#but this? we'll see. we'll see. currently all i want is to chuck one at a wall but we'll see how that goes

[beaversatemygrandma]

0.v.0 <- That’s himb

I want to chuck him at a wall and watch him stick like a little squishy rubber frog

[shallowseeker]

Recruiting Dean

Via the Nightmare-land of all his current anxieties.

Zach I - Zach II - Zach III - Say it ain't so - Cas can DIE?! - Bobby, demoralized - Dean and Cas's mutual, pissy fatalism - Love blooming, personal space - You're not much fun, so why am I laughing so hard? - Dean's anixety at being a vessel - Sam: Everybody please panic, I'm a vessel, too!

Disclaimer: I love ALL The End meta, from the ones that look for hidden meanings and the ones where Chuck is hiding incognito in his first-row seats, but I thought this would be a Hella a fun way to ask this question.

///

What if The End is all about Dean and Zach? What is almost everyone IN IT is Zach, tapping into and mocking Dean's churning ruminations and anxieties?

What would that analysis look like? What might we predict? We know that Zach recruited a Jehovah's Witness, and after Dean's call with Sam, Zach entered the motel to try yet another sales pitch.

Zach got into Dean's bedroom. But maybe this time, Zach's going deeper. Perhaps he got into Dean's dreams, too.

In the previous Zach adventures, he tried to give Dean a vision of a loser's life, one Dean wouldn't be able to stand: a corporate yes-man who listened to NPR and steamed his latte like a wuss. Remember his pitch in It's a Terrible Life?

ZACHARIAH: Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a curse. It's a gift. So for God's sakes, Dean, quit whining about it. Look around. There are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?

But just like he will later miss the mark on Adam's personality a bit, he misses on Dean at first, too. Dean cares about family.

"My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo." // "Are you saying my family isn't real?"

///

We'll hear Zach make more pitches to Dean in the beautiful room in Lucifer Rising. Time-honored things that, from his experience, tend to work when recruiting humans, from happy memories to food to TV fantasy to food to sexual adoration:

ZACHARIAH: Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think. DEAN: I'm not hungry. ZACHARIAH: No? How about Ginger from season 2 of "Gilligan's Island"? You do have a thing for her, don't you? DEAN: Tempting. Weird. ZACHARIAH: We'll throw in Mary Ann for free. DEAN: No, no. Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay? I want to know what the game plan is.

///

ZACHARIAH (to a crying Dean): And when it's over... and when you've won... your rewards will be... unimaginable. Peace, happiness... two virgins and seventy sluts.

///

We'll get a whiff of AU Zachariah's tactics with a nervous, broken Kevin Tran in s13, too:

Meredith Glynn had intended a more... grayscale view of Zach's intentions via @spnscripthunt-inactive, but either way is very good. Very Zach:

Who knows why, but in Meredith's version, Zach is convinced that Jack is the way, not Kevin.

Anyhoo, more on the Jack-Zach interactions later. For now, I'm just thinking about the whiff of Zach's and upper Heaven management's style of recruiting tactics through Kevin's words:

LUCIFER: Kevin, what are you doing, getting mixed up with Michael? ... KEVIN: ...Michael's taking me with him to paradise world so I can meet hot women. LUCIFER: I'm sorry. What?

Jack, who had also been tortured (stabbed, burned, drowned) by Zachariah, tried to reach out to Kevin. Mary even more so:

KEVIN: Y-you don't understand... then the end of the world happened, and everyone around me-- my friends, and my… my mom-- they all started to die. ... KEVIN: No! Michael says… that when I get to Heaven-- when he lets me into Heaven-- I'll get to see my mom again. I don't care! You don't understand. I… You don't know the things that I've done. I just want this to be over.

Now, we see the truth. Kevin was never interested in the recruitment line, something-something hot women. Not really. That was just a boisterous shield to hide the deeper pain.

He just wanted to see his mom again.

///

So. When we reach 5x04, we see Zach adjust fire with Dean.

In 5x01, he tried a different, more forceful way of recruiting Dean, making him feel terrible about himself.

...I feel like looking at The End as a nightmare land of all of Dean's anxieties is a really fun way to revisit it.

But before that, if we consider this question, what might we predict for Zach to uncover, based on all the stuff Dean is feeling Weird (TM) and Stressed (TM) about right now?

Based on all the other stuff we've been thinking about, I'll make a small list of potentials, starting with the Bobby-Dean confrontation at the end of last season...

[pixeljade]

I do keep seeing posts that say "whys Joe even funding Israel except that he loves Genocide" or "Why is there discussion of leaving NATO in the senate survey" and like. Here. Let me explain this to you. (DISCLAIMER: I hate Joe Biden I'm just doing this because understanding your opponents motivations makes it so you can more effectively fight them)

When you're President, issues are not just single simple issues. Theres a shitton of moving parts, and he cant be obvious about his awareness of all these parts for transparency's sake because that also gives his enemies (which would include those of us who want Both Parties Gone) an upper hand. Joe Biden views Israel as a necessary US base of operation in the middle east to defend the USA in case of an attack by China and (more pressing lately) Russia.

See, with Russia attacking Ukraine, Ukraine is thinking of joining NATO as a means of better defending itself. They've been talking about it for ages but really started getting the ball rolling when Putin attacked. NATO is a treaty organization which, if Ukraine does join, all the other members of NATO would be forced to come to its aid (i.e., literally all of them would be considered At War With Russia). On top of this, Russia has strong allies with a lot of anti-USA powers, including China. I wouldnt even be surprised if North Korea shows up. If this is starting to ring bells relating to the world wars in history class, good, because thats exactly what this scenario would entail. Another, open world war. Yes people scream 'world war 3' over the tiniest provocation but its just as foolish to claim its impossible. Add in that Putin has said he will gladly use nukes if he has to, and...well. you can put two and two together. It wont be a pretty picture.

Anyways, the middle east is, and has been, a central point in our proxy wars against Russia for ages. This is both because of the resources (oil) there, as well as its potential as a strong base of defense for the west against the east. Israel in particular is USA's biggest military defense resource, as they have a shit-ton of anti-ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities. Simply put, they serve as a bulwark against the forces of the east. They're also one of the biggest deterrants against all-out world war; because if anyone DOES try to send a nuke out west, we'll just blow it up before it hits us and then have Israel nuke them back, with far less time to defend.

So lets put ourselves in Joe's shoes knowing all of this. It starts to feel a bit like he HAS to keep giving Israel what they want in order to prevent world war 3 and/or nuclear holocaust, huh? This should also clarify why he said "If there were not an Israel in the middle east we would have to make one", and why he reportedly is very upset with all the Palestinean death yet still gives Israel weapons. Its a shitty appeasement tactic with an eye on global politics. (Side note: astute readers may also note that the actions regarding China are part of this, including the tik tok ban. They are correct.)

But does this make his actions correct? Fuck no. As many have noted Israel wouldnt even be able to continue existing without assistance from America, and Israel would likely be the first place to be destroyed by Russia if they seek to win, if it were weakened sufficiently. Meaning Joe could EASILY turn the tables on Israel and threaten to (or actually) cut them off and say "Fine, if you want to go that way then enjoy the hellfire that comes for us all, chuck." He could also decide to start rebuilding relations with China despite our differences, and therefore deprive Russia of allies in the world war 3 scenario. He could also build up these same defense systems in another middle eastern allied country (which I'd be against because colonialism is part of the problem). And that's simply taking it from the perspective of Joe, I, personally, do not think that America should remain in its current form. It has far more blood on its hands than just the Palestinean blood, and its destruction (preferably without nukes) could allow better things to take root.

Anyways, like I said, this is so that we might better defeat our enemies, so if you're wondering what the implications here are, I'd say start getting involved in politics at a local level. Not just protests, go to city council meetings! Its mostly boring stuff but once you get a hold on what it all means (and you will!) You'll start to see ways to shift the American culture away from this war-dependent fascistic society which has been surging so terrifyingly. You will start to see the glimmers of hope which shine through the sludge that it is American Politics.

