#but it would still be super fun to me i think...

[maybejj]

CRIMINAL LOVE PART 1

♥︎ masterlist ♥︎

SOCIAL MEDIA AU AND IRL, 18+ MDNI

rafe cameron x college!reader

warnings: mentions of stabbing, mentions of drugs

summary: With your last semester of grad school breezing by, you felt like you could sleep through the next couple of months and still graduate at the top of your class. You only had to get through 3 more months until you walked across the stage and rightfully earned your Master in Criminal Justice degree. All your hard work would finally be paid off. Until your professor hits you with one last assignment that will make you question everything. The assignment? Prisoner Penpals from the State of North Carolina Correctional Facility. Your penpal? Rafe Cameron. His sentence? Life without parole. His crime? First degree murder.

Part 2

Notes: welcome to part 1 of criminal love! if you read closely I’ve thrown in a little easter egg from my gossip girl series, if you catch it let me know! these stories are not at all connected, just having some fun! also Barry from outer banks doesn’t have a last name so I kept the actors actual last name. i’m super excited for this story so let me know what you think so far! thank you for reading as always 🫶🏻

taglist: @marleymarleymarleymarley

divider credit: @strangergraphics

[femchef]

Some really cool ongoing research and clinical studies are being done about the affects of what have been recently termed ‘ultra-processed’ foods have on bodies - that sounds like a “duh” project but!!! It’s really awesome because the research is attempting to narrow down the whys and whats and it’s been yielding some cool results????

Short notes:

- researchers are attempting to nail down categories of processed food - I’m not sold on the categories yet, but nothing is 100% and I would consider this still early stage research, though ground breaking

- processed food isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and actually there are quite a few processed foods that aren’t harmful to you, which is good, because people deserve ease of access to food

- ‘ultra-processed’ is a really new term - currently this category encompasses foods that meet a very specific criteria: example, whole-food products which have been broken down into individual nutritive or non-nutritive components and re-configured into another product with the addition of other additives used in place of now-missing natural components - the difference between whole fat yogurt and low-fat yogurt is a good example (full fat yogurt requires less ingredients - literally just milk and a bacterial agent to activate the coagulative properties of lactic acid on already existing proteins; skim or low fat yogurt requires a few additional gelling, preservation and setting agents because in removing the fat you remove a lot of the protein so you have to mimic the natural process with something else; also if you have an instant pot use it to make yogurt it’s fun and easy and tastes good).

- (also please watch out for health influencers and companies throwing around the new term ‘ultra-processed’ and don’t let them make it confusing you know they’re gonna run with that one tbh)

- CARBS ARE GOOD FOR YOU. YOU NEED THEM. That is very important ok don’t stop giving yourself carbs

- on that note - FATS ARE GOOD FOR YOU. YOU NEED THEM. That is ALSO important and something you should not stop eating.

- so the really cool point: research is showing that THE LITERAL PROCESSES we use to manufacture cheap food products are causing issues - because they are too calorie dense!! Example: dehydrating foods concentrates calories and nutrients and makes those foods super calorie-rich (think protein bars before a marathon); the reason for this isn’t necessarily bad either - we have foods like this because food researches and nutritionists have spent decades trying to pack as much nutrition into inexpensive food as possible to ostensibly keep things like pellagra from happening. There are other affects manufacturing has in foods but this point is the salient one

- in terrible, unscientific terms, you could think of it as something like we’ve concentrated the power of our food a little too much and need to pull back - dial it down a bit, as it were.

- additionally, a loaf of sourdough from your local bakery made in house is healthy, as a opposed to a loaf of wonder bread at the grocery store or the frozen shipped in bread at the Panera - both of which have shelf-stable additives, but! That also doesn’t mean that those products are wholly bad - again, see point above about how not all processed foods are bad.

- another interesting part of the research, though to me it reads a bit more speculatively at the moment, is that the hyper-intense pairings of fat -salt-sugar in foods is something that our bodies get super excited about and want to eat more of, because those combinations so rarely occur naturally. I want to see more on that point over the years, but it does tie back to our food being a bit too concentrated in all points thing above.

- in related but slightly separate research we are finding that starch foods - potatoes, rice, etc - if made about 12 hours ahead and chilled then reheated have more accessible nutrients and healthy carbohydrates and also don’t hit your body’s sugar levels negatively.

All that to say that OP is right and should say it.

There’s a nice, condensed article in The New Yorker this week if you want to read a little more and get the names of the researchers - don’t let the title scare you off, it’s written like clickbait on purpose.

‘bread is bad for you’ ‘rice is bad for you’ sorry im not subscribing to the idea that staple grains that have been integral to cultures for centuries are evil. i love you carbs

[wonderjanga]

Yo, Wanna Hang Out?

Billy asking people if they want to hang out at the strangest places. They hang out with him anyways regardless of the places are strange.

Marvel: *in the kitchens packing up a fishing kit looking like someone’s dad getting ready to fish*

Aquaman: *nearby, making a sandwich* “You know, I’ve never seen you wear a bucket hat let alone civilian clothes before.”

Marvel: “What do you mean? It’s a fisherman’s hat. And I’m wearing it because I’m gonna go fishing.”

Aquaman: “Still a bucket hat…”

Martian Manhunter(MM): *also nearby, rummaging through the freezer looking for ice cream* “Fishing? Where?”

Aquaman: “Are you gonna go to a big lake or something?”

Marvel: “Yeah! I’m going to the frozen over one on Mars.”

MM: *looks over, now distracted from his quest of finding ice cream* “What-”

Marvel: “The fish there are so cool looking! I was gonna catch a few and then throw them back into the water, you know?”

MM: “No… No I don’t know.” *shakes head slowly*

Aquaman: “Wait, Mars has lakes?”

Marvel: “Yeah! In the south pole. It’s under some ice. Do you wanna come?”

Aquaman: “Well, I mean sure? I’m down to fish with you, but I don’t wanna do that if I have to wear a space suit.”

Marvel: “I don’t think you have to. I remember seeing Supes wearing this thing over his mouth and nose, and it allowed him to breathe in space.”

Aquaman: “Oh cool!”

Marvel: “Yeah, but apparently it’s super cold down there.”

MM: “It is. In human degrees it’s negative 153 degrees Celsius.”

Aquaman: “What’s that in American-”

Marvel: “So yeah! You might have to bundle up or maybe I could cast the heating spell on you? Just know it’ll be really really cold. By the way, J’onn, are you coming too?”

MM: *shrugs* “If you’ll have me.”

They ended up actually getting attacked by this giant, Martian, vaguely octopus-resembling creature. It was an epic battle of which they brought some of it back to the Watchtower and ate a bunch of octopus dishes together.

or

Marvel: *packing some stuff in a little bag and whistling a little tune while dressed like a gardener*

Hawkgirl: “Captain? Are you going somewhere?”

Marvel: “Oh, I’m going to Thanagar cause I wanna pick up this species of plant that only grows there. Wanna come?”

Hawkgirl: “I sort of can’t, considering the fact the entire planet thinks I’m a war criminal for betraying them.”

Marvel: “Wear a disguise. Want me to conjure a fake mustache on you?”

Hawkgirl: *snorts* “No.”

Marvel: “You sure? It doesn’t have to be a fake mustache. We can just change some things about you, like your hair color.”

Hawkgirl: “Hmm…” *rubs her chin, thinking* “Can Carter come along?”

Marvel: “Of course!”

They got caught and ended up going on this wacky adventure of evading the authorities. They even got arrested. Multiple times. They also broke out. Multiple times. It was fun for everyone involved besides the Thanagarian Law Enforcement.

or

Marvel: *humming a tune as he stands inside of a heavily restricted building that only allows people of the highest military clearance access to*

Captain Atom: *is also here because one of his superiors told him to report here and sees Marvel* “Captain Marvel Sir? What are you-” *looks around* “What are you doing here?”

Marvel: “Hey, Atom!” *little wave* “What do you mean?”

Captain Atom: “This is a military building with restricted access. I know you have Captain in your name, but I didn’t actually think you were in any of the branches. Let alone high enough in whatever branch to have access to this place.”

Marvel: “Oh no, I’m not military. I’m just here to renew my contract. I just finished.”

