#basically my favourite part of the entire thing I YELLED

[burntblueberrywaffles]

the desperate anidala bitches shall rejoice, because i come offering a second rec list 😌 /lh

My Anidala/Vaderdala rec list! (part 2)

You can find the first rec list here!

sorry I took so long this got buried way down in my drafts but it's finally out 🫡

some of these are not complete so do check chapter count and pls dont yell at me asdfhgkjfh

Modern AUs

The Bet

Anakin's had a crush on Padmé since fourth grade, and after putting up with his pining for seven years, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are finally stepping in and making a bet that he can't ask her to junior prom in the spring. Meanwhile, Padmé is realizing that Anakin isn't as annoying as she'd always thought. In fact, her feelings towards him are starting to go in quite the opposite direction...

Snow Place Like Home

For genre-typical convoluted reasons involving ill-timed blizzards, Padmé is forced to spend the holidays at Anakin's house. Anakin isn't as upset about his boss staying with him for Christmas as he probably should be.

Second Chances

When Luke Amidala and Leia Skywalker meet at summer camp, they're shocked to discover that they're long-lost twins. The logical next step? Getting their estranged parents back together.

I usually avoid Parent traps AU just because I dislike it as a setup, but when it comes to Anidala a bitch is desperate, and this was a cute and fun one, I really enjoyed it!

Lemon

“What other secret fantasies do I have that are glaring neon signs for you?” Anakin asks. “You’re conflicted,” Padmé says, “because on one hand you want to be a very good boy for me, but on the other you want to misbehave so I have a reason to punish you.” He blows out a plume of smoke and taps the ash off his cigarette. “You know, I really thought you were a nerd. I thought I'd have to be like, ‘Hey, how about you tie me up sometime.' Get you into this stuff little by little. But no, you’re diving right in like we met on a BDSM subreddit or something.” Or: Padmé has car problems. Thankfully she knows a good mechanic.

normally, I probably never would have checked out this fic, (mommy kink is just not my thing) but as previously stated, A BITCH WAS DESPERATE and you know what it actually slapped 😌

Rebound

Padmé Naberrie has just been broken up with. She wasn't prepared for a night out with her girls to find her a rebound. She certainly wasn't prepared for Anakin Skywalker.

Sith-Raised Anakin

the inevitable end of dancing with the devil

"Maybe it was too crass to compare the devil to such a creature—Lord Vader wasn’t the devil, he was worse." Senator Amidala was undoubtedly one of the most respected and adored public servants to walk the galaxy. Lord Vader was not. Vaderdala AU. Arranged Marriage AU

A Worthy Sacrifice

Chancellor Palpatine has dropped the act and decided to rule the galaxy openly as Darth Sidious. His reign wouldn’t be half as successful without his unhinged attack dog Darth Vader, a much rumoured warbringer who appears in black robes with a saber red as blood and brings even the strongest revolutionaries to their knees. Padmé is not only fighting for her home country but the freedom of the known regions and she is desperate to turn the tides of this war which is why she agrees to the deal Sidious offers her: A child with this favourite Sith Lord in exchange for her home: Naboo.

This is one of my favourite fics with this trope!

Pearl in My Head

Padmé's just starting her career as a Senator when she attracts some unwanted attention from the Emperor, who has decided on a very different role for her in the Empire. [empire already exists, arranged marriage/forced proximity au! loosely follows some aotc/rots events]

What Was I Made For?

Darth Vader was not a man made for love, but this was not love. Or, Basically, Padme and Vader are friends with benefits, but she's so nice to him that it makes him question his entire existence.

FOR YOUR LOVE (i’ll do whatever you want)

𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐢'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐢’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢’𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 He gave her that devilish smirk of his. The one that had gotten her into this mess in the first place. “I’ll give you what you want.” OR, A rare moment of intimacy happens for Padmé and Anakin – whose relationship is strictly carnal.

I have yet to read the second chapter (will get on that when I get out of the snowbaird hole lol) but I really enjoyed the first one!

Vaderdala

love me, love me (like you used to do) 

In which Vader fails to capture his son, but gains a daughter, his wife, another pair of twins... and the past.

this fic was SO GOOD holy shit literally made me feral when i fiorst read it

Love Like Ghosts

There are very few people who know the location of the Rebel Alliance’s base on Naboo. Even fewer who know the names of any of the people who work there. So when Padmé gets up on a cold morning, the windows frosted and harsh wind rattling the doors of the large house that’s been the headquarters of the Alliance for nearly two decades, to see a package with her name on it sitting on the doorstep, her heart stops in her chest.

loved this fic but as a heads up it doesn't provide "they get back together" closure so be ready for that

news of old by @ineedausernamel829

Padme is a member of the rebel alliance. During a mission, her past relationships with darth Vader comes to light

No vaderdala interactions, but exploration of the relationship through Padme talking about it - It’s so so good

Sad Vaderdala hours

Imperial Socialite

In a timeline where Darth Vader doesn't face immolation and Padmé Amidala lives, their marriage continues in a form that is at once far more honest and deeply dysfunctional. Though Padmé tries to remain within the Imperial Senate, the trauma of her husband's betrayal--and the apparent deaths of her children--force her into early retirement. Too much of a liability to aid the emerging Rebel cause directly, Padmé seeks out new avenues of defying the Empire: by leveraging her connection to Vader to mess with the Imperial Elites of Coruscant.

it could be sweet

an interconnected collection of stories based on the idea of what would have happened if Padmé had lived. (aka me finally writing down my self-indulgent vaderdala daydreams aka me living my best life)

This series is so good in a "rip my heart out of my chest and steps on it" way

all joy sucked dry

Her husband had fallen, her life’s work had crumbled, and her own babies were strangers to her. But she didn’t even care, and that was the worst part. Or: Padme deals with postpartum depression, and Vader is ill-equipped to help her

Others

Across the Seas

Padmé Amidala - the daughter of the royal governor of Jamaica - never expected her life to be much more than it already was. Her routine is to dress in her finest clothes, put on a pretty face, and ensure she is presentable to not only the people but to the many men attempting to court her. However, Padmé's world is flipped around when pirates attack, and the young woman finds herself in the company of their fearsome, brash, (dashing) Captain. Initially sickened by the roughish man, Padmé will quickly learn there is so much more to the mysterious Captain Skywalker. A pirate's life for me

The pirate AU I didn’t know I needed. So good

Right & Wrong

After they watch a holoshow that portrays reprehensible content, Anakin unwittingly reveals the concerning way Chancellor Palpatine acts towards him. Padmé will not let anyone harm her husband — and she’ll make this Obi-Wan, the Jedi Council, and even the whole galaxy’s problem if she needs to.

when the grooming is actually adressed >>

cestrum nocturnum

Summer on Naboo, the Clone Wars have yet to begin, and Anakin is tasked with protecting Senator Amidala after an attempt is made on her life. It's too bad that every moment with her has him in agony, and every moment apart is even worse—especially after that night in the courtyard ... Or: Anakin spends a torturous time on Naboo in the company of the person he loves because he doesn't know how to tell her his true feelings.

Naboo smut 🤭

And that's it! if anyone has recommendations for a fic that isn't in either of my rec lists, please let me know! I am so so desperate I need my anidala fix

Since I was deep into the Star Wars hole and desperate, I’ve also been reading non-Anidala/non-Anidala centric fics about Darth Vader/Anakin/the Skywalker family, so I will be posting a rec list for that soon! (When i say soon it can mean anything from a day to months, my brain is not always great at tasks, if anyone wants to be notified when I do post it lmk and I’ll tag you ❤️)

[theimaginatrix27]

I've been in the Star Trek fandom spaces long enough, time to talk publicly about a thing that I am injecting into every fic where it is relevant

So if you've been paying attention to my blog the last couple months, you will know I am a huge fan of @enbygesserit 's work. They write the absolute best Dominion lore and fic I have ever had the pleasure of reading/encountering, and I eat up each new piece like my favourite confectionery.

What I am about to discuss predates any exposure I had to their work by at least thirteen years.

And the ship it surrounds was my DS9 OTP for two entire decades (before I discovered the O'Brien polycule and now my DS9 otp is a "One True Polyamorous tangle", but moving on).

That ship being Kiraodo. My heart broke when Odo confessed his love to an apparently dying Kira, she said she loved him back, and that was the clue for him to realise she was not Kira at all. And then when the Female Changeling Voice of the Link told him Kira would never love him because he was a Changeling, I was a tiny sad twelve-yo who thought, "But I love him!" And then I wanted it to be a thing.

And when I found out it was a thing in canon but they had to part ways at the end of the series, I was happy and sad at the same time.

I was a teenager, I didn't know the relationship felt awkward to some (though to be fair I still hated Children of Time and what the alternate/Gaia Odo did, but I address that in another fic so it's fine). I just wanted the sad Changeling and the fiery Bajoran to prove the mean Changeling wrong.

But also, I acknowledged to myself, even in 2009-10, that it would not be fair to Odo at all to make him leave his people again so quickly. I felt sympathetic toward the Changelings/Founders even as a teenager who had not and would not see DS9 in its entirety (curse you, cable TV! You with your reruns and exorbitant prices making it so hard for us to keep you for more than a few months at a time!) Anyways, I knew even then that I didn't want to take Odo away from his people again, even for him and Kira to be together.

So what was my solution?

Here were the canon points I considered at age nineteen (I was creating the bare bones of the Galactic Warp AU at the time and also had a strict must-adhere-to-canon policy for any fanfic ideas I'd had at the time):

The Great Link turned Odo into a solid.

The baby Changeling in The Begotten turned him back, at the cost of its life (but maybe not if it hadn't already been dying).

Therefore, it is canonically possible for a solid to become a Changeling.

What if Kira had been Changelinged?

WHY IS THAT NOT CANON?

I have this as a significant plot point in any Kiraodo content I'm going to write, so if you see Kiraodo becoming a thing in any fic, expect to see Changeling Kira show up somewhere.

"But wait!" someone yells. "You just said you didn't want to take Odo from his people, and Kira's Bajoranness is a huge part of her identity! And you're gonna just take that away from her?"

No, actually. You think the Prophets give a shit whether or not Kira's corporeal form is solid? Fuck no, they're not corporeal and time is not linear for them! The Kira is always the Kira. The Kira is always of Bajor. The Kira is always beloved of the Prophets.

This holds true in every single fic in which I have inserted this. Kira doesn't always become a Changeling full time (some of my AUs have magic), but more importantly, She never stops being Bajoran in the ways that really matter.

Which, if this had been a canon episode, would have been emphasised by the Prophets themselves and I am not taking critique on this.

"But the Founders would never do this in canon!" I hear you cry. "They hate solids and the Voice doesn't like Kira especially!"

First of all, the convoluted love triangle between Odo, Kira and the Voice was stupid.

Second of all, it doesn't even have to be them who do it, we got other more powerful entities around! Q was basically banned from DS9, sure, but what if Kira and Odo weren't on DS9?

Here's my idea for how this could have happened in canon, if the writers had really wanted to sell us the ship.

