes back on, finding something to wipe you clean with. He helps you put your clothing back on, placing a small kiss on your lips one last time.

—

The next day is filled with glances between Eddie and you, whispering to each other in passing. Promises to meet up that night. It turns into an almost nightly event, meeting up in the cafeteria to each ice cream and fuck. Your feelings quickly grow for him, his growing just a fast. The last day of camp ends with you two agreeing to go on a real date once back in Hawkins.

The rest of summer is spent avoiding your friends to be with Eddie in private. Occasionally inviting Mandy along so she can learn to like you, maybe one day. Just a few days ago she came over to watch a movie and didn’t roll her eyes when you spoke. Not even once. You considered that a sign of progress.

Your anxieties grow as the first day of your senior year approaches. Eddie can’t help but wonder what your going to do when school starts up again. Part of him terrified it’ll be the end of you two. You don’t want it to end but you worry what will happen if everyone found out you two were dating. In the end deciding your best bet is to invite Eddie to the last summer party of the year, it’s a annual tradition. The last Saturday before school starts everyone meets at the lake, gets drunk and makes fools of themselves.

“You sure you want to do this?” Eddie asks noticing your stress.

“Yeah I do.” You attempt to smile reassuringly, failing in the process. You two are sat in his van, the party is going on in front of you. It’s not too late to dip, no one’s noticed you yet.

“It’ll be okay.” You say, not believing your own words. Eddie hops out of the van before you can you get out, you hear the sound of a jock approaching the van.

“What the fuck are you doing here Munson?” You quickly hop out, approaching the two men. More basketball players appearing. Walking up behind Eddie, you intertwine your fingers tightly squeezing tightly.

“He’s here with me.” You respond, everyone looking at you like your crazy. Ignoring them you walk right past, Eddie follows behind you closely. Towards the bonfire you see some of your friends, they’re cheerleaders too.

“Hey…” Their voices trail off when they see who’s with you.

“Y’all know Eddie right? He’s my boyfriend.” You say, smiling softly. He waves to your friends, they’re unsure if they should believe this.

“Interesting duo.” One responds.

“How’d you meet?” Another asks, eyes full of judgement. You explain politely. Their faces tell you all you need to know. They don’t approve of your new relationship. No one brave enough to tell the head cheerleader. After a short time of small talk, you find a seat for you and Eddie near the fire.

“That wasn’t so bad.” He says. You lay you head on his shoulder, hand finding his.

“They’ll come around.” You smile.

“And if they don’t?”

“They will. They just need to get to know you, learn to appreciate you like I do.” You explain, kissing Eddie publicly for the first time. Not realizing in the moment that everyone’s eyes are on you two, whispering about the cheerleader dating the town freak.

[slasheru]

Slasher U 1-Year State of the Union / Unholy Census!

Holy fucking shit we're coming along towards the 1-year anniversary of the release of the Slasher U Act 1 alpha!! We've come SO FUCKING FAR. Sawyer wasn't even a romanceable option back in the day! As of April 27th, it'll be Slasher U's first ever anniversary!

Mostly, I am SO FUCKING GRATEFUL that you all came along on the adventure to make my weird horny dating RPG a smash fucking hit!! Taking narrative seriously in dating/adult games was kind of my entire M.O (is?? mods??) and I am SO GRATEFUL Y'ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO HERE lmao

THE BIG NUMBERS

As of 11:21 AM EST on 3/23/24, Slasher U: Act 1 has sold 6,100 copies across Steam & itch.io (Not including the copies sold as part of Games for Gaza that weren't redeemed/downloaded, so this only counts people who actually downloaded or bought the game!). This is obviously BEYOND MY WILDEST FUCKING DREAMS AND I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH HOLY SHIT. I didn't even realize it until I added it all together. (On top of this, we sold several fucking tens of thousands of games for Games for Gaza!! Hell yeah!)

For my fellow solo devs out there, this comes to Slasher U making a total of about $6,000 + $2,000 net USD through sales (the former) and crowdfunding (the latter, for Slasher U: Act 2) over the last 11ish months!! The game started off being free for the first 6ish months, then went to $6.69 for the Beta (with dong! whoa!!), and now at its full size, stands at a good ol' $14.99 for 15 hours of primo datin' sim!

This is objectively the most money I've ever made off of anything I've developed in my entire life, and paid my whole ass rent for the entire year, so THANK YOU HOLY SHIT. According to Steam, most indie games barely break $1k in total, so I am AGOG. FUCKING AGOG. THANK YOU FOR LIKING MY GAME AND LETTING ME MAKE MORE VIA NOT DYING FROM CAPITALISM

The average review score, across 89 reviews on itch.io, remains 4.9 out of 5 stars, and we're rocking a 93% Positive on Steam!!

THE UNHOLY CENSUS

The best part of Slasher U is, as I always say, THE STUDENT DISEMBODY!! Slasher U will always be a place where everything is gay and trans as fuck (although I'm also proud of writing my cishet storylines too :V /lh)! I knew y'all were gay (hello fellow gays) but I did not realize the QUEER FUCKING FORCE THE STUDENT DISEMBODY IS

Here's the demographics of Slasher U players as taken from Tumblr polls (that's a skewed sample size of about 280, so grain of salt here for the homo website for queers):

92.6% of you ID as queer (see below for the breakdown!) | 7.4% of you ID as straight

This fictional horror movie campus is: 48.5% bi/pan, 16.2% gay/mlm, 10.3% lesbian/wlw, 10.3% ace (oo tie!), 7.4% queer but not defined as above, and 7.4% straight!

61.9% of you ID as trans/not cis | 23.8% of you ID as cis | 14.3% of you ID as neither trans nor cis

46.8% of you are between 22-26 | 32.3% of you are between 18-21 | 16.1% of you are between 27-32 | 4.8% of you are between 32-45 | 0% of you are older than 45 (sample size I am guessing lol)

For 14.6% of you, Slasher U was the very first dating sim you've ever played (!). For 3.8% of you, Slasher U was the first indie game you've ever played (holy fucking shit!!! this is an actual absolute honor)

76.7% of you instinctively Road Runner away from Melyssa at the fountain in Act 1 | 23.3% let the Melyssa tsunami arrive at you

--

A FINAL WORD (FOR NOW) ON MAKIN' VIDJEE GAEMS

You should totally do it.

No, okay, but for real, I started working in games professionally in 2009 (yeah yeah i'm old. i am 32 and i am dying and they're coming for me in the corpse wagon etc) and I burned out in 2016 and came back two years ago with THIS THING and I can tell you RIGHT FUCKIN' NOW that, if you have ever wanted to make a game and the big guys aren't gonna do it, grab yourself and/or some friends and fuckin' make a video game. I have worked for a bunch of AA and mobile companies and I can tell you right the fuck now that this is the most fulfilling experience I have ever had writing a video game. I taught myself programming logic to make this thing! And sound design! I fucking learned to animate sprite sheets!! YOU CAN ALSO DO IT given the time and energy (pace yourself don't die)! And there won't be any execs around to tell you your weird niche game won't sell!! BECAUSE IT FUCKING WILL

Anyway, my entire career as a game designer, nobody let me write shit for them. You don't need permission to make stuff or write stuff. If you write it, they will fuckin' come, Field of Dreams style (also don't forget to tell everyone you made stuff and share it around. super key here. lmao). Turns out writing is all about sharing yourself with people, and who knows, you might just find that a fuckton of people ACTUALLY relate to you. (And that you're a pretty good writer. Which you knew. Yes, you. I am mixing metaphors and pointing to myself AND you now.)

xoxoxoxooxoxox,

Professor Plutonium

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Don't you think there's better ways of showing support for Palestinians/Israeli Christians than by perpetuating the "Jesus was Palestinian" myth that people constantly try and use to deny Jewish indigeneity. Allegory or not, it's not a great look for someone who purports to be against that kind of erasure and supercessionism. Also, having 1 line about how his death was the Empire's fault so don't blame the Jews is meaningless when in this allegory, the Empire (Israeli government) *is* Jewish

(anyone curious about what anon's referring to, I believe it's my poem here)

Hey there anon, thank you for your feedback. In this situation where various marginalized peoples are being pitted against each other (and/or conflated with political groups), I've been struggling to make sure my words don't add to the misinformation and harm. So whenever someone takes the time to remind me of that danger, I'll take the time to re-examine my words — even if I end up standing by them, as I mostly do in this case.

I can't promise to say and do all the perfect things, because there isn't time to waste getting my words just right before saying something — people are dying right now (and yes, anon, that includes those Israelis who are still hostages of Hamas, who are also endangered by Israel's continued attacks.)

I have been spending much of my free time these past few months learning more about Israel and Palestine, and I still don't feel I'm even close to knowing enough! But I've listened to those who are actually in the midst of the violence who say that all of us across the world must join their cry now, not letting our ignorance be an excuse. That means there have been a few things I've said that I then had to re-consider after learning more.

...

Just a few days ago, I was actually trying to look into the origins of the statement that "Jesus was a Palestinian Jew." (Btw if anyone knows the origins of this statement, please hit me up!)

Arguments against it note that the term "Palestinian" didn't exist in Jesus' day. Looking into the accuracy of that statement is still on my to-do list; I did skim over this article calling it a myth but yeah, still digging. Regardless, sure, I don't think Jesus called himself a Palestinian in his lifetime.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the statement is useless, however. I do very much believe that if Jesus were born today, in the same place, he'd be born to a Jewish Palestinian family, not an Israeli one.

That does not erase his Jewishness; it confirms God's "preferential option for the poor," God's choice to side with and become one with the most oppressed and discarded. It also does not assert that Jewish persons don't "belong" in the region — only that the modern nation/colony Israel isn't necessary for them to live and thrive there.

All that said, if anyone has more info on the statement that "Jesus was a Palestinian" — its origins, how it's been used over the years — I would absolutely like to examine it further. For now, I stand by the phrase, with an openness to re-considering that with further education.

...

I feel more confident in talking about Empire — how I used it in my poem, versus how you've interpreted it. I'm genuinely grateful to you for bringing your reading of it to my attention, because it's shown me that my words weren't clear enough there!

In these verses from my poem:

"...And now, as then, some may blame Jesus’s death on his own Jewish people — but resist this lie! Now as then the crime is Empire’s and those of us who would cast stones should ponder first what our nations gain from genocide. ..."

You interpret Empire as being Israel.

My intention was that Empire with a capital E is a much larger network of all imperial forces on earth. Israel is entangled in that, and directly backed and funded by those forces. My own country, the United States, is one of the nations at the helm of Empire.

So when I talk of Empire being to blame, I'm not saying just Israel — honestly, I'm personally more concerned with the US's complicity, because I feel as a US citizen I can help demand they stop.

