#brought to you by my sister being hilarious again

[honeyxmonkey]

Jim: We're here today to mourn the passing of Hisirdoux Casperan. He died of lack of sleep, food, and sunlight. Rest in peace 😔🙏🏻

Douxie from his room: QUIT TELLING EVERYONE IM DEAD YOU JACKASS

Jim: Sometimes I can still hear his voice

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Please let Astarion meet Tav's family and have a younger sibling like 6 be like im gonna marry the prince points at Astarion.

Tav : Sorry, im married to the prince

NO IM GONNA MARRY THE PRINCE

That's so fucking cute kill me. But I just realized AFTER I finished it I read this wrong 😭😭 I read it as "marry" instead of "married" so whoops now it's an asking for your hand in marriage fic.

Also, I'm going to make this a weird little, unofficial, alternate reality, off shoot of this fic to explain away why Astarion can be in the sun without ascending because I am ~lazy~

Quick summary if you didn't read it, Tav serves Selune, gets a blessing for all the good work, and uses it to cure the anti-light issue of the vampirism (but not all of it). It's not a literal extension of that fic but I'm stealing my own plot explanations. That's it! Now here we go:

~

Astarion wasn't nervous per se. He was just... on edge. And the two-week journey it took to get here wasn't helping things, not when it gave him so much time to ruminate in his thoughts. He never expected to be in the position of "meeting the family," let alone in anticipation for asking for someone's hand in marriage.

Astarion wasn't even quite sure how his life got here. He had always fantasized that a life without Cazador would be one of selfish hedonism, not one where he would be legitimately concerned about a damn six year old sibling's first impression of him.

But then you came along, effortlessly shattering all of his grandiose plans with a batt of your eyelashes. Perhaps the entire journey of falling in love was more complicated, but it felt like it was that simple. In hindsight, he never stood a chance against you, but it was hilarious that there was a time he ever thought he did.

All of his prior dreams and fantasies felt like nothing in comparison to just being with you. It had been a year since you both saved the Sword Coast, a beautiful, fantastic year. That had ended with him somehow more in love with you now than when he first confessed. Selune's blessing had certainly helped with that he was sure. He still couldn't quite believe that you would use a god's blessing on him of all people, but gods, was he appreciative. Because being able to walk in the sun again meant that he could live the life he wanted, with no restrictions. He could be the partner you deserved, the kind that a father would happily say yes to when asking for your hand.

Which brought him back to his current dilemma. Perhaps he hadn't seen any of your family members in the time you'd been together, but he had heard plenty. You loved them all to death, especially your little sister. You wrote to them constantly, the mere sight of a letter from your parents enough to put you in a great mood for the rest of the day. He was aware that your mother was supposedly a saint, a fact that your own father had instilled in you often. He knew that they had a wonderful, loving marriage and were both higher ups in the Church of Selune. A fact that Astarion didn't particularly enjoy.

As grateful to the moon goddess as he was, he was aware that you were an expectation to the very normal belief that vampires were bad. And that marrying one was one of the stupidest things you could ever do from an average person's perspective, let alone a Selunite.

Why you hadn't done the smart thing and lied about what he was, Astarion would never know. But he did know that the thought of their rejection over his admittedly sordid history was putting him in a tailspin.

"They're going to love you," You said for the hundredth time, giving his hand a squeeze as you led him up the steps to your childhood home, "You have nothing to worry about sweetheart. I promise."

Astarion highly doubted that, but you were already knocking on the front door before he had a chance to argue. The door instantly slammed open, a beaming child already launching themselves at you before Astarion could process what was happening.

But you were more prepared them he was. You effortlessly caught them in your arms, laughing at their excited shouting, "Titi! You're late!"

So this was the famous Arabeth.

"No, I'm not!" You laughed as you settled her on your hip, "And what happened to my little girl's manners huh? You haven't even introduced yourself yet."

The child glanced over at him, like she was just realizing for the first time that someone else was standing over there. She looked a little shocked at the sight of him, staring at him with wide eyes. Wide enough for Astarion to start to wonder if something was on his face.

He gave her a little wave only for her to bury her face into your shoulder, peeking out at him with her lips pursed. Which was not the best start to the whole making his darling's family actually like him plan.

"Well, as you've probably guessed this is Arabeth. She's just a little shy," You reassured as you stepped inside, muttering a quick invitation inside under your breath. He appreciated that, he didn't need the whole house to be reminded of his... limitations.

"But she'll get over it soon enough," You continued as you called into the house, "Mom? Dad? We're here!"

And just like that they were rushing into the room, acting just as excited as your sister had been. Your mother wasted no time in smothering your face with kisses while your father swept you up into a hug. It was a rather impressive display of coordination, considering how they hadn't managed to knock you and your sister to the floor in the process. Astarion was pretty sure they were both saying something along the lines of We missed you! But it was hard to tell with all of you so tangled up in each other.

It was heartwarming to see, in all honestly. Of course such a loving person would come from an equally loving family, what else would he expect?

Though he certainly hadn't been expecting for your mother to throw her arms around him next. She brought him into a tight hug before looking him up and down, "So you're Astarion huh?"

She turned back to you, grinning ear to ear with her hands set on Astarion's shoulders, "He's so handsome! Selune help us, do you remember the last boy you brought home? He had a nose the length of my arm-"

"And that's enough of that," You said with a strained laugh, pulling your eccentric mother back a few inches, "And we've talked about the impromptu hugs. What happened to asking for permission?"

"Sorry, sorry!" She said with a wave of her hand, "Let me try again. I'm Seliras, and this is my husband-"

"Marcoul," Your father interrupted, putting his hand out for Astarion to shake, "It's been awhile since we've met a boyfriend."

"He's a little more than that," You said with a sigh as everyone exchanged pleasantries.

"We'll be the judge of that," Marcoul said with a sharp but friendly grin, the grip he had on Astarion's hand briefly tightening before he let go, "From what we've heard, you're quite the character aren't you?"

Ah, so the interrogating was starting early then. It was nothing that Astarion hadn't expected. Besides, turning up the charm was his strong suit, even when he was uncharacteristically nervous.

Astarion smiled back at him, "You've heard right. And I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have."

"Oh gods please don't say that," You groaned, but it was too late. Your parents were already leading him to sit, rapid-fire questions coming out of their mouth.

Where are you from? How did you meet? Are you serious about our Tav? What's your religion? Where's your family? What are your plans?

But Astarion answered them all, with only mild censorship for the child's sake. The child who suddenly couldn't stop staring at him. It wasn't exactly easy to sell himself as a future husband when he was a vampiric ex-slave, but he made do.

It was an overwhelming experience to say the least, but not necessarily an unpleasant one. That was one good thing about trying to marry into a family of zealots, it was a lot easier to convince them of your virtue when you received a personal blessing from their goddess.

By the end of the night, they were all throughly appeased, enough so to get off the topic of him for a moment.

"You look a little young to have a thirty-year old child," Astarion said to your mother. He was actively trying to compliment her for obvious reasons, but he was also genuinely curious. She barely looked a day over 40.

"Oh we breed young," She said with a laugh, "We had Tav in our teenage years. Arabeth came much, much later. Our favorite little surprise. Gods, I can't think of a single person in our family who didn't have kids young. Our little Tav is the only exception to the rule."

"But maybe not for much longer, huh?" Marcoul added with a grin, yelping when you lightly smacked him over the head for the comment.

"Do not start the kid talk again!" You hissed out, cheeks red, "We've talked about this!"

Astarion couldn't help but grin at your reaction, charmed by your embarrassment. Though... the idea of the two of you having children together sure was an interesting thought.

Astarion felt a tug on his sleeve while you were distracted arguing with your parents. He turned, smiling when he saw your little sister standing there, still staring at him with wide-eyes.

She took a deep breath before blurting out, "You look like a prince. Are you?"

"Not exactly," Astarion said with a small laugh. That couldn't be further from the truth, "There's no blue blood in my veins."

She frowned, cocking her head at him like he wasn't making any sense. But then an idea obviously struck her as she excitedly asked, "But if you married a princess, then you'd become a prince too. Right?"

"I suppose?" Astarion answered with a shrug.

"So if I become a princess, and I marry you, then you'll be a prince?"

This conversation was quickly becoming out of his depth. But luckily enough for him you were swooping in to save him.

You laughed at her question, turning your attention back to the two of them, "No offense Bethy, but I'm going to be the one marrying this particular prince."

But Arabeth wasn't having it. She crossed her arms, looking at you like she was the one talking to a child, "You can't. Because if I don't marry him, he won't be a prince. So there. I have to do it."