Odo and Kira have been away on a mission together (doesn't matter where, they just have to be off the station). It's sometime in Season 6, post the Dominion occupation of DS9. When the runabout returns, Odo coms the station and says he needs to give them warning about something, and they're going to have to take him at his word, however hard that may be.

"What's wrong?" Sisko asks. "And where's Major Kira?"

In response, Odo holds up his bucket. There is a Changeling in goo form inside.

"There was an—incident while we were returning from our mission. It was successful, by the way."

Sisko stares at the screen intently for a moment.

"Are you saying," he asks slowly, "that Major Kira was replaced by a Changeling?"

"No, Captain," Odo responds. "I am saying this Changeling is Major Kira."

Cue opening theme!

And possibly this would be a two-parter! I feel that with the whole theme of DS9 being nuance, and with the Dominion being such a big deal, it deserves to be!

Basically the plot would first involve a flashback to Q popping in while Kira and Odo are arguing about something Changeling-related or whatever, going "You know, I've been watching you and yours for a while now—from a safe distance of course—and frankly, I've been surprised by the lack of nuance with regard to the Founders."

And Kira's all, "Oh come on, don't you start with this high-and-mighty attitude! I read all the records about you after your last visit to Deep Space 9, you don't have any room to talk!"

"And neither do you," Q fires back. "You think your terrible acts were justified, don't you? Oh, you know they were dreadful, the fact that you could be so violent distressed you so! But when it comes down to it, you can sleep at night, because you helped drive out the Cardassians and set Bajor free. But when the Dominion imposes their order on their part of the galaxy because they used to be oppressed and were traumatised, you sit there on what moral high ground you have and pass judgment on them!"

"I don't need to hear this! Especially not from you! Sisko made you stay away from the station—from us! Now get off this runabout and leave us alone."

"Oh, you do need to hear it, Nerys. But if you insist on me leaving, let me do so on my terms. Don't worry, my little firework, I'll make sure you don't need my help undoing this." And he snaps his fingers and disappears.

And Kira's form begins to melt and she barely has time to call Odo's name before she dissolves into Changeling goo.

Back on DS9, everyone's a bit frantic after seeing the runabout footage, which confirms Odo's story. He links with her and is able to help her reform after a little time, during which we get to hear panicked Kira thoughts and some cool visuals of what the link is like for her. We get a scene after she's able to shift back into herself where Jadzia quips that she's got purple hair and Cardassian neck ridges or something, which is not amusing to her at all.

Then there's a whole discussion on how they're going to fix her before the rest of the Federation finds out, because "Are they going to believe the testimony of one rogue Changeling and the footage from a runabout computer? What if they decide Kira's a threat and take her into custody?"

And the answer is pretty obvious, especially after Julian examines a sample of her matrix and discovers traces of her dna are still in it.

They have to take her to the Great Link so she can be restored to solidity. The Founders are rather good at genetic manipulation, after all. It'll be fine!

Except they're at war, and the Voice does not like Kira, which forms the majority of the conflict, as they have to convince any Dominion forces they meet that "Seriously, we are not here to fight, please don't blow us up, we just want to help our friend, yes we mean it, don't fire!"

And in the end Kira has to pretend to be a Founder just to get the various ships to leave them alone, and it's weird as fuck for her but she makes it to the Great Link and the Voice is there and doesn't believe her at first until they link and she gets proof from her memories.

Which leads to Kira finding out about the morphogenic virus early, and being incensed, because "Look, I don't like you, but that's crossing multiple lines! I'd never have signed off on that if it were up to me, and I know Sisko wouldn't either! Doctor Bashir's brilliant—he can help you, I'm sure of it."

"Even if we did not help you right away?"

"I can wait, if I have to. I'm kind of getting used to this whole thing. It's been—an interesting experience."

And after another link to confirm that yes, she means that and it's not even in a bad way, the Voice consents to help her regain her solid status and she goes into the Great Link, gets a small taste of the Founders' collective trauma and is deeply moved by it, bursting into tears when she emerges, once more humanoid. There's a whole final scene about how she wishes more people in the Federation could have experienced what she did, and then she goes to write a log entry on the whole thing or something.

But this would absolutely change the trajectory of the war because that's how DS9 works, so it wouldn't just be handwaved away. in subsequent episodes, Julian is able to find a cure—possibly with help from within the Dominion itself because the Founders would very much like to not die and Julian is being Julian at them and they're taking a real liking to him.

And the galaxy is saved because Q did a thing! But also Kira understands Odo better after this and their relationship is all the richer for it.

*Starts chanting* It should've been canon, it should've been canon, it should've been canon, IT SHOULD'VE BEEN CANON!

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Hii i know im late but either kuron allura or lance for the ask game thingy you rbed like two days ago?

(i know i always pick these three but idk i just rlly like hearing your thoughts on them<3)

Yay!! I am so sorry this is late. Also heads up this gets long and really salty-

Kuron-

favorite thing about them- He's trying so much! He is not great at it and he was very much Doomed since the beginning and he lost every agency he never had to begin but my god he was Trying! He did not know he was a clone but he felt he that he isnt him and Haggar was still scouting in his head but he was still trying until he couldnt, my god i love him!!

least favorite thing about them- Other than the fact he fucking died??? Kuron babygirl please dont go behind your teams back and dont yell at people, i know you are Going Through It™ but still

favorite line- "Like i am not like myself" HAHAHAHA HAHA FUCKING KILL ME!!! orz

brOTP- Lance and Kuron relationship that lives in my head and has a special place in my heart, also Veronica and Kuron because i am too deep in That au i will make it a thing if only just for that au

OTP- Do i have to answer this one? I guess Kur.ance if you twist my arm but to be honest i still prefer it as platonic or qpr. I am not much of a shipper and he has aroace swag to me. Oh, also Kuron/getting to live as his own person aka the best ship ever

nOTP- I guess Kuron/Keith and Kuron/Lotor? Mostly because my rather uhhh negative opinions on Keith and utter disappointment with Lotor's character and annoyance with both of their stans

random headcanon- i have already talked about him being fan of reading but did you know he also writes sometimes? It is not *great* and almost all of them are wips because he is never sure how to end a story but he is trying

unpopular opinion- if i see one more "Kuron the evil mean clone" i will scream.

Other than- ok. You know how much i love him right? He is one of my favourites and i like him more than Shiro, you know that right? I need you to know and remember that when i say the next part.

Entire clone arc was just not needed. Like you could have had the same effect with Shiro being mind controlled and i personally feel it would have been better. Clone arc just overcomplicated an already messy plot, added even more elements and questions that went absolutely nowhere, left behind a shit load of plot holes, became the final nail in the coffin of Shiro having any possible arc or development, and added a new sympathetic character just to kill him off as a plot device.

And the entire "You are my brother Shiro, i love you" who is it for? Literally who is it for? It would have been much more heart wrenching if it was mind controlled Shiro but we clearly established that is not him. That guy is not Shiro, and Keith as i recall had like 3 on screen conversations with him, 2 of them being strained and then Keith just fucks off with the Blades for most of 3 seasons. It is not for Kuron cause narrative is insistent that he is ~evil~ tool and later on they use his body to get Shiro back. So like, who is it for? Other than to show how sad and angsty and great and amazing writers pet Keith is of course but that is the whole goddamn show.

Like i love him and he did not deserve any of That and i am going to keep making up aus where he lives but the entire pointlessness of clone arc angers me so much

song i associate with them- Being a basic bitch here but Control by Halsey

favorite picture of them-

honestly every scene with him having long hair is just>>>

Allura-

favorite thing about them- Allura is just so genuinely kind, like she goes from one traumatic event after another and loses everything she had and she is rightfully angry and hurt and upset but she still remains kind and does everything so that others dont have to go through what she did and so she sacrifices what little she still had

least favorite thing about them- why is she fucking dead 🥺🥺? Girl wake up, also as much as i love her i am not forgiving her for entire using-Kuron's-body-to-bring-Shiro-back.

favorite line- "So how would you rate your bloodlust level from 1-5?" Let her be silly please!!!!

BrOTP- Allura and Shiro!! Also Allura and Hunk!!! And a number of interactions between Allura and Lance post s3 too!!

OTP- Free my girl hasnt she suffered enough?? (I do have soft spot for early season sha.llura moments and many allurnce moments)

nOTP- i guess l0tura and k@llura? For similar reasons as above

random headcanon- pre-Altea's destruction Allura was the most daredevil person ever. You could dare her to eat a ghost pepper and she'll do it just to prove she can

unpopular opinion- No longer saying 'the situation is much more nuanced' and 'she was traumatized, it is understandable' about the galra reverse racism bs and instead going she was 100% in the right actually. If this fandom can forgive Lotor for getting thousands of alteans murdered and straight up lying to the woman he says he loves about her own people and forgive Keith for abandoning his teammates and almost getting them all killed by claiming they were sad and traumatized than they can also forgive a black coded genocide survivor not liking a race that has been colonizing and murdering the entire universe for 10000 years including her own people

song i associate with them- Queen of Nothing by Crane Wives

favorite picture of them-

Look at her smile

Lance-

favorite thing about them- my boy?? My most favourite boy??? Literally everything?? Ok but seriously i have talked about this before but he is complex to me, i love there is so much duality in him he is someone who is kind would die for a person he met like 2 days ago and did not get along but also is just an absolute obnoxious cunt. He is an emotionally mature guy who understands his own feelings but also is just sooo douchey class clown. He wants to be a cool talented hero, he has the capacity to be that but he wants to be seen as one and in his attempts he ends up screwing himself over and comes out looking as anything but that<33!! And he is loyal and goofy and lovable i love him

least favorite thing about them- i would not have liked this fucker if i met irl specifically s1-s2 him at all. Also the fact they did not even give him an arc like why would you do this to him. Also his fanbase, i cant tolerate 70% of his fanbase and the fact that i still love him is a testimony of my love for him itself given i have hated characters and left fandoms for far less

favorite line- "You ever notice how far the planets are from each other, Coran?" Why did they have the goofball say shit like this if he was meant to be just a goofball

brOTP- Everyone <3, he deserves more friends but mostly Hunk, Kuron, and Allura

OTP- i like most Lance ships actually, though there is a specific han.ce au i have in my head that i adore

nOTP- *sighs* kl4nce. It's just sooo Everywhere, i go to Lance's tag and it is all this ship, nearly every s8 fix-it thinkpiece i have seen moans about how Lance was reduced to Allura's bf only to reduce him to Keith's bf and all of them yell about how the only problem with vld was that kl didnt become canon as if all the racism in the show doesnt even matter, and i am so goddamn tired of this like i cant even joke about Lance having terrible taste in men witjout someone bringing Keith up, and i dont hate the ship (and sometimes i even enjoy it) but i am done with this

Random headcanon- he can play violin pretty well! But he also hates playing violin

unpopular opinion- this is coming from someone who only likes and cares about Lance ships but i think he shouldnt have had a romance arc with anyone. I have said this before but he is so obsessed with keeping facades and the romance loverboy is one of those facades. At most he should have had like last one out of beach city episode from steven universe, where he gets a partner by just being himself instead of the flirty loverboy persona

song i associate with them- Top of the world by Greek fire

favorite picture of them-

He looks great when he is on the verge of death

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

Round 2 poll 8: Submitter's guitar vs Davis (Juror 8) from Twelve Angry Men

Propaganda under the cut:

Cherry (guitar)

Her name is cherry and she is a cherry red epiphone sg . i got her used for cheap. i like to personify objects, and like to have conversations with her. in my mind she has a personality, age, gender, favorite things ect. sometimes i mention her as "my friend cherry" to people i know i wont meet again.