So I'm going to rework that bit to better express what I mean by Empire, so it doesn't sound like I'm focusing only on Israel. Empire is so much bigger than any one state, colony, or government.

...

Okay, I'm out of steam. I'm going to link a few pieces that have been helping me frame all that's going on right now to resist pitting marginalized groups against each other:

This art piece naming "contradicting truths"

This article by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg also naming seemingly contradictory truths

Since I didn't really get deep into this part of your ask, I also appreciate this article discussing the question of indigeneity. It discards the "need" to figure out "who was there first" in favor of exploring intersecting histories.

Oh also, because you claim that the Israeli government "is Jewish," I think discussions on how Israel isn't actually a safe haven for all Jews, only those that fit into their goals, are vital.

[auxiliarydetective]

We've done it!

Or, more accurately, you've done it! Thanks to you, my fellow Tumblrinas, I've actually managed to hit 200 followers!

I never thought I would get this far, but I'm eternally grateful for all the love you've given me, and I can't wait to share many more brainrots with you!

In tune with that, I've decided: Why not let you look even further into my mind? I've given you lots of writing, but why not provide some visuals? And so, in thinking about what I wanted to do for my 200 followers celebration, I came up with...

⁕ Evie's Mind Palace Festival! ⁕

(Placing a cut so this doesn't get too long ^^)

As depicted in this lovely graphic above, I'm going to be focusing on my OCs' fashion for this little event. But not just that! I'll get to the bonuses later :)

For now, text version! Because Tumblr likes not loading images and some people may not be able to view the image

↬ Step 1: Pick an OC of your choice! From my OCs, that is. Hope that was clear. Anyone from the list. I'll even throw in a little bonus and say that unintroduced OCs are allowed! That means the ones on this list AND ones I may have rambled to to you in a chat we've had.

↬ Step 2: Pick an occasion prompt! The prompts are as follows:

Casual (aka everyday wear, aka their basic character design or an alternate outfit or it)

Formal

Training/Athletic

Battle (this may overlap with either 1. or 3. for some characters, but let's assume they actually get geared up for battle)

Hot weather (your typical summer clothes)

Cold weather (sweaters, winter coats, you name it)

Swimwear

Canon event (may overlap with some other categories, but I made this a separate thing for the lore opportunities it provides) - Make sure to specify what canon event you want!

Stealing clothes - You can include who the character should steal from in your ask, otherwise I will pick the victim myself.

Holiday-themed - Pick your holiday! Any holiday counts.

Fandombend - Pick your fandom! (This will probably come with some headcanons on what the OC would be like in the new fandom)

Inspired by a song - Please, pick a song! Preferably from the OC's playlist. I should have a playlist for almost every OC. Hop into the "#playlist" tag on my blog to find them and, if they're not posted over there anywhere, tap on any playlist that's there, let it take you to my Spotify profile, and hop into the "Character Playlists" folder!

↬ Step 3: If you want, pick an extra prompt! Your options are:

Historical - Please specify your time frame! You don't necessarily have to, but I tend to be an indecisive little gremlin, so it would make things a little easier if you could pick ^^"

Fantasy (This, of course, makes little sense if the OC is already in a fantasy setting)

Sci-fi (Once again, this makes little sense if the OC is already in a sci-fi setting)

Steampunk

Cultural - Please pick a culture for me to take inspiration from! It doesn't have to be a real-life culture. For example, you could pick Japan for some kimono art or you could pick the Kuja from One Piece!

Color prompt - Pick your color! I ask that you do keep it at one color so that I have some more freedom, and I won't take specific hex codes either because those specific hex codes might clash with the OC's color palette

Prompt of your choice - This can be literally anything! Yes, also an occasion, in which case it would replace your original occasion prompt. I just didn't have the space to add in all occasions known to man, so if you have another idea, this is where to put it.

↬ Step 4: Send your ask! Done!

Once you've sent your ask, please keep in mind that it might take me a while to answer it. I'll then make a collage/moodboard and get the ask posted. Maybe, I'll also draw your prompt, depending on if I have the energy and/or time for it. If I plan on doing that, I'll let you know in the post and tag you once I have the drawing finished! I may also be swayed into adding a little fic snippet to the answer, if I do feel so inclined. Maybe a song to match the vibes? It'll be a little surprise!

► Rules:

Be nice! It's not hard, and it's basically all I ask.

This is the one time you might not want to shower me in asks because these asks might take a bit to answer. I'm not putting a cap on how many asks per person you're allowed to send, just maybe be mindful of how long they take to answer and space them out over the time of the event.

I'll be accepting asks from the time that this is posted until March 17th. The event ends with the strike of midnight starting the next day. Whenever that may be in your time zone. As long as it's still 23:59 on March 17th somewhere around the world, send in your ask. I might also extend the event if asks keep coming in and I have the energy to keep going.

↬ Additional info for mutuals: You get to ask for crossovers! Just pick one of my OCs and one of yours and I'll try my best to draw them. I might bother you for references though, so be prepared! It doesn't matter how long we've been mutuals for! It could've been five minutes, you're still allowed to send in crossover asks. As long as we're mutuals, let's say, at the time that the ask is answered, it's all good. In practice, that means that you just need to be following me to be able to send in a crossover request. If you ask nicely and maybe say something about why you'd think why our two children would go well together and we share a fandom, it's very unlikely that I'll deny your request and won't follow you back.

Also, if you've ever wanted to say something about my OCs and/or me and my blog, this might be the perfect time for you to do it.

Okay, that's it for now! Love you, everyone! Here's to more fandom-y shenanigans!

Also, behold my new non-OC post divider! It features a lineart sketch of my blog icon in the middle! The icon was designed by @benevolenterrancy pretty much exactly two years ago when they realized my old icon was not, in fact, a unicorn. I still go full-on heart-eyes mode whenever I see my icon, so I figured it was time to remind everyone of the amazing artist that created it <3

Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @fluffle-system @wheresmybloodynauglamir @supermarine-silvally @nanukanal @cody-helix02 (I believe this is the first time I've ever used my full taglist, aka the basic taglist plus everyone from fandom-specific taglists - wowie!) - Let me know if you'd like to be added or removed, for specific fandoms or the general list!

[julieverne]

Maura didn't mind Lydia. She was simple, but she wasn't uncomplicated. She had simply been in a socioeconomic range in which domestic violence had altered her growing brain and survival mode had kicked in. She had limited ambitions because the world was limited to her. She made herself small because drawing attention to herself had usually been punished. She was uneducated because learning how to survive and earning money had been more important than critical thinking or history. Maura understood why Lydia had found Frank attractive - an older man that looked financially stable. So what if his kids were older than her, it was the best offer she'd had. And Tommy was sweet but unreliable in many ways. With all she knew of men, they were both significant improvements to her dating profile.

She had potential. And she was sweet in a way Jane wasn't. Maura had been so generous to Jane and her family, but she never let them know she paid Tommy's alimony and child support, or Lydia's health insurance. She never let them know that she paid for TJ's school lunches, or Lydia's degree. That was her nephew, even if he wasn't related to her biologically, and she wanted his future to be as bright as possible. She couldn't make up for the systemic failures in Lydia's upbringing, but she could make sure they weren't passed down.

She'd done the same for Tasha, too. Families were what you made of them, and Maura had been adopted more than once. She had the resources and ability to help.

She almost envied how content Lydia was. She brought TJ over more, once Tommy left Boston and she didn't have to run into him at Maura's. Lydia had always wanted a place at the Rizzolis table and she hadn't exactly gotten it, but Maura offered her one at the Isles table instead, which was nearly the same thing. Maura knew what it was like to want a family like the Rizzolis. Angela never treated Lydia the way she did Maura or Jane, but she adored TJ. And Jane put up with her, rolling her eyes but knowing it was the price she paid to see her nephew.

"I think you got the best one," Lydia said quietly one night. TJ was sleeping over in the guest house with Angela, and Jane had gone off in a huff. Lydia had joined Maura for dinner, reporting on her social work degree with a measure of pride. Maura always felt Lydia felt indebted to her, and while she didn't like that, she did like the way Lydia took it as a serious responsibility. That her success would be reward enough. And she was a good cook, and she didn't turn her nose up at vegetables like Jane did. "The best Rizzoli, I mean."

"Angela? She's a wonderful houseguest."

Lydia looked at her oddly, pushing her dinner around on her plate.

"I meant Jane. You two get along so well, you never really fight - not like Tommy and I did - and she treats you..." Lydia trailed off, looking down at the remains of her meal. "If you're sure TJ can stay, I can head home. I have those exams tomorrow. Thank Angela for watching him for me, please."

"Lydia, are you under the impression that Jane and I..." Maura didn't finish it. Couldn't finish it. "We aren't."

Lydia looked at her shrewdly. "Maybe you should be." She took her plate to the sink and rinsed it; she was always careful with Maura's things, always grateful to be included. "I should go study."

+++

Lydia passed her exams - she was compassionate and was actually interested in people, which made Maura's heart hurt for what she would encounter on the job. She referred her to a practice she knew was in need of someone, and she threw a celebration dinner when she got the role. Jane came, and Frankie and Nina. Jane spent most of her time with TJ, but she spent less of her time treating Lydia like a bimbo these days. Yes, Lydia had made poor decisions, but her options had been limited, and she hadn't been the instigator in either case. Maura didn't know if Lydia had even known how to say no to a man back then. But Maura knew part of it was that Maura and Lydia got on well without her, and Jane was always jealous of anyone else who took Maura's time. If she wanted to stay in Maura's life, she had to accept Lydia's place in it.

Maura watched Jane make conversation with Lydia. Of the three Rizzoli siblings, Jane had been the only one that hasn't tried to kiss her. But of the three of them - objectively - she was the most stable financially, she was professionally stable as well, intelligent and funny. Frankie was most of those things, as well as sweet where Jane was harsh, and Tommy was simply fun. But Lydia had been right. She'd had the pick of them, and she'd chosen Jane. Or rather, Jane had chosen her and dragged her family along for the ride.

Jane looked up and smiled at Maura - Jane complained about the sacrifices she made for Maura, but she also thanked Maura for the concessions she made for her family. Like dinner tonight; too many people for the guest house or Jane's condo, so Maura had hosted, but Jane had been the one to ask her to, her brow furrowed as though she was asking too much.