She looked so serious, her facial expressions incredibly similar to your own. Astarion was holding back a loud laugh as you tried and failed to reason with her, "I can marry him without the royal status-"

"No! I'm marrying the prince!"

Your parents were doing a much worse job at hiding their reactions, both of them opening giggling behind their hands as you came up with a compromise.

"Okay, okay," You said with a sigh, kneeling down to look the small girl in the eye, "How about this? I marry him first. But only until you become a princess. Then he's all yours. Sound fair?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding to herself, "Sounds fair."

Well Astarion wasn't going to get a better set-up then that. He turned to your father, his nerves coming back for a brief appearance, "I'm assuming now might be a good time to ask what I came here to ask. Though I do promise I only intending on asking for one of your children's hand in marriage."

Marcoul nodded slowly, his face unreadable as he spoke, "I mean no offense when I say this Astarion, but you aren't exactly who I imagined for my daughter."

"Dad don't-"

"Darling, let him finish," Astarion gently interrupted, his eyes still locked with your father's.

He took a deep breathe before continuing, "That said, I've never seen her so... herself with someone else before. So yes. The two of you can marry. On one condition."

"Anything," Astarion said instantly, nearly giddy at the fact that he was so close to the official yes, "Just name it."

"You have to have the wedding here," Seliras answered for him, a massive smile on her face, "No ifs, ands, or buts."

"And I get to be flower girl!" Arabeth chimed in, her past indignation completely forgotten as she climbed all over you, "And there has to be chocolate cake!"

"Oh gods, help us," You groaned, but Astarion was already nodding along. He couldn't give less than two shits where it happened or who was involved. He could scarcely believe that it was happening at all. But that was the last thing he had needed.

He already had the ring, the most amazing person he could ever fathom being with. Who actually wanted him back.

Now all he had to do was ask.

[evercries]

★﹟ my heart beats for his kindness, the unwanted kindness he brings, his smile warms every part of me, even my heart. he is my heart.

「corazón 」 ☘ | Gojo Satoru x Reader. | Arranged Marriage, Au. | Formal language | Word Count: 1630.

☘

When marriage was brought up, the only thing that would immediately come to your mind was commitment. The thought of that bothered you for a long time, not because you couldn’t devote yourself to someone you loved, but the romance expressed by your parents towards each other changed your perspective. As of that moment, a book opened with you sited outside on the bench, your father was holding your mother’s hand as both of them viewed the tree that had been there for decades, giggling.

Yes, giggling, your mother was using her free hand to cover her hand, probably to cover the loud laugh she let out. Glancing up from your book, you knew there wasn’t something hilarious that your father had said, his jokes were similar to an amateur, but seeing how your mother was smiling widely, it brought a smile to your face.

“ Sister, wipe that smile off your face. It almost caused me to fall and possibly have a heart attack.” Said a voice from behind you, glancing up, you were met with the disgusted look of your younger sister, Nobora, with bags around her wrist that the servants collected and headed towards Nobara’s room. Slumping down on the chair as if she was exhausted, her eyes glanced over at your parents who continued to giggle, playfully hit each other, and blush with excitement, almost like children who discovered their first love.

“Ah, if only I also had someone who’d take my stress away.” Nobora commented, a groan leaving her lips, her arms rested against the arms of the couch.

“Lies.” You commented, placing your book onto the table, grabbing onto the handle of the teacup in front of you, bringing it against your lips, ready to take a slip. “You and I are aware of the obsession you have developed with shopping, sister. You can deceive yourself, but I’m afraid I don’t believe you.”

“It’s okay, things can always change.”

“Things can change when they don’t involve you, little sister.” You giggled, almost choking on the tea. Your eyes glanced to notice Nobora staring at you with a blank expression before a huge grin appeared on her lips. 

“Yeah? Remind me again, beloved sister, who got accepted to the prestigious Jujutsu Sorcerer Academy?”

Refusing to answer her, you buried your head playfully, Nobara continued asking you the question, her head moving to the side. Finally giving in, you placed the teacup down, faced Nobara before bringing your hands up to make sparkly gestures. 

“You did.”

“Thought as much.” 

Reaching out and patting her head, you couldn’t help but notice how much she had grown, her long lashes curled as she blinked, you could almost squeeze her from the cuteness you felt.

“What about you?”

“Hm?” Broken from your thought, you glanced down at Nobara, an eyebrow raised out of curiosity for what she meant.

“The marriage proposal.”

Oh. You had already forgotten about that. Pinching Nobara’s cheek, you said, “That’s adult business. Focus on training.”

“Are you going to accept?” This caused Nobara to sit up, her voice being extremely loud, which explained why your parents spun their heads around to where you both sat, but this didn’t stop Nobara from continuing.

“You’ve heard the rumours about him, right? They say he sleeps with women left and right, his specialty is being a man whore.”

“Nobara.” You called out her name, causing her to stop, her eyes widened. “Appropriate language, please.”

“That’s his reputation.” Nobara stood up, her hands up in the air as she told you the multiple stories about your fiancé. Truth was, you didn’t view him as a fiancé, the only reason why you haven’t rejected him was simple, your parents wouldn’t allow you to cancel. His connections were just what your parents were looking for to support Nobara, his skills made him popular among the sorcerer tea talks mother attended with the other women. You had already considered his infidelity, but truth be told, you couldn’t bring yourself to care enough about it. After all, this was all done to make your sister succeed both academically and professionally. As your sister continued rambling about times your fiancé was spotted with another lady, the dates, and all unnecessary information youths managed to find, Nobara said it all.

Your parents tried to stop her, but went without no avail as her voice was louder, and they were careful not to trigger anything. 

☘

“I didn’t think I’d be this famous, but I’m flattered.” This voice caused you to turn your head, your parents doing the same thing, there standing against the door to the backyard was your fiancé, Gojo Satoru.

“Oh, future son-in-law, welcome!” Your mother called out, her hands out as she walked to Gojo to embrace him. Cheerful as always, Gojo bent down, gave your mother a polite kiss on the cheek before returning the hug. Nobara rolled her eyes, which you understood, teenagers these days. Your father joined your mother in greeting Gojo, smiled spread across each of their faces, the only blank expressions were that of yours and Nobara’s. 

“Oh, you have grown since I last saw you.” Your mother cried out, ruffling Gojo’s surprisingly fluffy hair. Your mother had seen Gojo the day before at the family introduction, so you were unaware of what she meant by that. 

“Too many compliments and I’ll get cocky, mother.” Gojo said, with that awful smile of his, you wanted to wipe it off his face. What he said was very cocky, but you weren’t surprised, it was Gojo after all. 

Your mother guided him towards where the tables were placed, Nobara storming off, but you didn’t chase after her, she’d be completely fine once she went through the things she had bought today. Your attention went back to what your parents were doing, but locked eye contact with Gojo. His bright blue eyes shined with the sun as they continued to gaze into yours, him having his hair down felt odd to you, but you couldn’t complain, he wasn’t attractive to you.

“Yes, she must go. It’s such an opportunity.” Your mother said, her face filled with excitement as she stared over at you. Confused, you glanced over at your dad who shrugged, your mother who looked overly excited, and finally Gojo for about two seconds before staring at your mother.

“What?”

“Gojo wants to take you out to this ball hosted by the Zenin family.”

“I refuse.” 

Your mother nervously laughed at you, glared at you slightly before returning to Gojo, “She’s so excited to go, right, sweetheart?”

“Not really.” You proclaimed, your mother quickly covered your comment with a loud chuckle, gently slapping your father on the shoulder so he could join in, which he did. That betrayer.

Gojo smiled, his hands in front of him, but his eyes remained on you. “I’m excited.”

You were not excited, at all.

☘

Noon soon came, but you found yourself sited on your bed, another book in your hands, waiting for the beautiful sunset to come. A knock was heard, a servant slipping their head into your room, informing you Gojo was already there. Rubbing the middle part between your eyes, you stood up, pulled the enormous dress that took most of your air and possibly bigger than you, dusted it and walked out of your room. Walking down the stairwell, you felt eyes on you, but nervously continued to walk. Heels weren’t exactly your thing, so at the final stair step, you accidentally slipped, but strong hands were gripped against your waist, bringing you up to stand straight.

“Be careful, you’re too beautiful for injuries, my love.” Gojo explained, his hand still on your waist as he spoke. Shuffling your body to remove his hand, you moved closer to him so he could hear you properly.

“I can take care of myself, you don’t have to worry about me, Sir Satoru.”

“Gojo.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s Gojo, not what came from your mouth.”

“So? I’m not bothered by the name. The only thing I’m calling you is Sir Satoru.”

“Or darling. Or sweetheart. Or, perhaps, hubby?”

“I’m questioning sometimes, one of them is this marriage and the second thing is why did I choose you?”