Captain Atom: “Contract?”

Marvel: “See a long time ago, a.k.a. the 1950s, heroes would do contractual jobs for the United States Government. Me and the Squadron of Justice used to do a lot of them.”

Captain Atom: “So that means I’ll be seeing you around here more often?”

Marvel: “Yep! Me and the other Fawcett heroes.”

Super Duper High Level Person In the Government(SDHLPITG): *walks over while holding a clipboard* “Oh, it seems you both are already acquainted.”

Captain Atom: “Ah, yes. We’re both on the Justice League ma’am.”

SDHLPITG: “So that means you’ll be good teammates. Wonderful.” *hands a clipboard to Captain Atom* “The head honcho wants you guys to investigate a portal in Antartica.” *looks to Marvel* “Your first job back with us.” *nods to him before leaving*

Captain Atom: *starts looking through it*

Marvel: *looks over his shoulder to see it* “Isn’t that the portal that leads to the Winter Fairy realm?”

Captain Atom: “What?”

Marvel: “Oh my gosh it is! That place is super cool! Their ice cream is amazing. You should try some.” *nudges him with his elbow*

Captain Atom: “Oh- uh- Okay?” *confused if that means they’ll be interacting with the mentioned fairies*

That’s how Atom and Marvel ended up eating fairy ice cream while surrounded by a bunch of fairies who were all super happy to see the Champion of Magic. They were both made into honorary fairies.

Captain Atom: *staring at the bowl of fairy liquid the Winter Fairies gave them* “Marvel… I don’t know if it’s a good idea to drink a foreign substance that looks like an oil spill.”

Marvel: “Oh trust me, it’s not dangerous or anything. It’ll just give you wings!”

Captain Atom: “What-”

Marvel: *downs his bowl*

After that, all the Winter fairies shied away from them as their wings were too hot for them. After all, Marvel’s was comprised of lightning which is hot, and Atom’s was comprised of the same matter as his energy blasts which were also extremely hot.

Marvel: *leans over to whisper* “Don’t worry. I can magic them away when we leave this place.”

Captain Atom: *lets out a little sigh of relief as he resumes eating his remaining ice cream*

[dunmeshistash]

Do you know where the “mithrun is the most grizzed masculine elf take” comes from. All I think about is the changeling thing but no one calls Marcille the most masculine elf for being ripped as an orc compared to Tade. Or that he trains a lot, which is also not an inherent masculine thing. To me Mithrun doesn’t really look different to any other (male) elf we see. Is it from the extra’s or something?

Yes that take comes from the changeling transformations of both Mithrun and Senshi. The joke is the Senshi is the "most femme dwarf" and Mithrun the "most masc elf" in contrast with how they look in their original forms

I do think the joke kinda got out of control in the game of telephone that fandom is, instead of a fun observation of how we might perceive Mithrun more feminine than he is and Senshi more masculine than he is due to our own biases based on their races it got taken way too seriously as "the only true and correct interpretation"

I don't think Mithrun is especially masculine or feminine when it comes to his personality, I understand some people have been peeved by others making him maybe too meek/girly compared to canon but I feel like the response of making him way more aggressive/manly than canon is just as inaccurate and it's kinda upsetting when I see "fandom vs (my interpretation of canon) canon" as if they're any more right for going to the extreme opposite

We don't really know if Mithrun is specially "masculine" for an elf either, the only elf that we know is especially "masc" is Otta, and we only know cause her bio says even elves mistake her for a man (I think for most of us she looks as androgynous as the others)

Here's a post discussing elf gender presentation more in depth if you're interested in the subject but all we know is that Mithrun works out a lot and is very muscular (which signals 'manlyness' for us but might not for elves) there isn't much that point out to him being especially manly or especially feminine compared to other male elves. He also has lost most of his desires and doesn't express his preferences much so I think it's safe to assume he doesn't really pick how he presents himself (clothing and such).

Other than that and being stoic (is that a super manly trait?) Mithrun is pretty average I think. He's also still super cute even as a tallman (as if looking manly would stop you from being cute)

But another trait of him that seem to make people read him as "super manly" it's that sometimes Mithrun is scary and aggressive, I'm not even going into why that's bad (correlating aggressiveness with manliness is uh…. not great….) not even to mention he only acts that way when he's triggered by wanting to take revenge on the demon, otherwise he seems to avoid hurting others.

Related to the "Mithrun is a super manly elf" take I've even seen people argue that drawing him looking too "cute" and small is incorrect (probably just because of his tallman self) but that's how Kui draws him herself.

I don't understand why correct others for drawing him the same way his creator does, he's designed to look this way, there's nothing to "fix" about his original design either (nothing wrong with drawing him in a way that appeals to you more tho, fanart is fanart just don't harass other people)

Anyway just to stress the point that he is very average let's compare him to Lycion and Pattadol

The average height for elves is 155 for males and 150 for females Mithrun is 155cm, Lycion is 170cm and Pattadol is 160cm, they're both taller and have a sturdier looking builds than Mithrun

Kui often draws Pattadol specially with a sturdier build than Mithrun actually

So no he's not the most buff biggest elf ever in any sense (although he IS a muscular elf), and I don't think the changeling transformations are too objective since they're magic. For example Pattadol as a human is pretty average even tho she's big compared to other elves (not to mention Senshi half-foot who has a huge beard that half-foots don't seem to be able to grow)

[tickly-trashcan]

Hear Me Out Cake Event!!

This is the wildest idea for an event I've had but... HEAR ME OUT!!!

In this event, we'll be putting our own tickly twist on the hear me out cake trend!! For our hear me out cake, we'll put the characters we'd like to see get tickled on the cake!! >:) I'll explain more below the cut, but I'd also like to extend an invitation for other creators to jump on this event if they'd like!! :D The event will be starting next week on January 12, so keep an eye out for that!

Here's a quick summary of the event, but I will also explain more hehehe~ There are three stages to this event! The first stage is the Hear Me Out!! stage, where you'll pick out a character you'd like to put onto the cake! The second stage is where all of the characters on the cake are announced, which I'm calling the Big Slice or Little Slice stage! The final stage is called Serving the Cake, and it is where the cake is sliced and all the characters on the cake are given a slice of cake (in the form of tickles! >:D)

Hear Me Out!! Stage:

The first stage of the event! This will run from Jan. 12 through Jan. 18 and will be everyone's opportunity to submit a character for the cake! To submit a character, just send me an ask with the character you'd like to submit for the cake! Please specify the fandom as well :) If you'd like to go above and beyond, then feel free to explain why you want to put this character on the cake!! I'll be posting the asks as they come in before posting the final list of characters, so this is where we can all get silly and talk about the characters we love!

One note for this event: I'm really hoping the community gets together for this event, so if there's a character from a fandom that's not on my personal fandom list, still send them in!! I'll be writing for characters that I know about, but if there's a character that you love, you should send them in! If I don't know them, maybe someone else will end up picking them!

Big Slice or Little Slice Stage:

The second stage of the event! This stage will start on Jan. 20 when the full list of characters is posted! During this stage, any creator can pick out however many characters they'd like to write for and start creating whatever they'd like for them!! Art, fics, whatever you'd like to make! There's no limit on who you can write for or draw in this event but also don't feel pressure to create something for every character on the list!

Another note: The dates after the Hear Me Out!! stage are all pretty iffy just so y'all know! Ideally I'll have the list up on Jan. 20 but it could be later, and also the time frame for the Slicing the Cake stage is super flexible for creators! Don't feel pressure to stick within that time (I will for sure be posting outside of the time given haha)

Serving the Cake Stage:

The final (and most fun!) stage of the event! This stage will start on Feb. 3, two weeks after the full list of characters is shared! This is when anyone can start posting their slices of character cake onto Tumblr to share! You are also more than welcome to post before this time, it's just a rough time frame hehe~ If you're participating in this event, please use the tag #cakes and tickles so that everyone can follow along with the event! It's a terrible tag but it'll work haha! There's no technical time limit on the event, but I was thinking the posting period could be from Feb. 3 through Mar. 3 just for a fun little "month" of cake! But like I said before there is absolutely no pressure to do it within that time frame, just make sure to have fun if you decide to participate!! I'll try and reblog as many tickly creations as I can, so make sure to use the tag above hehehe :D

And that's pretty much it!! This is a crazy event and I'm really hoping that other people participate (if not that is all good there is NO pressure I just thought this would be a fun little community thing haha)! I'm looking forward to the best hear me out cake EVER!!!