Maura would give Jane anything she wanted, anything she asked for, but she liked that Jane didn't take advantage of her wealth. That Jane considered this a favour. That Jane made a genuine effort the moment she saw that Jane having a relationship with Lydia was important to her. Jane complained, but she always came through. And while Jane and Lydia were very different people with very different interests and hobbies, so too were Jane and Maura. Her grudge over Lydia sleeping with her father and her brother and hurting her mother in the process hadn't been forgotten, but it had been forgiven, and Jane was kinder now that she knew Lydia better. She'd had such a hard life; Jane no longer wanted to make it harder. Maura had made it clear that Jane had been fortunate with her upbringing in ways that Lydia hadn't, and Jane had been abashed, finally putting herself in Lydia's place, the bottom rungs of society, no access to housing, food, jobs or education, let alone doctors.

Jane looked over and caught Maura's smile, coming over to refresh her drink.

"What are you smiling at?" Jane asked, ever the detective.

"I like it when you get along."

"Well, she's one of us now, isn't she?" Jane asked. Maura must have looked insecure, because Jane added, "I like her well enough now. But I lo- I love you."

Maura glowed. Jane had said she was one of them. She'd included Maura in the broad sweep of her arm that indicated her family. And she'd said - oh goodness, she'd said...

"Hey, honey, don't cry," Jane said, sounding alarmed.

"I've waited so long to hear that," Maura admitted, Jane's arms wrapping around her where she sat on the stool at the counter. Jane hushed her, kissing the top of her head and pulling her impossibly closer, all rib and hip and soft tissue and a heartbeat Maura knew almost as well as her own.

"I kept you waiting too long," Jane said ruefully. "I don't - I don't know what we are, how it changes what we are. I just knew it would. And you know I'm a coward."

"I've seen you shoot yourself to kill a man that threatened me. I've seen you kill two more men that threatened me. I've seen you jump off a bridge, and take a beating for a streetkid you didn't even know. You're no coward, Jane."

"I am," Jane said softly, and Maura loved her like this, when she was warm and soft and gentle, with her strong hands rubbing Maura's back and holding her close. "I am, or I'd have told you the first time I realised it. When you called blood at that marathon. Remember?"

Jane had been holding onto it for years. Maura had said it once, but Jane had looked so frightened that she'd never said it again.

"I remember. And I've known. It's just nice to hear it." Jane's hands smoothed over Maura's shoulder blades, then caught in Maura's hair as Jane pulled away, cupping her face. There was silence in the house; unusual since it was full of Rizzolis. Maura let her hands drop down to where Jane's belt sat over her hips, thumbs catching on the leather. She let Jane's thumbs clear her cheeks of tears, and then she tilted her face up in consent when Jane leaned in.

Jane kissed her. She'd been drinking wine instead of beer, and her mouth tasted sharp but her lips were soft and so were her hands. Maura kissed her back, heedless of the cheering that had broken out around them. Someone must have scored a goal in the baseball game they'd put on for Frankie and Jane. Jane pulled away slowly, eyes closed as though she was savouring an especially delicious treat. When she opened them, Maura couldn't look away. Those dark, expressive eyes were hyperfocused on her, and she felt herself melt under that gaze.

"You were right," Maura told Lydia, handing TJ back into his mother's arms so she could load him in the car seat. Lydia gave her a knowing smile and a kiss on the cheek goodnight, ignoring the guard-dog growl it provoked from Jane. She closed the door once all the guests had left and turned to Jane.

"What was she right about?" Jane asked, always investigating.

"She told me I got the best Rizzoli," Maura said, looking up at Jane. "I always knew you were the best, I just didn't know I had you."

"You have. I mean, you do. Have me, that is. If you wanted to. You could have me."

"I think I'd rather take you," Maura murmured into Jane's ear, watching the goosebumps raise on her arms with a wicked smile before leading Jane to the stairs. "To my bedroom, that is. And then in the Biblical sense, if you understand my meaning. If you're okay with that."

"I understand, and I'm on board," Jane affirmed, her hand on Maura's lower back as they climbed the stairs.

+++

Lydia was both surprised and pleased when she saw the bouquet of flowers on her desk in the morning. Maura had done so much for her, it was about time she returned the favour.

[lord-squiggletits]

Something I keep seeing when I speak to others about MTMTE Megatron is basically the idea that he's going on a personal journey to become a better person, that the point isn't for him to be "redeemed" but for him to get a chance to do good and die as a person he can live with again. That MTMTE presents a unique take on this because being away from Cybertron gives Megatron a chance to be a person rather than a political figure and this is how it gives him more depth as a character. Or just generally pointing out in a narrative sense that Megatron being in MTMTE limits his story options so of course his story is going to be more focused on a personal journey than on politics of him dealing with the Decepticons/Earth/etc and that just because JRO made a choice to take that path with Megatron doesn't mean that it's inherently bad.

And I'm just, mmm like I understand all of those points and acknowledge that they all contributed to the MTMTE Megatron we got. I even think that without JRO writing Megatron we wouldn't have had his lore be as fleshed out and 3D as it ended up becoming.

(Post starts out as a sort of meta analysis or at least me giving a reasoned explanation for my interpretation of the story, ends up being petty bitching in the last 1-2 paragraphs)

I just..... I just personally don't agree with the "he's becoming a better person by getting a chance to relax and experience happiness and trust after a life of trauma" as being the best choice for his character? Because the problem is that maybe if he were a random Decepticon foot soldier that would be appropriate, but he was literally the leader of the Decepticons that made them Like That and has political/cultural/societal responsibility for why things are the way they are? To be completely frank, I don't care about him going on a personal journey for self-peace, I think that he should become a better person by helping to un-fuck all the things he actually screwed up???

Like idc about the debate of whether he can be "redeemed" or if he should've been killed/imprisoned/etc at the ending. It just comes down to the fact that for me personally, I feel that since Megatron's wrongdoings were at a social level, him "being a better person" would've been better shown by him engaging with those people who he wronged instead of just going on a frigging personal journey for his legacy and self-peace???

Especially since in other series (exRID, possibly Windblade) we literally got plots like "the neutrals hate Autobots but they hate Decepticons even more" and "the Decepticons have been taken over by Galvatron and are now invading earth 2 electric boogaloo" and "yeah the Decepticons are literally living in slums because people hate them so much and won't give them any work." It just leaves me wondering why in the hell people are like, "oh Megatron got to be happy and have a chance to be a normal person." I don't want him to be normal! I want him to repay his debts to the people he actually wronged! Like if you want to cast Megatron as a hero of the people so badly (which so many of his stans do as if he actually cared about the Cons) then how do you reconcile the fact that Megatron just fucked off and left the Decepticons to suffer on Cybertron? Including some of them attacking during his trial and getting killed and Megatron is basically like "sorry, I'm not coming with you and this isn't going to work." And then Megatron complains about "toxic Decepticon loyalty" as if he didn't literally make them that way? Like I get that MTMTE Megatron is still an asshole but if you've read something besides MTMTE and know what the Decepticons are going through, it just ends up being really grating.

I just don't see Megatron as being a particularly good hero or having a particularly fulfilling story if he's completely isolated from all the bad things he did on Cybertron/the way the Decepticons are suffering until LL#25 where it's like "ah damn I'm going to trial now, well this is what I deserve so it's fine." Why could we not have seen something like Megatron trying to deradicalize the Decepticons or change their public image so they could integrate into normal Cybertron again? They were living in SLUMS and getting gunned down by Starscream's badgeless enforcers!

The best we got was the Functionist Universe but like.... I'm sorry, but JRO inventing a whole alternate universe for Megatron to save doesn't do jack shit to save or fix the people he left behind in this one. It was especially grating to read because JRO literally wrote in someone saying "you saved billions of lives from the Functionists" as if he was trying really hard to show how good Megatron is because he saved people (and also if not for Megatron existing Cybertron would be even worse and half of your faves would be enslaved or dead, also the Functionist Council was going to genocide organics too so technically they're WORSE than Megatron since they hate organics AND want to enslave their own race).

I read Barber's, JRO's, and MScott's series concurrently using the omnibus + a release order list for phase 3, and after all that I'm kind of puzzled why the fandom seems to ardently love MTMTE Megatron and think he's so well written but then also shit on Optimus for things that he did during the same points in the story? Because, and I know this is a blazing hot take, I honestly think that Optimus makes a better hero of his story than Megatron does for his, and Optimus' personal journey combines his personal and political identities into a narrative that's a lot more gruelling and questioning of his goodness than we got for Megatron in MTMTE. Which is fucking saying something considering Megatron committed crimes against sapient species and Optimus is the guy who tried to stop him from doing that and has always been pro-equal rights for all beings. But people pretty much just cherrypick things like Optimus annexing Earth or beating up Prowl and go "he's bad" and I'm like no??? IDW OP isn't a bad person or a bad character??? It's just that unlike MTMTE Megatron he's placed in a narrative that actually suits the nature of his actions and has themes that match. To the point that IMO sometimes Barber's narrative shits on Optimus excessively or paints him mainly in the most unflattering ways.

But like. It's just funny to me because Optimus spent his entire part of the story doing things like trying to stop Earth from being invaded/colonized yet again. Grappling with his identity as Prime and dealing with the fact that people literally worship him vs. the fact that his upbringing made him see the Primacy as nothing more than a facade of authority/leadership. Having people get mad at him for prioritizing politics over friendship/relationships with other people. Even getting shit on for being a cop a decent amount so people can STFU about IDW OP being "copaganda" or "not held responsible for his actions". The problems that Optimus dealt with were personal because they had to do with his self-doubt, culpability for the war as a leader of one of the armies, distance from his soldiers, etc. But all of these are also POLITICAL struggles. Because Optimus gave up on the chance to just be a normal person having personal struggles when he chose to become a LEADER, which also means that he's held to extremely high standards that he regularly fails at in the eyes of others.

That's why, to me, MTMTE Megatron falls flat in comparison and really as a "hero" or heel-face character in general? Because he also made a decision to be a leader, and IMO once you do things like become the commander of an army and start your own galactic empire, you lose the right to prioritize your personal problems and instead are obligated by the power you've chosen to wield to focus on your POLITICAL problems. If Megatron's power, influence, and crimes are of a social-political nature, then his heel-face turn arc and ways of showing that he's a better person/helping to heal what little damage he possibly can should have been shown with actions that help on a social-political LEVEL. That's why I'm not particularly impressed with his character arc and feel as if it was overhyped by other people in this fandom: sure, the extra character depth and emotion is nice, but I'm not really going to see him as extraordinary or even particularly good when the extent of him "becoming a better person" happens entirely on a random road trip to fuck-off nowhere. Especially not when the ending of LL tried to sell me a "they lived happily ever after" ending while basically leaving the freaking MUTINY as just Rodimus going "oh it's okay you're forgiven, we're all together again" and I guess everyone was fine with Megatron and wanted to spend an eternity on a ship with him just because Getaway died.