“Exactly.” Gojo said, his hand on his chin, almost like he was pondering something. “Why would you announce our engagement at the young age of ten?”

“Children think foolishly.”

“You seemed pretty confident about that decision, though.” Almost like he loved seeing your annoyed expression, Gojo leaned him towards your ear and whispered, “And I love that.”

Goodness gracious, this man was certainly a flirt, an awfully good one. Moving your head backwards, you said, “Don’t get carried away, just because I happened to have an attraction to you as a young girl doesn’t mean that attraction is what I’m feeling right now.”

“We all lie to ourselves.” Was all he said before turning around towards the carriage, of course he wasn’t waiting for you, what a gentleman. As if he heard you, Gojo turned towards you, sprinted towards you, wrapped his arms around your body carefully before lifting you in his arms and carrying you. Being too quick for you to react, when you finally realized what was happening, you asked him what he was doing, which was met with a smile from him. Stopping in front of the carriage, Gojo leaned closer towards you, pressed a kiss on your forehead before setting you down.

"Firstly, that was disgusting, never again will you kiss me, ew. Secondly, I am a woman of independence, I can-"

“Yes, princess, we’re all aware of that, watch your steps.” His hands held onto yours as he gently guided you up the carriage stairs into the actual carriage before entering inside himself, and just like that, you were off.

[becauseimanicequeen]

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Unknown ep. 12

I’m going into this episode hoping for a real and honest conversation between Qian and his loved ones about the surgery, that he has a successful surgery, that he (at the very least) is on the path of healing from his traumas, and that he and Yuan will have some great moments. Let the love pour out from every second of this episode, please. And, thank you.

I love how Lili went into protective sister mode and asked Yuan if he would treat Qian well if she gave her brother to him.

Wait, is she pregnant?

The way I fucking laughed at the whole business meeting scene. There’s no way Yuan will let Qian work 24/7 anymore. He needs his man back home so they can be all domestic and happy. There’s no way they’re going to waste their fucking time! (Literally and figuratively)

The way I laughed at how offended Xiong was when Qian almost said he could quit if Xiong was worried that Qian and Yuan’s relationship would be a problem for their company. Don’t even think about it, Qian!

It’s so nice to see how much Qian smiles now (and not just around Yuan). It’s such a huge contrast to the beginning of the series. And this change has only happened in the last few episodes. It’s all thanks to the fact that Qian actually allows himself to be happy.

Pulling someone closer by their tie is one of the actual functions of a tie. Seriously. Another one is to tie someone’s hands together. Will we get to see that, or will I have to imagine it myself? Either way works fine by me…

Oh lord… I can’t deal with office gossip… Especially gossip of this kind. It’s so fucking bizarre.

Yep, there we have it. Lili’s pregnant. So, that’s why she’ll be kneeling in front of Qian (which was in the preview)?

This episode is fucking hilarious! The way I lmfao when Qian went all out with his protective big brother role on San Pang’s sorry ass. And then Qian was looking for his knife! We all know he wanted to grab that fucking cleaver again! San Pang was lucky Yuan was there to hold Qian back. Thank you, Unknown, for prolonging my life by about ten years with all this laughing.

Even though I don’t always agree that all things happen for a reason (because sometimes tragic shit just happens), Qian and Yuan’s whole story has been intertwined with red, alluding to the red thread of fate. Yuan telling Qian he had always thought Qian’s mother had brought them together was a nice touch (even for me). What happened was tragic as hell, including that Qian had to deal with the aftermath of it all. However, it was also the catalyst for Qian and Yuan’s whole story.

Time has passed…

Look at Qian being happier than we’ve ever seen him in the series. He smiles so naturally now. I love it. That’s a great way to end this series.

I didn’t get the moment I wanted with Qian talking to his loved ones about the surgery (or Lili being livid at San Pang for keeping the truth of Qian’s health from her, which I would’ve loved to see). But I did get some great moments between Qian and Yuan and it ended with them as happy as can be.

I loved this series. I will miss it terribly. But it has a secure place on my rewatch list, so I’ll definitely come back to it again. And again. And again…

[possibilistfanfiction]

Butch Bea with thoughts around top surgery? (if it's not a consideration for her/them totally no worries) would be interesting to hear Bea deciding and/or confiding in Ava abt it - your writing of feelings is always so good tysm

[ok if ppl don't want this in the butch bea canon then that's fine BUT if ppl do... this is sweet. i love this prompt]

//

you've seen beatrice come out of surgery before, but this is different. her eyes flutter open reluctantly, although she'd already woken up for the nurses before they let you come back to the pacu. you're sure she'll be nauseous, because anesthesia always makes her feel sick, but when she finally manages to look at you steadily, she smiles.

'hi baby,' you say, and you're in the same kind of sterile hospital as you have been before, when things have been bad, and scary, or hard. but this — this — is so, so beautiful.

'hello ava,' beatrice says, her voice rough from being intubated, hilariously formal for being so obviously high.

'how you feeling?'

'pretty good.'

'yeah?'

'a little sick to my stomach. but — everything went okay?'

you run a hand through her soft hair, kiss her forehead. 'it went really great.'

her smile breaks your heart a little: you know, now, more than anyone else in the world but her, how long she denied herself this peace.

'your surgeon said she'd be by soon, and you'll be able to see.' she leans into your hand with a sigh, and you rub your thumb along her cheekbone. 'you can rest while we wait for her.'

she's asleep almost immediately, her long lashes and her freckles and when she had brought top surgery up, months ago, with shaky hands, you had held her in your arms and held her jaw in your palm. 'there are very few things that could make me love you less,' you had told her. 'this will make me so proud of you, and so, so happy for you.' she had nodded and kissed you, salty, relieved tears down her cheeks. 'my only condition is that, if you feel like it, you wear shirts as rarely as possible at home. or out, i'm not opposed to that either.' and she had laughed and you're more sure, every single day, that the world isn't supposed to exist to harm or to hurt.

you hold her hand in yours, update your sisters and friends that bea is awake and fine and loopy, promise lilith that you'll send some good videos of her soon, and a few minutes later wake her when her surgeon knocks on the door.

'i can see?' she asks, excitement evident even through the fog of anesthesia, and you love her.

'we want to keep the padding and compression on for the most part,' her surgeon explains, but then she smiles. 'but yes, for a minute.'

bea nods and you help her sit up a little in bed. you're no stranger to surgical dressings and drains at this point, but you've always found them necessary at best, gross and painful at worst. but you watch beatrice get to look at the curved scars that span her chest, the bandages over her re-grafted nipples — you watch her entire face light up and her shoulders set and she grins and starts to cry. you look too, and she is so, so beautiful; you feel tears burn at your eyes too and then she looks at you and laughs.

her surgeon smiles too. 'your swelling well go down, and the drains will come out in about a week, hopefully.'

'it'll be even better?' she asks, disbelief and awe.

you squeeze the top of her hand, the deep reverence in her voice filling your whole body with unspeakable joy.

/

it takes a few weeks for her to be back on her feet, a few months until she gets to go surfing and to the dojo again. but you make sure she's comfortable and order all the food she wants; you wash her hair for her and empty her drains. you are no stranger to being cared for — by beatrice, with tenderness — and, when it's your turn, you realize, time and again, that there's love there that moves heaven and earth.

'ugh.' lilith rolls her eyes when bea walks out of the hall from your bedroom, joggers slung low on her hips, drying her hair. all of the swelling has gone down and her nipples have fully healed.

'hello, lilith,' bea says. 'so nice of you to drop in uninvited and then complain about brunch.'

'oh, i wasn't complaining about brunch. i like these pastries.' she waves the pistachio croissant she took off of your plate around for effect. 'i'm complaining because i feel like i'm going to have to see your abs for years now, all the time.'

'i'm so very sorry,' bea says, definitely not sorry at all. lilith has been in and out every few days to check up on bea, so it's all a very silly charade at this point.

'i am happy,' lilith says, taking a bite of the croissant and then continuing, her mouth full, just to bother bea, 'that you're doing so well. and feeling so happy in yourself.'

'thank you,' beatrice says, her strong back turned to you as she makes both of them tea very precisely. 'chew with your mouth closed, please.'

[yourghostwrotethis]

Fic Recs #4

Hello and welcome back to the fourth instalment of my fic rec posts! Check out #1 here, #2 here, and #3 here. All of these can also be found in my #fic rec tag!

This post (well, these fics) are brought to you thanks to the work of the wondrous mods over at @aziraphales-library! Check them out if you haven’t already, and give them a big thank you :)

Please do recommend stuff to me! (See at the end for what I like, and of course, I wouldn’t rec these if I hadn’t liked them, so they’re also an indicator of my tastes!)