Davis (Juror 8) (these are all from the single submitter)

a quick lil list babes, and I apologise for all of this in advance:

He's from the fucking film 12 angry men. like, aside from letterbox bootlickers and middle school hass students NO ONE has watched this film let alone care about it, it was made in 1957, is shot almost exclusively in one room and the entire film is just middle aged white men yelling at each other over whether some not white poor kid should be sent to the electric chair. what the fuck.

Henry Fonda, the actor, was 52 years old at the time of filming

Henry Fonda is the father of Jane Fonda, the woman who would revolutionise the 80's with her home workouts and her blindingly neon leg warmers.

His name wasn't revealed until the very end of the film and even then it's just "Davis."

I could honestly give him a lil smooch

He's absolutely not girlypop but he's the ally-iest ally who's ever allied

He's categorised as a "Benevolent Leader" on the Heroes Wiki

instead of the overwhelming urge for me to coddle him like most all other blorbos, i would appreciate it switched

I have a photo of him inside my saxophone case and sometimes i forget he's in there, then he creeps into my saxophone bell and when I play it he shoots out like a ballistic missile

Dude, on ao3 there's more fanfiction about the real life 80's British punk band The Clash than the entire film of 12 angry men, let alone Davis (80 fics come up under the clash, while 10 come up for 12 angry men)

I have a counter, and I've watched 12 Angry men a total of 145 times. The figure is up on my wall in tallies. whenever the number goes up, I like to watch it in 5's so then I can put another full group of tallies on my wall.

I have incredibly detailed stories about how Davis would boogie down to ringo starr's solo career, and they're written within the margins of a book called Tobruk written by Peter Fitzsimons. The only reason I reread that book is to wonder at my elaborate works of fiction

My HASS teacher was the one to introduce me to 12 Angry Men as he played it for the entire class. He gave us a set of questions to complete on the film and a few Law based questions as a little treat, and he expected it to be handed in the next day. What he didn't expect was an 11 page monster of a response that included social commentary, 4 paragraphs dissecting the character of Davis alone, deeply discussed comparisons between the landscapes of politics and law in the 50's to the present, and basically an entire point-for-point summarisation of the film, completed with obscure quotes from Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Presley (Elvis). He presented the printed masterpiece in front of the entire class to shame me.

After class he explained how his favourite Juror would either be 6 or 5, because 6 seems like a big dumb teddybear and he just liked 5. I explained how I liked Davis because he didn't want to send a kid to die, then he told me how Davis would make a good cowboy (at this point in time I was unaware of Henry Fonda's role in Once Upon A Time in The West) and I proceeded to go home and write a 3 part orchestral composition that I could pretend would play as the soundtrack to Juror 8: A Cowboy's Tale or something like that

I had started to make an animation meme starring Davis but only gave up when photoshop literally deleted itself from my laptop

I didn't even hear that Juror 8's name was Davis when I first watched it in class, somehow I only heard it on my 6th rewatch but when I did I literally got so excited I literally got winded and cried a little bit, I had to take a panadol because I got so lightheaded

I have learned the musical motif that plays throughout the film on saxophone, clarinet, recorder, guitar, bass, ukulele, piano and trumpet

I have visions of him

One of Davis' 3 children HAS to be gay and nothing can convince me otherwise

honest to god I'd be a home wrecker if it came to him

I quote not only Davis but the film a lot, and sometimes in the dead silence of all my friends I go on about how the old man couldn't have possibly made it to the door in such a short amount of time to see the kid running down the stairs (because the old man has a limp, and Davis proved it my limping around the room, which I have to say was incredibly attractive of him)

He's literally an architect

I once had a dream where Davis was in my bass guitar case when I opened it, and i literally just picked him up and started picking him like a bass guitar until I tried to play a full chord and he bit the hand that was meant to be on the fretboard. I dropped him and he fell on his ass, and when I said "what the hell dude what was that for" he said bass chords are lowkey ugly to listen to, and since then i don't like playing bass chords because now they're lowkey ugly to listen to. before this ordeal, i enjoyed them, but alas

i once got my romantic partner to write me a davis x reader fanfiction as a birthday present

my parents believe that Davis is my first celebrity crush, and while they're actually wrong it's still actually so embarrassing they believe that because OH MY GOD it's literally JUROR 8 FROM 12 ANGRY MEN

I've attempted slam poetry about him

I've eaten a paper printed full a4 size photo of his hand

I would also not mind him to be literally my father, but given the rest of the things I've just said about him that's really weird and I recognise that

[artobotsrollout]

ROASTING REVIEWING KNOCKOFF TRANSFORMERS

Part 1

So it's no secret that I enjoy collecting TF figures. My collection isn't massive but I like to collect my favourite characters! Hasbro figures (at least the first series released at the start of a continuity is. I can't speak to some of the later releases) are usually p decent quality.

Decent faces. Thought out weight distribution so even characters like TfP Starscream can stand. Smooth joints. Basically an all around decent toy.

Of course with any piece of media there are the knockoffs.

Let's get into the first one

DINOSAUR Battle $4

Montoy

I saw these and thought they were cute right? "ooh a bunch of mini transformable dinosaurs"

However, the moment I look a little closer I already found things that bug me.

Review under Readmore

* Please be aware that this entire post is meant to be jokey. I'm not actually angry about any of these things. I'm exaggerating for emphasis and humour. *

The pictures of the dinosaurs to the left of each toy are not the same colours as the actual toys in the packaging. It's possible maybe the colours are random but from what I could see all the packages had the same colours??

Another issue... Maybe it's not as big of a deal to most people but as a paleo-nerd it really bugs me. So they label which dinosaurs they are right?? Well...

CRYPTOCLIOUS IS A PLESIOSAUR (Think long necked swimming dinosaur. Think Loch Ness monster) which if you look at the figure

IT HAS FREAKING FEET

A better name would be diplodocus or brachiosaurus OR Yknow what I'd even accept the outdated term Brontosaurus for this guy. At least it's the long necked land living dinosaur and not the water dwelling sea reptile.

I FEEL LIKE to have put down Cryptocleus you had to google it. So if you had to google you'd have seen that cryptoclious has FREAKING FLIPPERS.

I don't usually get upset about dinosaur mistakes bc like... I don't want to be that person who yells at people for not knowing dinosaurs / extinct creatures. Lord know I have gaps in my own knowledge. It's more just baffling to me that they picked a species that isn't even a dinosaur like the toy is. And it's such a weirdly weirdly specific and not well known species too.

I haven't even opened them yet and for some reason?? I expected every dinosaur to transform but apparently they are just meant to combine?? Into a wholeass dude? And that's it?

Anyways here they are

Despite my misgivings and the definitely cheap plastic used some of the designs are p cute.

Only the tip of the wings flap apparently 😂 the rest of the wing is permanently out oof.

Poor T-Rex. This is as high on his body as his head goes. He is doomed to forever fall flat on his face. 😔 Truly tragic

I appreciate the stegosaurus having constant finger guns 😂

The joints are not great. Some are okay while others are kinda tough to move. The pieces come off too easily as well.

Time to make it into a man.

....

........

...........

How the Frick is this a man?!?

This is so goofy looking help 😂

Amazing.

Now I'm gonna leave the joking mode and be serious for the conclusion.

These are not great quality but they have cute designs. The designs are fun if a bit odd at some parts. Cheap plastic and not super well thought out toy. Then again I didn't expect much for $4CAD

If you're someone who likes painting toys then these could be fun to use as a base.

I don't have children and haven't worked very much with children so take what I say with a grain of salt. For a child who is delicate with their toys and old enough to not eat everything it's not terrible. Could be cute in a gift bag from a birthday party. Wouldn't recommend for young children. There's a lot of easily removable small parts that could be consumed and be a choking hazard. Not to mention idk how toxic the material is. Also wouldn't recommend for children who play very roughly with their toys. Parts will go missing easily and some of the parts are thin and feel like it wouldn't take very much to break them.

The Combiner mode is kinda pathetic so if you are getting the toy, get it for the cute robot dinosaurs and not for the robot they turn into.

[r4tmaid]

hi hello, i wish to inhale mason lore since my lovely friend (noodle, noodle is my friend) got me into content smp, showed me a charcater that will now live my brain and THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THE LORE !! (can you belive that. so rude /j). but have no clue where to start.

basically all i got was that mason is a guy who is now dead, and had a thing for ending world? and also picked up like. 2 kids on the way, and eventually stopped after killing child's 2 entire species because they were pathetic. then the idk. content smp happens, and he dies.

there's also something about circles. and ouroboros and The Seven (<- i think that's what they're called). noodle sucked at explaining that. but they kind of remind me of bloodborne which is my favourite game ever and my Special Interest Of All TIme so i'm SO curious. do you happen to know where i can start inhaling and picking apart this so interesting lore?

thank you in advance :D

No problem :deranged:

So, the funniest part about Arathain’s characters is that Arathain is The Bloodborne Enthusiast Ever. 95% of their lore for anything is Bloodborne inspired. This also, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you view it kekw) applies to their character, The Mason. I have this (albeit REALLY outdated) insane person moodboard from my my good friend ghostpajamas (linking and not tagging because he’ll fuckign kill me /lh) only posting this one because he never finished the powerpoint

The namemc skins connections have been expressed by Arathain to be NOT CANON I just don’t have the energy to edit it out (help its 1:30 am)

We have gotten lucky with the fact that The Mason is fuckign dead and therefore can no longer have any more interactions so less vod scrubbing but unfortunately we still have to scrub through them to get the most recent stuff like the destroyer of worlds and entire peoples. We also have posts from The Arathain Themself (another link bc I’d rather kill sif than tag them) about different lore (which I’m sure noodle has expressed before)

There’s no really “good place to start” you kind of just grab a piece and start munching on it. The more you explore the more you’ll find. Their lore is the MOST complicated to decipher but that’s why we’re insane about it o7

Also Arathain always wants me to get peoole to watch the tbskyen playlist of the bloodborne boss designs because their brain is wired around that for lore or something (<- hasn’t watched it. dude its like over 30 hours long???)

Anyway. I started writing this 30 minutes ago, got distracted to yell at Arathain, almost went snrrr mimimi without finishing the post, and remembered I have to wake up in 6 hours. Good luck on your journey my friend o7 if you have any specific questions about anything ever I’ll do my best to answer, and though even I don’t know everything, I’ll still answer to the best of my ability.