Anyways if someone says this is a pro-Biden post im going to stab you with a million knives.

[fair-city-reporter]

Whumping in Wordgirl

Please forgive the atrocities I'm going to write!

As a current Whumptober participant, I figured why not talk about the newest Wordgirl fic because it's a little disaster. Becky's our unfortunate whumpee in this, and it's a bit... mature (meaning darker depictions of things than the canon-). This fic will not be for everyone, but the idea simply wouldn't leave me alone tbh,

Though let's get right to it, yes?

Wordgirl Whump Ramblings;

Everything begins after Becky defeats a villain, but finds herself extremely winded and tuckered out which unfortunately leaves her vulnerable for other people. Due to the involvement of an organization, which doesn't have Fair City's best interests in mind, Wordgirl unexpectedly goes missing. Of course, the city falls into a literal uproar because of villains still being on the loose. Though... crime suddenly stops as Fair City's villainous citizens suddenly embark on a mission to find her, but... the damage is already done.

Let me just say one thing: the villains do see Becky as a member of their family; at absolute best, they're work colleagues who respect each other, and are mindful of one another. To see if one of their own suddenly vanish without a trace - well, it's not going to end well.

Of course, on top of the fact Wordgirl's missing, another very unrelated incident has gone down. Becky Botsford also went missing. Her family is now freaking out - having filed a report on their daughter, hoping she'll come home. No one is certain of what's going on, and well, to say the least... Sally Botsford will stop at nothing to bring down the fools who kidnapped her daughter.

Read below the cut for more information!

Headcanons/Rambles (Pt. 2)

Becky is going to be around 14-15 within the context of this universe. As it is major whump, the themes are dark and heavy which I will not be doing to a ten (and a half) year old Becky

Her powers do get stronger upon hitting the Lexiconian version of puberty; however, excessive use of powers does tire out the user and it's what's being used to weaken her for the fic (among other things, but we'll get to that later)

As mentioned before, the villains view Wordgirl as an adoptive member of their odd, little family. They are highly protective of their super-heroine (at least when it doesn't have to do with their criminal activities!)

The organization is an independently run facility. Being a little too curious on how superpowers work, they decide Becky's the perfect way to see this and, well, you'll just have to read the rest

Becky is an orphan back on Lexicon. This won't be relevant to the fanfic in the slightest, but I wanted to bring it up 'cause why not?

D2B has mixed thoughts on Wordgirl, esp. considering their history. It's just tense all-around but this man would level a building if something happened to her lol

The Butcher, Chuck, and Wordgirl have more of a sibling thing going - although Chuck's kind of like the awkward uncle at a family reunion; and because there may be Cheese Sandwich shipping here but I'm not sure yet

I'm not including every villain, but let me just say things will go very, very south once it becomes apparent what happened to the missing heroine

Tobey's crush on Wordgirl has simmered down over the years, and it did nearly vanish. He sees her as more of an equal - the plans, of course, a little different

This is whump. Becky's the chosen wet cat of the hour, unfortunately and is still a delight for me as writer - I'm going to break her in this, but this does have a happy ending, I swear. Just be patient with me lol

I might make this a multi-chapter, or there's a chance I write a lengthy one-shot. Reader Discretion is advised when reading this because it's going to deep into the prompts and I'm definitely mean when it comes to writing angst/whump

I would definitely say this is 'canon' in a very vague sense. It is set post-canon, but it still wouldn't have anything to do with it; it's just my own interpretation, woof but I'll leave this for now!

[southernbluebellereader]

Apple Pie

Captain John Price x Young Female Reader (COD MW(2))

| Part 1: Bruised Apple | Part 2: Apple Slices | Part 3: Current Fic

Warning: Platonic, going on slightly romantic, Angst, Fluffity Fluff Fluff

Summary: Is our Captain going to risk it? We'll see in the next part. And yes, he gets his apple pie.

A/N: A little longer than I expected, not quite where I want it to be, part 4 will come... eventually.

Word Count: ~2,707 words

Master List

(tag list at the bottom)

“Lights out, Granny, need directions.” Johnny’s voice echoed in her headset.

“Call me Granny one more time, Soap,” Y/N snapped into her microphone in the middle of giving directions to Johnny and Simon to allow them to get out of the dark building that had just lost all power. Johnny snickered and she knew Simon cracked a smile.

“Keep going straight and turn right, then take the third door to your left. Gaz and the Captain are waiting for you.” Y/N watched two dots on her screen move on the map of the building she’d constructed.

“Thanks, Gran-Gran,” Johnny snickered once more coincidentally as Y/N was taking a sip of her coffee she nearly spit it out on her keyboard but luckily she barely missed it and hit the edge of her table and the floor. She coughed and tried to chug water to alleviate her pain.

“Y/N, ye alright?” Simon asked as Price scolded Johnny.

“Quit trying to give L/N a brain aneurysm, Johnny,” Price shook his head as he watched him and Simon come out of the building with slight amusement.

Once Y/N collected herself, she looked up at the ceiling, then down at the mess she made on her desk that needed to be cleaned once she knew the team was safe. She sighed deeply into her microphone and returned her gaze to her monitors and keyboards, “If I don’t die of cyanide poisoning, I’ll die by your string of bad jokes, Soap.”

Kyle scoffed and mumbled, “That’s what she said,” under his breath.

“I heard that!”

“Enough!” Price’s voice silenced everyone in the car and Y/N over the microphone. The silence lasted just under thirty seconds before he continued, “Y/N, take us home.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Thanks, Gran Gran.”

“OH, MY GOD. I’m telling Laswell.”

—-

“Kate, you have to help me,” Y/N held her head in her hands as she was slumped over her table, surrounded by tools and radios, and small communication devices in various stages of being taken apart and put back together.

Laswell smiled and looked over at her desk, shaking her head slightly, “You know I can’t help you with that stuff, Y/N.”

“No, not this.” Y/N looked up at her, not helping being able to laugh, “These people have decided to call me Gran Gran.”

“They call you what?” Kate thought about it, then chuckled, “Oh, I see. I can’t do much about that either.”

“Ugh,” Y/N sighed, then went back to work, tinkering with a radio. Kate checked her watch and nodded, “Speaking of which, they should arrive any minute.”

—

“Gran Gran, here are those old radios you wanted,” Johnny placed a small box of radios on her work table. Y/N looked up at Johnny from her monitors, daggers coming out of her eyes. It’d been a week and Kyle and Johnny had been calling her Gran Gran all week. Simon knew not to call her that unless he wanted to tease her - it happened once and she chucked a half-eaten apple at him.

And Captain John Price? He was the only one she could tolerate calling her that horrendous nickname. But the first time he called her that and after she told Laswell, she didn’t speak to him for almost two days. She simply would not respond to him. Y/N would turn to the person next to him and ask them to tell the Captain what was on her mind or her answer to the Captain’s question. She couldn’t help that the deliciously green Granny Smith apples were the superior apples in taste, size, and looks. She couldn’t help telling them to be safe on missions by saying “Godspeed” or “Welcome back, Soldiers.” She couldn’t help double and triple checking that their gear was put on correctly and made sure their radios and technologies were up to date and calibrated. She couldn’t help worrying about them whenever they left for a mission.

The nickname seemed fitting - and ironic since she ended up being the youngest member of the team.

“Will you ever speak to me again, Y/N?” Price chuckled and put his hands on his hips. Y/N crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. This was Johnny’s and Kyle’s cue to leave. Simon followed suit, picking up the half-eaten apple off of the floor.

She blinked once for “yes.”

“Oh c’mon, you know they call you that in good fun!”