This post has four long fics and two short fics, with varying tropes and styles!

The Ghost of Husbands Past (E)

by A_N_D (@madenthusiasms)

Az always knew that he’d be thrown out the moment his father found out he was gay. He hadn’t expected to be declared dead though - or for his husband to believe it!

But their marriage had been a foolish teenage impulse (not to mention invalid in America), so when Az moved to a small town far upstate New York to start his new life, he moved alone. The kindest thing he could do was let Crowley mourn and move on, not be shackled for life to a now disabled partner.

Tony Crowley never recovered from losing his best friend, his childhood sweetheart, his better half. He’d been drifting ever since; no plans, no hope, no money - and now, just before Thanksgiving, no job either. 

Given the stark choice of freezing to death or accepting his sister’s invitation to join her upstate, Tony reluctantly lives out the Hallmark cliche of Recently Unemployed Person Moves to Small Town for Christmas.

It’s a time of hope, love, and family.

It’s time for Az and Tony to find each other again.

Words: 94042 (Complete)

If you like fics that don’t hesitate before punching you in the gut, this is one of them. From the very first chapter, one is intrigued by the mystery of the whole story, and the events are so unpredictable that I can guarantee you’re in for an eventful ride.

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Talk about the weather (M)

by nightbloomingcereus (@moondawntreader)

Television meteorologist Aziraphale Fell and Youtube storm chaser A. J. Crowley have nothing in common aside from a purely professional interest in the weather and a mutually beneficial arrangement to lend a hand when needed. So what if they bicker and flirt more than your typical professional acquaintances, or if their arrangement inevitably veers into more personal territory? It's not as if they're in love or anything. Absolutely not.

Words: 81582 (Complete)

I binged this fic in one evening and it was wonderful. It’s very fluffy, and the whole thing feels like it falls into place naturally. The banter is wonderful, and I’d associate this fic with the word “happy” because that’s what I felt when I was reading it. It’s so nice, and I love human AUs and social media ones - this is a great mix of the two!

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The Plantom Menace (G)

by theinkwell33 (@splitting-infinities)

There is an urban legend well known in this area regarding The Plant Man. Footage exists, blurry and ill-lit, of the trespassing fiend, but it never provides a good look at his face. He exists only as a rumor; a giggled whisper in someone’s ear at the pub, an inside joke at uni, and a viral sensation. None of these things mean he is not real. That being said, the only person who can corroborate the truth about the Plant Man is the man himself. And unfortunately, Anthony J. Crowley has no idea that it’s him.

Words: 3608 (Complete)

Short, sweet, and hilariously funny, this fic is a lovely outsider POV one shot featuring mundane events in the ineffable pair’s lives. I’d already read this a long time ago and it cracked me up as much now as it did back then. Filled with funny meta jokes and real humour, this is golden.

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An Educator’s Guide to Latin and Lobsters (G)

by theinkwell33 (tagged above)

Aziraphale's been saddled with chaperone duty on a school field trip to the aquarium, even though he's a Latin professor who knows absolutely nothing about fish. One would think it'd be his downfall, but it turns out the only one it slays is one Anthony Crowley, marine biologist and harried aquarium employee.

Words: 3729 (Complete)

Another short story by the same author, with a delightfully harried Mr. Fell and just-socially-awkward-enough Crowley. If you know nothing about fish, like mermaids, or want to read a short and sweet meeting fic, this is for you (no one needs to know which).

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Across the Line (T)

by hope_in_the_dark (@hope-inthedark)

Ezra is a student in his final year at University College London, and he’s in love with a man he’s never spoken to. For months, Ezra has been tipping (and pining after) a musician named Crowley every time he sees him. He thinks that Crowley hasn’t noticed him, but Crowley has.  A love story that begins with, of all things, the saving and handing over of a book.  (Written for the Good Omens Mini Bang. Multi-chapter human AU - updates every week until completion!)

Words: 31006 (Complete)

This story is just… fluff. Pure fluff. Tooth-rotting fluff. No conflicts. It’s great! It’s a very cute story featuring a beautiful tale of falling in love, but with some stuff that makes it extra special. It feels real, in a way, unlike many of the stories told in fan fiction (this isn’t a problem, just a statement of fact), and there are small things that make it mean the world to me. Gender non-conforming Crowley, neurodivergent Aziraphale, plus some extra bonus tropes, AND it’s ace… this is sweet and lovely :)

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And to finish off this list…

Thieves of Mercy (T)

by Fyre (@amuseoffyre)

The Serpent has a reputation in the art world. A master thief who can wriggle into the tightest spots and extract the most well-protected paintings from the richest people in the world. He’s never even come close to being caught. Except just now. For a crime he didn’t commit. In a museum where he was scoping out his next job. Crowley’s not one to be petty but he’s not about to let anyone frame him, even if the person in question seems to be nothing more than an innocent, wide-eyed art restorer who works in the museum… _________________________________

When Good Omens meets art thievery and heist shenanigans

Words: 64168 (Complete)

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HEIST FIC! HEIST FIC!

This story is seriously amazing, and I love it to bits. It has art history, found family, snarky jokes, mistaken identity, and everything that comes with the pair being (thick as) thieves! I could rant about this for ages. Don’t test me. (Or please do.) It’s just amazing and unexpected and a nice breath of fresh air after reading so many tropes! (And I like those! But after staying cosy in bed for the whole day, you do have to let some fresh air in, and that’s exactly what this is!) There are twists and turns and plot turnarounds that will leave you dumbfounded, and things don’t necessarily turn out how you’d expect.

This also reminds me of wasteland, baby which I previously recced - it has the same basic atmosphere, but a very different structure!

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Please recommend fics! I’ll admit I haven’t had time to read many in a few months, but here are my tastes:

I am a VERY BIG FAN of AUs (usually human ones). Give me them!! Coffee shop, fake relationships, social media, soulmates, anything! Of course I like other stuff - and I do have some particular soft spots, notably for the Bentley - so please do recommend anything that you liked, it doesn’t matter whether it’s short and complete, or long and ongoing, or any combination! I’m always on the lookout for recommendations of any sort, so I’ll take most anything (and if you have a doubt, rec it anyway!)

You can also check out my Good Omens bookmarks here on AO3 :)

[coulsons-fullmetal-cellist]

He's Just Dieter

(Dieter x horror loving female)

Words: 1, 624

Summary: you and Dieter go and see Barbie together!

Warnings: some swearing, boys being disrespectful, Dieter being adorable and chaotic

Check out masterlist here

“Come on Barbie, let’s go party. Ah, ah, ah yeah! Come on Barbie let’s go party. Ooh woah, ooh woah!”

“Someone’s excited.”

Dieter stopped himself mid dance to notice you. You and Dieter were going to see Barbie and were dressing up for it. Pink wasn’t really your colour, but you fell in love with the gingham dress you saw Margot Robbie wear in the trailer, so you had gotten yourself a yellow version. He took one look at you and lovingly wrapped himself around you.

“You’re so pretty!” he squeed as he proceeded to feather your neck with kisses. You stopped him as he reached your décolletage area.

“Dieter, we don’t want to be late.”

He grumbled begrudgingly. “When we get back?”

“When we get back.”

At first, like everyone, you scoffed at the idea of a live action Barbie film but once news came out about it, you became more interested. The fact that it was being written and directed by Great Gerwig brought you hope that the female characters would be treated with care and respect. You ignored the backlash mainly because they were from men who felt threatened by a film about a girl’s toy. The fact that Dieter had gotten himself a bright pink suit purely to go see Barbie proved he did not feel threatened at all. It was actually his idea to go and see it and he was more than excited.

“There’s so much pink!” he exclaimed as you arrived at the cinema, “It’s nice to see lots of men who are comfortable enough in their sexuality to wear pink.”

“You look good in pink.”

“I know I do.”

You did your obligatory pre-screening trip to the bathroom and when you got out you noticed a teenage boy lurking, probably waiting for his girlfriend. You felt his eyes leering at your chest and your skin prickled in disgust.

“Hey babe, wassup?” his barely broken voice made his try hard flirting attempt almost hilarious.

“I’m twice your age, and you’re definitely not my type.” You scurried off to find Dieter who was getting movie snacks and you headed to line up. There was a young couple in front of you who were bickering with each other and making no effort of the others around them.

“Why can’t we sneak in to watch Oppenheimer?” You noticed it was that boy who tried to hit on you from earlier. He was standing next to what you supposed was his girlfriend who had clearly dressed up to see Barbie.

“Because it’ll be obvious if we do. And Kelly and I want to watch this film.” She motioned to her sister who was also dressed up to see the film.

“It’s a stupid movie.”