[stupidspidey]

AJR - Living Room

if you told me in 2013 that this was the absolute pinnacle of music and that it would get no better than this, chances are i would’ve told you “that’s nice, leave me alone creep” and went to go kick the shit out of my brother at Mario on the DS. Now if you told me now that these guys ended up being my favourite band, i’d probably give you the same response but i’d go play a Spider-Man game instead. Regardless, Living Room by AJR is just… not good, by any sense of the word realistically, don’t get me wrong it’s got its merits but holy fuck, it’s really hard to listen to. Now, i don’t want to be too unfair about this, believe it or not sitting here for a good 5 minute read yelling about how bad something is is REALLY undesirable in a review, and it’s even more undesirable since my girlfriend refuses to sleep with me because of it. (jk rose ily) So, i’m gonna take their advice from one of their next albums that came after this and well, skip to The Good Part, which unfortunately should only take me like, 20 lines, maximum, before i start either repeating myself or talking about how a line in “The World is a Marble Heart” is was reused as a backing vocal in “I Won’t” like, 10 years later.

The Good

My GOD, do these guys know how to write a decent line or few. Sure there’s a few “Thirsty, Thirsty, Thursdays!” in there but, every one of those is definitely made up for by the honestly-adorable Infinity or the surprisingly-hopeful My Calling, each lyric will either strike you as cheesy in a really cute way, or inspiring in a really dumb way, the album could honestly be mistaken as written about someone with how directed and loving each line feels from the start to the end and briefly sidestepping around at least 49.2% of each song. Big White Bed especially, but as i wrote that down all i could think to describe the song was “I love you… BITCH. I ain’t ever gonna stop loving you… BITCH.” from a vine like 10-or-so years ago. So, really, pretty appropriate for their timing on the albums release realistically. A really specific praise for the album but, i think the art itself is really pretty? something about it feels so real. Like, if you made an album with two of your brothers and basically pro-tools, a mic and a big idea (yeah, that’s a quote from one of the songs, Big Idea.) would you not just make the album art you all sat on the comfy family sofa in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere with your band name splattered on the wall in a nice deep red? I know i would if i could fit all 5 of my brothers onto one tiny-ass couch. Now unfortunately i can only realistically think of these two points for the positive part but, i will say this: Every track on this album, has thought behind it. It sometimes comes across as them just lobbing the entire processing power of a Windows 7 computer running pro-tools at you, but if you listen to the audio-commentary edition of the album (because, for some reason they made that?) it really is easy to tell the three of them had passion for the thing, especially seen in Jack’s (the J in AJR) enthusiasm about finally making it out of slummin’ it in the streets while his two way-fucking-taller brothers tap danced and sang, outside of his appearance in Pink Panther 2 and Sesame Street of course. (seriously, i’m deadass, look it up, he even has an iMDB page.) Now, unfortunately, on that point, i can’t realistically stay on the positives forever on this without ending up on some TikTok calling me a brainrotted liberal or some slur that hasn’t been unsealed since some crusty fucking 4channer woke up from his food comatose over a reddit girl with fat tits so, with that point.

The Bad

Ok right so, you know how i mentioned this was considered some sort of principle of music back then in 2013? Well guess what, motherfucker. I wasn’t even joking, the way people view Bruno Mars now is the way people viewed Living Room in 2013, though it was hard not to when their brain cells rubbed together and they decided the best way to promote their album was to tag every artist under the sun on gods green-motherfucking-earth and tell them to listen to it. Even then, the only one who listened really was Sia, and realistically what the fuck have you actually seen Sia do in the past like 5 years? This is a real question seriously please for the love of GOD tell me i have no idea past *Chandelier*. Anyway, enough of throwing Sia some strays (i’m sorry ma’am i’m sure there’s a grammy somewhere i didn’t bother googling), back onto Twenty-One Pilo— Coldplay— I mean, AJR. The album had passion behind it, don’t get me wrong here, but it is completely misplaced. The only way i can describe this is that, if this was the latest release around the time of E.T. for the Atari 2600? Music probably wouldn’t have survived past that either. Though realistically it was probably one of the better albums of that era since by then every other song was the most bassy-pile of “please dance to this” you’d ever seen, but i’m sure there’s someone still out there hitting the dab to fuckin’ The World is a Marble Heart, surely. The album itself had some pretty… interesting, approaches, but really you can only get around 30 seconds into the first song before that fucker starts yodelling? why the fuck is he yodelling? Regardless, no matter how many times you make a sequel to Turning Out or how many times you make some good shit like The DJ is Crying for Help, to those guys at TikTok? you’ll allwwaayyss be the guys who made Thirsty. You could get a treaty and a vulcan salute from half of space, but all those motherfuckers will still only know you for Thirsty. Personally? i’d be so fucking mad. I mean, you look to your left and Kanye has just dropped Yeezus, and what do you have to compete against that? a new national holiday celebrated exclusively by kids who get bullied at school, Thirsty Thursday, if i were them i wouldn’t have even made it to The Click without some sort of apology statement.

The Ending

Now, if i’m being completely real here. I can’t entirely slander Living Room, it’s got ideas, it’s got (marble) heart, and most importantly… It let Neotheater exist so… some good out of the bad right? Sure, for anyone else, unless you’re subconsciously subscribed to every single opinion on r/Music like some sort of absorption sponge. And just… in future, for anyone reading this, Include yodelling in your song and i will fucking SLICE you, not for poor mixing choices, not even for poor taste, but for reminding me that i sat here for an hour, and reviewed an album. Worst part? one out of five baby, i’m not down until i hear the fat lady sing, i’ve still gotta drop my useless thoughts for The Click, Neotheater, OK ORCHESTRA and *The Maybe Man. So, i’m gonna go out with a BANG! and by that? i mean get gunned down by the mexican cartel for even daring to include a good section in this slice of piss.

4/10 - Not enough yodelling really.

[pinks-wizards]

I'm thinking about my YW Roslyn and specifically about how she's a myth wizard. I imagine myth students are heavily encouraged to befriend their minions by Cyrus (or at least build a positive business relationship) and while Roslyn doesn't get those classes (busy saving the spiral) she naturally wants to know and befriend them. She's borrowing their power so it's only polite and when she spends so much time travelling and alone she wants someone to talk to.

Roslyn knows her minions well. She knows their names if they have ones, and named the ones who wanted them. She calls on them to help her often outside of battle. She's a 4'0" forever 11-year-old body she's going to need help reaching stuff and has a habit of calling them to sit on shoulders so she isn't always looking up. And importantly, when things go badly, she trusts them to keep people away from the fight. To protect people where they can. She might only have one in the dueling circle with her but she has many. The wooden minion is her go to when she needs a voice to yell in her place.

And like everything related to the YW, this can get sad. Because myth minions are less usable as time goes on. I basically never use them now in game. And I think Roslyn in lore doesn't include them in battles. She's grown protective of them. They trusted her, so she wants to prove they can. Their biggest notice of this is likely Azteca. Roslyn goes on a mad run across the entire world to guide everyone to the spiral door she's opened to wizard city. And she does it alone. She doesn't dare summon them both because her brain is racing and she's already exhausted from a fight but also because she doesn't want them to experience it. The death, the blood. The glass shattered around her. And because if they go hit, they are too weak to take it. Despite needing the help she does it alone.

I imagine that hurts them. But they can't fault her either. They, like everyone close to Roslyn, just have to watch as she tears herself apart for failure. As she constantly pushes and pushes herself to the limit doing it all alone. She is still as nice to them as ever when she does see them. The breaks. She's always asking about them. Never letting them help her the same as they once did during the journey to Maliaster.

While I don't use shadow spells in game I imagine Roslyn does. She gets to know the shadows she calls. More hesitant, they are more likely to call her out on everything she represses, but still caring. Shadow Sentinel is her favourite, and is the one given the most chances to help Roslyn when she needs it. She calls them for others, to protect them, and after the fighting is done they take care of her. The backlash will only apply during duels, because carrying her (or dragging) her to the nearest healer isn't demanding work. I think myth wizards can befriend shadow casts more easily, if purely because befriending those they call the power of is part of what makes a good myth wizard.

Her minions are family and close friends. Be they myth or pure shadow. And they care for her too. So I imagine it hurts as even they can't keep up with her. As she grows stronger and faces stronger enemies she can't rely on them anymore. So they watch out for her in other ways. Warning (or threatening) those who could harm her. Seeking out those who can help her. They aren't always with her but they know her full story because her magic betrays it all.

[promisinininining]

8, 11, 26, 54, 55 for the fic ask meme!

HIIII HI ELCIE it feels like a hot minute since I left watori... I'm sorry... I shall be back soon for the prompt fest

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story? uhhhhhhhh I .. I don't know? I like the story. I like to see it as an entire thing. Unless the question means if I prefer writing the beginning middle or end, in which case I like writing the end usually. It's fun to put into words the payoff that I've been painstakingly setting up and finding fun ways to wrap up the loose ends.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now nnghbbtjh I DON'T READ. OKAY. NTM I basically live blog everything I read to you ANYWAY but fine, let me go into my ao3 history jeez. They're all shuake. What You've Already Buried - malevolentmango ; post-canon fix it, love letter to Goro Akechi in every single way. Long but I love it. I'm still sobbing over it. what carnage you've left - intimatopia ; oneshot. I don't really have the words it's just, extremely up my alley, and bite sized so you can read it over and over and over and over and over and over and o shadow of your whale fall - Alykas ; merfuck!!! MERFUCK!!!! GOD IT'S PERFECT!!!!! EVERYTHIGN YOU WANT! SHARK AKIRA! POISONOUS GORO! SIZE DIFF!

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride? Wildest is kind of. A strange word I don't really write stuff that's too wild, or maybe my sense of wild-ness is off center. Wild in terms of Crack is probably the Agegap Mafia Debacle, which is co-written with you and zeda, so maybe that doesn't count. Wild as in, how-many-tropes-can-I-fit-into-this-hugely-indulgent-thing is maybe Hallows, or Phoenix Blood? Wild as in, what-the-fuck-did-I-just-read is maybe Blind Wolves? Yeah. We'll go with that. Blind Wolves.

54. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process? HOW am I supposed to find a favourite. I basically only do this stuff for fun anyway so everything I do is fun. I like editing I guess? It's fun refining my words and sentences and structure, even if I am only a creature though I cannot catch them all, alas. Something very rewarding about finding the ULTIMATE word or turn of phrase.

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones? Teru is definitely a long time favourite. He's like a comfy kind of character where it's really easy to just slip into character. Goro, too, follows that only he's been pushed to more extremes. I kind of follow the beat of my own drum, and also I'm not a particularly big author or one that has a following, so it's not really been affected by anything other than sitting in a pit with some friends yelling at each other (affectionately).

[lanaevyssmoved]

3, 7, 10, 37 and 50 + your most special OC atm for the OC questions?