This is why I like (the concept/themes of) exRID/OP and the way Optimus' character arc was handled a lot more. Because for Optimus, the personal and the political were as one. He was held accountable for his actions towards others and the disruptive effects they had on a social level, sometimes to a ridiculous extent (the fucking "oh Megatron is an Autobot so now that makes the Autobots colonizers" plot and that stupid colonist screaming about how Optimus is "literally fascist" my beloathed). Even his very personal issues like his relationship with Zeta were still cast in a wider lens of, yeah this is a personal struggle that Orion faced, but he was still part of a Society TM and his actions were sometimes ill-informed or harmful to others. Even if I had a lot of problems with the way Optimus' story was written by Barber (plot holes, little meaningful character interaction, forced conflicts), at least the BASELINE of it was way better than Megatron's in MTMTE. Especially since Optimus' struggle was explictly about things like struggling with responsibility and how he feels he HAS to intervene in political affairs because has to save people/make up for his past mistakes. That's something that a good leader/good person actually does, so I found Optimus to be a better hero (even if his actions weren't all "good") because he was trying to be a good person by actually getting involved with Cybertron/Earth and subjecting himself to something he hates (leadership, war) and dealing with a shitload of criticism instead of just going on a fuckin "personal journey" lksdlkfsd.

Which just makes me extra salty that people hold up MTMTE Megatron as the pinnacle of Megatrons and literally the best Transformers writing evar! while turning up their nose and ignoring or outright despising IDW Optimus. Like okay. I guess since Megatron got handled with silk gloves on while Optimus got put through the wringer of being shit on by every other person in the story, it's easier for you to pretend that Megatron is a poor uwu boy who just needs friendship and love while Optimus is literally the worst bastard to ever exist. Or maybe it's just that since Optimus' story involves him sometimes fucking up, being criticized, or making things worse, that makes him morally bad. As opposed to Megatron who disrupted a lot of other characters' stories in MTMTE, had to have an entire alternate universe invented so that he could "save lives," and got to sail off on a quantum Lost Light happily ever after, so since he's happy and the story says he saved people that means he's a good hero.

[regallibellbright]

Tag Meme: 9 Favorite Characters

tagged by @talysalankil

Gonna copy your "one per series/franchise" because otherwise there is a genuine risk Precures and TWEWYs would eat it whole. In no particular order, and with definite "What's on my mind right now" bias:

Xion (Kingdom Hearts)

No surprise there, and yes, I did intentionally get a screenshot from the post-Riku fight for this.

2. Cure Grace/Nodoka Hanadera and Rabirin (Healin' Good Precure)

(Look, they transform as a pair, their transformation phrase is "Two flowers as one," I'm counting them both. "Then shouldn't you use a screenshot of Cure Grace?" Shut up.)

3. Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

Yes, I saved this image as "Anthy Himemiya Is A Weird Girl Who Keeps Snails In Her Pencil Case."

4. Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu (The World Ends With You)

... Yes, choosing his most insufferably smug dialogue sprite was necessary, why do you ask?

5. The Luidaeg (October Daye)

"I am the sea witch. I am the tide you fear and the turning you can't deny. I am the sound of the waves running over your bones on the beach, little man, and I am not amused at finding you on my doorstep." She took a step forward. He took a step back. "I won't punish you for obeying orders the way she would. But I can't let an insult go unanswered. You know how it goes." A smile twisted her lips. "I'm actually grateful. You see, there are... rules... that govern what I can and can't do. But you broke them first. Now I get to do something I don't get to do very often. Now I get to play." ... "What did you do?" "Nothing they hadn't allowed by coming onto my territory. Every soul who came here on the Queen's business will go home, go to bed, and sleep soundly, dreaming the sweetest of dreams." Something about that statement had teeth. I paused, and then ventured, "For how long?" The Luidaeg smiled brilliantly. "Until something wakes them up. True love, childbirth, and bees are all on the table."

(Chimes at Midnight, Chapter Seven, pages 91-92) The wiki also uses the "I am the sea witch" bit as her epigraph but as a known lover of "true love, childbirth, and bees are all on the table" I felt it best to include the full exchange.

6. Lio Fotia (Promare)

(This BARELY beat out something from the Kakusei sequence but I love how fluffy his hair is as he tosses it.)

7. Ventuswill/Venti (Rune Factory 4)

Tragic immortal dragon god BFF <3

8. Moist von Lipwig (Discworld)

Never promise to do the possible. Anyone could do the possible. You should promise to do the impossible, because sometimes the impossible was possible, if you could find the right way, and at least you could often extend the limits of the possible. And if you failed, well, it had been impossible.

(Going Postal) Okay, it's him and Vimes, but I figured I'd go for Moist for the variety since everyone loves Vimes.

9. Okay there were a LOT of characters I considered for this, like, seriously, I went from "hm I can't think of anyone" to "ugh I have TOO MANY options" in very little time, but ultimately, while this might be recency bias at the moment, it is also true:

Missile (Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective)

The goodest boy in gaming.

(Runners-up from things that aren't otherwise represented here include Surge the Tenrec from Sonic IDW, Miles Naismith Vorkosigan from the Vorkosigan Saga, Rose Aleon from Birdie Wing, Grovyle from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, and huge enough swathes of the casts of Dumbing of Age and Girl Genius that I just didn't even bother trying to narrow those down.)

Tagging: In general assume I do this as an open invite to anyone seeing it, but just to name a couple people, @thesternest, @denizenhardwick, @mehanios, @purplelea, @yurisorcerer, @yoshiyakiryu

[7deadlycinderellas]

Lost season 1x07-08

Today, we have two more episodes of season 1- The Moth and Confidence Man.

Each of these episodes are two things: the former is a Charlie episode as well an an episode continuing the "survival on an island/getting rescued" plot, the latter a Sawyer episode as well as presenting the first seriously life threatening health crisis on the island (should more have occurred? That seems to be another sign of the Island's magical nature).

Charlie's character archetype choice of the "addicted rock star" is in retrospect an interesting one- because the writers both do and don't invoke it heavily. I mostly am grateful that they didn't utilize him for random musical numbers. I will admit I don't know a great deal about opioid addiction, but in perhaps a bit of foreshadowing. it seems like his withdrawal could have been milked for a more dramatic health crisis, and I find it interesting that these chose not to.

The Moth also introduces the "beach vs caves" conflict, and the early mystery of Adam and Eve's identities (this is probably the mystery that caused the most dissent among the answer we got- I've got opinions on it and all of Across the Sea, that will be addressed when we get to Across the Sea). It's definitely well-placed- confirms not only that other people are/have been on the island, but they have been for ages, not just recently. It also gave more ammunition to the theorizers who thought the Smoke Monster was a dinosaur.

Confidence Man handily adds depth to Sawyer's callous, bigoted redneck conman character: namely, questioning how much of his behavior is sincere and how much is due to his own self-loathing. Shannon's asthma attack story is also suitably tense- its a common enough ailment that it really drives home the potential danger of the situation even for the common people (anyone looking to write something and wanting a similarly high-stakes and potentially deadlier option? Have a character with diabetes. Their insulin runs out, they die. Simple as that). I do have a couple of very specific issues with the plot, noted in Stray Observations below.

And the end, where Sayid decides to leave the survivors and strike out on his own, is great for many reasons, but mostly for what it meant. It's hard to describe just how shackled network TV used to be to "the status quo is God", where every episode would return the characters would be back where they started. Breaks in this convention in this happened of course, but weren't common, and showing that Lost wasn't going to stay tied to these shackles was a great sign.

Stray observations:

*The early theories for the identities of Adam and Eve included basically everyone we'd met. I'm not sure why people assumed we'd met them before.

*OK seriously, you guys, you have Sawyer restrained on one side of the island. Why go immediately to the torture instead of, oh, I don't know, FIRST RANSACKING HIS STUFF? You've been on the island a week! How secretly could he have hid things?

*I also find it rather interesting that Jack, the doctor, didn't take any longer to resort to force, than Sayid did.

*While I adore Sun getting to be the hero at the end of episode 8, I seem to recall the correct low tech treatment for an asthma attack is actually a cup of coffee.

TWoP thread for the Moth

TWoP thread for Confidence Man

[izzy-b-hands]

So. I'm allowing myself a vent post or two abt Stuff in the Brain today that won't fuck off, but it'll all be under a cut if I feel I'm at risk of being too wordy so folks don't gotta see this if they don't wanna. And on this one I did get wordy, multi-paragraphs so. fair warning if u decide to be brave and read thru it lol

I'm behind on getting Mum a bday gift. Like two weeks behind. Partially bc money, partially bc the thing I really wanted to get her involves bidding on ebay and attempting to win a listing (and I just haven't managed it yet lmao), and partially bc like:

For once I've been living my life for me, thinking abt me and Housemate first and foremost, and focusing on what I actually want/need from day to day, and that means I'm away from my phone a bit more than usual, which means I've missed some calls and texts from Mum and just haven't been as Available via phone/apps/etc as I've been in the past

(including one time in the last week or so where Housemate and I stepped aside to the kitchen to make ourselves mac n cheese, and Mum was late to calling me for a planned call, so I figured I was safe to leave the phone by the couch while we cooked. Nope! In that less than half hour, 25 mins at most that it took us to finish mac and get plated up, she figured we'd both A. fallen down the stairs and were now dying from brain bleeds while the cats sniffed us in panic and fear B. decided to cut her out of my life forever and so now I wasn't going to be answering her calls (tho this point I didn't know until a much more recent text where she admitted to it and did say she was ashamed of feeling that way.) )

So I really need to get something out to her, either the chocolates I was planning on sending for her and the family from a local shop, the Snoopy Build-A-Bear plushie with a lil 'I miss you' tshirt and a voice thingy inside it with me telling her to remember that I love her and am always grateful for her help and care and things like that, whatever will fit lol (this is the fucker that triggered this whole train crash of a set of thoughts today lmao), and/or something from one of the ebay listings I've been trying to get (I just need to accept it and pay the buy it now price considering what the thing is isn't like. Uber rare? But apparently Bon Jovi doesn't have their figurines made any more, so they're a bit harder to find and I'm gonna risk not getting one at all if I don't just. do the dang thing lmao)

I'm thinking the Snoopy would be best/easiest for rn, but I keep getting stuck on what I'll say for the recording and it's so dumb but like:

I know, for the sake of both of us and the deeply grown and intertwined sort of emotionally incest-flavoured codependency Mum and I have, we probably should eventually try going NC or LC for at least like. a month or two in the future? Probably even a bit longer? Not as like a 'this is forever' thing (unless something would happen that would point to that as the best option for both of us), but just until we can maybe both heal a bit and work closer towards something even vaguely approaching a more normal mother/son relationship.