“How do you know?” Dieter had to ask, “Have you seen the film?”

“No,” scoffed the boy, “But Barbie is a stupid slut who’s only here to teach girls about fashion.”

“Actually, Ruth Handler created Barbie because she noticed that girls were projecting their ideal selves when playing with dolls and wanted to create a more mature version to reflect that. She’s supposed to be a role model telling girls that they can be whoever they want to be.”

“Whatever,” he clearly did not hear anything Dieter just said. He was giving his girlfriend a look which he was giving you earlier. She and her sister were dressed as a ballerinas which you thought looked cute but now you feared for their safety. He snaked an arm around her and tried to kiss her, but she moved away saying no, but he persisted which just brought back dark memories from your past. He tried to kiss her again, and she was ready to turn away again, but at this point Dieter stepped in.

“Hey, she said no, and you should respect that.”

The teenager seemed almost insulted, “She’s dressed sexy so she’s clearly putting out.”

“Uh, she’s dressed that way because she wants to.”

“She’s my girlfriend so I can do what I want.”

“Being her boyfriend doesn’t give you permission to treat her like property. Now you are going to treat her like a lady and apologise.” You swear a dark shadow was forming over Dieter’s face, bringing with it lightning to strike this boy down.

“You know what? Fuck this, and fuck you Stacie.” He stormed off leaving the poor girl close to tears. Her little sister instantly hugged her and both of you gestured the same.

“Are you okay?”, she nodded, and Dieter gently placed his arms on her shoulders, “Seriously if he doesn’t respect you then he’s not worth it. You deserve someone who loves you for you and it may take some time to fine them, but they are worth it.”

“He’s right. If he doesn’t respect your choice in films, he’s not worth it,” you looked at Dieter, “Well my films are a bit too scary for him, but he likes that I like them.”

The little girl looked at you, “You love scary movies? And you’re so pretty!” then she finally noticed Dieter in all his pinkness “You’re so pink I love it!”

He crouched down to be level with her, “You’re so pink I love it!” the little girl giggled in response, “So which Barbie are you dressed as?”

“I’m Barbie in the Nutcracker and Stacie is a Snowflake!”

“You both look amazing! Did you get the costumes from a store?”

“No, our mum made them for us.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. Does your mum love Barbie?” Both of them nodded.

Seeing Dieter basically go into protective dad mode was so sweet and endearing that suddenly the thought of him holding an imaginary daughter came into your head. You knew if you had a little girl that she would be loved and protected by this man. The thought became overwhelming, and you were feeling faint. You excused yourself to go to the bathroom. You have never wanted to have a baby before but now this sudden desire felt strange and foreign; you weren’t sure if it was nice but the thought of Dieter being a father made it feel safe and almost normal. You splashed some water on your face and it helped a little, so you made your way back to the cinema. Dieter sent a message that he was inside and had saved you a seat. Kelly, the little girl waved at you from the back of her seat and Dieter joined in the waving.

“Are you okay?” you nodded as you sat next to him. He pulled the armrest up and snuggled you close.

The movie was everything; beautiful, full of life and colour. You absolutely loved Barbieland and wished to live there. When lawyer Barbie did her little speech about having no difficulty holding both logic and emotion at the same time and it doesn’t diminish her powers but expands them you almost teared up because it felt so real to your spirit, and you wished people would see you that way. There was so much for everyone to relate to.

“Oh my god, I’m totally Allen!” you had to agree with your boyfriend.

The fight between the Kens was your absolute favourite. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed so loud and free in public. The musical number in the middle of the fight just made sense and the song stayed in your head long after and you were sure Dieter was going to learn the entire dance number. And then finally, you were in tears at the end when Barbie wanted to be a real person.

“You’re crying,” Dieter said, “I’m guessing that means you liked it?”

“I don’t think I’ve related more to a non-horror film in my life.”

You had gathered in the cinema lobby, Stacie and Kelly were buzzing around you, sharing in the excitement of the film.

“Was that amazing or was that amazing?!”

“Amazing!” both of them squeed.

Kelly tugged on her sister’s skirt and motioned to the cardboard cutout displayed in the lobby.

“Can we get a picture with you?” she asked Dieter. He went through a series of silly poses with both girls and then made sure to get a few with you. You said your thanks and farewells and made your way to through the carpark.

“You know, if they were ever going to do a live action Powerpuff Girls film, that is how they should do it.”

“I’d love to be in that film.”

“You’d be amazing.”

“You’re amazing,” You felt his hands wandering and you gave him the look reminding him that you were in public.

“When we get home, remember?”

“I remember,” he kissed you, “But you’re keeping the dress on.”

“Well you’re keeping the suit on.”

“Can my pants come off?” you nodded.

*****

Barbara was glad her daughters had enjoyed the film but even more important, she was glad they got home safely.

“So did Chad tolerate the film?”

“He didn’t see it, he left, in fact we’re not together anymore. I’m worth more than that.”

Barbara gave a tutt of approval, glad that her daughter finally saw that she was worth more than that boy.

“There was a Ken there with his Barbie,” Kelly was bubbling.

“We met a nice couple is what she means,” Stacie confirmed.

“And she was pretty and likes scary films and he was really pink. They’re going to get married.”

“I don’t think they were engaged.”

“They’ll get married. I know it.”

Stacie got out her phone to show her mum the photos they took. Barbara took the phone and looked at the photos with a stunned look on her face.

“Wait, that’s Dieter Bravo!”

Stacie and Kelly looked at their mother in confusion.

“Who?”

Films referenced: Barbie (2023), Oppenheimer (2023)

Lovingly tagging @boliv-jenta @simpingcowboy @ellenmunn @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @brilliantopposite187 @chaithetics @myloveistoolittle @cevans-is-classic

[bekkachaos]

BRIDGERTON THOUGHTS PRT 3 !

Okay here's everything else 😅 part 1 and part 2 of my ramblings if you're bored!

Again, S3 part 2 spoilers below!

I really wish they didn't make me like John Sterling so much. I mean how dare you? I know what's coming and this is just rude!

And Michaela Sterling?? Oh we are going to get fed!

And bisexual Benedict too?! I feel that's been hinted at since that episode where he walked in on his painter friend, but also now that we have Michaela, I feel that they won't do the same with Sophie and genderbend for his story too, if it's not his story next season, I feel like he might explore more. But I do think he may be next, especially with the mention of the masquerade ball by Eloise at the end.

Also why did it keep cutting from Colin and Pen being all tortured and breaking my heart to Benedict being the sexy meat in a bisexual sandwich?? THE WHIPLASH

Eloise drove me nuts in the first episode, I just felt like she was being unnecessarily cruel but at the same time I can understand why. And she got past it in a beautiful way that I really enjoyed, just that first episode I was yelling at her to take her nose out of the sky!

Kate and Anthony were gorgeous as we knew they would be, and I love Anthony's face when Colin announces his engagement and he realises he can't upstage with his news. He is such a dramatic little man!

Not to mention him interrupting Kate when they were talking to Colin and just irritating her while she tried to make her point (and in doing so, proving her point).

Violet and Lady Danbury's friendship is amazing and I love it and I love that they brought up Violet's father without having to really talk about it, and then the cut to the hat? Oh it was so sweet!

I actually love seeing the featherington sisters, especially Prudence, out of their mother's favour, I feel like that's not really happened for them before, especially not in favour of Penelope and it was a cool dynamic.

Also the way I love Finch and Dankworth, they are hilarious together and just so adorable, I think there's one clip where they're both just standing staring in awe up at this cake and it made me laugh so hard.

And Prudence saying something nice to Philippa at the very end at the ball? That was lovely.

In my opinion, we had way too much Cressida, I'm sorry but I just didn't care enough for the amount of screen time she got. I know we probably had to set up for the blackmail and her reasoning but I just didn't care.

And it actually annoyed me how she was the one to mention to Colin that maybe he was jealous of Penelope and Whistledown, I just didn't like that it came from her but I know that somebody had to actually say it because ya boy wasn't admitting it to himself.

In the book you kind of flip between the two perspectives and you can tell that jealousy plays a part in his frustrations, but it's probably not as obvious in the show if you haven't read the book.