3. Do they enjoy cooking?

i think if u put afhiri in front of a fire something terrible would happen :) however since her mans be a housewife in disguise who absolutely adores cooking for everyone and anyone, they definitely Watch.. and they think it's Really Cool and Awesome.. they are indeed impressed that gale can make things that taste good . but absolutely no one would trust afhiri to cook. i think gale would scream as an instant reaction if she reached for a cooking utensil .........

7. Do they have any unusual fears?

hmmmmmmm.. this is a difficult one.

i can see afhiri being the type of person who fears absolutely nothing. i mean, i don't think they do fear anything, genuinely. this clown doesn't have that part of the brain that yells danger danger for them to experience fear in a base regard. they absolutely fear for their friends lives when they're hurt in combat, they fear gale's death, they fear very real and understandable things. but these things are also cured so quickly with a reassuring word because if loved one says there's no need to fear there's no need to fear! unusual though?

i can see them having stupid, illogical, weird one off fears, "what if you turn into a gnoll!" "can't turn into a gnoll, dear, i'm not a hyena" "oh....... thats good. being a gnoll would be pretty cool though" "yes dear" you know how it is. can absolutely see astarion giving a shit ass comment like YOU'RE AFRAID OF THAT BUT NOT THE MYRAID OF THINGS WE'VE ENCOUNTERED THAT WERE ACTUALLY LIFE THREATENING? ah.. theres no point fighting it astarion you will only exhaust urself my friend

but it is safe to say even the weird fears could not be considered real fear, just being a bit stupid

10. Do they have any regrets?

no, easily, no. i don't see afhiri being capable of regret. every action is done on instinct, it's gut reaction, it's doing what feels right at the time and there's no way you can regret being true to yourself like that. even in those rare occasions they look to friends for guidance, how can they regret a choice they had help with, when that help came from someone they love and trust entirely? nah, there's no regret in this clown

37. Are they religious? If so do they have a strong sense of faith, are they uncertain, or are they somewhere in between?

afhiri is fucking stupid and didn't think gods were real. in a d&d setting. absolute moron (affectionate). it wasn't until being close to the explicitly religious members of the group (shadowheart and gale) that they started to think about it seriously and not like fairytales for children. since these two are like. yknow. very insistent that gods do be real things, afhiri, she believes they are real things now. progress. but that just leads to immense dislike. ok, so ur telling me, that higher beings with the ability to do whatever the fuck they want, including help people in need, not allow people like my family to struggle with basic things like making sure everyone can eat today, could help us with our problems, and theyre also.. causing your hand to hurt constantly, and making my babyboy clowny silly wizard man cry at night? ok. so why do we worship them? sounds like theyre shitheads. does a strong sense of faith mean a strong sense of im gonna punch shar and mystra so hard in the nose it collapses into their skulls? (breaks her own hand. worth it)

its safe to say if afhiri is opinionated on anything its that the things hurting their loved ones are evil. that includes gods

50. What is your favourite thing about them?

answered here hehe

but instead this time i'll say my favourite thing about afhiri is that they've helped me bond with so many cool people who care about my ideas and creativity and i think thats really neat and deserves to be appreciated by speaking it into the world in a small moment of vulnerability

[raijindork]

Souls & Spirits - Ch. 60

Summary: Everything seems to fall into place when the right  person comes into your life. That was what Bickslow realised, anyway,  but if it hadn’t been for them getting paired up for a job together, he  never would have realised that Lucy was that right person who would  light up his world in ways he never thought possible. Pairing: BixLu Rating: T/M (Mostly T. Explicit chapters marked.) Words: 5000~ Read on FF.Net.

After several years, the final chapter has arrived.

“You’re a little asshole, you know that?”

Bickslow gasped dramatically, quickly covering his son’s ears with his hands. “You take that back!”

Laxus puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. “No,” he insisted. “Hunter’s an asshole.”

“He’s nine months old!”

“Yeah, and he’s an asshole,” Laxus once again insisted, leaning down just to ruffle his newphew’s short cobalt hair. “Aren’t ya, buddy?”

Hunter merely looked up at Laxus for a moment and started giggling, his tongue just barely peeking past his lips. The first time Bickslow had seen that Hunter had managed to pick up that particular trait, it had been in the middle of the guild a few months early, and at first, he’d thought it was just a coincidence. But then it had happened again, and again, and then Lucy had seen it and berated him for a week for teaching their child bad habits. Now though, Bickslow couldn’t help but feel a little proud every time he saw his son do his little tongue wag.

“He’s not an asshole,” Bickslow argued though, finally taking his hands away from Hunter’s ears—he’d heard far worse anyway, much to Lucy’s annoyance—just to sit back on the soft, cushioned floor of the guild’s new playroom. “Jax is an asshole.”

Laxus straightened back up and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Now you take that back. Jax isn’t an asshole, Hunter is—“

“Your kids are both fuckin’ assholes,” Gajeel groaned from the other side of the room, his daughter on his lap with one of Levy’s Rune Basics books in front of them both. Gajeel had argued it was too advanced for a kid who wasn’t even two, but he’d lost that war the second it had begun. “Just like their fathers. So both of you, shut it.”

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter said triumphantly. Bickslow and Laxus paled when the toddler grinned and began triumphantly echoing her new favourite word. “Ash-hole, ash-hole, ash-hole!” she said.

Laxus wasted no time in scooping up his own toddler under one arm and making a quick departure, mumbling something about going and hiding behind the bar as he went. Bickslow could only laugh nervously as Gajeel continued to glare at him. It was probably a miracle that Hunter wasn’t old enough to talk yet or he’d be saying the same things. “Look, it’s not my fault,” Bickslow defended himself. He would maybe admit he was part of the problem, but it was most definitely not entirely his fault. It was Laxus’ fault, too. “Technically, you said it too.”

“I’m telling Shrimp it was you,” Gajeel said.

“You wouldn’t.”

Gajeel grinned menacingly. “I would.”

And Bickslow knew all too well what that meant. Gajeel would tell Levy, Levy would tell Lucy, and Lucy would… Well, Lucy would yell at him for teaching their friends’ kids bad habits, too. “Hundred jewels and you blame Laxus,” Bickslow offered instead. He didn’t really want to give Lucy more reason to yell at him. She’d only just stopped yelling at him for breaking the living room window a week earlier whilst playing with the babies and Hunter. Granted, it had been snowing all of that week and getting it replaced had taken a few days, but Bickslow really didn’t like it when she yelled at him. She terrified him.

“Two hundred and deal.”

Bickslow would, of course, take that deal. It was a bit of a bargain, especially by Gajeel’s standards. Two hundred jewel was merely a fraction of how much the guitar he’d had to replace all those years ago had cost him. Still, Bickslow groaned as he pulled himself up off the plush mat for a moment just to fish the crumpled jewel notes out of the inside of his cloak and toss them loosely in Gajeel’s direction.

“Pleasure doing business with my, my friend,” Gajeel said, cackling as his pocketed the money and turned the page for his daughter.

Bickslow sighed again and rolled his eyes, turning his own attention back to Hunter still giggling a little too maniackly for his own tastes as he slammed the poor totems into each other. “Yeah, yeah,” Bickslow grumbled under his breath. “Now who’s the asshole, huh?” Only assholes used blackmail as a threat, and Bickslow seemed to know all too well that it was Gajeel’s way of getting under everyone’s skin.

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter giggled again.

That time, as Gajeel glared at him and no doubt plotted a murder, Bickslow could only grin sheepishly as he took a page from Laxus’ book, jumping up, grabbing his son, and leaving the playroom as fast as possible. “It’s not my fault!”

###

Lucy stirred awake at the sound of the lock being turned and she stretched her arms above her head just as Bickslow made it inside into and into the dark foyer. “What time is it?” she asked, straining as she stretched out her hands.

“Late,” Bickslow sighed, shutting the door behind himself gently. Hunter would be fast asleep at the other end of that hall and the last thing Bickslow wanted to do was wake him up. Bickslow wasn’t sure what it was about four-year-olds being allergic to bedtimes and sleep, but he knew from experience that getting his son to bed was a nightmare and he didn’t want to wake him unnecessarily. He could wait until morning to see his son. “Too late.”

Lucy didn’t have her keys nearby to check the time, but the street outside was quiet—no quiet conversations just outside in the street as party goers and bar patrons made their way home—so she knew to take Bickslow’s word for it. She shifted slightly, scooting to the front edge of the lounge and then patting the soft back cushions behind her. “Come here,” she said.

The lounge certainly wasn’t big enough for the two of them, but Bickslow would indulge his wife for a few moments in the peace and quiet and quickly kicked off as much excess clothing as he could. His boots, cloak, belt, and wrist guards sat in a pile by the foot of the sofa, and he groaned from aching muscles and a growing bruise on his shoulder as he carefully climbed into the crampled space behind her on the comfortable lounge. Lucy always smelled of home—those days it was apricot body scrub—and he closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair.

“Sometimes I wish I could just stay at home forever, with you and Hunter and the babies and all those annoying spirits of yours.“

“They’re not annoying, thank you,” Lucy scoffed.

He smiled and chuckled quietly as Lucy elbowed him gently in his stomach. “They are annoying. Especially Loke. And to think I kept his secret for all that time.”  

As if to prove Bickslow’s point, Loke cleared his throat from the foot of the sofa, by Bickslow’s clothes. “We are not annoying,” the spirit insisted, pushing his glasses back up his nose at Bickslow’s groan and Lucy’s giggling. “I merely aim to help make Lucy’s life slightly more tolerable and assist in any way I can. Although, given that she married you and refuses to divorce you after all this time, I’m not sure my best efforts really do much.”

“Loke, man. Come on. You hurt me.”

“Oh, no. What a shame.”

Bickslow didn’t miss the spirit’s grin before returning to his own world. He doubted he’d ever be best of friends with his wife’s prized spirit, but after several years together, Bickslow could almost say that Loke summoning himself at inopportune moments just to annoy him wasn’t actually that annoying after all. Still, he would go to the grave calling Lucy’s spirits annoying.

“See? Not annoying,” Lucy giggled. “And, you can’t stay at home forever. I can’t stay at home forever either.”

Bickslow sighed into Lucy’s shoulder. He knew. He knew it was unreasonable. It was just as unreasonable as them leaving the guild before Hunter had been born. Sometimes, part of him still wouldn’t have minded giving up his job—just stop working as a mage, and find a normal, safe job somewhere. He still wouldn’t have been able to stay at home every second of every day then, but he wouldn’t go days, sometimes weeks without seeing his family.

The list of moments and firsts he’d missed grew longer each time he took a job. Lucy’s, too. He’d missed the birth of his son. Lucy had missed Hunter’s first steps. They’d both missed his first words that weren’t just complete gibberish that not even Freed or Levy could decipher. And, Bickslow wanted to say that the next baby would be different, when they came in just a few more months, but he knew it wouldn’t be the case.

“I know I can’t,” Bickslow said. “But I want to.”

“I know you do.”

“Thanks for not divorcing me yet, though. Honestly a miracle you haven’t.”