“I know! But out of all the things to call me, is Gran Gran the best you could come up with?” Y/N finally spoke. At this point, she couldn’t keep a straight face, and neither could the Captain. Both of them laughed it off.

“Well, it wasn’t me who picked it!”

—

A few hours had passed, and Y/N was nowhere to be found. 

“Where’s Gran Gran?” Johnny inquired his captain.

Price sighed in amusement, then thought for a moment - he hadn’t seen Y/N for a while either, “I don’t know… Haven’t seen her since we came back this morning.”

“Soap! Captain! You have to come to try this!” Kyle walked by them with a plate of food, inhaling whatever was on the plate, mumbling and half moaning between each bite.

Johnny and the Captain looked at each other in slight confusion, then back at Kyle. He swallowed hard and spoke again, “Y/N made apple pie and it’s probably the best thing I’ve had in a long time.”

Johnny and Price looked at each other once more and then headed in the direction Kyle was coming from. As they approached the common room, the scent of warm apples and cinnamon became more prominent. Y/N looked up at them and smiled as she handed Simon a plate of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top.

“Hey! I was just about to come to look for you! Come have a piece, I just made it!”

Johnny’s eyes widened with excitement as his heart nearly skipped a beat. He thanked Y/N and waited for his plate, admiring it before taking a bite.

Price walked up and stood beside Y/N, waiting for his turn. He noticed a plate that sat to the side and watched as she took that plate and handed it to him, “And this one is yours, Captain. I saved you the first piece. The ice cream’s a little melted though.”

His heart ached as he took the plate, just looking at it, then back at Y/N, watching as she put a piece for herself and scooped out a ball of ice cream, and gently dropped it on top of her piece.

“Y/N, you didn’t have to! It smells delicious.” He almost didn’t want to eat it - it was too perfect. He watched and waited until she’d put the ice cream away to take his first bite until she did.

“Of course I did! I told you I’d make some. What do you think?” 

Price nodded and nearly moaned in between each bite he took, “I don’t know where you learned to do this but this is stunnin’, Y/N.”

“Well good, because I’ve got another one in the oven.”

“There’s more?” Johnny’s voice echoed in the common room, making Y/N snort before she laughed, which in turn made the rest of the team laugh - including Simon, surprisingly. 

Captain Price couldn’t help himself to laugh and put his plate down on a flat surface so he ensure he wouldn’t drop the plate, “Lass, are you alright?”

Y/N couldn’t contain her laughter, and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She felt her face grow warm and fanned a hand in front of her face and wiped her tears of laughter as she managed to calm down, “Yeah, I’ll be alright. And yes, Soap, there’s another one in the oven. There’s plenty of pie for you.”

—

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, the taste of warm apples and cinnamon stayed in the back of Captain Price’s mind. Who’d bake him a pie? Who saved the first piece of a pie for him?

“John?” 

Her voice took his attention away from his paperwork. She stood in the doorway with her laptop and some papers in her hand. 

“Y/N, everything ok?”

“Yeah! I just wanted to drop off the invoices and inventories from this past mission.”

“Yeah, almost forgot.”

Y/N walked inside and closed the door behind her and walked up to his desk, she handed him the papers, and his fingers quickly brushed against hers as took them from her. His hands were rough and calloused against her soft and nimble hands.

He couldn’t deny that feelings were forming - he couldn’t quite pinpoint what kind of feelings they were, just that he wanted her to be near him, he wanted to make sure she was always safe, and he wanted her to always be happy.

“Would you like me to go over them with you?” She sat down on the chair opposite him and watched as he went through the documents. She shouldn’t feel like this. The captain was good to her. He appreciated her skills and her efforts and she was a valued member of his team and she worked well with the others. She enjoyed watching him work and how he preferred looking at the paper over a computer.

But he also made sure that she felt welcome. How he scolded his team when they felt she didn’t do a good job, telling them that she did her best. Making sure she consumed something other than apples and coffee - even while he was on the field. How he’d held her and comforted her that night and kept her at arm’s length for the next few days after that. 

He asked questions. He got to know her. His eyes lingered a while when he looked at her. She had his undivided attention when she spoke to him. He always saved her a spot during briefings, he always stayed close to her as much as he could when she had to go on missions with them and work from a makeshift base.

Y/N knew he cared about her, just as much as she cared about him. It wasn’t right to feel this way - especially since there was such a gap between their age.

“Yeah, pull up a chair.” He scooted his chair to the side and pushed his paperwork to the side to make room for Y/N. She stood up and held her laptop in one hand and grabbed the chair with the other, placing it beside him. She sat down and placed her laptop beside his papers.

She opened it up and waited for his instructions on what to update, who to contact, and prepare for the completion of the paperwork at the end of each mission. It was a ritual. At the end of every mission, they’d sit next to each other, leaning towards each other as they compared notes and findings.

It was quite amusing actually. Seeing Y/N working behind her laptop and Captain Price marking up paperwork, occasionally one of them would look over the other’s work. If they ever were disturbed, they’d both look up and stare at them for a moment before answering, scolding whoever disturbed them with their eyes.

But this was different. Something was different. They were more hyper-aware of each other’s presence. The Captain used to never notice that he could feel Y/N’s breath on his arm sometimes when she leaned over to look at his paperwork to transfer onto her computer. Y/N could smell his cologne every time he leaned over to point at her screen, sometimes actually touching the screen and leaving a fingerprint, then looking at her apologetically. 

Occasionally she’d look up at him as he spoke to her and just get lost listening to his voice - usually, she’d catch herself and turn away to start typing on her computer, hoping that he hadn’t caught her not paying attention. Most of it was due to her being tired - they tended to work well into the night and his voice was so soothing. On more than one occasion Y/N would lean close enough to him, her eyes would get heavy with sleep and all of the sudden the Captain’s arm would feel heavy.

The Captain kept talking for a few minutes until he realized that Y/N was leaning against his arm, sleeping soundly. God, such a sight. He didn’t dare more. He didn’t want to. He didn’t even want to breathe for fear of waking her.

He looked over at her laptop to look at the time - 2:31 - then closed it with his free hand. His heart is aching to hold her properly. But he couldn’t leave her on his arm, it was going numb.

Every so gently he swiftly moved his body and positioned himself so that Y/N was leaning against his chest, hoping to whatever entity in the heavens that she wouldn't wake up. He slipped one arm under her legs and the other under her torso and lifted her, holding her close to his body. Captain Price nearly held his breath as he carried her out of his office and walked as quietly as he could to her room.

He cursed under his breath every time Y/N would stir, almost waking up. He finally made it to her room and gently placed her on her bed. Covering her with a spare blanket in her room. Before he could stand up properly and leave, Y/N stirred and groaned, waking up slightly. Before realizing where she was, she sat up quickly, then saw her Captain with his hands up, speaking in a low voice, “Hey, you’re ok! You fell asleep and I brought you to your room.”

Y/N blushed slightly, “...You carried me in here?”

“Sleeping on my arm couldn’t have been comfortable, Y/N.”

“I know… but you could’ve woken me up, John.”

“I know, but I didn’t want to wake you up,” He dropped one of his arms, scratching the back of his head with the other. “It’s late, Y/N, get some sleep. Good night.” Fucking hell, what am I doing? He quickly turned around to leave-

“Wait. Please?”

He stopped and half turned around and looked at her. Y/N was standing now and walked up to him. Both of them blushed, both of their heartbeats racing in their ears. Y/N opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.

Dare she risk it? He was her superior. He was in charge. She’d have to leave - or at least be transferred to a different part of the base - either way, she’d see him less. It was enough that he’d leave for days, sometimes weeks. She enjoyed being in his presence. She wanted to be in his presence, even if they didn’t do anything.

Maybe she’d attached herself to him. Maybe it was a result of what that other man did to her, but she didn’t care.