And the particular fear is very silly but like. I'd hate to say the things I have planned, that I mean (I do love her, and I know she does her best, and so I'm grateful for every bit and every sort of help she's ever given or will ever give me), and then we someday go NC or LC, and she's hurt by having the plush and audio around as a reminder of how things were before. I could see her throwing it away in a fit, and then being so sad and begging for a new one by the next day. And I'd want to get her one. I don't know if that's right of me or not.

Like, the trauma has me Entirely overthinking this and I know it's ridiculous, you know? But still. Got the Build-A-Bear tab open on my phone bc the chocolate is at least partially to be shared, so that's Not Enough as a partial belated bday gift; and I'd like to hit another paycheck (or part of it, since the uni rarely puts the full fucking direct deposit in on scheduled payday lmao) before I try for the Bon Jovi figurine (and hope it isn't bought before that point.) So the plush is really the best choice, and I don't want to wait any longer to send anything out bc like. Her bday was at the beginning of March, this is fucking ridiculous of me and not how I like handling gifts at all, for anyone!!

Fingers crossed I just. Get the fucking recording done, get it ordered and have them send it out to her, and that'll be enough until I can get my hands on a figurine and/or order the chocolates and candies for her, her bf, and to share with the rest of the family.

[sadculturee]

AINUN'S FILM REVIEW

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

Ratings: 9.7/10

It was an emotionally conflicting experience watching President Snow's character development and eventual rise to power when they have freaking Tom Blyth playing the protagonist. I am going to need a few nights to render my thoughts and resolve my moral dilemma 🙂 ✌️. All throughout the film, I cannot help but imagine the Tumblr uproar if this were to be released in 2010-2014. I just know Tumblr girlies (me included) would be completely insufferable, simping over yet another problematic fictional man. 

Full disclaimer though, I haven't yet read the book (I will), so my whole review is going to be based on my first time experiencing his story and the film only. Minor Spoiler Alert!

Right off the bat, very surprising (but obviously expected) this film absolutely nailed it. Once again, a Hunger Games movie outmatched previous releases and broke the bad-sequel curse. It would've been a solid 10/10 from me if it didn't push me into a spiral of moral dilemma over Snow's actions and how GORGEOUS he looked when he was younger (/joke) (/but not really) (damn you, Tom Blyth).

Truly, Francis Lawrence did his magic once more, the whole deliverance of the story was a cinematic blessing. The fight scenes and the tension built up before and after the games had me on my feet, gripping the edge of my seat, terrified yet enthralled by what was about to happen. Having read and watched the trilogy, I have a slight notion of how the ending would be. Whatever happens, Snow will survive and rise as the most powerful victor in all of Panem. And to know that, whilst watching the games and his exile story played out, honestly terrifies me. 

Having the story laser-focused (and very well written) on the main villain had me occasionally losing myself in his emotions and perspective, I lost grip on the reality of the abuse and oppression The Capitol inflicted on all 12 districts and their people, with The Hunger Games as the peak reminder of their terrors, showing the people who're actually in power. I found myself empathizing with Snow's character during some of his vulnerable moments. For a moment I imagined if only people were nicer, if his circumstances were a little bit more ideal, Snow would have grown up to be a better person (which obviously was a terribly false assumption as this man is honestly devil reincarnated). 

ALSO, as a self-proclaimed musical addict, I simply cannot write this review without giving my highest praise to Rachel Zegler, Dave Cobb and James Newton Howard for perfecting the film with their music. Every time Zegler starts singing, I get goosebumps all over. Her verses and emotions took hold of my entire body and moved me to feel whatever emotions the creators wanted me to feel. Midway, I felt like Zegler's decision to pursue acting instead of singing should make hit singers grateful because she would sweep them away so quickly with that voice and talent 🥹.

The film perfectly mirrors how fights against oppression are often harshly labelled as unjust terrors or savage rebellions, deserving of brutal punishments by the ruling governments. Regardless of how these "rebellions" were simply a desperate attempt for the oppressed to survive another day. When the stakes are too high, beyond their control, and the prospect of a better future is bleak, they would have nothing more to lose. Fighting would be the only option they have. It would be either fight or die. A literal, real-life hunger game where the whole world is your arena. And considering current global events, the release of this film feels extremely fitting. Which raises one big question: "If you can stand with the rebels fighting for justice, against immoral and inhumane rulings in movies and books, why won't you stand for them in real life?"

The movie ended with Snow finally getting a spot in The Capitol, a near guarantee of a successful future, with his grandmother and Tigris by his side congratulating him. Not going to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't watched the film, but I'm just gonna say that in that scene I so wish I could hear both Tigris and Snow's inner thoughts and emotions. 

In conclusion, I regret not watching this movie sooner and totally recommend all dystopian fiction fans to watch in the theaters! 

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Molly knows about the reader’s relatives and she’s not so sure to put her trust in a girl that had just betrayed her own family

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Hi! i’m so happy that you guys liked this thing! thank you so much for your support and, again, if you want to keep reading this let me know. Same note as ever, english not my mother language, so tell me if something’s is wrong.

Chapter 2: Not your family

The next morning turned out to be quieter than you imagined.

You slowly got out of bed and looked at everything around you noticing how quaint Bill's old room was. The ceiling was lined with grainy wallpaper with stacks of photographs of Quidditch players hanging from the reeds that moved from side to side, simulating the playing field; the right side of the room had a huge hole behind the small stool that tried to hide it, and from that hole a small garden gnome was sleeping peacefully with a small piece of cloth on top of his head. You stood up, walking towards the huge window that gave you a beautiful view of the Weasley's garden that at that moment was covered by a thin layer of drizzle that had fallen during the night.

Molly's fruit trees gleamed under the faint rays of the sun and you saw how a doxy from between the leaves poisoned Mrs. Weasley's apples, causing them to fall from the tree branches in a thick black mass with a foul smell coming out of it. You shook your head, excited to witness a very different way to wake up.

Even though several minutes have passed since you woke up, the house continued to remain in a strange silence that made you think that the family had decided to leave the burrow with the intention of buying more supplies or something like that. You knew that Bill wasn’t at home precisely for his obligations within the Order, so you didn’t worry about looking for him around the room, so you decided that a better option was going down to the dining room and know what was happening.

As you went down the spiral staircase, you cursed in a whisper when you forgot to put on your slippers before leaving the bedroom cause the floor was so cold that you slipped a couple of times. Back in the days, when you were still welcome in your parents' house, you had many servants who did all the things for you - putting on your shoes as soon as you woke up was one of those things - but now that your life had changed so much, you assumed that you would have to adapt and start taking care of your own needs.

Your curious eyes roamed the walls covered in family photos that caused a big warmth in your chest. In each of those photographs, all of Molly's children appeared along with their father, smiling for the camera and sending effusive greetings. A pic was hanging at the fireplace were Molly and Arthur were carrying a small white bundle crying his lungs out. You assumed it was Bill as his parents seemed too young back then and even as a small baby, you could recognize those tantrum features anywhere.

A giggle escaped your lips when you noticed a funny sequence from that same photo in which, even with Bill crying in his mother's arms, his father tried to carry him for a moment to calm him down, however the baby's cries didn’t stop. The baby was so annoyed that he ended throwing up  the milk ration that he must have had before the photo session on his father's neat shirt.

You laughed because you knew that William's impertinence was something he had carried with him for several years now.

"Bill hates those photos." You jumped in your place scared to see Molly standing behind you. Your cheeks turned red “He says that it’s embarassing but i think that’s nonsense. He was an adorable baby”

"he was," you answered, looking anywhere but into Molly's shrewd eyes. "but I guess displaying them in the fireplace isn’t the right thing to do."

“Is it not?

"No, they should be at the front door where everyone can see them”

Molly giggled as you watched the sequence of photos over and over again. A silence settled between you, but surprisingly it was not an awkward silence, but one that was allowing you to create a bond that neither of you expected. Mrs. Weaslsey brought up a rag, wiping it around the corners of the photo from the dust.

"Arthur and I had to save up for months to take those pictures," she mentioned wistfully, "we just had Bill and it seemed like a good idea to welcome him into our family with a gesture like that. Arthur was new in the ministry and wasn't earning too much, but we had that quirk and decided we could afford to skip certain things to pay for the pictures. It cost us ten galleons and it still took us four months to gather them”

“Oh” You didn't know what to say, but you just kept looking at the photograph feeling a bit uncomfortable. You never had those problems at home because your family was insanelly rich thanks to the inheritance in life that your grandfather Tim had left to his son and later to his grandchildren. Even the descendants of your grandfather's servants came to work in your house, reason enough for you and your siblings to grow up with no sense of responsibility other than your own wishes. Molly sighed remembering those times when life seemed to be easier.

"So when Bill asked me to remove it from the fireplace, I refused. He doesn't know how hard it was to raise that money, but I think he has nothing to be ashamed of, he was too adorable!

"I don't doubt it for a second, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can call me Molly," she said, walking back to the kitchen where you continued watching the way the pans moved back and forth preparing breakfast. You were not very good at cooking - in fact, you had never cooked before- however, that didn’t stop you from offering your help. So you took a pan, placed it on the stove, and decided that you would find a way to make a good mountain of strawberry-filled pancakes just like your dear nanny did. Molly observed you carefully. "I think that now that you are living with us it is appropriate to have a more cordial treatment.My son told me a lot about you”

“Just the good things, i hope”

“Kind of” You stopped mixing ingredients to look at her carefully” He told us a bunch of marvelous things about you and how you two met. Actually, what worries me the most is what he didn’t tell us”

And there was the recrimination you were waiting for. You were aware that it had to arrive sooner or later, however, you would have been grateful that it did it when Bill were by your side to give you the opportunity to defend yourself properly. You cleared your throat uncomfortably, knowing that what Molly needed to hear from your own lips was which family you came from. You continued your task with the pancakes, turning out as bad as you expected.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Mrs. Weasley."

"Molly," he corrected.

"Molly" you smiled slowly "But believe me when I tell you that it was me who asked William not to mention anything about my last name or where I come from. I know that in this case, with the war above our heads, it is necessary to be certain of the people who enter your family and I apologize for that, it's just ... Bill is very important to me” Molly's eyes narrowed “Since we met ... I have found a home in him and well, all that feels when someone is in love. "Mrs. Weasley shook her head, understanding the feeling." I have experienced the rejection before. When people know that Tom Riddle is my family ... they run away in fear, curse my family and even walk away from us, as if sharing a blood bond makes us as evil as he is.

“And it’s not like that?” Molly asked with a hand on her neck. She didn’t want to be like the others and judge you without knowing the full story, just as she had promised Bill the night before that she would, but it was so difficult not to remember the death of his brothers by Voldemort’s hands and to pretend nothing had happened in the past. You sighed because the eggs you cracked on the bowl got mixed with their own shell “ I've heard of the Grants before, they're all Death Eaters, including your siblings!”