If you have any questions about this event prior to it beginning, please don't hesitate to send me a message or an ask! I think I explained everything but there could easily be something that I missed! Thank you guys and look forward to this! :D

[thethingwiththefeathers]

I love this idea— I’ll do my bit by saying that this game is super fun. If you aren’t sure if you want to get into it, maybe because you’re scared of all the choices, why not try it out? You can always stop whenever you want (you won’t). I had a character in mind that I’ve been thinking about for a while. There are many hard choices but I’ve never gone wrong or worried about whether I’m making a mistake because I choose what this character would do. Also the great thing to know is that you can’t really make a mistake! I think there’s about 1 storyline that ruins your character and it makes it very clear that you don’t want to do it. What got me into it was the fact that it’s super easy to play— it’s less hassle than getting duolingo! If you’re still on the fence, remember that your gender options include ‘squid are roaming London so why do you care’

Fallen London’s 15th birthday is coming up

On the 11th of January.

I would love for it to trend on its birthday. Think of this browser game, this improbable thing, making it all the way to fifteen years old and getting to trend and all the new people seeing it and being like - what the hell is that?

This is what I wish for. Shall we plan to make it happen? Can we? 

[cyberstudious]

2025, week 1 (dec 30th - jan 5th) ✨

for this year, I felt inspired to take a page out of @lostlibrariangirl's book and try weekly posts! I like the idea of collecting little moments throughout the week & reflecting on them at the end.

this week was very strange and kind of difficult, tbh. I blame new year's day falling in the middle of the week - my routine-loving brain did not have a good time haha. I was also struggling to get some work projects done. I find that some projects flow really well, and others seem to drag on forever and make me question my purpose, but I suppose it all balances out in the end. I'm hoping that things will feel more normal next week, now that all the holidays are over. swinging between feeling super exhausted and super motivated is not fun :(

one of the things that I did this week was fill out a goals page in my 2025 planner! I wrote down a lot, but I think they're all achievable, and it's okay if I don't get everything! it'll still be nice to look back at the end of the year and see what I've done. there are some cybersecurity courses that I want to work through, and I want to properly get back into language learning this year, but I wrote down some fun goals, too! here is a small selection of what I want to try and do in 2025:

complete the TCM Practical Malware Analysis and Triage course

read a book in Spanish

reach 50 birds on my life list (this is a totally arbitrary number, but that's like 1-2 new birds per month which I think I can do if I really try) (a subgoal of this is trying to spot an american woodcock bc their range technically overlaps with where I live and they are so goofy looking. I want to see one of them doing that funky lil dance in person so bad)

mend at least 1 item of clothing

get a technician amateur radio license (everyone on my dad's side of the family is licensed, and I think it would be a fun hobby to get into as a combo of learning the science behind radio & also learning to help with communications from a disaster preparedness perspective)

I think 2025 is going to be a year where I have to keep reminding myself that I can do anything, but not everything. I also want to make it a year of reaching out and forging connections with people in my community & online friends. the world feels like a very heavy place more days than not, but we can get through it together.

some highlights from this week:

drinking lots of tea

settling into my 2025 planner

getting back into language learning with clozemaster & busuu

outlining & starting the first draft of a fic that's taken over my brain the past few weeks lol

finishing two projects at work so I can start fresh next week

[ladybugsimblr]

"Random fact: My middle name is BK but just the initials. It’s a family tradition for first born heirs so it’s kinda like being a junior. I love it but lately I’ve been thinking about picking a middle name that actually starts with B so I can be more like my Mom and GMom. What do you all think? Keep the initials or pick something unique?"

"Anyway, it’s taken me a while to do this because I was nervous and I didn’t think I had anything super important to say. I was worried everyone would think I was just another privileged celebrity kid. I am very lucky to have the family I do, but I’m still a regular teen that has great days and some bad days too. I love fashion, beauty, dancing, music and movies, and yes selfies (sorry Dad)."

"Sooo if everything I said sounds fun and you want to get to know more about me then please subscribe. If you just want to like or comment or lurk that’s cool too. You can give your honest opinions and I don’t care if you disagree with me or whatever but please keep it cute."

Lyree 101 Lyric B Kay | 6 views | 28 mins ago

It was perfect Lyree!! Mom, Dad and your internet fam are proud.

[yelenasdiary]

PLEASE, I need anything with Yelena being the best auntie to Wandanat's kid 😭

Afternoon with Aunt Lele

Pairing: Yelena Belova x Niece! Reader

Summary: Aunty Yelena is asked to look after you for the afternoon. 

Tiny Angst, Comfort

Warnings: Mentions of schoolyard bullying (its light) | 1.8K

AC: Reader is 7 here, thank you for sending this! I hope you enjoy! x

A Widow’s Sunshine Masterlist

The bell rang loudly, another day of school was over! You and your friends rushed to grab your backpack, the hall crowded with children of all ages, all happy to be seeing their friends from over grades and making plans to go home together for a playdate or sleepover after all, it was Friday. You waited patiently for others to grab their belongings before you reached for your bag and carefully put some drawings you had finished in art class into your bag before swinging it over your shoulder. 

“Have a good weekend Y/n!” Your friend, America, smiled softly. 

“I will!” You replied watching her walk off with her other friends.

“Y/n!” You heard a familiar name call. You turned around and saw a young boy with big brown eyes smiling at you, “Nicholas, you have paint on your cheek!” You chuckled. “my friend was giving me a face paint” the boy replied. He was still classed as the new kid at school but that never bothered him, he made a few friends, you included and was always happy to see you. 

“Do you have plans for the weekend?” He asked as the two of you began to walk down the hall together. 

“I don’t think so, my mom’s might be working” you replied with a small hint of sadness.

“My mom said she’s taking me to a farmers market tomorrow” Nicholas said with excitement, “she said we can take Señor Scratchy with us on the car trip!” He added. 

“I wish I could take Liho with me on trips but she would run away” you said, shaking your head before the two of you stepped foot outside. Nicholas’s eyes quickly locked onto his mother, making his smile grow bigger. “There’s my mom! I’ll see you Monday!” He turned to you, giving you a friendly wave. “Bye Nicholas!” You smiled, waving back.

He ran towards the tall dark haired woman who would smile and wave to her whenever she saw you, you couldn’t remember her name, but you always waved back at her. 

As you continued to walk towards the school gates you couldn’t see any sight of your mom or Wanda which made you frown a little as you remembered the rules of not going pass the school gates unless you were with your mom or Wanda.

“Why the frown little widow?” You heard a familiar voice approach you. As you turned, your eyes grew wider with happiness as you laid eyes on your beloved aunty.

“Aunt Lele!!” You beamed, crashing into her with arms wide open. “Mom didn’t tell me you would pick me up” you added. Yelena smiled softly, hugging you back, “Last minute changes but it’s okay, right? Because we’re gonna have a fun afternoon” she explained as you pulled back to look her once more. 

“Did you bring Fanny with you?” You asked, soon forgetting the sadness of not seeing your mother after a long day. 

“She’s at home so why don’t we go and drop off your backpack, grab Fanny and go get some frozen yoghurt?” Your aunt suggested. You nodded quickly with excitement, naturally taking a hold of her hand before the two of you walked towards her blue pick-up truck. 

Once you arrived at your aunt’s small but cozy apartment, you didn’t waste any time throwing your backpack to the floor and greeting Fanny with a big hug. She licked your cheek making you giggle as you ruffled the fur of your aunts pet. Yelena couldn’t help but smile to herself at the sight in front of her. 

“She’s super fluffy!!” You smiled, brushing off some of her shredded fur from your school uniform. Yelena chuckled, “Kate gave her a wash yesterday, she also smells like strawberries” she said. 

“Can we take her to the park, aunt Lele, please?” You asked, bouncing on your toes. Yelena nodded, “sure, I’ll just go get her lead and collar” she smiled softly before walking into the spare room. 