He hated when she looked up at him like that, it made his heart ache. He never wanted her to worry, be scared, or be tired ever again. He nearly jumped when he felt both her soft hands encompass his large hand.

The Captain looked down and then looked back at her, putting his free hand on her cheek, “Y/N…”

She turned her head closer to his hand, her cheeks becoming warmer. He took a deep breath and then removed his hands from her to wrap them around her body, holding her close. He took a deep breath, just taking her in. She looked so beautiful, even when she was tired, “You know we can’t do this…”

Nodding in defeat, but with understanding, she simply rested her head on his chest for a moment. Sighing heavily, Captain Price rested his chin on the top of Y/N’s head, smiling slightly when he felt her arms around his torso.

Was he going to regret this? Most likely.

Did he want to take the risk? Yes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAG LIST

@ateliefloresdaprimavera @galagcica @sweetybuzz25 @wisedinosaurpolice @itsasecrets-things @ronbon @lieutenantlashfaz @piper570 @shuttlelauncher81 @thanksbutno98 @gabriellathegreat

[mad-bird-writes]

Introduction and Current WIPs

Hiya! My name is Echo (@tousled-birdmad-girl is my main for those who care about such things) and I'm a writer. I've been writing in some form or another since I was about ten years old, but only recently plucked up the gumption and drive to attempt anything original, much less put it out for the world to see. Time will tell how this goes...

I love horror, tho I wouldn't consider myself a "genre" author, as I think horror, surrealism, fantasy and magic can be found everywhere if you know where to look, and the presence of fantasy elements does not necessarily mean you're writing a "fantasy" book. So, we'll call what I do "fiction" and leave it at that for now :D

Inspiration-wise, I draw from the works of Stephen King, everything Mike Flanagan ever put to Netflix and beyond, Paul Shapera and his ever-growing Shaperaverse, Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Palahniuk, and the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole (with a particular liking for taking the worlds, entities and themes first created by Lovecraft and using them to create something that'd make him spin in his grave.)

Below the cut: a list of my current WIPs and some general housekeeping information. If you see something that sparks your interest, please come sit by my hearth and pour yourself a drink <3

Currently working on:

The Lost Souls' Revival: After a series of personal crises, struggling creative Amari Walker stumbles across a flyer advertising a strange carnival, offering "a total restoration of spirit" for the cryptic asking price of "3Y". With nothing left to lose, she attends, quickly becoming enthralled by the Revival and its colourful cast of performers, in particular its eccentric, nameless ringmaster. When her night of fun and escapism is over, she finds herself wanting more, and embarks on a one-woman quest to follow the ever-moving carnival wherever it goes, a quest that will drive her to the edge of sanity, and possibly beyond the reach of reality itself. (vibes: steampunk, dark carnival, mythology/folklore mishmash, fantasy horror, the Fair Folk, whatever the goblins were selling in Rosetti's Goblin Market)

So-Far Untitled Southern Gothic: It's 1897. The world is changing too fast. Pastor Nathaniel Lawrence is dying, for all that he's trying to hide it. His daughter, Susannah, too old for rebellion and too young for spinsterhood, is content to follow in her mother's footsteps as the town's herbalist, but a bombshell marriage proposal seems set to destroy those plans. A chance encounter with a badly wounded man may offer her the escape she seeks, but at a price: Merritt Caine is not all he appears to be, and his dark past has an unbreakable grip. (vibes: southern gothic HEAVY on the gothic, small town horror, witchcraft (fictitious and real), Satanism (fictitious and real), corruption but in a good way, religious horror, the cycle of abuse, eventual murder (of the good kind) )

The Order of The Pallid Mask: In the corpse of a city at the centre of a dying world, a benevolent cult is working to restore their world to its fabled former glory by appealing to its retreated god, The King in Yellow. Sariann, the cult's High Priestess, is willing to sacrifice whatever she must to ensure a brighter future for the city's refugees; her body, her soul, her mind. Virgil, a lower-ranking member of the Order, her confidant, attendant and trusted friend, is willing to defy the Order and his faith to keep her alive. And the Yellow King has plans and desires of his own... (vibes: Cosmic horror, Lovecraftian but make it romantic, the beauty of the unknown, rituals, creating a religion from the ashes of an old world, post-apocalypse, ancient civilization (not of Earth), Eldritch love triangle) ***

General housekeeping + other info: I am an adult and this is an adult writing blog by default. I will be writing smut/other sexual content and dealing with mature and dark themes throughout these listed works (and anything else I may write to post here.) I will tag for "main" triggers and give general content warnings where applicable, but I cannot guarantee to cover every single trigger a person may have, therefore, you read and interact here at your own risk. If requested, I will add more trigger warnings, but again, I can't fully guarantee to get everything.

I kindly ask that you refrain from reposting anything from this blog: excerpts, character profiles, moodboards (if I make them) etc. I also ask that you do not take anything for your personal use under any circumstances.

My inbox is open, so send me an ask if you have any questions or simply want to chat! But for now, I've rambled for quite long enough, so I'm gonna wrap this post here. See you! <3

(tagging @coffeexafterxmidnight and @dominaarts )

[ascendanceseriesveteran]

A future with you (part 2)🌹

Ascendance Series Fanfic

Previous / Next

Chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 (current)

Chapter 3

⚔️⚔️⚔️

"Stop looking so worried. I can hear your knees knocking together from here.”

"I am worried," Tobias hissed.

I stopped abruptly enough that he walked into my back and turned around, "If we look like we don’t know what we are doing, we'll be in more danger. Fake it."

"I can't."

“Tobias, we've been through much, much worse."

"Jaron, I really don't want to die. And Amarinda is at home, wondering where we are. She'll be alone."

"Who said anything about dying?" I squeezed his shoulders, "I promise you, we will make it home alive."

He didn't look too encouraged by my answer, so I added a smile, "Besides, I have a bet with Mott and Fink that I need to settle, so I'm highly motivated."

He chucked, wiping his eyes. Roden, who had heard this a hundred times, knew I was lying about the bet, but said nothing. It was a tactic I had learned during the war that had a great success rate and it worked this time as well. While Imogen hadn't heard this particular pep talk before, it was clear she could see through my words.

The truth was that I didn't know what would happen. I was truly lost. I felt the weight of being sure of myself building. People, not just my family, but the whole of Carthya, were relying on me. And I didn't know what to do, let alone where we were. Still in Carthya - at least I knew that much. We woke in the exact same place where we lost consciousness.

I turned back around and breathed in the air. The houses around us stood at two stories high, all looking the same with white windows, clear-cut, rectangular stones and sharing walls with each other. Few looked anything like the houses in Drylliad. And whatever was left of those few seemed to be transformed into shops with far too many toys on display. The road was not made of cobblestone and grit, but a smooth, grey rock. Gardens flourished in the homes that were separate, on the outskirts of the town. The further in-town, the more dense the housing. Now, closer together, homes were waking up with the rising sun.

"Morning!"

I halted, looking for the woman who's voice greeted us. She was opening a small, shimmering carriage. At least that’s what it looked like. We had passed over 50 so far. Parked in front of houses, wheels thick and definitely not made of wood. They didn't have yokes either so I had no idea how they would attach horses-

The carriage roared to life and we jumped.

The woman just laughed, "Sorry dears, she's an old one." With an observant gaze, she looked us over, "You filming something?"

"What?" I didn't recognise my own voice.

"A movie?"

I cleared my throat, "We're actually looking for the centre of the town."

"Oh, that would be just down this road, until you reach the t-intersection, then take the left-"

I nodded a thanks and started walking with stiff legs without saying goodbye. The carriage was still making unsettling noises, I wanted to get away from it sooner rather than later.

I didn't know what a t-intersection was, nor why the carriages here made noises.

"She was wearing pants," Imogen whispered.

"She was? I didn't notice."

"Pants, Jaron."