Okay I think I'm done, gonna go watch it again and see if I have more to say but I had to get it out 😂

If you've got this far come yell about it with me 💕

[khaleesiofalicante]

LANCE IS A GIRL'S DAD, LANCE IS A GIRL'S DAD, MY LIFE IS COMPLETE

I will literally never shut up about this! Lance calling her princess too? OR QUEEN? Like Theia is his princess but Rory is his queen??Lance taking his two princesses out and spoiling them? Lance playing piano for little Rory and Theia watching from the door? Theia and Lance enrolling Rory in a music school? Rory wanting to be a professional pianist because of Lance and David?? Someone insulting Lance because he is blind in school and Rory punching them just like Max taught her? And Max with Lance being super proud and David and Theia scolding them but secretly approving?? Rory having Lance wrapped around her little finger? Lance being super protective of her and not wanting her anywhere near another boy? Saying "I've been a teenage boy Theia, they're all fucking cunts". And when she comes out as a lesbian, it's the happiest day of his life? Until her first girlfriend shows up and he freaks out just as bad? Theia finding it hilarious? And sending Mavid videos? And Max teasing the hell out of Lance?

RORY WITH ARTHUR? Going on shopping dates? Arthur spoiling her with make up and stuff? Rory being super sweet like Theia and super cunty when necessary like Lance? But also a heart of gold like Arthur? And loving animals? And wanting to adopt every one she sees? And Lance scolding Arthur?

Mavid with a little girl?!?! David braiding her hair and Max teaching her how to swim? And she looks up to them so much? Like she is her grandparents little girl? Mavid moving to New York again? And Malec loving the little girl that brought them their Blueberry back? Mavid as grandparents??!

ARTHUR AND CAMI fighting over who is Rory's favourite?? Spoiling her to death? Rory being a little shit and saying her favourite will be the one to give her a sibling (Lightwood-Banes are not meant to be only children). And Arthur and Cami trying to convince Theia and Lance to have a second child? Rafael succeeding and becoming her favourite? Max being absolutely vivid?

Lance asking Rafael for advice on how ro raise a little girl? Them being closer like Max and Cami? Rory wanting a little brother like her dad's brother? Her crying the first night they bring her home and it's a girl? Max being the only one who could calm her down? Telling her that being an older sibling is the best? That Rafael is one of the best things in his life and he wouldn't trade him for the whole world? Rory looking at her younger sister and falling instantly in love? Them becoming the new Arthur and Lance?

Rory is the best thing that has ever happened in this world and she's not even born yet. I am absolutely in love with her. She is my favourite character, no one can convince me otherwise.

Have fun on your vacation! Sending happy thoughts and good vibes💛🌼

I-

Not you creating a whole universe/fic based off a name 🥺🥺🥺 we love to see this kind of behavior 😎😎😎

I know these are headcanons but they are so spot on 😍😍😍 Also, I’d like to add that Kincaid teaches Rory how to ride horses and Lance is like “are you trying to kill her omg??!”

Also - she does have a little sister? How tf did you even know that bro 😭😭

Also, Rory is straight. I’m sorry, sapphics. Please forgive me 😔😔

Also this is her bye (also I love you)

[drsunnshine]

Just finished rewatching an episode of sandman and getting back into assassins creed and it got me thinking of something.

What would happen if Desmond met any one of the endless (endlesses?)? But also when would this take place? After he died and he just got yeeted to the DC universe or should they just exist in his universe?

Any would probably do but honestly the reaction he could have to meeting them can be both hilarious and angsty at the same time. I’ve mostly thought of it as him going to the DC universe though so that’s what I’m doing.

This leads me to what I first thought when I started thinking which was, Hob and Desmond friendship when? They can talk about their times in different centuries (or in Desmond’s case his ancestors), and just have someone to talk to about their history and experiences. Let the two humans who have experienced history hangout and bond with someone who can get it. This has great friendship material and I want them to figure out the difference between their respective histories with the Templars and Assassins and where they aren’t involved with anymore. Imagine Desmond just sometimes hangs out with him either before or after Hob’s class for the day and people just think he’s a friend or a student of his.

Also Dream and Desmond friendship because they both need more friends in their life. Same thing with Hob in the fact they have both been through something similar with the kidnapping. One is probably worse than the other but Dream is immortal and was separated from his kingdom and lost his tools for years. Desmond was used to by Abstergo and later the assassins and the isu during his kidnapping. Both suffered a lot with Dream coming back to his kingdom and it being abandoned and in ruins while having his tools he needs being gone and having to deal with getting all his subjects back home and deal with the vortex problem, and Desmond having his head fucked with the memories of his ancestors and the bleeding effect and ultimately dying. Please just let them trauma bond. Maybe tiny romance or something cause I can’t see Hob with Desmond that much and I really don’t think he would really get along that well with some of the other endlesses (cough desire cough)

Shout out to Death, best sister and would probably figure out his death and apparent resurrection and handle it with stride. I can see her seeing him a couple of times for a chat. I could see their first conversation being her telling him not to see her again so soon after being brought back and Desmond being all ??? He’d probably meet her first honestly cause there is no way death is not there for his sudden death and resurrection in that world. A dead man who didn’t even exist until that moment just rising from the dead would definitely get her attention. I feel like she would introduce him to the others or maybe just Dream.

A thought just hit me regarding Death and Dream. If he gets sent there before Dreams escape she could see if he can check on him for her since he’s been missing. This likely doesn’t happen immediately but I think she would ask it as something she would appreciate but that he didn’t have to do. I could see this being how Desmond meets Dream and how they start a friendship of sorts and later down the line, if you want, a relationship between the two. Dream would probably think he wants something from him and just tries find out while Desmond is just here rolling with the punches. This could lead to them working together in finding Dreams tools or Desmond getting random meetings with Dream as he tries to find out his motives for saving him as “there is no way he saved me just because my sister asked nicely, he must be planning something”

Idk random thoughts and all that jazz. I go to bed now

[mollymagician]

Soo because I was asked so sweetly ❤️🥰 now it looks like there’s a second chapter of this

The day filtered in slowly. Soft world sounds beyond the window, muffled. He also felt soft and muffled, and. Heavy. As though he were stuffed with wool and fog.

Dream turned his face away from the light he could sense beyond his eyelids and drew an experimental breath. The pain in his chest was gone. His muscles were no longer aching. The stubborn throbbing headache was dwindling. He felt better than he had in…He had no idea what day it was. He cast his mind back through the fog that seemed to be all that was left of his brain at the moment and tried to dredge up his missing hours.

He remembered laying down to sleep feeling a sense of wrongness he couldn’t find words for, so when Hob seemed concerned that he was dragging himself to bed with the sun barely set, he just claimed he hadn’t slept well the night before. He was tired, that was true enough, but there was something else his body was displeased about and he could only hope that it would make more sense in the morning.

In the morning was when the coughing started and he was introduced to the concept of…er…phlegm.

“Hooboy, looks like you’re gonna get another one of those human experiences to add to your collection,” Matthew said, grabbing a box of tissue off a side table in his claws and flapping over to drop it next to Dream on the couch. “Pro tip, send Hob out for the fancy ones with lotion in ‘em, otherwise you end up looking like Rudolph.” He seemed to find the mental image hilarious. Dream had spent the afternoon googling ‘Rudolph’ and ‘coughing’ with very little context to go on.

By the time Hob came home that evening, he was in the bathroom, coughing in fits so hard they ended in gagging heaves over the toilet.

He remembered…a great deal of his Sister’s specific work (work? play? He’d never been sure how she felt about it, personally.) He tried to separate her reality from the rest. He remembered the room feeling cavernously large and then nonsensically small. He remembered being cold, and then hot, and then cold again, waking for a time standing with Hob in the shower, draped against him and swaying, with tepid water drumming against his back and Hob’s voice in his ear whispering I know, duck, relax, just a moment longer. He remembered walking out in the streets alone, searching for something. He remembered Matthew preening his hair. He remembered goldfish swimming from the door of the bathroom and out the window into the night.

He remembered…Hob. In the kitchen. He’d woken alone and saw the soft glow of the kitchen light through the open door. Before he realized what he was doing he was halfway down the hall, leaning heavily against the wall as everything swayed around him. He found Hob standing in the kitchen, elbows braced against the counter and head bowed, hands clasped so hard his knuckles were white. Dream must have made some sound, wobbling there in the doorway because he looked up suddenly, his face pale and drawn.

“Fuck,” he’d said. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I promised. Dream, love, I’m so sorry, come here.”

He let Hob steer him gently back to bed and cocoon him in blankets. The incredibly soft ones that Hob had brought home after watching Dream absently petting them in the shop. He was doubly grateful for them now. His skin felt strange and sore.

Hob sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing Dream’s hair back and watching him with that same pinched expression. Dream reached up and stroked the worried line between Hob’s dark brows with his thumb. It took him a moment to line the words up correctly in his mind, they kept scattering and fading.

“There’s no need. For concern,” he said. “It’s just….a human experience. For my collection.”

The sound Hob made was closer to a laugh than a sob, but only just. “Yeah,” he whispered. “A human experience. That…that it is.”