----

As you walked down the sidewalk, Fanny trotted happily beside you, her tail wagging while you held on tightly to her lead. Yelena walking on the other side of you, trusting that Fanny wouldn’t wander too far where she would be pulling you along.  You admired how fluffy she looked, the way her fur danced in the breeze almost made her look like a little cloud. 

“How was school?” Yelena asked as the tree of you crossed the street towards the park. Fanny was already sniffing at every blade of grass as the playground in the near distance grew bigger for her. 

“It was good, I had art class today and music class!” You boosted, pausing in your steps to allow Fanny a moment to fill her nose with all kinds of different smells. “Sounds like a fun day” your aunt replied, staying close to you. 

“I drew a new picture for mommy but next time, I am going to draw something for you!” You replied, giving her a wide smile before handing her Fanny’s lead, “can I go play on the playground aunt Lele? Please?” You asked. 

“Just make sure I can see you at all times, okay?” Your aunt replied, “I’ll be sitting on that bench over there” she added, pointing to the park bench that was just outside the fenced playground. 

“I promise aunt Lele!” You said before running off to the color playground. Other kids that you had never met before were playing together, even including you on their little game of chase. Yelena and Fanny sat and watched as you ran freely around the playground, laughing whenever you were tagged. 

After a while, one of the young girls brought out her pink and yellow frisbee and asked if you wanted to play with her and some others in the open field part of the park. You of course asked for permission first from your aunt who allowed you to go play with your new friends, Fanny tagging along who soon stole the show.

Fanny loved catching the frisbee that you and the kids threw for her, she made all the kids around her giggle with excitement, eventually she would wear herself out and that told Yelena it was time to say goodbye to the park. 

----

“What flavour frozen yoghurt would you like little widow?” Your aunt asked, smiling down at you. 

“uhm” you paused in thought, looking at all the different flavors behind the glass display. “Mango please” you added, pointing to the soft yellow colored flavor. Yelena ordered two small frozen yoghurts then the two of you sat outside with Fanny to enjoy the frozen treat. 

While you were enjoying the sweetness of your mango treat, out of nowhere, you were reminded of the comments a girl in your class made about your artwork in class today. Yelena, seeing the light in your eyes start to fade felt her brows frown ever so slightly. 

“What’s up little widow, is your yoghurt not good?” She asked, catching your attention.

You shook your head, “it’s fine, it’s yummy” you replied before scooping another small mouthful. 

“Are you missing your mom?” She asked, but again, you shook your head. “Did something happen at school?” She questioned. You looked up at her, “There’s this girl in my class, and she keeps saying mean things about my drawings. Today she poured glitter all over my drawing I made for mom and now I am worried mom won’t like it as much” you opened up, your eyes dropping to the frozen treat in your hands. 

Yelena, concerned for your feelings, leans in a little, “you know what? Not everyone knows how to appreciate creativity. They might not see how special your drawings are. I know you mom loves them” she smiles softly. 

“I hope so because I work really, really hard on them!” You pouted, looking down at your frozen yoghurt.

“I know you do” Your aunt comforts you, “maybe you could teach me how to make some awesome paintings like yours!” She added. Instantly, your eyes lit up as you looked up at her once again, a big smile growing on your lips, “I can teach you aunt Lele!!” You beamed with excitement, “we can make a painting for Fanny too!” You added. 

Your excitement warmed your aunt’s heart with joy, “I have one request though” she said before taking a small mouthful of her frozen treat. You nodded, your mouth full of mango goodness as you kept your eyes on here. 

“I have this big empty space on the wall in my living room, do you think maybe you know a really cool artist that loves to use lots of colours and different shapes that could make a big painting for that space?” She asked. 

“Me! I can do it Aunt Lele!! Please pick me!!!!” You almost jumped out of your seat, making your aunty chuckle at your excitement. 

“Do you think you’re up for the job little widow?” Yelena asked with a playful grin on her lips. 

“I am the best person for the job!” You replied, forgetting about the horrible teasing comments you had gotten from the girl in your class. Yelena couldn’t help but smile as you rambled on about all the fun ideas that quickly filled your imaginative mind. She knew she would have to make a trip to the arts and crafts store for when you could visit her next. 

----

Back at your aunt’s apartment, you were busy in the living room with Fanny lying beside you on the floor as you drew another wonderful and colorful picture for your mother, this one was about your afternoon with your aunt. You drew playing in the park with Fanny and getting frozen yogurt with your favorite aunty in the entire world. 

Yelena on the other hand was busy in the kitchen cooking up a big pot of macaroni and cheese for dinner, at your request. She would be sure to tell her sister that the pot of pasta was in fact your idea and not hers. 

“Aunt Lele?” You chirped, as a thought popped into your head.

“What’s up little widow?” Yelena asked, beginning to dish the macaroni and cheese into two bowls. 

“Can I come with you and Fanny next time you go on your big walks? Mommy said you like to take her to the forest” you asked, always wishing you’d be able to tag along one day. 

“Of course! We would love for you to come with us! I’m going to take her next weekend, so I’ll ask your mom later when she comes to pick you up” 

“Thank you, Aunt Lele!!!” You jumped with happiness.

“No worries little widow, now, dinner is ready so how about you go wash your hands?” She suggested with a soft smile. You didn’t waste any time before rushing off to the bathroom, eager to eat some of your aunt’s famous macaroni and cheese.

Taglist: @koinsss | @liloandstitchstan | @marcia-maximoff | @skittlebum | @katethewritersblog | @taliiiaasteria | @nova-kyle | @daddipantherr | @riyaexee | @sgm616 | @elle161989 | @alphalesbianwolffoxdragontribrid | @mathxa | @sxlfishbrokenheart | @noturlondonboy | @lovelyy-moonlight | @ghxst-guts | @ashensmokescreen | 

If you want to be on the taglist for this series, please see the masterlist. It's linked at the top of this post.

[jjunbug]

  ͏͏ ͏ ͏͏  ͏BETWEEN TWILIGHT SKIES    ╱    SERIES TEASER

in a world that’s on its dying breath, the once green and lush landscapes get buried in more and more layers of ash. the once flourishing streets that were full of magic are now a dull hum. yet, there is still hope—and it lies in the hands of you and kai, the last people to possess magic. suddenly, you remember the story of a forest that watches, and a well of life that lies deep within. you’re determined to save your bleak world in any way that you can, yet, you weren’t expecting to end up in a brand new world entirely.

pairing ⸝⸝ choi yeonjun 𝑥 𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋, huening kai 𝑥 𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𓄵 𝓯eat. ꔛ 𝘧𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦!𝘵𝘹𝘵 & 𝘰𝘤�� 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴

genre ⋆ 📖 ⸝⸝ written series, high fantasy, magic, angst, fluff, smut, faerie prince!yeonjun, sorcerer!kai, sorceress-in-training!reader, marriage of convenience, a lot of yearning and longing (both romantic and platonic)

warnings ⸝⸝ death & decay (of people & animals), violence, depictions of gore, kidnapping, implied bullying, general toxicity, jealousy, gaslighting, possessiveness, and manipulation, toxic environments and parental relationships, abuse 𑁍 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵!

𝓴ipo’s note ⸝⸝ hehe the long awaited super secret wip that i’ve been working on (well… one of them hehe)!!! i hope you’re as excited as i am for it! i thought it was fitting starting this fresh blog off with fantasy, since it’s my favorite genre to write~~ let me know you guys all think!! the series masterlist should be out sometime tomorrow!! hehe, i hope that you enjoy!

͏ ͏͏  ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ❨ 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗰: 1k ❩    ╱    ❨ 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝓶. 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ❩    ╱    ❨ 𝓶. 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ❩ ͏͏ ͏ ͏͏  ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏✉️ ⦂ the prologue should be out in a couple days!

𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁! 𝗺𝘆 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱! 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙.

It was hard watching things change in front of your very eyes. It was never the way people described it for you. Not the slow twist of vines along a column or the grass growing taller than a fence—no. It was the whipping of wind across your face. You’d go to wipe your teary eyes and find the sunny and warm scenery was now cold and dead with glittering snow laying everywhere.

You hated it.

You wished that things could stay as they were for as long as they could. You hated watching the faces of people you’ve grown to know dip and sag with age in an instant. You hated watching the life leave their eyes in a quick blink. And you hated how life seemed to go so slow for everyone except for you.