"Yes, I heard you. I've always said fashion was stupid. If you wanted to wear pants at home, all you had to do was ask."

"And be judged by the entirety of Carthya. No thank you."

I grinned at her, "I could have worn a dress, that way we'd be judged equally.”

“While I would love to see that, we do have to find a way home first.”

She looked down at our intertwined hands, tracing a finger down my arm. Ahead of us, a wall of buildings grew closer. We had either reached the intersection or a dead end. Thankfully, there was a perpendicular road at its base.

“Like a T,” Imogen said.

“Indeed.” We stopped at the road, noticing the many colourful people that emerged from their houses and began milling around what must have been our destination, a few hundred metres to the left. It could be useful to ask them some questions. With utmost stealth and subtlety, of course.

Roden pushed past us and headed onto the road. Not a thought in his head as he investigated our surrounds. And for the first time in a long time, I froze. Because flying towards him was a horseless carriage, and he hadn’t so much as batted an eye.

Imogen shouted something, but that only made him turn in time to see the carriage mere second from colliding with him. The sound of screeching wheels followed as I held my breath. Unable to move, unable to help. The carriage came to an abrupt stop with another blaring sound, much like the moving building we saw earlier.

“The bloody hell were ya thinkin’ man? Coulda bloody gone and killed ya I could've!”

Roden was absolutely still, looking pale, like a startled deer.

I finally could move again, “Our sincerest apologies, Sir,” I darted onto the road and peeled Roden from his petrified stance onto the other side of the road with Imogen and Tobias in tow.

“Bloody well hope yer sorry. Be glad I saw ye when I did or ye’d be road-kill by now. Use your damn peepers next time.”

My Captain was still shaken. I had seen that look on him when we were lining up to get hung at Fathernwood. It simply wouldn’t do.

All of my worry, all of my fear, began to boil over, “Maybe next time you should be looking where you’re going! If you had horses that thing would be easier to control.”

“Horses? Ye daft or somethin’ man?” He shook his head, looking much like Mott whenever he caught me doing something I shouldn’t be, and sped off. Again, no horses in sight to pull his carriage.

I took a deep breath, “Are you ok?”

Roden nodded back, eyes like dinner plates.

“No more walking without looking. Agreed?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I chuckled, one part amusement and ninety-nine parts relief, “You must really be desperate to call me that.”

⚔️⚔️⚔️

Some time passed as we collected ourselves. I fiddled with my ring as Tobias checked Roden over once again, even though no harm had come to him. The town was well and truly lively by now. We still had some walking to do, but I was beginning to feel more confident about our chances of survival. For starters, nobody had tried to kill us yet, at least not intentionally.

“So cool.” I hadn’t noticed a group of boys with bags on their backs walk up to us until they were a sword-length away.

“No, I’m actually quite hot at the moment,” I smiled at them. They were about Fink’s age, which meant one thing. Impressionable.

“I meant your costume is epic. Can I get a pic?”

Epic… a pic… a pick? I frowned. “Could you repeat that, please?” This wasn’t going as I had planned.

“A pic.”

“I don’t have one on me.”

Another boy with blond hair whispered to his companion, “I think they are in character. He probably means yes.”

They exchanged an enthusiastic nod and pulled out a small rectangular block. Holding it up to their faces.

“Smile!”

I tried, I really did. But then there was a flash and too much happening for my face not to look forced and crooked. I wasn’t sure why I was smiling either. I didn’t take orders from anyone but Imogen. Certainly not little boys.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome?"

They hurried off before I could ask what had just happened. Everything was strange. Completely and utterly foreign. Yet we were in Carthya, so it should have been as familiar as breathing air. But even the air was different here. We needed to keep going, that’s all I knew.

“We are almost there.”

The walk to the centre wasn’t long. We caught a few people’s curiosity but were mostly unbothered. Occasionally Roden would gasp and avert his gaze. I hadn’t realised why until I spotted a woman whose dress was cropped above her knees.

Imogen and I shared a look and I grinned wickedly, “Maybe you should wear that instead of pants next.”

She whacked my side and turned her face into the sun, hiding her grin.

Eventually reaching a crossroad with the largest buildings yet and many horseless, colourful carriages, I declared it to be the centre to calm an increasingly nervous Tobias and to give me a moment to figure out what to do next. I looked around until my gaze landed on the word Town Centre carved into a building. Even the writing here looked odd, I barely made out the letters. But at least I had been correct about our whereabouts.

I pointed to the building, “We’ll go there.”

And so we did.

⚔️⚔️⚔️

Previous / Next

[protector-of-tinies]

(A g/t story about fairies.)

ROOMMATE WANTED, PART 1

Part 2

Roommate Wanted: that had been the headline of Joe's online ad. He'd been looking for someone to split the rent with. Aside from financial concerns, the apartment had seemed just a bit…empty. His only companion for conversation thus far had been his solitary houseplant, nicknamed "Chuck." It was funny how isolation caused one to personify inanimate objects. Chuck's status as the only "living" thing in the apartment (besides Joe himself, of course) had made it Joe's confidante and sounding board. The one that was always there after a bad day at work. The one that had participated (in its silent way) in many spirited discussions about the current baseball season. It never judged him or argued with him.

Which was why he had to get someone else.

Absence of conflict, while sounding like absolute bliss, turned out to be downright boring when one got there. It left no option other than experiencing conflict vicariously through the TV and wearing one's underwear inside out just for the excitement of doing something different.

So he'd posted the ad, deciding to start a new chapter in his life, turn over a new leaf, and spout many other irritating clichés.

When the phone rang on Monday evening, it had to be someone calling about the apartment. Who else would be calling?

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't the voice that greeted him on the other line. It sounded very raspy, either like someone with laryngitis or someone trying to disguise their voice. Not being a big conspiracy theorist, he settled on the former.

"Hello, good sir. I understand you have a residence available?"

"Yes, it's certainly good for…residing."

"Excellent. What is the location of your residing-place?"

The voice was very quiet, as if it were far away from the phone's speaker. Joe chalked it up to laryngitis and gave the address.

"Why, how splendid. We'll be right over!"

"We…?" Joe thought to ask.

He heard childish giggles in the background and then a resounding click of the phone hanging up.

On second thought, maybe this call was from a practical joker with nothing better to do. In fact, the voice did sound a little bit faked now that he thought more about it. It was funny how clarity of mind came only after the fact.

Oh well. If they showed up, then by golly, he'd show them around the place and make them his new best friend. If not, he could always have another staring contest with Chuck to pass the time.

He sat on the couch for awhile, waiting for his caller to arrive. It occurred to him that maybe he should tidy up the place a bit or change into something more presentable. Ah…forget it all, anyway. If a roommate was interested, they might as well see what daily life was really like in this apartment.

He had halfway started to doze off when the sharp knock at the door came. His muscles were shocked out of their permanently atrophied state and sprang to answer the door.

When he opened it, however, there was only a small leather bag lying on the hallway floor. It had a note attached to it. Disappointed, he scooped up the bag and brought it inside, wondering when he had sent out for anything.

His senses instantly came alert, though, when he handled the bag and heard the distinctive sound of coins jingling inside. His senses were even further aroused when he poured the contents of the bag into his hand and out came several shiny gold coins.

A small, high-pitched noise escaped his mouth as he stared at the coins through widened eyes and tried to calculate how much they would be worth.

Completely flabbergasted, he had almost forgotten about the note attached to the bag. Maybe that would provide some explanation.

He almost needed a magnifying glass in order to read the very tiny penmanship and, after squinting at it for a while, finally deciphered it: Here is the first payment for the use of your lodging space, oh generous lodging-mate. More to come in future months.

Was he being made fun of? But who cared if he was! It was solid gold in his hand! It seemed strange that his new roommate had not even wanted to see the place before moving in. Nor had Joe been asked for permission to move in. Another look at the shiny baubles in his hand, though, and Joe wasn't complaining. Anyone who gave him this for a down payment could stay in the apartment as long as they liked!