Lucy laughed, and she turned on the sofa so she could face Bickslow and press soft kissed to his cheek and his lips. “Maybe next year,” she promised. “Happy anniversary, Pixie.”

“Happy anniversary, Cosplayer. I’m sorry we missed another one.”

She kissed the tip of his nose gently. “Don’t be. It’s fine.” As far as Lucy was concerned, they had plenty more ahead of him. Missing a couple was nothing. “But, I did get a little something. Freed called earlier this morning to let me know you probably wouldn’t home until late. Help me up, will you?”

Bickslow didn’t get much of a chance to process Freed being one step ahead of him as he helped Lucy up, and watched her disappear back into the dining and kitchen. She came back a few moments later with a pink cake box, a glass bottle, and some glasses.

“Now, I know it wasn’t for our first date, but, it’s still one of my favourite dates.” Bickslow couldn’t stop grinning as Lucy laid out the plain chocolate cake, save from the messily frosted five in the middle, and popped the cork on the large bottle. Lucy didn’t miss the concerned look he gave her when she poured the liquid into the glasses, and quickly said, “Sparkling apple juice!”

“Cake and wine—well, apple juice,” he chuckled, pulling himself up from the couch just to drag Lucy back onto his lap and smother her with even more kisses. “I love it. I love you. You know, I’m pretty sure I was in love with you then, too.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean, you know? How did you know?”

“You’ve told me,” Lucy answered, giggling around a mouthful of rich chocolate cake. “A few times, actually.”

Bickslow scowled as he snatched away the fork Lucy had been using to pick up the next piece of cake, shovelling it in his own mouth before she could take it back. “Well, fine. But it’s true anyway. Probably.” He shrugged, leaning back into the sofa with another bite of cake. “All I know is, I must have been super fucking in love with you to willingly get hurt that many times. All by this very date, by the way,” Bickslow said, energetically gesturing between themselves and the food on the coffee table.  

Lucy gawked at him. “I never hurt you.” Well, apart from those times where he was helping her train down in Hargeon, but Lucy didn’t count those.

“No, you didn’t. But your team sure did.”

“Oh, yeah? When?”

“Well, there was that time I pissed off Gajeel—“

“Gajeel isn’t with my team,” Lucy pointed out quickly.

Bickslow dismisseed it with a slight shake of his head and roll of his eyes. “No, he’s not. But I broke his guitar and he broke my nose.”

Lucy smiled, a soft turn of her lips that almost had Bickslow concerned. “Oh, I remember that one. That didn’t have anything to do with me though.”

“It kinda did.”

“Yeah? How so?” Lucy snorted.

“Well, it was right after I’d properly asked you out. So, you know…” His cheeks warmed as he lifted the glass of apple juice, hiding behind it some as he tried to sink further into the sofa and away from Lucy’s growing smirk. “I was happy and shit,” Bickslow said bashfully.

Lucy had to cover her mouth from squealing and laughing too loud, lest she wake Hunter up just down the hall. She was vaguely aware of the fact that it was a miracle they hadn’t already woken him. “Aww,” she crooned. She leaned into Bickslow’s side, squeezing his cheek and making it just that little bit more red. “You were happy, huh?”

Bickslow groaned and pouted. “Yes, I was, thank you.” He rolled his eyes and tried to fight off the infectious smile when Lucy giggled again and pressed light kisses against his cheek. “Anyway, the point is, it was your fault I got into trouble with Gajeel, because I had a major crush on you obviously, was super fucking happy because you, for some fucking reason, agreed to actually go out with me, and I was doing dumb shit because I felt on top of the world. Okay?”

“That’s adorable.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is,” Lucy giggled. She settled into his side comfortably, resting the cake box on her lap and offering a bite to her husband. “You’re still on top of the world though, I hope?”

“Oh, abso-fucking-lutely,” Bickslow mumbled around the cake. He didn’t need to think about that answer.

“What about the other two then?”

“Well, then there was that time that Erza threatened me with her swords.” He couldn’t help but grimace slightly. “You know, for the time I apparently stole your first kiss in the guild, in front of everyone, because I couldn’t figure out a way to talk to you in the guild without making everyone question just why the fuck I was talking to you in the first place.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lucy said. “She made you come apologise in the middle of the night.”

Bickslow nodding, sipping on the fizzy juice. “I still have that scar on my hand, you know.”

“No you don’t. I’ve seen your hands.”

Maybe not physically. “Fine,” he conceded. “Anyway, then there was that time after our third date, where I stayed over but then Natsu came to your apartment in the morning and he threw me into your coffee table.”

“I really liked that table too…” Lucy mumbled.

“It was a table.”

“But it was a nice table. It was one of the first things I bought when I moved to Magnolia…” Granted, it really hadn’t been the fanciest table—it was a coffee table, and a plain and cheap one at that. But it had been something she’d done on her own.

But, Bickslow understood that. “I know it was,” he said softly, tilting to rest his cheek against the top of her head for a moment. “But, and I may be biased, but I think I was a pretty damn nice boyfriend.”

Lucy scrunched up her nose, shrugging slightly. “Eh… Better boyfriend than husband, sure.”

“Excuse me?” Bickslow feigned his shock, pulling himself away abruptly. There was a glint in Lucy’s eyes and a smirk plastered on her lips. “And how would you know, huh? Who you comparin’ me to? I know for a fact I’ve been your only boyfriend, ever, Cosplayer.” He wore that badge with pride. Weirdly.

“Yeah, and I know for a fact that you never had a proper girlfriend before me, either,” Lucy said, prodding the Seith mage in the chest.

“…Okay, fair point. But, you did marry me, so at the very least, you thought I was a good enough boyfriend five years ago.”

“Maybe I just didn’t know any better,” Lucy said, almost wistfully as she settled back against her loving husband. “Alas, you knocked me up so now I’m stuck with you… Oh, the misery.”

“Mm. Poor you,” Bickslow agreed. His hands were by Lucy’s waist, poised and ready. “Poor, miserable, Lucy.” He didn’t give Lucy a chance to get away before he tickled her ribs, wrapping his other arm back around her waist as she squealed and planting soft kisses all over her cheek and lips. “I don’t know how you cope, Cosplayer. Being stuck with me, your doting, loving husband, and our wonderful son, and another perfect child, and let’s not forget all of your niblings and my sisters and… Yeah, actually, never mind. I feel sorry for anyone who has to know those two fuckwits.”

Lucy snorted. Years later, she still found the feigned animosity between the Alderwood siblings all too amusing. “My life is just so horrible.”

“So very horrible.”

She craned her neck to look up at him, a soft smile on her lips that reached her eyes and she kissed him again gently. Sometimes, Lucy still just loved sitting there on the couch with Bickslow, on the quiet and late nights, and forgetting—even if it was just for a moment—that a world existed beyond them. The quiet nights were rare, but when they did happen, Lucy cherished them. Her heart was full—Bickslow’s too, she knew—and when Bickslow grinned down at her, with the same goofy, wide grin he’d had since their first date and that their son had woefully inherited, she still felt those gentle butterflies in her stomach.

But, as happy as Lucy was in the warm bubble of her husband’s hug, the sickly sweet scents of apple juice and cake could only mask so much. “You need to go have a shower,” she said, “and we need to go to bed. I’m definitely not falling asleep on this lounge with you, either.”

Bickslow knew better than to disagree, and he was sure his spine would thank him anyway.

###

"Harper! Get back down here!” Bickslow shouted up towards the guildhall’s rafters. “Don’t make me come up there,” he threatened, only causing the small girl clinging to the wooden beams to giggle even louder.

Beside him, Laxus snickered into his fourth cup of coffee for the morning. “You know Blondie’s going to be back any minute now and she’s going to kick your ass if Harps doesn’t have both feet on the ground,” he said.

“I know,” Bickslow said through gritted teeth, continuing to glare up at his daughter twenty feet above them. The second Lucy had left the guild to grab some extra supplies in town for the parade later that night, Harper had run straight for the rafters. The girl had turned four barely six months earlier, but she was already double the menace Hunter had ever been at the same age. But Bickslow narrowed his gaze to the five totems circling Harper, bobbing up and down in the air. “Babies, you know better.”

“Harp! Fly! Harp! Fly!” the babies cheered.

But, Bickslow didn’t get much more of a chance to yell at the babies for taking too many orders from a four-year-old, or try and convince said four-your-old to come back down on her own before he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head from someone getting a fistful of his hair and tugging on it. “Ow, ow—“

“Why in the world is my child hanging from a beam?” Lucy demanded, one hand on her hip as she tugged forcefully on her husband’s hair, having him leaning over just to lessen the pain. It wasn’t her fault he refused to cut it though; if he’d merely let Cancer give him a trim she wouldn’t be able to yank on his hair that was just about long enough it needed to be tied up.

“It’s not my fault!” Bickslow said. He was keenly aware of Laxus snickering at him, and he was sure he could hear the familiar giggling of his daughter above him too.

“Then why do I see the babies up there, huh?”

“Because they keep listening to her!” Bickslow winced, trying to pry his wife’s fingers out of his hair. He didn’t need to glance at her to see the fury that was no doubt aimed at him.

Still, Bickslow would maintain that it wasn’t really his fault. His daughter just really had a knack for bossing the babies about—more than Hunter had ever been able to, and more than Lucy had ever been able to as well. He’d tried telling his babies to just stop helping the damn kid get into mischief too, and it had worked for all of about five minutes, but then Harper had wanted the babies to help her get into the tree in their backyard one day, the babies had refused, Harper had started bawling her eyes out and before Bickslow had had a chance to figure out why his daughter had been having a tantrum, she’d been swinging happily from a tree branch with the babies giggling around her. He’d even tried taking the babies out of their bodies when they were at home, too, but hiding the babies from his daughter didn’t work too well when Harper could, in fact, see them anyway. That much, Bickslow wasn’t too fond of. Lucy, however, had just about wet herself from excitement from finding out her then almost four-year-old had inherited at least some Seith magic. She’d been just a little disappointed when Hunter hadn’t, but that disappointed had quickly dissipated once he’d borrowed Lucy’s Canis Minor key whilst playing and claimed it for his own.

Of course though, Lucy knew she couldn’t do much in the way of Bickslow’s babies doing whatever it was their precious spider monkey asked of them. That was, as far as Lucy was concerned, entirely a Bickslow issue. So, she let go of his hair, finally, crossing her arms over her chest instead. “Harper, honey,” she said gently. The festival parade was beginning in a few more hours and truthfully, the last thing Lucy wanted to be doing was having to coax her child down to the ground again. She had a float to finish decorating! “Come on down now, please. Aunt Mira will make you a nice big milkshake if you come down now!”

“No!” Harper shouted, shaking her head as she continued to cling to the beam.