If you could dare to wish for one thing, it would be more time. And in the worst way, you got your wish.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for once in your entire life. The members of the Collective who were snickering and poking fun at you and Kai jumped into action, spirals of green emerging from their fingertips. More of them piled out from the inn, along with Lamia. You don’t realize that a hand is grabbing your arm and lifting you to your feet before you’re being pushed out of the crossfire.

All you see is green. At least, at first.

Then, splatters of red cover your vision. The screams and cracking of bones fill your ears and bodies fly through the air. Hot tears run down your cheeks and you close your eyes. Then, there is complete and utter silence.

The silence lasts for a moment before all sound comes rushing back to you so fast it felt like your ears were bleeding. There was screaming and crying and more cracking of bones set into place. You opened your eyes to see that the once green pasture you danced in was covered in red—red so dark it was almost black, and disfigured bodies and torn limbs were everywhere.

You didn’t know what else to do, so you ran. Tears blurred your vision, but you didn’t need sight for the place you were running to. You could find it in the dark, bound and soundless, if you had to.

That night still plays endlessly in your head, over and over and over until it’s all you know.

The only thing you did feel—the one thing you found solace in—was the fact that you were all alone. You had no family, which meant you had no one to mourn. You guess some things came with its perks. The place that came closest to what you called home was ash beneath your feet, flying in the wind through your cracked fingertips, like everything else. You felt nothing.

“I thought I told you not to ponder on such trivial things. Any space with a place to lay your head is a home.” Your smile grew when you heard his voice—Kai’s voice.

Kai came to a stop next to you, his frame towering over you and his tongue clicking as he looked down at the poor creature beneath you. It’s small body was clinging onto its last fleeting feeling of life. “A pity,” Kai said, his voice lacking the empathy his words portrayed. He was all too used to the way your world worked—nothing but lost hope and decay. It seemed you still had to learn that. “Best to put it out of its misery. There’s no use letting it live its final moments in pain.”

You couldn’t look at how he gave the creature it’s final blow. The cracking of bones reminded you of that night, and a knife-like chill ran down your spine and you squeezed your eyes shut tighter. There was a hand at your elbow after a moment. “Come,” you heard Kai’s voice say gently. “Let’s get out of here.”

As you both made your journey through the woods and past more and more decay, you couldn’t stop the way your heart pulled for something greater—for a miracle. Your whole body lit up at the feeling and buried deep within your memories, you think you may have found one.

You turned to look over at Kai, noticing the way the ash spiraled off of his worn cloak. “Do you remember that forest I told you about?” you asked him. “The Forest That Watches?”

Kai looked over at you, his hair falling into his eyes. It was a lot longer now than when the two of you had first met, with the majority of it tied back in a bun to keep it out of his face. He quirked an eyebrow, “What about it?” His face then fell. “Don’t tell me this is about that Well of Life or whatever it was called… You do know that’s a myth, right? A legend that the royals started to keep everyone from realizing how the world was dying?”

“What if it’s not?” you pressed. “What if The Forest That Watches is real, and what if the Well is in it?”

“It’s not,” Kai threw back.

You stopped in your tracks, face serious as you stared into his eyes. You place a hand on his bicep. “But what if it is?” you insisted. “Kai… I think… I think I saw it. What if this is the only chance we get to save everything—to restore everything?”

Kai sighed at you, his eyes moving to focus on the ground for a moment. “It’s not,” he said, looking back up at your face. You nearly took a step back from how intense his eyes were. “And there’s no saving us.”

He kept on walking through the forest, ducking under leaves and stepping over fallen logs. You remained rooted to your spot in the dirt, defeated.

[ kipo’s note . . . ] hehe what do you guys think?? are you excited are you excited??? are you as excited as i am for this???? this is just a little taste—a little teeny tiny little sliver, if you will, of what’s to come… so stay tuned for the prologue and chapter one!!! (๐॔˃̶ᗜ˂̶๐॓) i should be getting the series masterlist up tomorrow as well! ~~

𖥦 ﴾ 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈 . . . 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺.𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 , 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 ﴿ ︵͡   𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 (´ε｀ʃƪ)♡

🏷️﹙ 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝖽𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗀𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍? 𝖼𝗅𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 ﹚ @jjunberry @gothgyuu @gyuuberries @hyukascampfire @xylatox @ghstzzn @izzyy-stuff @sunoosgfv @jihyokat @whosserina @jellymochii @innocygnet @sumsumtingz @riribelle @yeoningz @minaateez @beombunni @jiryunn @lvrs-street2mmorrow @everythingvirgoes @beomieeeeeeeeeeees

© jjunbug - all rights reserved. do not repost on any social media sites, translate, or modify any of my works.

[artsideblogofsorts]

ALRIGHT WOOOOOOW. I wanna reply and show appreciation for this in a proper way so it's a reblog🥹💙💙

They would DEFINITELY vibe together naturally!! Nick is indeed a very cool and unique character that draws a lot of attention hihi, and he's quite charming too! A fan favourite for sure C:

THE JACKET ONE WAS A MUSTTTTTT and I also wanna draw him shirtless at some point!! not for thirst for ONCE BAHAHAH but because I wanna show all his damage. I might also introduce a few more chars from Fo4 and dbh C: already have ideas for a Reed900 appearance 😍

SAME HERE I love DBH design but the obvious synthetic look (like the ones in I, Robot or Bicentennial Man) are just UUGGGHH super cool imo!

AND ABT THE ATMOSPHERE AAAH HE IS THE NOIR VIBE, like I wanna explore more of that because I want Connor to be the younger less experienced detective that adapts to Nick's modus operandi and they both end up having this dark, smoky badass look to them KJASDFHKJHDSF im gonna blow the hell up just talking abt this

BOTH IS GOOD. They have the synnergy to share both kinds of vibes I think :DD

AAAHHHHH AND OF COURSE THANK YOU SO FRICKIN MUCH, honestly this one came out a lot more naturally than I expected ;v; it was a lot of luck. I will post a process vid later!! its not finished but conveys most of it :D Thank you thank you thank you kindly💙💙💙 ;V; ig those boring design lessons paid off, and even though I still have doubts and know that I can do even better your comments are immensely appreciated and push me in a much healthier way C:

thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to go over it all and for checking the details. Making them is so fun, but the reward of having someone point them out is 1000x better C: 💙

Nick Valentine, Synth Detective

partnering up with

Connor-51, Deviant Hunter!

I am pleased to present this little partnership idea between two tin cans I'm extremely fond of 💙 making this brought me so much joy and I hope you guys like it as well!

Some background info under the cut!~

Connor is an advanced prototype of android within the universe of Detroit: Become Human. He was designed to assist in the investigation of deviants, other androids that have "gone rogue" and stopped taking orders. He's also known as the Deviant Hunter. Though initially convinced that he is "just a machine" designed to accomplish his mission, Connor might eventually begin to warm up to his partner, and his priorities might shift unexpectedly.

Nick Valentine is a synth, or Synthetic man in Fallout 4. He is a mysterious prototype with the implanted memories of an old detective that lived over a century ago, and woke up in a heap of garbage after being dumped by his creators, the Institute. He's quick witted and snarky, and although his damaged components might make him appear intimidating at first, he is a deeply compassionate man who genuinely cares about doing the good thing, and this has earned him the trust and respect of his community.

[ghostofasecretary]

oh my god

do you guys know about food. like yes of course you do but

i went from five actually no THREE years ago "i can make any roasted veg in the skillet and a nice pasta" to "yesterday i made tamarind paste for the rasam and dal and cumin rice and roti i cooked for dinner"

and oh my god!! food is so good!! i was not super impressed with my rasam last night--i think the cumin rice overwhelmed it--but tonight i put heaps of it over plain rice and. DUDE. i love me a thin soup with rice as a thickener and apparently that is not limited to weird experiments

also i used my mortar and pestle for the spices and. like. a) turns out with my wooden one grinding against the sides in circles is way more effective than pounding straight downwards b) also more fun and c) BLACK PEPPER IS SO GOOD??? i would describe myself as. like. an average pepper enjoyer. but i used a tablespoon of coriander seeds, a teaspoon of black pepper, and 10g of ginger root that i mashed in after the spices were ground and the black pepper came THROUGH and was SO DELICIOUS and i may have to become a fuck-your-little-pepper-grinder guy because. like. it tastes vaguely fruity? it has NOTES???