After gawking for a little while longer, his gawker finally tired out and he closed the front door, retreating to his bedroom. The closet made a nice place to stash his treasure trove for safekeeping, and he soon went to get the phonebook so he could find a local pawn shop and get an estimate on the value of his coins.

He couldn't help passing by his front door, though, and noticing that it was standing wide open. He had closed it, hadn't he? Oh well. Maybe that doorknob needed to be replaced. He closed the door and entertained a passing thought about why his new roommate had left payment, but hadn't bothered to mention when they'd be moving in. But they could certainly take their time, if they chose.

After giving Chuck a goodnight kiss, he retired to bed and slept soundly, dreaming of his newfound riches.

***

Dawn came, as it tends to do after nightfall, and Joe was up early, whistling merrily on his way to the kitchen for breakfast. His first surprise of the day came when he was about to make toast. A hunt in the refrigerator revealed footprints in the butter. Tiny ones.

He almost dropped the butter dish on the floor. Oh, great. Rat infestation! Not only that, but extremely skilled circus rats that were able to get inside a refrigerator! On closer inspection, though, he was even more confused. Those looked like human footprints! The prints showed toes without any claws. That ruled out rats, unless declawing them was a common practice now.

No, they were definitely human feet, but on a much smaller scale.

Staring openmouthed at the butter soon turned to staring openmouthed at the inside of the fridge. Several containers were knocked over; others had been opened and never shut. Someone had definitely been in here.

The footprints in the butter must have been some kind of sick joke…maybe someone had used a stamp with the shape of a human foot on it.

"This is ridiculous!" he muttered.

"Why? Have you never seen butter before?" a high voice right next to his ear said.

Joe screamed loud enough to register at least a 2.1 on the Richter scale. Whirling around, he scanned the room in a panic.

"Who's there?" he yelled. Finally, his eyes focused on a small object hovering near him.

It took his mind a moment to process this. The object was actually a woman standing very far away. So far away that she looked tiny. Except for the fact that she was only a foot in front of his face, which would lead to the conclusion that if she still looked tiny, despite the close distance, then…

Maybe she was the trainer of the circus rats!

She smirked at him, "Hello, wonderful generous lodging-mate!"

To his credit, Joe did not stammer. Stammering would have been too eloquent a word for the vocalizations that escaped his mouth.

"Ah, you are a newcomer to the language of the humans, I see," she gave him a look almost approaching sympathy…although it was hard to read facial expressions on a face no bigger than a grape.

She had tiny wings. That explained the hovering. They were nearly invisible, except when they caught the light in a certain way, which they did often through their constant fluttering. She wore a simple, form-hugging red dress that didn't look like it kept the cold out very well. Her bare feet matched the prints he had seen in the butter, and she was pretty in a cute, impish sort of way, with long brown hair cascading around her shoulders. But most importantly, she was hovering in front of him and she was only two inches tall!

Joe finally regained his ability to speak, "You're, uh...pretty small, aren't you?"

She blushed and giggled a little, "Oh, you are just saying that. Everyone knows that my hips have recently gone from a size negative twenty-three to size negative twenty-two!" She looked down at herself critically.

She wasn't the only one looking down. "Did...did you say something about a lodging mate?"

The critical look was now being turned on him. It seemed that the implied message was, How dumb can you possibly get?

"Right," he cleared his throat, "so I guess...you're the one who answered my ad. You left that sack of gold?"

"Well, I had help. It is greatly hard to lift that giant bag by oneself!"

"Where did you get it?"

The critical look returned. "Why, it is fairy gold of course!" She seemed to consider this an adequate explanation. In response to his blank stare, she ventured, "Much of it made by our good friends the leprechauns. Them with their pots of it..."

"So that's what you are? A fairy? This is so ridiculously-what do you mean you had help?"

She seemed to roll her eyes without actually doing so. Quite an impressive skill. Beckoning him forward with one tiny finger, she flew over to the cabinet above the stove and made a grand gesture toward it like a miniature magician.

Cautiously, he opened it and was greeted by a chorus of high-pitched screams. The cabinet was overrun with a large group of about fifteen or twenty fairies in various stages of waking up. They were all pale, delicate-looking females like the one he had already met, wearing brightly colored dresses of every hue. All of them stared at him in startlement. A few were hiding behind various cans and packages. None were more than two inches tall.

The fairies seemed to have made quite a home for themselves in there. A couple of them were lying on mattresses that looked suspiciously like teabags. One was in the middle of taking a shower under a salt shaker filled with water and held in the air by three friends. He couldn't help noticing that several of the items in the cabinet had been rearranged in a feng shui-like pattern.

After the fairies' maidenly gasps subsided, they seemed to relax. Joe couldn't see the look on his own face and was glad for it. He must look even more shocked than them.

"When...did you all get here?" he marveled.

"Just after we gave you the money, great dolt!" came a little voice from inside the cabinet. The rest of the fairies tittered like children who had just witnessed their schoolteacher sitting on a well-placed tack.

The fairy who had introduced herself earlier fluttered over and landed on the counter. "They were a goodly bit shy, mighty giant." He couldn't quite tell if she was teasing him or not. "A bit jumpy, they were, about being seen and meeting the gigantic one. And you had that faraway look in the eye that the people always get when they lay huge fingers on fairy gold. We did not want to disturb."

Suspicion started to creep over Joe, "Wait a second, this all seems just a bit too sneaky. Why all this hiding things from me? You don't have anything more to hide, do you?"

She put her hands on her hips and tapped her bare foot on the counter in mock annoyance. "I ought to fly into that spacious ear of yours and pull out those verily suspicious thoughts!"

Joe sighed, "Right. So do you have a name, at least?"

"And after all, we did rightly give the gold for that 'rent' thing..." she muttered as if she hadn't heard him. She had a point there, he had to say. And what a rent payment it was!

"My name is Keela," she finally mentioned.

"Kee-la?" he said, trying it out for size.

"That is what I said."

"I'm Joe..." he said, sticking out his hand, then withdrawing it when he realized the awkwardness that a handshake might present. Grabbing her entire body and shaking it up and down might be considered an overenthusiastic greeting.

"Well...nice to meet you." He still couldn't get over the weirdness of the situation. Neither was he entirely pleased, but for the kind of money these little fireflies were offering, he decided he would be willing to put up with almost anything! He certainly didn't want them taking their money elsewhere if he put up a fuss. And they didn't even take up much room! Just a cabinet that would henceforth serve as more of a cabin-et. Or would it be a cabinette?

Turning to the fridge, he began rummaging through it, trying to hide his irritation at its scattered contents. "I'm going to get some breakfast before heading off to work. Do you want anything?"

"Only your firstborn child and half of your harvest," Keela cooed sweetly.

He hoped she was joking.

***

"Fool's gold!" Joe yelled, stepping into the apartment and slamming the door behind him. "Pyrite! You gave me a small fortune in fool's gold!"

He stalked into the kitchen, brandishing his briefcase in a decidedly unfriendly manner. "All right, Keela. Or one of you--I don't care which--come out and let's talk business!"

A previously unnoticed sound made him pause. The cabinet seemed to be a likely culprit. Throwing its doors open, he gave his most intimidating glare to its occupants, ignoring the flurry of tiny gasps.

The state of the cabinet seemed to have deteriorated since he last saw it. It was certainly messier than before. And the fair folk were engaged in some kind of wild, rowdy dance party that involved the drinking of fermented berries. A few bug-sized puddles of vomit on the shelves gave substantial evidence. Strange music like nothing he had ever heard before was blaring from some unknown source. Several fairies stood staring at his rude interruption.

"Where's Keela?" Joe glared again-this time verbally.