Sometimes, not that Bickslow would admit it, it was tempting to just let his daughter do what she pleased, mostly because when she got what she wanted she was happy and his childrens’ laughter had long since replaced Lucy’s on his list of favourite things in the world. But even high above him, Bickslow could see the devilish little grin on her mouth and hear her giggling at them because she damn well knew she was in trouble and enjoyed it far too much for reasons that Bickslow would never understand, and even if Harper might as well have been a miniature version of Lucy, he knew for a fact that she got the attitude entirely from him. His sisters had made sure of telling him that the last time they’d visited.

But, while Lucy was fine just promising milkshakes, Bickslow knew it was time to pull out his trump card. “Harps, if you don’t get down here right now, we’re not going to watch the parade tonight,” he said.

Harper sat up, gasping. Even Lucy was a little surprised at his threat. But Bickslow meant business. Sure, he didn’t want to miss the parade, or even the fireworks from his favourite rooftop in town, because he’d not missed a single year since the guild had gotten back together, but Bickslow wasn’t really sure what else he could do to get his daughter to come back down to earth.

“No see Mama?” Harper asked.

Bickslow shook his head. “Nope. No fireworks either. And it won’t be just you that doesn’t get to see the parade or Mama or the fireworks. Hunter won’t be able to go either. You don’t want Hunter to miss out, do you?”

And for a moment, Bickslow thought he’d finally won. It was an offer too good to refuse in his eyes, and as Harper sat quietly, he knew it would be just a few more seconds before she was telling the babies to take her back down to the ground. But then she leant back down to hug the beam, shaking her head again. “Nope! I stay,” she said instead.

“Harps! Stay!” the babies cheered.

When Lucy flicked his ear and muttered something about their kids being brats, Bickslow knew he’d deserved it.

###

Lucy squealed the second arms were wrapped around her middle, and her straw hat when flying in the gentle breeze when she was pulled down onto the soft picnic blanket. “Stop doing that!” she giggled, swatting Bickslow’s arms away and doing her best to wriggle out of his soft grip just to try and fetch her lost hat. “I’m going to hurt you one day, you know that.”

Bickslow shrugged, grinning as he instead leant back on his hands. Sneaking up on Lucy from behind was, undoubtedly, one of his favourite things. “You have before,” he reminded her. As far as he was concerned, it was an occupational hazard. Still, it had been years since she’d last impulsively swung at him, thinking he was just some random creep.

“Fine,” Lucy admitted. With her hat back on her head, shielding her from the harsh summer sun, she sneaked a glance back to her children playing in the field—Hunter was chasing Harper around, with Plue doing its best to keep up—before joining her husband on the blanket and stealing a gentle kiss. “But you’ve deserved it, each time.”

Across the field, Hunter only groaned as he looked over to his parents at an inopportune time. “Ugh, gross!”

Bickslow rolled his eyes at him, all but ignoring the growing blush on Lucy’s cheeks as he did his best to irritate his child even further and take Lucy’s cheek in his palm and kiss her again. The park was mostly empty, aside from a few stragglers, and Bickslow had never cared about being affectionate in public. “Go play, babies,” he murmured, smiling against Lucy’s lips, and when he distinctly heard his son yell at them to quit being gross, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, fine, stop your whining. Jeez.”

“It’s fine,” Lucy said, an airy giggle escaping as she instead accepted just leaning into his side. “We’ll have time for that later. Hunter wants to have a sleepover with Jax tomorrow. As long as you let Harps have the babies for a little bit we’ll be able to sneak away for a few minutes.”

“It’d be better if we could have no kids for a night, but I guess one is fine for a night.”

“Hey,” Lucy laughed, elbowing him in his side. “You’re the one that had baby fever, remember? You don’t get to complain about them now.”

“But that’s for babies,” Bickslow whined. “Teenagers are annoying.”

“We only have one teenager. And only barely.” Although, the fact that her baby boy was officially a teenager did have Lucy feeling just a little wistful from time to time. He’d been so small once, and now there he was, just about taller than her and rolling his eyes at any form of affection she tried to offer him.

“Still counts.”

Lucy tried not to roll her eyes. “Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.

“Speaking of no kids for a night though,” Bickslow began after a moment, trying not to get too distracted by figuring out just what his children were yelling at each other about. “Picked up another job flyer today. Thought we could do it together. I’m sure we could get someone to watch the kids for a day.”

Lucy couldn’t even remember the last time they’d gone on a job, just the two of them. It had been years, at least—before Harper had been born, even. It had been easier when it had just been Hunter. Getting a babysitter or timing it with a sleepover had been fine. But once they’d had Harper, Lucy had just never really liked the idea of leaving the kids without both of their parents for a day or two. But, Hunter was older, and Harper was nearly nine. Leaving them with someone else for a day or two would be different, surely. “Maybe,” Lucy hummed. “What kind of job?”

“Just this small gang that’s taken up residence there, I think. Nothing major.”

“Where is it?”

“Cartervale.”

The corner of her mouth twisted up into a soft smile, and Lucy wasn’t the least bit surprised to turn back to Bickslow and find him grinning at her. “Cartervale, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I guess if it’s just a quick job…” Lucy picked herself up from the blanket, readjusting her hat quickly. It’d been years since she’d even heard Cartervale, but now all Lucy could think about was whether that one little inn still existed. “Should probably still go ask the kids to see if they’d be okay with both of us leaving for a couple days, though…”

“Yeah, maybe.” Bickslow wasn’t going to tell Lucy that he was pretty sure that Hunter probably wanted both of them to leave him alone for a couple days, because she probably already knew it.

He could only watch with with a wide, tongue-hanging grin as Lucy slowly backed away, onto the soft grass and towards the open field where their children were. She was up to something, he knew; the cogs in her brain were ever turning, and the less than innocent smirk on her lips still occasionally had his heart skipping a beat. But Bickslow waited, just for a few more moments, before he rose to his feet, only giving Lucy a chance to sneak up and join in on the fun their children were having, before he went and chased after them all.

[darkness-holds-eternal-light]

So as life feels too hard to handle at the moment, I am once again back with the waist-deep Snape discourse! 😌😁

(By the way, whenever things seem so hard and you are trying to accomplish something important and you feel discouraged, I always remember that it took J.K. Rowling about 12 attempts at getting her book published and everyone rejected it until finally she found a publisher that would take her book and things went well and I'm eternally grateful for that. ❤)

So the Snape discourse is basically the situation in the fan community at the moment that got me thinking. 🤔 We don't have to go into the extremely deep, scary parts but I'd like to address some of the shit that the haters are constantly throwing at us. (I'm saying "us" as in Snape-fans, specifically the actual Snape from the books. I'm aware that I'm blocked by quite a few Snape fans here on Tumblr because of some of my opinions I suppose. Which I recently found is not necessarily a bad thing because it gives me a bit more freedom not having to avoid certain subjects in fear of bullying and stuff.)

I think it's quite wonderful to have such a complex character as our favourite because it leaves so much room for exploring and expanding. For example I had recently thought about what it would've felt like to actually be in Snape's position when he yelled the terrible "Mudblood!" thing. I'm a huge fan of acting/ trying on roles and I'm even curious how other people would experience that if they put themselves in the role! I haven't gotten further there yet but I think that the antis are throwing these hateful things at us because they believe that it would scare us to actually look at them. I'm in Slytherin for a reason, well for many reasons, but I'm interested to look at this. So thankfully this is all fiction and we can look at it from a bit of a distance and learn through imagination. I love that.

So I've been thinking, what would it be like to actually be in Hogwarts? And to actually sit in Potions Class? I've been re-reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" so far very attentively especially in terms of how Snape is truly written.

How would it be to sit in Potions Class and wanting Professor Snape to like me? I'm an adult now, so this is an entirely different scenario. Cue the fanfictions. ;) But as a student, obviously in my head he would like me and we'd have a great connection. But I'm somewhat willing to look into the possibilities here, akin to the book. I've met men like him in my life. What do you do if he stands in front of your desk and tells you that you're doing a miserable job and your potion is rubbish and you look silly and he threatens to give that potion to your beloved cat? Like, this is hard, I'm willing to think about this mean question that the haters are often throwing. I know I would love him no less. But my cat comes first, always. If we leave out the question of a third party, an animal or a human, if it is just him being mean at you, what do you do? I've had to solve this situation a couple of times in my life and I can't say that I have found a satisfying solution thus far. Which is part of why I can understand Lily's choice to a certain degree and I don't blame her. I assume that Snape would like me and I think that is fair but we know that that doesn't necessarily protect you from his cruelty. This is scary but maybe, with the safety of imaginary play, it would be worth playing that role for a moment to find out where we would go with this? I'm definitely curious and as extremely creative as fanfiction writers and fanart creators are, I'm sure that there can be a healing solution to this eventually. Fiction has more possibilities. 😊 I'm creative too, so maybe I'll try for myself.

Still, I like that Snape is a fictional character and we can watch him from a bit of a distance and even if we go closer, he'd obviously like us. :) And this world is entirely our own, and this place is loving. 💚 Maybe that is also the message to ourselves, that it doesn't have to be argued free from "real life's" constrictions to be true and beautiful and lovely.

[arutea]

Dead End Paranormal Park Season 2, Episode 3 “The Trials of Barney” thumbnail pass of the wrestling match. (Basically the second half of the episode) #spoilers but only if you look too close.

So fast forward like 6+ years since I last posted on my Tumblr, I’ve moved on from art department and illustration into story departments. I work as a Story Artist, mostly on animated series. In the back of my mind I always knew I wanted to do storyboards but it took such a long time for anyone to give me that chance (and a long time for me to be good enough.) Working on Dead End Paranormal Park was so special and this episode was probably my personal favourite to work on. I remember reading something Hamish Steele wrote about the Demon Wrestling in the DeadEndia graphic novels being a love letter to Pro Wrestling and so I wanted this to be an extension of that love letter. I researched the heck out of Pro Wrestling leading up to being briefed on this episode, watching every YouTube clip and documentary I could find and fit into my schedule. I went from someone who knew very little (I’d say Glow was as much as I knew) to someone who actually yelled at my board partner “OMG The Undertaker retired!!” Anyway, I like to think that wrestling with Demon magic is kind of that extra little kick you could only get away with in animation so it was a real ride being able to sink my teeth into that fantasy. I use this post-it method when I have to do a lot of visual writing, which happens whenever I’m working on heavy action sequences like fights that are also story-heavy. Sometimes in order to get a scene working we have to shuffle sections of the script around, add and really plus things. The biggest change was making Hox a constant commentator to tie the whole sequence together (so we gave him A LOT more lines.) Some of the flashbacks originally were at the start of the script and we felt the story was stronger if we saw them during the fight so we moved them here. It was a bit of a choreography of all the parts that had to happen. I still think it was an astounding script to work with and it really helped that to me it was clear from the start what plot A (Barney’s Wrestling) B (Pugsley trying to protect Barney) and C (Norma and Courtney being DWF fans) were. And I absolutely love how all 3 come together in the end. Anyway, this post-it method was something I just started doing after being inspired by this Better Call Saul beat boards I saw on Twitter. https://twitter.com/TomSchnauz/status/1233512024350609409?s=20&t=HFN2Z93g3KgEYUqPOuoAOQ This is the absolute raw first version storyboards of this half of the ep. After that, I developed it into a first pass which we pitched internally. After that, me, my storyboard partner, Eva Figueroa and our episode’s storyboard supervisor, (storyboard lead) Max Loubaresse had a look at the entire episode and refined it some more. 