It was morning now. You beat it in the dark, and everything feels better in the mornings Hob had said of all the various times he’d experienced illness, and he was right, as he often seemed to be about these things. Dream forced open eyes that felt glued together with sand and who-knew-what else and squinted against golden morning light. Everything did feel better.

Hob lay sprawled beside him on his stomach, breathing softly, sound asleep. Even with his face half-buried in the pillow Dream could see the dark bruised-looking rings under his eyes, enough stubble that it had ceased to just be stubble. Dream wanted to touch him, to stroke his arm in just that way that always set Hob shifting to let Dream slide in and pillow his head against his chest. Now that he’d thought it, his body ached to be in just that place. But Hob was clearly exhausted and Dream would not see his rest disturbed so he contented himself with looking.

Maybe his gaze still had some of its old eldritch weight to it, or maybe it was just 600 years of honed instinct, but it was only moments before Hob was stirring. Dream could see the moment the memory of the past days flooded back in and his eyes sprang open, searching immediately for Dream’s face. At the sight of Dream gazing back at him, he drew a long breath and smiled.

“Hey! Hey, love,” Hob whispered. He reached up to cradle Dream’s face, stroke down his neck. “Oh, you look so much better. How do you feel?”

Dream swallowed into a parched throat.

“I beat it. In the dark. And everything is better in the morning. Just like you said it would be,” he rasped.

Hob’s expression crumpled, and for a startled moment Dream thought he was about to cry. He dropped his head down against Dream’s chest and laughed, instead. Damply.

Dream remembered Hob’s face in the kitchen, in the dark bedroom, in the small hours of the morning. “You were afraid,” he said.

Hob looked back up at him, scrubbing a hand across his eyes. “I’m just not…used to it. Having someone who can’t be taken away.”

His eyes startled back to meet Dream’s as a pale hand cupped his jaw, cool and gentle now instead of burning hot and desperate.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Dream whispered.

He immediately found himself crushed against Hob’s chest, all his breath squashed out through his nose. “Hob. My love,” he said, sounding strangled. “I believe I may have just blown snot into your hair.”

Hob’s voice was muffled against the crown of his head. “Don’t care.” He lifted his face and spit out a few downy black strands. “You’ve seen maybe a fraction of the gunk I’ve had stuck to me over the centuries. Are you hungry?”

Dream raised an eyebrow.

“Wow. Yes. You’re absolutely right. Worst segue ever. But look, you haven’t eaten anything but weak tea, apple juice and toast for three days.”

“I do not remember the toast.”

“You were very grumpy about it.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been ill. I think I’m allowed.”

Hob gusted out a sigh, gazing at him with acute fondness. “I would kiss you but we both probably taste appalling right now. I’m making you eggs. Stay here.”

Dream looked mutinous. “I’m sure I can make it as far as the couch.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood, and realized belatedly his mistake when the room tilted and he nearly toppled sideways into the nightstand. Hob’s arm round his middle arrested his fall, and before he had time to register what what happening and make displeased noises about it, he was scooped up bodily and carried into the hallway.

“Eat, hydrate, and nap. In that order. Then we’ll see about you getting anywhere under your own power,” Hob said. “I promise not to bang your head on any doorframes.”

Dream quirked a small smile, resigned to his fate, and dropped his cheek down against Hob’s shoulder.

“If you do I’ll simply consider it another human experience,” he said. “For the collection.”

[kanerallels]

10, 15, 17, 19, 22, and 27 for the 2023 writer ask game! :D

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? Hmm anything Steve Miller Au related was super fun!! And the Sabezra Aladdin au has been hilariously fun

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023. I never linked this on here, so why not? I wrote a Phineas and Ferb fic for a Secret Santa exchange, and I think it went pretty well!

17. What were your go to writing snacks? Hmm I'm not as much of a writing snacks girlie. But I had a lot of mango smoothies and Popcorners this year, so let's go with that!

19. Share your favorite opening line. This is the first line of a fic in the Steve Miller au, and it just amuses me deeply:

One of Ezra’s favorite things was being part of schemes.

22. Share an excerpt of your favorite scene. Hmmmmm let me look at some options. *five minutes later* FOUND ONE it's in my rewrite of The Mystery of Chopper Base!

“Hey. We’ll see each other again,” Kanan said, reaching for her. Hera went willingly into his arms as he added, “I promise.”

Resting her head against his chest, Hera said, “How can you know that?”

“Because there’s no galaxy where I don’t fight to get back to you,” Kanan told her. “I have every intention of spending every minute I possibly can with you, and no Sith is going to stop that.”

The conviction in his voice brought a little peace to her heart, as did the kiss he pressed against the top of her head.

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? You know, I think my sister may have baked me cookies or brownies in honor of me finishing a longer project this year!

[nijigasakilove]

Wowza, what an episode. Turning point 3 is here to remind people why Mushoku Tensei is the greatest isekai ever. It may not have had the action of the previous turning points, but just as good if not better. The purpose of these has always been to change the direction of fate for characters in the story and this delivered.

Amazing episode from start to finish. Loved the focus on Rudeus’ relationship with his sisters. Obviously Norn got a ton of development and focus last week and it’s great seeing them get on well, but I’m happy we got a lot of Aisha focus this week. Her cute little begging face when she and Rudeus went curtain shopping was so adorable, Rudeus couldn’t help but go along with everything she wanted, and who can blame him. Staying away from the brother sister incest route too I see “dad would kill me..”😂

But man the look on Rudy’s face when he found out Sylphie was pregnant. Such a beautiful moment that really hits at the deeper attachment and abandonment issues that Rudeus has had as a character.

One of his biggest regrets is the breakdown of his family relationship in his previous life, so wanting a family of his own and being surrounded by loved ones has always been so important to him this go around. Now that he’s a husband and going to be a father, this is literally a dream come true for my boy and I’m so happy for him. The “thank you” he gave Sylphie was so heartfelt. She cured his condition, made him a husband and now a father. Best girl

Speaking of regrets, the man God conversation again brought up another character point with Rudeus. He’s always been terrified of leaving regrets in this life after living a life full of them in his previous world. But regrets are an unavoidable part of life. We can never know everything that’s coming at us and we’ll all make mistakes or be put in difficult situations and just have to go with our best judgment like Rudeus is with the zenith rescue. Having regrets is part of being alive and human.

While the Pursena and Linia mating season thing is tempting, that’s your mom at the end of the day and no way Rudeus was going to leave his parents in trouble like that. That ideal dream he had back in Buena of his entire family being happy around the table requires.. well.. the entire family. That means it’s off the Begaritt next week. Can’t wait to see this 🙏🏾 I’m sure the greyrat sisters will hold it down Rudeus.

Plus like Zanoba who’s obviously known for giving out the wisest takes in the series said, “children can grow without their fathers watching” which of course is a nice nod to Rudeus’ development post teleportation incident.

On a side note, it’s hilarious how Aisha and Norn went from one hating Rudeus and one loving him to now competing over which one can get more of his affection lol, that’s what we call character development

Amazing episode, could go on about it all day, but without a doubt best mushoku episode so far.

[oh-cool-a-burning-sword]

Welp, I played and finished Fire Emblem Engage!

NGL, it's really, REALLY good.

Like the people who reviewed the game before it was released did not do it justice. (not that I cared for those reviews anyways). Sure the story is simple when compared to Houses, but that doesn't make it bad. Sure plot points are rather predictable if you've played past games, but their played out in more interesting ways.

Like while it was fairly obvious that Alear was related to Sombron. It was surprising that Lumera wasn't Alear's biological mother. Found family tropes aren't really common in FE games (since parents usually die). Yet the bond that Alear and Lumera shared, despite Alear being taught to kill divine dragons and Lumera's family dying because of the Fell Dragon... and said bond being so strong that she took years out of her own life to bring them back?

That, right there, is family.

And on the topic of Sombron and Lumera. There were already plenty of parallels before the game was even out. Lumera's name meaning light and Sombron's name meaning shadow, divine and fallen. But then you play the game and you find one more thing that they have in common. They both lost everything. In the final battle you find out that Sombron's people were killed and he was exiled to another world (aka Elyos). The difference is that Lumera found a new family in Alear and by the looks of it, moved on. While Sombron HAD someone at first, an Emblem from another world known as the Zero Emblem. Yet the Emblem vanished when Sombron was taken in by a village, and after that he decided to stay alone, pushing away people who genuinely cared for him like Veyle.

He's still obviously the villain. Even with that backstory, he hurt too many people, was willing to destroy a world just to get back to his own. Sombron killed his own kids because they were 'defects'. Because of his treatment, past Alear behaved like an emotionless puppet due to trauma and fear of being killed like his siblings. You can sympathise with a villain while still seeing them as the bad guy.