"Here, great one of large proportions!" Keela gleefully thrust her hand up, shoving her way to the front of the group.

"Come out here for a second. We need to talk."

She shrugged, gave a quick wave to her friends, and flew out of the cabinet to land on the counter next to the microwave. He followed her over to that side of the kitchen as the miniature party resumed its revelry.

From her new perch, Keela looked up at him and gave a dainty smile. "What troubles you so?"

"I went down to the pawn shop on my lunch break," Joe seethed, "They told me that those gold coins you gave me were fakes! They're 100 genuine pyrite! 'Fool's gold!'"

"Oh, well, 'tis not the gold's fault if it is owned by a fool!" she explained innocently.

"Get out."

"And you should not rightly be calling yourself such names! Myself, I think of you as more of a giant lummox than a fool!" she consoled him.

"And take all your little frat girls with you when you leave!"

She gave him a puzzled look. "When I leave? What on earth for?"

"I want you and the rest of your Tinkerbells out the door right now!"

She glanced dubiously at the microwave door. "Silly giant. He thinks we live inside the lightning box!"

"I'll show you some lightning if you don't get out of my apartment now! And here...take this back too!" He tossed the bag of coins at her. He had to admit he enjoyed seeing the crack in her composure as she squeaked and fluttered out of the flying bag's path.

Landing on the nearby faucet, she put her hands on her hips and smiled malevolently as she said, "Force me."

Joe lunged forward and tried to grab her, but she was in the air and standing on top of his head before he knew it.

"So this is what the view looks like from high up here," she mused. "Impressive indeed. Though standing ankle-deep in veritably greasy hair does a bit spoil the experience."

"Get off," Joe growled.

"Lovely view. 'Tis like a nice day at the seaside. I can even feel the sand between my toes! Except it is actually dandruff."

Joe made several quick grabs at the top of his head, but his fingers closed around air every time. Judging from her quiet snickering, she seemed to be enjoying this immensely. Suddenly, she seemed to tire of the game and darted over toward the top of the fridge, where he chased her…right through the path of an unnoticed puddle of spilled milk on the floor.

As he lay in his new position on the kitchen tiles, surveying them from a fairy's-eye perspective, he was pretty sure that she had led him in that direction on purpose. His outstretched hand lay face up on the floor next to him, fingers still grasping uselessly.

Newly victorious, Keela took her time as she glided down to stand on the floor and observe him with an imperious smirk. She stepped into his hand wordlessly and stood there as if begging him to close his fingers around her. Despite growing more incensed by the moment, he knew it was pointless to try. When he didn't take the bait, she began comparing her size next to his fingers, emphasizing how easily they could crush her.

The really infuriating part of it was that she almost seemed to feel sorry for him for not having been born small. In the same way that people feel sorry for nursing home patients and the mentally disadvantaged.

She put on a show of being scared as he began to pick himself up off the floor. Fleeing back to the safety of the cabinet, she cheerfully yelled over her shoulder, "I will be in the great wooden compartment if you need me!"

Joe stood slack-jawed for a second before retreating to his bedroom. He just might go to sleep early tonight. His head hurt from taking a spill in the kitchen, and his pride hurt worse.

The remaining hours before bedtime were spent holed up in his room, except when certain crises called him out. He had to use a fire extinguisher at one point, when the fairies were roasting marshmallows nearly as big as themselves over the burners on his gas stove. He also got a call from his landlord with complaints about the afternoon noise level in the apartment. Apparently, the fairies had discovered TV and volume controls while he was at work.

He lay in bed for a while, wondering what he could do. Calling the cops or the landlord and telling them that there were pixies invading his living space was certainly out of the question. He just wanted to give Chuck a big, comforting hug and have a good cry. Instead, he fell asleep fully clothed, with the light turned on. Maybe tomorrow, he could buy mousetraps…lots and lots of mousetraps.

[aintgonnatakethis]

Thanks for tagging me @judgeverse ❤️️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

16

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

108,855, almost all of that coming from this year as I spent the last few months of last year getting back into writing by telling myself 'I'm just going to write. I won't post, so I don't need to worry how good they are'.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stargate Universe because those guys are in my brain and I'd die for them, but my next fic I'm posting is going to be Stargate Atlantis. I also have 2 WIPs from Durham County as my brain went 'hey the SGU fandom is pretty small... You know what would be really funny?'

Back in the day on ffnet (*checks* 15 years ago jesus christ!) I wrote for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Star Trek: TNG, Blakes 7, Invasion, X-Men: The Movie, Demons, House, NCIS, Prison Break, and Being Human. 87 stories with 169,449 words. I'll have a quick look through them and see if there's anything worth reposting, but I doubt it. 14 years olds aren't usually very good, ya know? Though I do look at Reviews: 220 and think yikes, I did not have social anxiety when I was that age did I?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

down here they call us animals has 32, but the rest of them are single digits because SGU is such a small fandom.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always, love talking to people about my fics and it's not going to encourage people to keep commenting if they get no response from the author. Sometimes it takes a while because my spoons can get funky.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

so i bite my tongue and hope for blood, where Telford gets sexually assaulted by a drugged Rush, then goes on a killing rampage with none of the recovery (if there even is any beyond pretending it never happened) shown and nothing is really resolved.

there was a devil in my soul i think we activated, set during 2x07 The Greater Good, extends the scene aboard the derelict spaceship between Young and Rush. Young has a ton of trauma about Carmen, David, Riley, and P2S-569, and ends the fic in a pretty suicidal place.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This was a bit tougher to answer as I usually have some angst hanging around, but i'm a stolen car in a parking garage, where at the end Rush and Telford are bantering back and forth, sharing-time is happening, and they also have their first kiss in this fic, after having been fucking for a while.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nah, it's much better than it was back in the day. At least in the fandoms I frequent.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Oh, do I! 😄 Every gay kind that takes my fancy, from vanilla to super kinky. There are of course a few kinks I avoid reading/writing about as I'm sure everyone does, but if anyone has a specific kink they'd like to see me write hit me up and we'll talk!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I'm afraid not. I'm just not that into them. 🤷‍♂️ (The fact that if I filter out crossovers on the SGU AO3 page I lose ~400 fics is a crime!)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Back in the day me and a friend wrote many hundreds of thousands of words RPing the 10th Doctor and the Master. RPing isn't allowed on ffnet so I received a warning and they deleted the fic. Thankfully I still have every single one of those fics due to being anal about backing stuff up on memory sticks, so if you'd like them @chosennightmares let me know. ❤️️

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Telford/Rush, if I have to pick just one, though I could chuck Young in there and go through every combination possible and still be very happy.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Nothing currently posted as due to having a lot of unfinished fics on ffnet I'm adverse to posting things without at least having an ending in mind. But there's an SGU fic titled Your Own Worst Enemy which was started in August last year and delves into rape recovery for Rush, Young, Telford, and Destiny herself. I need to be in the right headspace to write it and despite having 8 chapters of it completed I don't know how it's going to end up.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Developing different versions of Rush, Young, and Telford and have all of them still be in character despite being so different.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting the end of the fic written, knowing how to sign things off. The promised SGA fic sat 95% completed for fucking ages where all I could do whenever I scrolled to it was stare.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Knowing the state Google Translate is in, I probably wouldn't risk it, no. It does annoy me when I'm reading and I'm told to scroll to the author's notes at the bottom of the fic to see what's been said and then having to scroll all the way back up, potentially losing my place. Much prefer people using the HTML hover text option.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who. My mum was involved in putting together Who Cons when I was a kid, so I grew up watching the classic series.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

a memory, a distant echo I really enjoyed writing it, fleshing out David's character, and really digging into his psyche. It's a tough read, but I'm very proud of how it turned out.

tagging @thestorieswesay @no-more-pawn @chosennightmares @galadhir @sga-owns-my-soul

[fanficwriter284]

We're overdue for a actual Boy's fic.....