[alwek]

Spiders In My Head: I haven't been following ABS

My blog headline, as you all know, is 'Always Be Snackin.' A mantra I gathered from an old flame. It's, quite obviously, there to tell you to eat. To grab a bag of your favourite munchies and go to town at all hours of the day. But these last years I haven't been snakin.

I think it's safe to say at this point, that I'm anorexic. I can't get more than a bite or two into most meals before I feel full. Before I feel like any attempt to fill my bloating stomach anymore would make the flood gates burts and I'd vomit it back up. The worst part is smells, I think. When I think of what I want to eat, I think I could devour a whole plate meal. An entire horse could be shoved down my gullet and I'd want more. Until I get a wiff of that final product. It never smells how I think it will. I take one bite and I feel done. Like I can't eat this thing I was just craving. I've tossed whole meals because they went bad, because I couldn't eat it. It feels awful.

My stomach always feels like it's eating itself. I always feel hungry except when I've had half an apple and some pepperoni and cheese. I regularly get floored by my stomach warring against me for... something! I just don't know what. Because it sure isn't ever food.

Unless, it's PBJ. For some reason, at any point, I can down an entire loaf of bread if it's got a decent jam and peanut butter on it. I've done it before, and it will happen again. It has always been the only food I can ever actually get into me without some sort of negative reaction. That and cinnamon rasin toast. Ate a whole loaf of that last night.

It's hard. Especially while I'm transitioning, and need to be eating more than I ever have in my life. I want tits. Can't get tits without eating. But I can't eat jack shit usually. Not much of it, anyway. Very few things ever make it down my troat and through my intestines without trouble.

Maybe it's because my parents always blamed me for food going missing. Acting as though I wasn't the oldest of three teenage boys. Blaming every found wrapper, every vaccuumed crumb, on me. I wish it was me eating everything. Every time we'd get a new box of ritz crackers theyd be gone in two days. I'd rarely even see a half full bag, let alone an unopened box of them. Granola bars would go missing by the handful, fruit snacks eaten like ambrosia, and I was blamed for every missing morsel. Like the food wasn't supposed to be eaten in the first place. Like I'm the only one with a stomach in that house. It feels wrong to eat. Like I shouldn't be doing it. Like I'll get yelled at for having too much. For having a few crackers and a granola bar.

Maybe it comes from they way they yelled at me, too. Always calling me ungrateful for everything. Telling me "we give you all this food, and these clothes and this house. How could you act like this? You ungrateful brat." Sorry mom, I'm 8. What else am I supposed to do? Get a job and pay for my own food and clothes? Aren't you supposed to feed and clothe me anyway? Isn't that the basic requirement of your job as a parent? Would be nice if you could acknowledge that and stop making your 8 years old feel like shit because they got hungry and cold.

Maybe I just want to die. I dunno.

I'm always so hungry. And I never want to eat. I should always be snackin, as is my mantra. But here I am. Void of any sustenance. Empty as the hearts of my parents. At least back then. At least, that's what it felt like. I am the way they raised me, after all.

[damn-d4niel]

because i think everyone should see this

[buckyr00s]

The Meet-Cute || m."f".g.

pairing: Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia x Reader

warnings/tags: a fluffy headcanon; description of a chaotic crowd situation

author's note: This is a self-indulgent headcanon about a meet-cute with Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia. It is also way longer than I initially thought it'd be. Like is it even considered a headcanon anymore?? Let me know if you'd be interested in a part two (or even a mini-series) because when it comes to this man, I HAVE THOTS. Also, thank you to @barnescastle and her camera roll AUs because it inspired me to make a collage of my own for this! Check out her all work HERE!

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When anyone asks either of you to tell the story of how you met, you'll both tell them it was basically love at first sight.

Your friends convinced you to go to a music festival featuring some of your favourite bands and artists. And although you were so excited to see said bands and artists, music festivals are hectic--and often scary--as hell.

You and your friends spent almost the entire day at the festival. And yes, even though it was a long, hot, tiring day, it was all worth it as you were about to see the main headliner--your favourite band/artist.

Just as they made their way on stage, a huge crowd of excited fans rushed towards them, closing the comfortable distance between each person. As the band/artist began to play, people around you began to jump and dance, the chaos causing you and your friends to be separated.

Things started to get overwhelming, the loud music and the accidental bumps disorienting you. It was then that you began to panic.

A firm hold on your upper arm brings you back and steadies you, preventing you from being pushed around further.

"Hey! Are you alright?" you heard someone yell over the music.

Your gaze lands on the hand on your arm, travels up their arm, up their shoulder and neck, and straight into the softest, deepest set of worried brown eyes.

You both took a second to look at and take each other in. This is the part of the story where Fanboy likes to say he got bit by a love bug, but if you are being honest, you were probably bit at this moment too.

Someone bumped you from behind, lunging you forward and snapping you out of your thoughts. You were glad that the stranger was holding you steady the way he was because you’re sure you would have face-planted otherwise.

“What?” you shout to cut through the blaring speakers, still quite disoriented. “Oh, I was just asking you if you were alright,” the guy replies, his voice straining. “You kinda looked lost and worried”.

It was only then that you noticed yourself begin to calm down enough to breathe and observe your surroundings. Unbeknownst to him—or maybe he did know (you weren’t too sure and he’s never told you)—he had distracted you long enough for you to ground yourself in the overwhelming environment.

After taking a few seconds to collect yourself, your eyes found their way back to his brown eyes. All this time, he patiently waited for your response. "I don't know..." you yelled. "I kind of got separated from my friends," you admitted as you extended your neck and look around.

Pulling out your phone from your small waist bag, you realized that it was dead. Being at a festival all day was all fun and games until it wasn't.

That didn't go unnoticed by him because he offered to walk you to the phone charging stations. He also must have noticed the apprehension on your face because of what he did and said next.

Digging into his own bag, he pulls a canister out and places it in your hand. "If you feel unsafe with me, I give you permission to spray this in my eyes," he stated, an amused smile spread across his face. And wow, what a smile.

"How did he sneak pepper spray passed security?" you thought. Then you looked down at your hand holding the cold metal container to see...sunscreen?

He seemed to read you like a book, because he laughed again. (In truth, he learned pretty quickly that whenever you're confused or unsure, you'll instinctively tilt your head, furrow your brows, and scrunch your nose--a quirk he's grown to love so much). "That shit burns," he joked, eliciting a laugh from you. Damn, he's careful, observant, and funny. A complete charmer.

You appreciated how much he made you feel safe. Impressed even. You trusted him enough to take him up on his offer to escort you, helping you weave through the crowd to get to the charging stations.

The area had long been cleared out as people flocked to watch the headline performer. So, you two sat there, waiting for your phone to charge. You could hear the music and the cheers from a distance, equally thankful that you weren't missing out on listening to your favourite band/artist and that you didn't have to strain to talk to your mystery guardian angel of sorts.

It was a perfect atmosphere to talk. As you both sat on the grass and waited for your phone to charge, you exchanged names. "Mickey, huh? How cute," you mentally noted.

"Thanks, by the way," your voice filled with gratitude and sincerity. He casually dismissed his actions, saying "it was nothing," and "anyone would have done it." You stopped him though, rejecting the nonchalance. "No really. Thank you. Not everyone would have. But you did." He accepted your gratitude, then, with a shy smile and his head hung low. Flustered.

"So, where are your friends? I can't imagine you ditched them to spend time with little ol' me," you chuckled, noticing him wince at the tiny hint of self-deprecation you expressed.

"Oh, they're all at the bar tent," he rolled his eyes with a grin, imagining the antics his buddies were getting up to. "I'm the DD...designated driver," he started to explain. "Well, they wanted to take an Uber but I thought the drive from our B&B would be fun. I made a special playlist and everything. So, I convinced them. Or they humoured me. Or both."

The two of you continued to talk, and you were quite surprised at how easy it was to converse with him. It definitely did help that you shared similar interests and were equally enthusiastic about discussing said interests.

When your phone was finally charged enough, you texted your friends, informing them of your location and that you were okay. They expressed their concerns about you being alone, so you told them about what happened and about Mickey, his good deed, and his company. Understandably so, they responded with apprehension. And for some reason, you felt comfortable enough to disclose this with him.

"May I?" he mused, holding his hand out to ask for your phone. In this short time you met and interacted with him, you felt like you could trust him enough. So, you handed him the phone.

Instantly, he smiled and instantly, you knew he was up to something. Nothing malicious. Just...something.

He opened the camera app and proceeded to record himself.

"Hi! I know it's super suspicious that your friend is alone with some strange guy. I'm not sure how else to alleviate your very valid worries other than..." he trailed off before smiling widely and starting back up with a burst of energy this time. "My name is Mickey Garcia. Age 23. 5'7. I'm a college graduate and currently a Naval Aviation Officer candidate. " You had thought the cherry on top was when he shared his phone number, his licence plate number, and the model and make of his rental car. But then, he topped it. "And I like long walks on the beach," his smile was blinding and you could tell he was genuinely entertained with himself. "So there's your leverage and you have my guarantee that your cute friend is safe with me"

The last thing he said was so smooth and so casual that you almost missed it. Almost. And that's why you felt your cheeks go hot. You were glad he was too busy to notice, occupied with the task of replaying and reviewing the video before sending it to your group chat. He also managed to send a closed caption, recognizing that they might not be in an area of the music festival where they could hear the audio coming from their phones.

He handed your phone back after that, which you were grateful for because your friends immediately texted you back with embarrassing messages. You would have melted if he saw. "HE'S CUTE. AND HE SAID YOU'RE CUTE." "YOU HAVE HIS NUMBER NOW!" "I swear to all that is holy, if you don't make a move." And it went on and on.

"My friends approve," you informed him, causing the man to chuckle.

"OH!" Mickey jumped up. "This is one of my favourite songs," he beamed. He held is hand out. "Come on!! Dance with me!" My God, is this man even real?!

Grabbing his hand, he pulled you up effortlessly.

So, you danced. In fact, the two of you danced and sung along in that empty area until your bodies and voices were tired.

And as you both basked in the fun, delight, and silliness of the moment, Mickey proposed. Not that kind of proposal. Not yet at least.

"Do you wanna go grab milkshakes?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. "I mean we can get something to eat, too, if you like. But I'd love a milkshake right about now."

You furrowed your brows. It was a very tempting offer but... "What about my friends?? What about yours??" you questioned.

"They can come too!"

And so, you both texted your respective friend groups, all of them agreeing to tag along.

That's how you found yourself at an outdoor patio, enjoying drinks, jokes, and company in the cool summer air.

And that's when you and Mickey's story really started...with a meet cute.

author's note: hope you enjoyed! all your comments and feedback mean everything! and please do let me know if you are interested in another part or even a series :)

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