“It is difficult to have to choose a side  when you don’t have your own convictions”

"And you have it?"

You looked at Molly in pain. Of course you expected those reactions from Bill's mother, she was within her right to be upset that her oldest son never told her that he was in a relationship with a girl who seemed to have the most fucking powerful and evil wizard in the world as a great-uncle. No, Molly wasn't mad, she was deadly angry, she felt like she was bursting!

Her hands became fists and without knowing how, you found yourself between the wall and Molly's big arms from one second to the other. The pancake batter was forgotten, as was the woman's promise to treat her son's girlfriend in a good way.

"How is it possible ..." Molly questioned in an agitated voice, pressing your arms against the wall, "... that a single deer leaves the nature of its own herd?" How can you ensure that one rotten apple even in a gold container doesn’t rot the others?”Your breath caught at the questions of the woman in front of you. Once again, you were aware that your presence wouldn’t be good news to them, but at least you hoped they understood your motives before judging you “Explain to me, (Y/ N) Grant, when have you seen a pig away from his equals?”

Your words caught in your throat at Molly's fierce question. Bill had talked a lot about the temper of his mother. Even if she could be really grumpy at times, she was in general a very sweet, pleasant and maternal woman with everyone; however, you didn’t fit into that generality because it seemed that the woman was determined to kill you with her own hands.

"If my presence bothers you so much, then you shouldn't have let Bill and I to stay here."

“He's my son! All I want for him is to be happy, and that's why I don't understand what he managed to see in you”

"Maybe the same thing you saw in your husband." Molly's lips twitched in anger, but you didn't stop. You hoped that she would at least understand what your words meant, because that would make it easier for both of you to try at least get along better, even if Molly seemed not to want to do it under any circumstances. How is it that this haughty little girl dared to compare herself with her dear and wonderful husband? "I'm sorry, but I don't think this conversation is going to take us anywhere."

"If someone betrays his own family ..." Molly stopped you before you walked out the front door. The others got down the stairs, seeing the scandal formed in the kitchen “The rest of us can't expect too much, can we?

Your eyes blured.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Thank you so much for your brilliant Untamed Rewatch. I laughed, aww'd and got teary (at the same time) the entire time! One thing puzzled me though: you pointed out in one post that Jiang family didn't give the family name to WWX even though they took him in. But given JFM liked WWX's parents wouldn't it be right NOT to give WWX Jiang name since it would "end" the Wei lineage if he did? In fact wasn't Yu Ziyuan very derisive about Wen Zhuliu abandoning his birth surname in favor of Wen name?

I interpret Yu Ziyuan’s criticism of Wen Zhuliu as being about abandoning his clan, not his family - she’s very concerned with clan loyalty and rank. 

As for keeping the Wei surname -- I can’t find a lot about historical adoption & fosterage practice in China, and contemporary Chinese law allows adopted children to take their adoptive father or mother’s surname, or to retain their original name.  So I can’t say what would be “normal” for the imaginary setting of The Untamed.  However, Word of Honor, which is set in a similar fantasy world (Wuxia rather than Xianxia, but they’ve got a lot in common) has a character who reverts to his father’s original surname even though he was born with a new, clan-bestowed surname.  So I don’t think being given a new name sweeps the old name away forever, in this setting. 

In contemporary US adoption of Chinese children, which I know a certain amount about (including how problematic it, and all sorts of adoption in a capitalist world, can be), there’s a strong emphasis on giving the child a name as a way of claiming them and signaling that they are permanently part of your family. But there’s also a strong emphasis on not separating a child from their history or identity. 

In my family this means that my nephew, who was born in China and adopted through the international program, goes by his original Chinese first name, and has a middle name from my SIL’s family, and my brother’s surname. Whereas my son, who was born in the US to parents who are from China, goes by an English name (Charlie) that was given by his birth parents, because it sounds like his Chinese name (家林, Jiālín). His Chinese name is one of his two middle names; the other one, and his surname, are from us.  We’ve also made sure he knows his birth parents’ surnames; we are in regular contact with them so secrecy would be ridiculous in any case. 

Generalizing a bit: In the US nowadays it’s normal for children to know they are adopted, and pretty normal for them to feel comfortable disclosing this. Open adoptions are encouraged in the US, meaning children have information about their birth families and might also have ongoing contact with them. In China, it’s still pretty normal for adoptions to be secret; Wen Ning’s reasoning that knowing about his origins might make Lan SIzhui unhappy is a pretty mainstream belief. In the US, we really prize information, and believe that individuals have the right to know their origins, but that’s a cultural value, not a universal truth. I hold to this particular value, but other ways of handling it aren’t necessarily wrong, since none of this happens in a vacuum.  

In particular, the importance of being filial creates a lot of complexity when a child is aware of two sets of parents. Note that the first thing that Lan Sizhui does upon remembering his original identity is to leave his adoptive parents to go build a memorial for his deceased biological family.  It’s fine for him, because they’re all friends, but it can create some real difficulties if a child has two families who are at odds, or live in very different circumstances.  If you watch Go Ahead (which is WONDERFUL), you can see how an informally-adopted child is constantly reminded (not by his adoptive dad, but by others) to be grateful, that he doesn’t really belong, that he could be sent away, and how that weighs on him and affects his choices.

Coming back to your actual question--sorry for the dissertation!--I think in the world of the story, keeping the Wei surname would be “right,” but also he shouldn’t have been raised inside the family with the Jiang children, because *the mother of the family didn’t want him.* He should have been placed with a lower-ranked member of the Jiang clan, possibly one who didn’t have children, and been a friend to the Jiang children. That would have given him everything he needed without creating gossip and humiliating the wife of the clan leader. 

BUT! If Yu Ziyuan had wanted him in the family, the right thing would probably be to re-name him Jiang Wuxian, and adopt him as a full member of the family, but with the understanding that he isn’t in line to inherit the clan leader position--similarly to how an imperial adoption is handled in Nirvana in Fire. 

In contemporary times, keeping his original surname might be important because it’s all he has of his birth parents. But some kids really want to feel connected to their adoptive family through sharing a name. Given Wei Wuxian’s age at the time of adoption, it might be best to keep his original name for a year or two and then give him the option to change it to the adoptive family name; but given his tendency to try to please everybody, he might change his name when he would really rather keep it. So I’d have him talk to his therapist about it for several months before deciding! 

Simple, right? 

[marleahsblogs]

Top 5 Hobbies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

It has been almost two years now since the COVID-19 started. It has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide, has affected millions of people losing their jobs, homes, and loved ones. The governments were not ready to face the economic and existential threats; medical workers risked their lives trying to save countless patients every day. The military and police personnel went sleepless in the streets to keep the community disciplined. It has been two years of trying to survive to this pandemic that we did not know would change our whole lives.

The topic I have chosen After surviving this pandemic myself, I couldn't be more grateful to the Lord for preserving and protecting me. I may say that these could be one of the worst years of my life, but it has taught me a lot of things. Including being resourceful of my time, and learning how to cope up with a pandemic through existing and building new hobbies. I chose the topic, "Top 5 Hobbies During the COVID-19 Pandemic" because I want to know how other people are doing during this pandemic, as well as help other people on how to keep themselves sane in this new normal life. I have created a survey that consists of 34 respondents ages 16 and above, and below are the interesting results I have found from their responses. Top 5 Hobbies and Description of Each 1. Movies / Netflix & Chill Yep, this has gotten to the top spot of all hobbies. Ever since the cinemas closed due to the pandemic, this became the new tradition of the people worldwide. We can't help it, laying in the bed, and watching movies is one of the most chill things to do. I personally could spend half of the day doing Netflix and chill when I've got nothing else to do.

2. Listening to Music Another new normal thing we do is working from home and taking online classes. We tend to be bored with this new routine of rising up in bed, moving to the work desk, and going back to bed. One thing that could kill the boredom is listening to music. Simply listening to music can be soothing for the soul, mind, and body. It's an all-around mood booster that many enjoy.

3. Playing Video Games

Video games exploded in popularity when COVID-19 started. This was already famous before, but now it's everywhere. A video game is a game played using a desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, and other electronic gaming devices. Before the pandemic, I barely played video games because I am more inclined in spending time with my friends. But now, I am playing crypto games to earn and have fun. Video games are a phenomenal form of entertainment best for the ongoing pandemic.

4. Playing with Pets We all have been severely affected by the loss of our daily routines as we know them and the prospect of further deaths from COVID-19. Therefore it is not surprising that we play with our cats, dogs, and other animals. Pets give emotional support without prejudice, and interaction with animals helps decrease tension and anxiety in especially in situations of stress.

5. Cooking and Baking

Cooking and baking are increasingly done not just for sustenance but also for comfort and entertainment by people who are self-quarantined. Study shows that it has various advantages, such as reducing stress and mood control. Cooking passion has grown into a type of self-care, which we have needed terribly through years of isolation.

The process on how I conducted the mini-survey

After deciding on the topic I want to use for the survey, I went to the Google Forms site. I made three sections for the whole mini-survey. The first one was informed consent. There, I discussed the purpose of the survey, what will be done, their confidentiality, and their right to withdraw anytime. I have noted that only ages 16 and above are allowed to participate in the survey. I also wrote my details in case they have inquiries about the survey. In the consent form, they will be clicking an option that says, "Yes, I agree." It confirms that they have read and understood the information I have given to them and that they voluntarily agree to answer the survey. In the second section, I created a demographic form where the participants could provide their personal details for data collection. The first two things they will be providing are a complete name and email address. However, as noted in the first section, they are not required to fill it in but only if they feel comfortable doing so. Then the last two things they should provide are age and gender.

The last section was the most fun part which is all about their top 5 hobbies during the COVID-19 pandemic. I made four questions for them to answer. The first question is, "What are your top five hobbies to do during the Covid-19 pandemic?" I chose the checkboxes as a type for that question. I put 15 options for them to choose from, including others as something else they have in mind that is not in the choices. The choices are the following: movies/Netflix and chill, video games, art, music, exercise/workout, learning a language, reading, cooking/baking, learn a craft, cleaning, organizing, virtual bonding with friends and family, taking care of plants, playing with pet/s, and others.