AND my roti was neither over nor super underhydrated and rolled out nicely and mostly puffed up ^-^

i need to find the tumblr user whose advice post was like "you need to stop treating food as a chore and start treating it as a priority" and thank them for changing my life. FOOD?? IS SO GOOD???

(don't worry my simple dinner is still yogurt and fruit and seeds/nuts and oats/granola. i'm not that far gone yet. but all of the things i made last night and tonight felt ACHIEVABLE AND REPEATABLE and i love it so much)

[jesncin]

Hi, I did an ask a while back, and I don't think I got the point across that I was trying to (which is my fault, I wasn't sure how to explain it so it ended up being convoluted). I was not asking about which name suited Clark/Superman/Kal-El best (all the names are his and are true to him). I was asking about his personality. What is your Clark's personality like?

I'm asking because depending on what media you consume Clark can either be super outgoing, fun, bold, and closer to what we associate with Superman's personality (like in Birthright). Or he can be dorky, awkward, shy, which tends to be more associated with Clark Kent Daily Planet reporter (like in MAWS). Obviously Superman and Clark are one in the same (and these personality traits can coexist), but he presents himself differently depending on who is watching.

So my ask is basically who is your Clark Kent when nobody is watching?

Ah okay! The use of all the different names was confusing haha. So here's another go! I know the spectrum of his personhood as Clark Kent goes from "himbo -> bumbling reporter -> mild-mannered reporter" I prefer "mild-mannered reporter" for the same reasons most modern versions gravitate towards that characterization: to show that while Clark is soft-hearted he's still an exceptional reporter. Himbo characterizations (like MAWS) tend to go overboard to the point of incompetence. Unless it's for comedy, I think that's antithetical to "immigrant trying to assimilate by being a model minority" part of his identity and it also flanderizes him.

But if I had to thoroughly answer "who is Clark Kent when nobody is watching?" I would say: that's one of Clark's perpetual internal struggles that he doesn't have an answer to either. If we whittled down who Clark feels most comfortable with right down to his adoptive parents:

There are times Clark puts on a face for them too. And that makes sense, they might be his parents but they're still human- so there's a distance between them. When he's constantly anticipating how others perceive him, it's hard to know what's fabricated and what's real about himself anymore. Especially when he has no other Kryptonians to look to as reference outside of archives. And even with Kara coming around eventually, they don't share the exact same diaspora experience.

I think it's the questions a lot of diaspora ask themselves "who would I be if I didn't have to worry about what others think?" and "is that version of me even possible when I'll always be subject to others' perceptions of me?"

Under all that code-switching, assimilation, model minority over-achieving, and making himself less threatening, who is Superman? He doesn't know either, and I personally like stories where he comes to peace with that. To be okay with making it up as he goes.

[theannoyingurge]

Continued: Raphael, Bhaal, Withers (yes, even Bone Man is deceiving you) and the Strange Ox (he's lying to everyone, but especially You) Raphael - Knows you stole the crown with Gortash (thanks for the source!). Knows you probably did gross sex stuff with his former prisoner/foster son, whom he is now sending you off to kill. He knows all this and it eats at him, because telling you would make it harder to manipulate you into giving it back. That's His Crown that he wrote 100 chapters of fanfiction about obtaining, and His Stupid Bootlicker to get revenge on, and here he is reciting poetry to You and offering you deals that don't even include selling your soul (at first) and probably listening to you make fun of him at every opportunity. You can tease him about failing to steal it himself, and he pointedly leaves out the key detail that you were one of the annoying mortals who stole it. And then you can fuck his personal incubus and roast him again! Gotta love this game. Bhaal - Was dead for over a century before supposedly crafting Durge from his own gore. Or via 'divine parthenogenesis' depending on the dialog. Sometimes you're called his purest spawn. Other times you are 'spillage'. Whatever the fuck is going on with Durge's conception story, Bhaal is a lying bastard about it. (This one has little to do with amnesia, just carrying the theme of gaslighting my favorite murder woobie.)

Withers - Totally knew who you were from the beginning. Was/Is Jergal, the Lord of the End of Everything and OG god of Death. May or may not still be the BBEG, depending on how far you're willing to look into the future (to get to his ultimate goal of resetting time itself to a backup save of the universe that his super intelligent alien race created just before blowing themselves up and producing a baby God of Death named Jergal.) Jergal was responsible for the construction of ancient Netheril, the growth of the art of Necromancy among humans, the subsequent fall of Netheril (having manipulated Karsus from birth), and the ascension of the Dead Three. He can thus be held personally responsible in several ways for the Absolute crisis - not only for promoting the Dead Three in the first place, but via the crown that his divine grandchild eventually stole from Hell itself and did evil shenanigans with. Fun fact, he used to date Shar and may have incited horrors beyond all comprehension that we can't even list here. He canonically enjoys fucking with Shar and the Dead Three for funsies. He also exploits the Cult of the Dragon to blow up dracoliches in the faces of tyrants who get on his nerves. He might be using his twisted sense of humor for the power of the Greater Good nowadays. (Depends on how closely Kelemvor watches his butler, I guess.) TL;DR: When Withers brings Resist!Durge back from the dead, and claims he is now your advocate in both life and the City of Judgement, he may or may not just be covering his own ass. Whatever he showed Arabella is also sketchy. Don't assume granddad (aka 'The Pitiless One') has gone soft just yet. You are a pawn in a whole new scheme now. But at least this one has family reunions! And they don't even feature incest! You'll catch more flies with honey, Bhaal. The Strange Ox - Okay hear me out. It worships Cyric. End. (Just kidding! This one is itching to break free.) The Strange Ox seems to recognize that you're also a monster trying to be a person, and it uses this weird cameraderie to convince you to smuggle it into the city. The city where Bhaal currently reigns as Lord of Murder, after usurping Cyric ~10 years ago (who usurped him first). It was The Dark Urge who revived the the cult of Bhaal, a feat which presumably entails killing or reforming any existing murder cultists who worshipped Cyric. And now you're bringing his worshippers back, after wiping out Bhaal's temple for him. I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I think Cyric may have won this one. Like, I told my dad to get fucked, but I love that stupid ox. I will never stop gnawing on the letter Withers penned to the Dark Sun at the epilogue party. Please let my puny mortal mind understand it. Please.

Playing with the idea that none of the bg3 villains are fully honest with Durge. Everyone is hiding some piece of the puzzle and happy to abuse the amnesia situation to their advantage. 'Cept Kressa. She's psycho, but she's an honest psycho. In another life, we might have been friends.

Ketheric is the first, most obvious example of this. He doesn't even bother to inform the other Chosen you've reappeared. (Myrkul is the god of exhaustion, so this tracks.)

Balthazar also 100% recognizes you and also doesn't even bother. To him, your amnesia means no tedious reunions with annoying Bhaalspawn who are big mad that he stole their brother's name and rib bones.

The Emperor is sometimes overlooked when piecing together Durge's history, but he admits to knowing your past if you reject him in Act 3 (stating "I know everything about you" while threatening to turn you into a puppet like Duke Stelmane). Whether or not he's posturing, he should at least be aware of your past with Gortash, considering you helped kidnap him in the first place. For evidence, see Gortash's interrogation notes, which open with "When we captured you". (Sure, this could refer to Orin, but I simply do not see these two working as a highly functional team. More on this and the timeline below the cut.) Naturally, despite traveling together for months, The Emperor wouldn't want to fill any gaps in your memory that might cast doubt on his trustworthiness or help align you with his enemy.

The Absolute might be lying about respecting you/your plan and preferring you over your replacement. I am of two minds about this. If you were attacked immediately after crowning the brain, there should be no basis for a preferential relationship. In that case, the brain is just stroking your ego and need for approval. However, I have doubts about Durge being taken down during the initial raid.** I think some time must have passed after crowning the Absolute, giving it the chance to develop a working relationship with you that it lacked with the other Chosen, which caused everything to fall apart after you were tadpoled. This also buys us time to kidnap the Emperor and bring it under the Absolute's thrall as described in Gortash's interrogation notes.