Same can be said for Zephia. She did so many horrible things, tried to erase the real Veyle, killed Marni, which honestly that scene brought tears to my eyes. When we learn her backstory, we find that she was also alone. She never got to know what Love really was until it was too late. Zephia wanted a family, a child, and she genuinely thought of the Hounds as her family. Hell in the scene where she and Griss were dying, she finds out that Griss truly saw her as a mother/sister. It does kinda make we wish that they could have joined us, but oh well.

Also glad that they actually gave an explanation as to why Alear and Veyle never turned into dragons. Past Alear gave their dragon stone to Veyle (which then breaks when Alear dies), and Veyle in a wake up event reveals that she buried her dragon stone. I would have liked to see how a Fell/Divine dragon hybrid would look like, however, as despite not being biologically related, Lumera giving her powers to Alear made them in part a Divine Dragon.

Then there's these little moments in the game that just makes it shine. Like meeting Fogado's retainers, aka Pandreo's hilarious reaction of 'Oh hey it's God... GOD!?'. King Morion (despite not lasting long) being revealed to absolutely loving both his kids was nice. I really thought that he wouldn't have been a good guy, but he was a sweetheart? I wish he lasted longer tho.

Honestly the whole Brodia fam is just great, I love them.

I like how if you get a game over during the final battle, you don't just get a game over screen, you get a bad ending. Alear loses their divine side, Veyle is under Sombron's control again and has Alear's emblem ring. Everyone dies. There's not really that many bad endings in FE games. At least as far as I'm aware? I mean there's the 'right' thing to do, finishing Grima off as Robin so that the Fell dragon's gone forever, choosing to side with neither Hoshido or Nohr to save everyone. But never an ending that straight up goes 'you fucked up big time'. Even Three Hopes, despite the fact that sure, recruiting Byleth is the 'right' decision, with the exception of Scarlet Blaze, there's no huge consequence for choosing to kill them (though the story just kinda... drops at the end so we never known what happens afterwards)

Granted it's a small scene and you get brought back to the fight soon after, but it's still really neat that they did that.

All in all I really enjoyed this game. It makes it abundantly clear that Engage was meant to be an anniversary title that got delayed. I can't wait for the next instalment which there's a 90% chance of being a Genealogy remake. We should find out about it in about 2-3 years since that seems to be the release pattern FE games have atm. Unless there's any delays.

I didn't get the DLC yet, but now I think I will. Just to see the side story we'll get and also to meet new Emblems/new Characters.

Oh and yes, I married Alfred.

[matchbet-allofthetime]

I think you might be right about some kind of a stereotype existing but on the other hand Sara might be inspired by the Atlantis (look at Asra's parents and tell me they are not Milo and Kida- maybe more like that headwear kids mother had as a queen ) .there are multiple disn*y refferences in that game. But yeah that's just one thing I wanted to say (the stereotype might be real and it's sad they didn't have main characters ethic hair. )

(this ask is referring to this previous post of mine:)

Okay, first of all— HILARIOUS that you censored Disney. Got a cackle out of me. I, however, will not be censoring it because FUCK Disney. Anyway— onto the substance below the cut.

On the point of Asra's parents possibly being based on Kida and Milo, I think that's a hard "maybe".

I don't think, logically, that either him or his parents were based on them. That's my opinion though, as someone who watched that game's creation in the development era, and who saw the original designs before the game was even super fleshed out. (Odd times.)

I never saw anything about Asra and his family being based on Atlantis' characters, but maybe it was never strictly said. Who knows.

In Atlantis, the cultural references taken to create the Atlantean people were mostly that of Egypt (civilizations lost to time, brought to ruin), Mayan architecture + customs + jewelry + etcetc, and even ideas inspired by Cambodia, India, and Tibet.

So yes, I'd say there's possible overlap in how Asra + his family were designed and Kida+ the Atlanteans. However, direct correlation where one came from the other? I'd wager no, probably not. Or at least not purposefully/consciously.

But back to my point made in my prev post, Asra is a brown man with white hair. His mother ALSO has white hair.

Nadia's sister, Nafizah, has white hair (fades to pink, questionably, but it's mostly white, so still fits the stereotype). Nazifah's mother, Nazrin, ALSO HAS WHITE HAIR.

All of these characters mentioned are BIPOC characters. (I say BIPOC as an overarching, all-encompassing term because I think all these characters are Middle-Eastern, especially given they were heavily inspired by Middle-Eastern cultures, so there's that.)

Every single one of these characters (from the same damn game) have white hair.

And yes, some are the children of others, so genetics work their magic.

But why not give them black or brown hair, like with Muriel or Namar (Nafizah's father) or Salim (Asra's father)?

I just think about this a lot, and there's so many characters depicted like this, ESPECIALLY in this one game.

Okay, now that the thought puke is over—

Again I LOVE all of these characters! Very, very much, in fact.

I think it's just interesting to question the why of these things— why do so many BIPOC characters have white hair? It makes me wonder.

Thank you for your ask— and the opportunity for me to think further on this as a result so I could get my words put in, perhaps, a better fashion.

I also wish designers did more ethnic hair! It is beautiful, and it should be celebrated and shown more.

Something I'd like to add that isn't canon to Atlantis, but I think about a lot:

All of the Atlanteans that have hair seem to have these straight edges, with only a few stray, "sharper" hairs here and there.

This could be simply a result of how they cut their hair, but I doubt they'd do sloppy, uneven work.

That, coupled with the way their hair always looks segmented and "layered" in these flat, squared-off strips has always made me think of locs or wicks, especially when it makes their hair look bigger.

I know a lot of it is simply the movie's style, but I think about it a lot anyway.

[linafinsterwald192]

GHOVIE SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!! my feelings about it

omg i have so much to say y'all. SPOILERS. SPOILERSS.

Holy shit. HO-LY-SHIT- I went to Berlin for that (it's like, 2 hours away from me so not that big of a deal BUT i have social anxiety) and the train station and the unfamiliar cinema and all that made me anxious, but I had to be there on time, so I didn't have time for that!! I made it and i am so glad that i did and i am glad to know that copia would be proud of me. Also the tickets were ridiculously cheap. I made almost the same for the ticket AND my cinema menu, which was just mid-sized nachos with a mid-sized pepsi and two dips??? Also yes I know Berlin cinema snacks are expensive, but I paid almost 12€ (compared to around 16 for Ghost) on Avengers Infinity War tickets a few years ago, and that one I watched in a shitty small town cinema. The fans were awesome. One of them came as a ghoul(ette?) and another gave out bracelets. I now have a Mummy Dust bracelet. Picture my excitement when it played in the movie. The lightning was fucking fantastic. It was BEAUTIFUL and brought out the faces and the jackets and oh my god everything was so close and so cinematic and i fucking loved it. I expected the movie to basically be one big Chapter, so it being essentially one big concert was a surprise to me, and it took me a while to realise that this the concept of the entire movie - but I loved it! I do not have the mental equipment to go to a concert since I get overwhelmed with crowds and such, so it was amazing getting to see a Ritual on the big screen. I love the character arcs. I love Copia standing up to Nihil, questioning what he has ever done for him. I love Sister's absolute SASS when congratulating Nihil for finally being a father at last. I love Nihil actually being a father, if for like... 10 combined minutes xD I love the characters in general. I can absolutely understand that C wants to stay and it's so interesting to see Seestor trying to let him down gently - as compared to... you know... stabbing the others when it was time? I love the relationship between Sis and Nihil. Clearly in love but still nagging (for good reason). I loved the whole cartoon-y clip. I think it conveyed their relationship perfectly and while I'm not usually a fan of i like you/Go away relationships, I absolutely ship them. They match each other's crazy for real. Also the coffin kiss is part of my Roman Empire now. I wish we could have seen how Sister and Nihil felt about Sister's death. I wish we could have seen Sister looking forward to being on the same plane as Nihil again - and I want to know if they can hug and kiss again now! I was kind of grateful that they didn't include this since it leaves more room for headcanons, but I do wish Sister had gotten an on-screen death. I loved all these small funny moments. "Do you think that's air you're smelling?" was fucking hilarious, as were the eye movements with Nihil crossing and... (what is the opposite of crossing here) his eyes - i bet the actor was very proud of that one xD I liked Ashley, and I'm glad to see Copia still has Mr. Saltarian by his side. I'm SUPER excited to see if we get more chapters, now with Copia as Frater Imperator. Also, the twin thing???? Very fucking excited for that! It was also very funny to see the ghouls so well-behaved on stage. Papa, too. 12/10. would watch a million times more. the audio for the concert portions was so clear, the jackets beautiful, and my babes were rockin'.