The second question for the third section of the survey was, "How many hours do you partake in the hobbies you specified above?" Here, I made three options and it is in multiple-choice type as they could only choose one option. The options are 0-5 hours, 6-10 hours, 11-12 hours, and more than 12 hours. The third question I made was, "Do your hobbies help you cope up with the ongoing pandemic?" wherein they would choose in a multiple-choice form of "yes", "no", or "maybe". And for the last question, I wanted them to share with me their thoughts and feelings about their top 5 hobbies during the Covid-19 pandemic. I chose the form of a paragraph, instead of a short answer because I want them to feel free in sharing their insights no matter how long. This was what I gave, "Kindly add up your thoughts and feelings about your top 5 hobbies during the Covid-19 pandemic." And that was the end of my mini-survey.

Responses in the Mini-Survey

Now I am going to share with you the summary of my participants' responses. There was a total of 34 respondents, from ages 16-44. The age with the highest number of respondents is 21. 55.9% were females, while 44.1% were males. For the question of top five hobbies to do during the Covid-19 pandemic, I will be listing the answers from the highest count to the lowest: movies/Netflix and chill (85.3%), music (70.6%), video games (70.6%), playing with pet/s (52.9%), cooking/baking (44.1%), exercise/workout (38.2%), virtual bonding with friends and family (29.4%), organizing (26.5%), reading (26.5%), cleaning (23.5%), learning a language (11.8%), taking care of plants (5.9%), learning a craft (2.9%). The other options provided by my participants are writing (2.9%), tutorials (2.9%), learning map-making/geography and "dinosaur" anatomy/mechanics (2.9%), sleeping (2.9%), series, TikTok, dancing (2.9%).

Most of my participants spent 6-10 hours partaking in their hobbies, followed by 0-5 hours, then more than 12 hours, and lastly 6-10 hours. This shows that they are actually spending a lot of time doing their hobbies during the pandemic. 73.5% said that their hobbies helped them cope up with the ongoing pandemic, 23.5% said maybe, and 2.9% said that it didn't. Lastly, their thoughts and feelings about their hobbies during the pandemic were mostly positive.

Here's a small reminder to keep you motivated during this COVID-19 pandemic. God bless! ♡

[arthemis-forge]

Chapter 3 Body and Soul (Crimson)

Warnings: None (future nsfw)

A/N: Hello guys! Sorry for the delay, what happens is that I was a little busy with some personal things but I'm back.

I will try to update twice a week and each time as we progress through the story, make the chapters longer. Another thing is I didn't notice that the previous chapter i published the draft instead of the final version. Which had many otorgraphic and writing errors. But it's already corrected. If you find something let me know so I can fix it. Also I am very happy for all the support, thank you for your lovely comments. Another thing, Do you want me to create a tag list?. Please tell me in the comments. That's all I wanted to say. Enjoy your reading! 🖤

Chapter 3(Crimson)

Lost in my thoughts, I walked towards the exit of the building while i was looking at the sky with some concern. It wouldn't be long before the sun rise.

And honestly, I was very scared. I did'nt know anyone in this city and didn't know what time it was in the area. My life was in danger and although I was sure that I still had time based on what the sky looked like.

I was still very worried about not knowing what time it was exactly. Looking at my watch was in vain. It was scheduled for London time not New York.

I was very nervous but I had to calm down. So i calculated that there were 2 hours left until the sun rise. And although it sounds like it's a lot of time, I don't know how much traffic there is in this city. And I needed to be in the nearest hotel as soon as posible.

Again I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not notice that a taxi parked in front of me, it was not until I heard the drivers voice that I noticed it.

—Good night miss, are you waiting for someone else? Or do you need me to take you somewhere? —

Hearing that question made me feel more relaxed again.

—Sure, I actually have nowhere to go. Could you recommend a hotel near here. One with good facilities. The price point doesn’t matter but I really need to get a good place to relax, preferably the closest hotel to the airport.—

I told him as I opened the door and carried my suitcase.

—Of course ma'am, in fact we are close to many good hotels. They are a few streets away. Would you like me to take you to see the exteriors and based on how they look you choose one?. I assure you that they are all very good, some more than others but none are bad. —

The man smiled while he waited for my answer.

I sighed feeling realised.

—Yes please, I would like it very much. —

The man laughed as he drived the car.

—You are not from here are you? I can tell by your accent. —

I nodded as i looked out the window. Analyzing the area I was in.

—That's right, I'm from London. I was transferred from my job. —

—That's so interesting. Sounds like fun to have a job where you travel a lot. —

—Well yeah you're not wrong. But I also needed to start a new life. —

I confessed while we entered to a large avenue with many buildings with hotels and apartments. Some were prettier than others.But nothing look bad about them.

—Is one of you liking? Or do you want me to go further so you can see more options?. —

The truth is that I could already choose one of the many hotels that were on the street. And I couldn't be so demanding, since i needed a safe place away from natural light as soon as possible. But a hunch told me to accept the man's proposal.

—Sure, I think we can see a few more options.—

No matter how much the car moved forward, nothing interested me. It wasn't until we reached the corner of the avenue that a large black building with Victorian architecture caught my attention. On the outside it had an ad with red calligraphy that said "Crimson".

—Stop here, I like this one. —

I pointed to the old building.

—I’m sorry to tell you this, but that hotel is very strict. They do not allow the entry to anyone who doesn't have a membership. It has already happened several times that I leave people here and they end up removing them from the place.—

—Don't worry I will try to enter. If i can´t then I’ll choose one of the hotels that are on this street. How much do I owe you? —

—If you insists, it’s $30 dollars.—

I nodded as I handed over his money.

—Thank you very much, also keep the change. —

I took my suitcase and closed the car's door as I approached the entrance of the building. However I was stopped at the door by a very tall man with brown hair and grey eyes.

— Good night, Miss. Could you give me your membership please. —

Embarrassed, I bit my lower lip and then proceeded to do something I didn't wanted.

—You're going to let me in no matter the rules of the place or what your bosses say. —

I smiled already knowing the results of my action. The man nodded and then open the door for me.

Once inside I noticed that a tall girl with black hair and violet eyes smiled at me as she applauded me.

—That was so wesome, Alice. Just as I expected, James didn't cause you any trouble. —

The girl approached very excited.

—Who are you and why do you know my name?—

I asked very confused and feeling insecure. Since she was aware of what I had just done and the worst thing was that she knew my name. This was getting very strange and I was not liking it.

—I am Grace Crimson. Owner of the hotel and great friend of your Boss Nat. —

—Do you know Nat? —

I said in a very incredulous voice.

—Of course Alice. But hey that is the least important thing right now, let me show you your room and I give you Nats phone number so you can call her.—

While I was trying to process the information, one of the attendants took my suitcase.

—Did Nat tell you in any way that I will come here? —

She just laughed at my question.

— I knew you'd say that. Don't be silly, honey. You are acting like a newborn vampire in the clan. Look dear, I'll explain. I can see the future. Today I had a vision of you in which I saw you giving orders to my guard right outside my hotel. It should be noted that I was concerned, because I didn't knew who you were, so I called all the offices until I found some information about you. To at least make sure that you weren't dangerous to us and to be able to take the necessary measures. By the way, I don't want you to feel bad about what I told you. But these are difficult times and we must take care of each other. —

Of course she was right, what a fool I was. I have been so involved in my personal feelings and problems that I overlook the fact that many in our community have that ability.

—Don't worry, it's okay Grace. I understand. I know how the security protocol works. And I also understand perfectly that you investigated me and that you needed to know who I was. —

I confessed.

—I already knew you were going to say that tho. Hey you are more friendly and understanding than I expected from someone who can control people's minds with their voice. No ofence but your kind is usually a very pretentious. —

I couldn't help laughing at that comment.

—I was like that many years ago, but someone changed me. I try not to abuse my powers too much, only when it’s necessary. —

I lowered my gaze to caress a silver ring with a red diamond that I had on my ring finger.

When she saw how my mood changed, she immediately hug me.

—Don't torment yourself over the past. —

She took me by the hand to walk me through those long corridors of the building. I must admit that I felt a little emotional. The place reminded me a lot of my grandmother's house.

—Here is your room, as you can see it is very spacious, it has a king size bed, living room, bathroom with a bathtub and a beautiful balcony. Also here is Nat's phone number. And don't forget to close all the curtains including the ones on the bed. —

She handed me the keys, a red card and a pos it with Nat’s new number.

—James leave the suitcase on her bed. —

The man obeyed her order and put the suitcase on my bed.

—Sure Grace. Thank you very much for all the hospitality. It has been a long time since I felt welcomed in a place. —

She smiled

—I know we are going to be very good friends. —

After that she closed the door behind me.

It's amazing how someone's life could change in an instant.

One day you are in London crying for your ex and the next day you are in New York and you're dreaming with a man who doesn’t even exist.

Thinking about that, I began to close all the curtains in the room and then i took the phone from the bureau next to the bed.

With some fear I called her, I knew that she would be very upset with me. But i had to do it.

—Hey nat it's me, Alice. —

—You are an idiot, I was so worried! Never do that to me ever again! I thought you wanted to kill yourself or something like that...

You sounded so sad. God you have take some therapy you can't continue living like this...—

I sigh very annoyed.

— Anyway, I already spoke with Bruce and he already gave you permission to work in New York. And before I forget to tell you this. Tomorrow you have a job to do. I need you in a bar, we think we found someone who can serve us for the clan. You will have to go to a concert near a local bar in the town. Grace will leave you the papers with the man's information.—

—Perfect. By the way, thank you very much for the favor. You don't know how grateful I am with you. Anyways, I will leave you, I am very tired and I would like to sleep as much as possible to be in the best possible conditions tomorrow—

—Of course dear. Have a good night. —

Grateful to Nat, I hung up the call and then closed my eyes. But not without first remembering Peter's beautiful green eyes.

[lov3nerdstuff]

Somebody to love

Part 1 Part 2

Loki x reader

Imagine: After the New York attacks Loki is sent to prison in Asgard and you, his queen, are to be executed for helping him. Will you be able to save both of you in time?

Original request: @mirtaqueen Hi 😄 can I have a request , we are in thor2 and when Loki go to Odin in chains to talk to him, odin didn't say to him that he never see friga again but he say that marriage between reader and Loki is over and reader will be banish from asgard and that really hits Loki and brake him, so Loki try do everything to change odin mind, he will say with tears in the eyes that he can't take his queen from him and Frigga maybe say something and odin will change mind, pure fluff in the end 😄😄😄🙏

Words: 2.5k

Part: 1 / 2

A.N.: I just couldn't resist to make this story my own and do two parts 💗✨ I'm sorry if it's not exactly what you imagined, but I tried my best to do your awesome prompt justice 😄

"Your birthright was to die!" Odin shouted, sitting up straight in his throne and leaning forward as a gesture of attempted intimidation. His voice echoed so loudly through the room that it seemed to cut through the silence as he glared down at a chained Loki. "As a child… Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me."