**Some of Gortash's other notes claim Durge was lost during the first raid, but his journals are full of contradictions. He leaves the House of Hope out of his memoirs entirely. He seemingly retcons history to present himself in a more favorable light, which probably includes intentionally diminishing the work of his allies (or erasing the painful memory of his nearest and dearest). In any interpretation, the brain definitely hates Gortash the most, and that's good enough for me.

Orin and Gortash paint somewhat conflicting pictures of you pre-tadpole. The difference here might be genuine (the honest perspectives of a little sister vs a business partner or lover) or it could be a manipulative game of tug of war over your budding and impressionable self image.

Now, I like Durgetash - but I like every possible interpretation of these assholes, not just the mutually reciprocated and/or sexy ones. It's conceivable to me that Gortash may have discovered Durge's crush on him via the Prayer for Forgiveness and played up their history in Act 3 as a defensive measure. Maybe Gortash always knew of Durge's feelings and used them to his advantage (Orin outright tells you this, but again, nobody listens to Orin. Sorry sis).

It's also conceivable that he knew Durge was the first to be tadpoled, considering how close their pod was to his workbench. The brain was given orders to transform the party (that were resisted several times), so Gortash's surprise that Durge still lives makes sense, assuming he even knew Durge was with them (he doesn't seem to be checking the scrying eyes at all. What kind of loser tyrant ignores his own surveillance system? I digress). His general relief and preference for them over Orin is also still valid. (I imagine he feels something along the lines of Durge being the one who got away, you don't know what you've got until it's gone, etc etc. Cue hysterical bonding as the long lost love of his life waltzes into his coronation covered in blood to save him from their psychotic sister and the poorly housetrained Netherbrain they left him full custody of. Yes he wanted full custody, but still.)

Puppy eyes aside, Gortash is a blackhearted pragmatist (he will turn on Durge if they give him the stones) and progress is progress. The first True Soul was an incredible breakthrough, and the show must go on. So just imagine the bricks he's shitting in Act 3 if Durge comes back and remembers the Wrong Things from before the nautiloid. What if they want revenge on him? Nope, not good at all. Best to position himself as Durge's only friend and most trustworthy partner. Regardless of how well he treated them before, Durge was willing to piss off Bhaal to spare his life. That's an extremely useful vulnerability right now, because he's about to ask them to do it again!

Lastly, I have no proof, but I strongly suspect that Sceleritas is fibbing about Durge's past as well. Partly because the Slayer form is severely disappointing in-game and canonically excrutiatingly painful, despite Fel claiming you've always wanted it. It honestly sounds like a way to sell an unwanted used car back to it's amnesiac owner who failed to appreciate it before. Bhaal isn't a full deity any longer, so take what you're given (and you'd better damned well like it!) I also call bullshit on tossing a coin to a beggar being the "worst" crime Durge ever committed against Bhaal (*ahem* looking at you, Gortash). Some dialogue with the Oathbreaker Paladin suggests we've tried somewhat consistently to be good in the past, and Sceleritas has a vested interest in making Durge worse, not planting noble ideas in their freshly lobotomized murder-happy brain.

[writingdevil]

Firstly I wanted to say that I loved tongues and teeth it was a super fun story that got me real attached to Paranoid and Opportunist’s relationship in it. So when you said that you were taking requests I knew I just had to ask for more of them. Specifically I think it would be real sweet if Paranoid was defending Opportunist to someone like Cheated who’s more hesitant about his trustworthiness. Maybe Opportunist even overhears the conversation and teases him about it later but is actually really appreciative of it that could be fun. Idk I just thought this would be a fun premise and would love to see what you write for it.

(Thank you for liking my story!This is also my first request so I'm so excited for to write this!This takes place in PT.7 after Oppy talks to Smitten,Cheated and Skeptic.Enjoy!)

"Hey Paranoid,can I talk to you for a minute?"

Opportunist stopped in his tracks of getting more sticks for the fire,slowly hiding behind a tree as Cheated brought Jitters aside to talk to him.

Jitters was immediately panicking."What's wrong?" he asked,feathers and shoulders rising in alarm."Are you hurt?Are you hiding something?"

"What?"Cheated asked,staring up at Jitters in confusion."No,no-nothing's wrong.I just have a question."

"Oh."Opportunist had to bite his lip to stop laughter from pouring out as Jitters' blank face and his whole body deflated at once.He still looked wary as he said,"Okay?Go on."

Cheated sighed harshly,making sure to look Jitters in the eye,before finally asking in a low whisper, "What did he do?"

"...What?"

"What did he do?Did he threaten you?I bet he lied to you!"

"Cheated,what are you-"Cheated suddenly cut Jitters off by grabbing his shoulders,pulling him in closer with an urgency in his eyes and voice as he said,"Paranoid,you can not believe a thing Opportunist tells you!"

Jitters pulled himself out of Cheated's grip,giving him a confused look."Wait,this is about Oppy?Why?"

"Because he's a liar that only serves himself!" Cheated hissed,and Opportunist's wings lowered in shame at the truth."He doesn't care about anyone other than himself-including you,no matter what bullshit he's after telling you!He doesn't play fair, Paranoid!"

Jitters twisted his body in a way that prevented Opportunist from seeing his face,but judging from the long silence that followed,Opportunist doubted that Jitters' response was going to be good.

Finally,he watched as Jitters slowly tilted his head to one side and quietly said,"He doesn't really play fair,does he?"

Despite his best efforts,Opportunist felt his heart drop at Jitters' words.He knew they still didn't completely trust each other,but he thought that he had made some progress with Jitters.

He thought Jitters had given him the chance that others hadn't.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and was about to walk off,having heard all these insults before, when Jitters spoke up,"But that doesn't mean that he didn't care about us."

He froze,and he forced himself to slowly turn his head back,staring at the surprised expression on Cheated's ragged face.

"I think he was just afraid.I was afraid everytime we faced off against the princess.I think he found it-easier to just side with the voice with the most sway,because that might be how He survives.I think he was mainly concerned about survival, about keeping Him safe,no matter what,because why wouldn't he?"

"Because he's an asshole,"Cheated grumbled,and Jitters shrugged."Sometimes I would think that too, but realistically,he had to look out for the Decider because he was still a part of Him.Otherwise,what would be the point in all that deceit if there was nothing good to come out of it for us?"

Opportunist saw the way Cheated's face shifted, how his anger was slowly disappearing and changing into annoyed understanding at Jitters' words.Opportunist was gobsmacked at the sight.

Jitters lowered his head,and he saw him lift his arm up to inspect."These new bodies are weird.I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"Me neither,"Cheated quietly agreed,stretching out his wings that were too small for his body.

"It's hard to believe that we have our own free will now,that we can move and speak and do whatever we want."

"I guess that's a good thing though,right?"Cheated said,"We don't have to fight for control anymore."

"I suppose so,"Jitters said,in a way that Opportunist wondered if he preferred to be back in someone's head,if that was easier for him.

"But,"Jitters said,"if we have all this newfound freedom and control for ourselves,then why has Oppy stuck around?"Opportunist gulped,as he watched how Cheated didn't have an answer to that.

"He's the one in control of his own body,but he's still hanging around us and helping find the others. Why do you think that is?"

"Because he's got some trick up his sleeve!" Cheated insisted,but Opportunist argument now sounded weak in his own voice.Jitters shrugged again,looking around the forest,and Opportunist caught the calm look in his eyes,as if defending Opportunist was something he was sure in,that he didn't doubt or worry about.

Opportunist's loyalty was something Jitters had full faith in.

That was only cemented as Jitters said,"He might, but if he's deciding to stick around the flock for so long,don't you think he would've tried something by now?"Then Jitters walked off,leaving Cheated-and Opportunist-to soak in his words.

He saw Cheated's face go through a mix of emotions in a matter of seconds-first anger,then shock, confusion,and then finally-soft acceptance, to which he just sighed and rolled his eyes,before walking back to camp.

Opportunist stood in that spot for a few minutes, until he felt somebody tap him on the shoulder.He yelped and whirled around,clutching the bundle of sticks to his chest,as he found Hunted standing there and giving him a perplexed look."What are you doing?"