Loki took a quick step forward and the guards jumped into action to hold him back by his chains. "If I'm for the act, then for mercy's sake just swing it." He looked down at his chained hands with a frown. "It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just…" His eyes shot back up to meet his father's. "I don't love them."

Odin leaned back in his throne, only acknowledging Loki's words with a dismissive look. "Y/n is the only reason you're still alive and you will never see her again."

Loki's expression went from boredom and anger to shock and sorrow, but Odin continued without a change in his demeanor. "You'll spend the rest of your days in the dungeons." 

The guards started pulling Loki backwards by his chains, urging him to return to his prison.

"And what of y/n?!" Loki yelled and refused to be dragged back, leaning harshly into the restraining metal which left bruises wherever it dug into his lean body. The thought of what would happen to you now that he had been arrested had occurred to him before, but only now did he realize that the chances were high that he'd never see you again. And that, to him, was absolutely no option. 

"Y/n will be executed for helping you. She asked me to let you live and take her life instead, which, after thinking it through, I agreed to."

Loki felt the tears stinging in his eyes even before Odin had finished the sentence. Oh, his sweet y/n… he equally loved and hated that about you. That you always put him first. 

"You can't do that…" He said and his voice broke, just like his heart did. Shock numbed his body like a dive in icy water. "She doesn't deserve it."

"You, my son, do not deserve for her to be yours." Odin replied sharply. "She is way better than you will ever be."

"I know." Loki breathed, more to himself than as an actual answer. But then, through the sorrow and pain, he willed himself to fight, to beg even if it only would save you. "She is the future queen of Asgard, you can't execute her! She is your family too! I beg you, switch our fates and I shall do anything you ask of me." 

"One day your brother will marry and give this kingdom the queen it deserves. Someone less cunning and less vain. Y/n doomed herself when she married you." Odin commented coldly.

If Odin's constant praise of Thor made Loki angry, him insulting you had Loki burning with rage like two damn gold particles smashed together.

"How dare you!" He yelled and lunged forward, the guards hardly able to hold him back with four men on each side. "She is my queen and if you dare harming her I swear I will end you and everyone who tries to stop me." 

Odin instinctively jumped a little, but quickly covered it up by raising to his feet and striding down the steps to stand in front of Loki. "You are just as vain as her if you think that empty threats will stop me from separating the two of you." He said quietly.

Loki glared at him for a moment, but then grinned wickedly. "You are afraid of her! Y/n threatened you to agree to her wish!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Odin's voice thundered through the room, making the guards flinch. But not Loki. He knew what he needed to know and now was the time to plot.

With a small wave of his hand, Odin commanded the guards to return Loki to his cell and this time, he let it happen with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, and Loki… She will die in three days, at sunset." Odin added just before Loki was out of the room. And despite taking note of it, Loki's mind was too far gone to reply. 

_______________

You were walking up and down in Loki's and your shared chamber, anxious and deep in thought. You hadn't had a chance to talk to Loki since he had been arrested. You must leave that to Odin, he was smart enough to realize that together, you and Loki would've plotted your escape long ago. But separated with no possibility to communicate, chances were high that this time he'd be able to keep Loki locked up for good. Locking you up, however, wasn't an option. You had your ways to escape and Odin knew that.

Before that, when you had heard that Odin wanted Loki executed, both you and Frigga, who you liked way better than Odin, had protested heavily. 

But only upon your threat to reveal Odin's 'colorful' past to the entire kingdom, including his wife and sons, Odin finally agreed to have you executed instead. It hadn't been your intention to offer him your own death, but it was the only way to let Loki know you were working on something.

Rumor had it Odin had spoken with Loki in the throne room and you sincerely hoped that Loki had received your message. 

Now all he needed to do was to wait and hope that you wouldn't screw up your plan. 

You sat down on the bed and ran your hands through your hair. It all was such a mess… and only because that large purple asshole by the name of Thanos had gotten hold of you, tortured you and thereby forced Loki to attack midgard and convince everyone that it was him who wanted to rule over it. You sighed and absentmindedly traced your fingers over the already faint scar on your ribcage. The memory of Loki's panicked face when he had first found out what Thanos had done to you made your heart squeeze painfully. He'd been the closest to breaking you'd ever seen and the memory of it still stung. But then again, Loki and you had spent months of plotting to make sure to kill Thanos before he could hurt anyone else. That alone should be enough to be forgiven, but for the sake of universal peace, you had agreed to keep it to yourselves for now. After all, who'd believe you or even remotely understand what it had taken to end the titan? It was the single last advantage you had, the ace up your sleeve.

A knock on your door pulled you back to the present. 

"Come in." You called and the door was opened slowly, revealing a servant girl. As your eyes met, she looked away quickly. 

"Your majesty, I'm sorry for the interruption." She said quietly.

"It's fine, you're always welcome. But I told you a hundred times before to not call me 'your majesty'! I'm not the current queen and I'm not going to be one either." You laughed and waved the girl inside. 

"I think you will be a wonderful queen one day, and prince Loki a great king." She said sincerely, and you felt bad that no one had told her the truth. It was a well-kept secret that neither of you would live to see that day.

"What's the news?" You asked overly cheerful.

The young girl smiled at you. "Her Royal Highness Queen Frigga wishes to speak with you."

"Ah." You smiled back as convincingly as you could in the dire light of your situation. "Just as I expected."

_______________

Loki was sitting in his white cell, eyes closed and trying to concentrate despite the awful noises the other prisoners were making. He'd cast an illusion of himself reading peacefully, because right now, he couldn't be bothered to answer to guards asking what he was up to. If he was honest with himself, he was equally proud and grateful that you were so incredibly clever: You had sent him a clear message and were working on getting him out of this mess. However he also felt utterly useless; every time something happened to him you were there to save his sorry ass in the last second, but when you were in danger, he felt like he failed you. You were so strong, his solid rock in a raging ride, and he was merely the pebble on the shore. He shook the thought out of his head.

Now, he needed to understand his part in the plan, the plan that most likely included some way to save him at any cost and if fate would allow it, also yourself. He'd never forgive himself if he survived and you didn't… without you, living wasn't worth a single thing. If only he could hold you in his arms one more time, kiss you with his last breath and tell you that he loves you more than words could fathom. If only he could be with you right now, somewhere far away… You should've ran when you still had the chance. But the chance was gone and he needed to act.

So he jumped to his feet and started pacing from wall to wall with a deep frown.

If you had found something you could use against Odin, that was a huge advantage. Loki didn't know what it was, but he could imagine that it didn't matter either. He trusted you and your judgement, maybe even more than his own in some cases.

First things first, he needed to make sure that you weren't harmed, maybe buy you some more time.

With a snap of his fingers the illusion vanished and he stepped towards the open end of his cell.

"I'd like to see my mother!" He called out to the guards down the hall. "I'd very much welcome it if you could send her to me."

_______________

A few minutes later Loki heard footsteps of approximately four people coming down the hallway towards him. When he looked up from his book he found that indeed, four people were standing in front of his cell. Three of them were guards and the fourth looked like his mother.

"Hello, dear…" She said and gave the guards a sign to open the barrier for her to enter, then a sign for them to leave. With a formal bow they hurried off back to their posts.

Loki walked closer to her until there were mere inches between the two of them.

"Hello y/n." He breathed with a slow smirk.

The illusion faltered and finally vanished, revealing your grinning face.

"How did I do?" You chuckled.

Loki grinned at you, opening his mouth to say something, but closed it again and shook his head slightly. 

"Last time we met you couldn't do that little magic trick." He finally remarked, looking at you so adoringly that you felt your heart beat faster. 

"Oh I can do way more than that." You winked. "Your mother has been teaching me for quite a while now… I wanted it to be a surprise, but then all this happened… and well. Surprise!" 

"God, I love you so much…" He sighed and captured your lips in a passionate kiss, filled with the longing and despair of the last few days. 

After what seemed like a little eternity of just holding each other, you finally pulled away. 

"Listen, I know you will hate my plan, but you need to trust me with this. Okay?" You asked quietly, resting your forehead against Loki's.

"I always trust you, with everything I have." He said sincerely. "What do I need to do?"

_______________

A high pitched scream echoed around the dungeons, followed by heavy crying and finally, a loud cracking sound. When the guards came rushing towards the cell a few seconds later, they stopped dead in their tracks and stared into the cell. It was pitch black, holding a darkly opaque smoke inside. 

"Loki, stop this nonsense!" One of the guards exclaimed. "We know of the illusional games you play! What's happening in there?"

The smoke slowly dissolved and the guards could see more and more of what was happening inside. There stood Loki, in the middle of the room, his clothes covered in blood and leisurely smirking at the guards. In front of him lay your dead body. Your neck was twisted in an unnatural way, and your wide eyes were staring lifelessly towards the guards. The once white walls of the cell were now bright red, smeared and covered in blood.

At the shocked glances of the guards, Loki merely smirked. "She was becoming beyond annoying, and she wasn't even supposed to be in here! I did you a favor!"

Immediately they opened the barriers, pushing Loki back into a corner with their spears while he had his hands risen in defeat, showing them he was no threat. A guard checked on your body while three others kept their weapons pointed at Loki.

Suddenly the barrier closed behind their backs, locking them into the cell. Shocked, they turned to see Loki and a perfectly alive y/n standing outside, smiling innocently at them while their doppelganger illusions dissolved inside the cell.

The guards shouted and tried to make the barriers go down again, but of course they failed miserably. 

"Whew, that worked…" You chuckled, giving Loki a high-five.

"I'm so proud of you." He said and kissed your forehead. "My sweet little y/n can do magic now…" 

You punched him in the shoulder with a small laugh. "Call me 'sweet and little' once more and I'll put you right back into that cell."

"Yes ma'am." He winked at you. "What's next? Do we run?"

You let out a small sigh, pulling him with you down the hallway and out of the dungeons. Just when you reached the top of the stairs, you stopped. With another sigh, you concentrated on the task at hand and changed your appearance to that of Loki, who stared at you in confusion.

"C'mon, we don't have a lot of time. From now on just go along with whatever happens, okay? I've got this figured out..." You said to Loki in his own voice, making him snort.

"Alright…" He sighed, changing into you.

"Promise me you won't freak and ruin the whole thing! Oh, and you should trust your mom. She's in on this. Now watch what would happen if we would just run." You said quietly just as a small army of guards came rushing towards you.

In the matter of mere seconds, they had you in chains and dragged you back down into the dungeons, while Loki was pushed towards the throne room. It all happened so fast that Loki couldn't even say goodbye. But one thing he was certain of: your plan was working and he didn't know if he liked it.

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This is part 1 of 2 so if you'd like to be tagged let me know down below ✨💚

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@its-remy-not-ratatouille