"Nothing!"

-

Twenty minutes later,they were all sitting around a newly fed fire,and Opportunist immediately scanned for where Jitters was,and went straight over to him.

"What a fruitful day this has been,"he said as a greeting,giving Jitters a big smile as he sat down next to him.Jitters just smiled at him tiredly,turning to look back at the glow of the fire."More like hectic."

"Of course you would think that."They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes,but Opportunist couldn't help but turn to stare at Jitters,his heart as warm as the fire felt for how he defended Opportunist.

Jitters' face scrunched up as he tensed up,and he sent Opportunist a light glare as he sharply asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Opportunist continued to look at him for a few seconds,before bursting out into quiet chuckles. Now Jitters was even more confused as he sat up straighter."What?What is it?"

Opportunist shook his head,and he gave Jitters a cocky grin as he said,"Just didn't know how soft you were,Jitters."

"What do you mean?"

Opportunist bumped shoulders with him as he said,"I'm just flattered that you don't think I have a trick up my sleeve."

Realisation dawned on Jitters,making his body relax but his feathers puff up in embarrassment. "Oh,"he quietly said,"you heard all that?"He nodded. "Yep.Forget Hero-you should be my knight in shining armour."

Jitters rolled his eyes and groaned."I just didn't want him to get the wrong idea."

"Uh-huh,"Opportunist said,still grinning playfully at him,"what would I do without you,Jitters?"

"I just,"Jitters continued,as if deaf to Opportunist's teasing and more concerned with explaining himself,"I don't think there's any point in worrying about stuff like that now."

Opportunist's grin shrunk as he asked,"Stuff like what?"Jitters gestured towards him and answered, "Stuff like if you want to trick us.Because you don't. You're here now with everyone else,helping them stay together,and that should be good enough right now-because it's good enough for me."

Opportunist stared at Jitters,before a shaky,small smile crept up on his face.He quickly ducked his head before Jitters could see,not used to having someone come to his defense before.Usually it was him trying to convince the others to believe him.

He found that he liked the change.

He draped his wing over Jitters and said,"Thanks, Jitters,I appreciate it."

He didn't need to look up to feel the warm smile Jitters sent him.

[stupidlittlespirit]

You asked for some cute fun asks, so I've appeared to help!

If you've ever played (or watched someone else play) the Swooning Over Stans game, there's a scene in Stan's route where you go to a 70s dance night with him. It's very fun and flirty~

Ever since then, I've wondered if Ford would enjoy going for a dance like that with his s/o. I can definitely see him getting SUPER nervous about it beforehand because he's having flashbacks of his prom night disaster and thinking he's going to totally bomb it. But maybe his date would coax him to just have a little fun, let loose.

I agree with your thought that he'd be the kind of guy to like old classic crooner music (and now I'm swooning for real just thinking abt it), but maybe some 70s funk can get him going, too. Now every time I listen to that stuff, I can't help but picture Ford trying to teach his date how the dances really went (and possibly failing miserably but laughing over it)

GOD yes, I played Swooning when it first released and it was wonderful. I've played it through on both routes about 10 times each lol. I still can't believe we were gifted such a gorgeous game by all of those talented people for free.

I know exactly what scene you mean. That was such a nice touch.

I daydream about this fucking scenario with Ford a lot. It's so silly but I do it when I listen to that kind of music and it's really nice haha Very normal of me, I know, so expect a long answer to this under the cut:

I'm going to set this within GF, but at a function beyond the town he might struggle a little more unless he knew the people there.

I think Ford would be (naturally) nervous beforehand for the reasons you mentioned. He's not very fond of social interaction that isn't super necessary, though post portal he is definitely better at that than he was, and the thought of doing something that holds bad memories would be very daunting for him, to the point that he'd probably refuse at first. More so with the excuse that he doesn't have time or doesn't care about stuff like that than admitting he's nervous.

Mabel would definitely encourage him to go and Reader would mention that they'd enjoy having some fun/seeing him have fun as well, plus they'd certainly miss Ford if he stayed at home. They would understand his hesitation around the event but a little gentle comforting from them around the knowledge that they'd be there to support him would go a long way, I think.

"There's no pressure to stay if you get there and don't like it," and "We can just go home, you're in control of the situation and I'll be by your side no matter what," kind of thing. I think he'd find that very soothing and helpful, just to be reminded that no one will force him. Eventually, he'd give a little and agree on those terms. Plus, Mabel would guilt him a bit because she wants to see him to be included haha.

Once he got there, he'd be a wallflower to begin with. That's fine, obviously. He needs time to settle in. Maybe a drink or two, as well (I know how he feels LMAO) before he can really get comfortable. He'd look to Reader for comfort but he'd also not want to prevent them from enjoying themselves, so he wouldn't insist they stay with him all the time.

I don't think he'd refuse to engage with other people; he'd be reasonably accustomed with the townsfolk anyway so he'd know them and their demeanours a bit more than if he was at a totally new function or with people he had never met. He wouldn't start general conversation (unless it was with Fiddleford), though.

He'd definitely be more inclined to hover around the edge of the party rather than step straight in like Stan would, but if people came up to see him and say hi (and they would because the family is known and liked) then he'd be able to hold good conversation. Post-Portal!Ford is going to have developed his social skills a great deal from his time away and I think he'd be more willing to hear what other people have to say and engage with them.

When he was younger, I think he might have only really been interested in talking about the topics he knew about because they felt safer for him, they were something he was good at talking about, but obviously when you're that smart it's nigh on impossible to find that level of conversation with others so he would have considered himself a failure in terms of social ability purely because he struggled to connect on that aspect, when really he'd just be expecting a bit too much from the general populous. That, combined with general awkwardness and a lack of knowledge on how to make menial conversation would have made it really hard for him. He does talk about that in TBoB, actually, with the joke he makes about pie in the diner. It doesn't land because the waitress doesn't have that level of understanding. It's a funny joke though! He is good at talking to people, he just comes at it from a unique angle.

So, anyway, I digress. He'd be a bit shy but he'd be open to chatting to others, and eventually he'd warm up. He'd realise he's been overthinking everything a bit too much and getting in his own way, and then start to ease up without even realising.

Reader, meanwhile, would have to strike a balance on making sure he was okay and also giving him the space to bloom on his own. Maybe making eye contact with him from across the room and giving him a little thumbs up-thumbs down gesture to check in, only for him to return a thumbs up and big, warm smile, much to their relief. They'd have known he was capable of it, he just needed to remember his capability himself.

So after a bit of time and a bit of space to find his feet, he might overhear that they're playing the kind of music he used to listen to in his youth. I'm going to project here (because you guys know my affinity for 70's music) and say maybe some Baccara (Yes Sir, I can Boogie is a banger), some Bee Gees (duh), just anything fun.

Ford would know the words by heart and once you'd returned to his side, he'd be singing them under his breath or tapping his foot or whatever, and you'd ask him if he wanted to dance. He'd say no because dancing requires a level of self-humiliation and he'd be too self conscious initially, but again, you would coax him a little.

I think you could ease him into it (I think that's the trick with Ford generally anyway). Maybe Reader would take one of his hands and he'd twirl them around, just indulging them a bit because he'd think it's endearing even if he won't do it himself.

I think seeing someone else be a bit silly puts other people at ease and makes them a bit more willing to be silly themselves, so he'd kind of get a little more into it as the music went on and once things changed to those slower, crooning songs, he might just take Reader's other hand and (much to their absolute joy) slow dance with them a bit. He'd prefer to stay tucked into a corner rather than make a show of being out on the dance floor like his brother, but I think he'd be inclined to sing a little bit, just quietly, privately, and lead Reader in a dance.

He wouldn't be a practised dancer but he'd be able to keep time and count beats (it's math!) and although he'd still fuck it up, as would Reader because I doubt many of us are classically trained dancers, he'd be able to laugh along with you and have fun. He'd forget the room, as would you, and you'd be able to really have an intimate, joyful moment together.

God fuck I am so normal about this old man. This is the kind of shit they put you on medication for if you tell the therapist too much LMAO

Also shameless self plug but here is my playlist for this exact scenario. 'Misty' by Lesley Gore is my personal favourite Ford song. Don't judge me, I beg.