"It's bone-chillingly cold, remind me why we came out?"

"Because Tiff doesn't let me kill on fucking Christmas, she says it "kills" the holiday spirit. Which is bullshit"

"Hey Chuck"

"Hm?"

His best friend pointed towards a group of guys, on a nice peaceful outing just hanging out.

"Wanna disturb the peace?"

The redhead snickered to himself, raising a brow, looking forward to the blood rush. Nothing like a little red to spread the holiday cheer.

"Not to ruin your fun, but don't you think there's too many? I mean we've been out here for hours, took several people of the census, and on top of that we're all tired."

"And I thought you we're an optimist"

"There's a difference between being an optimist and knowing when to give it a rest....I just don't want any of us to get hurt that's all"

"Wuss"

"Eh we'll be fine"

Billy sighed to himself but silently followed after. The four got into their positions, using the cover of darkness to their advantage.

"NOW"

All four pounce, tackling a majority of the group of men down, slaughtering many with ease. However, most of their muscles were already overused, growing weaker and useless by the second.

Unbeknownst to the group, Tiffany had decided to come to check up on her husband since he had been going so long, missing him is absence. Creeping through the dead of night to find them, the task not proving to be difficult. All she had to do was follow the trail of disfigured bodies.

Chucky had been wrestling one of the stronger men in the group, his muscles straining and tearing with each second.

"Chucky?"

The redhead's ear's perked at his name, distracting him. He quickly turned his head in the direction to make sure who he thought was there to make sure he wasn't losing it. And there she was. He lost his footing and shoved to the ground, smacking his head against the icy concrete. Feeling hot crimson running down his temple. Hearing the clanking of metal fall to his side. His opponent grabbed it and tossed it directly at the blonde nailing her directly in the stomach. All Chucky could do was watch. The whole scene played out in slow motion. The knife impaling her, then her body dropping to the unforgiving ground.

Chucky was frozen....and numb. His attacker went to fend off the rest of his brothers sensing Chucky would no longer pose any harm...well not at that current moment. Chucky bolted to his wife, gently lifting her up from the ground. He couldn't speak. His jaw fixed seething with rage. No words came from his mouth. Nothing. He carefully removed the blade. His attention was grabbed by his best friend's grunts and muffled screams. Out of pure instinct, he flung the knife at the man who stabbed Tiffany. Stabbing him right in the back.

The redhead's body convulsed with furry. He ran directly at the man tackling him back to the floor. He tried to fight back against Chucky, but his attempts were all in vain. Chuck's vison faded into red, his mind falling into a berserker rage. Descending into savagery.

He wanted to make it slow. Digging his blade into the man's torso, only to retract it halfway, going for the finger, cutting some off and breaking others, hearing the snapping of bones and gurgling of the blood. He slit the man's mouth ear to ear, giving her a forever-engraved twisted smile.

With each attack, the redhead grew more vicious and animal-like. Grunting, snarling, biting, and tearing into vulnerable flesh.

The man was dead, his body no longer struggling.

"Thanks, Chuck"

Slappy stuck out his hand to do their usual brotherly handshake. Only to no avail. Something wasn't right with Chucky. His eyes were right, it wasn't really him. He knew what his brother was capable of and knew it was best not to push him. So, he backed up cautiously. His fear grew as he watched his brother grab his knife and point a blood-soaked tip at him.

"G--Guys....."

Billy and Jig turned their hands, seeing what was going on. Jig tries to pull him back but was easily cast aside. Chucky was stronger than all of them and could easily snap each of their necks if he really wanted to.

"Hey HEY HEY!!! COME ON SNAP OUT OF IT"

Billy was shoved to the side, hitting the back of his head against the already bloody concrete. Chucky now, even more, agitated grabbed Slappy by the neck, restricting his air flow.

"C----chucky......stop....please"

The redhead's ears perked once again, causing him to loosen his grip. Distracting him.

Billy shot up and hit a pressure point knocking his brother unconscious. He wasn't going to take any chances so he his a specific nerve, leaving Chucky temporarily paralyzed.

"....ok ok.....everybody ok?"

"Y---yeah"

"Yes"

"Come on let's bring these two home"

[myalchod]

🖊 Post a snippet from a current andylind WIP.

📝 What is one growth area you have for your writing?

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

🖊 Post a snippet from a current andylind WIP.

I don't have any Andylind handy that you haven't already seen, so have a Rosalind snippet instead?

Before her, the younger fairy’s chin lifts in a defiance she remembers well from long-ago days in the classroom, before she’d had learned her place. The mouse has grown teeth. And isn’t it bitter irony, when she’s spent all these years training Farah in her own image, that now it is her own creation that comes for her?

📝 What is one growth area you have for your writing?

I'd really like to get better at writing longer stories in general. I'm trying that right now, and while I don't think I'll ever get anywhere near some of the brilliant folks in this fandom, challenging myself with longer stuff is probably the area I'm working on the most. I like writing in shorter snippets most of the time, but it doesn't lend itself to long fic nearly as well, and I have things I want to write that need that, so ... we'll see.

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

Entirely too much, honestly, for far too many things, including all sorts of things that never make it into my fics. I don't think I've done all that much for Fate because of the nature of the source material, but that's probably only a matter of time. (I guess I researched canon, and then just decided to chuck stuff out the window?)

Deepest dive ever was probably for Musketeers, for a S2 divergence AU I wrote that got rather out of hand by my standards. Far too much 17th century French history, focussed deepest onto the Franco-Spanish war and the resulting Fronde. Mapped out a bunch of travel times by horseback specifically for an epistolary fic inside there too, and other similarly ridiculous details. It was a lot of fun, even if I dropped the sequel and most of it never amounted to much.

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

I am offended that this question is misspelled in the source meme. But it's not about that, so ... compliment and not insult? That's a lot harder. Um ... based on things I've been told: mean heartbreaking, poetic, true to character.

[ ask me another? ]

[burned-lariat]

From what I remember off the top of my head from the zoom call:

NAC also said he and tabyana just got finished filming serious scenes

The NYE party scene where Spencer blew the noise maker scene was ad libbed by NAC because I think he said in the script it was just then smiling at each other but felt like him doing that would be a cuter moment.

he told us right before the king cake video tabyana posted on her IG, was was telling her how much of a bright light she is and was praising her

He said he doesn’t know if trina will get those turtle doves lol but he believes the longer the wait the better the pay off.

He wishes there was a more smooth way for Spencer to have gone about the dex situation but chucked it up to just really loving cam but he believes dex has a punchable face

As of right now, he doesn’t have any new news about Spencer getting a new set for his own place(hopefully he’s lying and trying to surprise us 😩)

He doesn’t believe spencer will end up like his dad and is heading down the right path since he’s already recognizing and aware that things that his dad is doing is disgusting. But he does think Spencer will always have “Cassadine like” qualities attached to him.

Ooh, serious? Hoo boy...

He was absolutely correct, and I hope he ad-libs like that more often!!

Awww 🥰 I'm glad they're both such good friends!!!

I mean...true to a point. So we'll see them again late 2024, huh? 🥴

Spencer def punched Dex out of love and loyalty to Cam, but the writing for all of that was just so bad, and he, WL, and EH worked their asses off to make it watchable. NAC and EH absolutely sold that punch. Also not "punchable face" 🙈😂

I hope he does get one soon, even if it's just renovating the upstairs at Kelly's! And that's absolutely fits who Spencer currently and where he's going. He has that self-awareness, and even though he wants "out" in a way, he will always be a Cassadine, and that part of him won't go away. He'll just have to learn when it should come out 😂

[starchild--27]

Tag Game ✨️

thank you for tagging me @joon-rkive - i loved reading yours and i always enjoy doing these~ 😊💕

i tag: @heartcravings @kafkascupcake @cxsmicmyeon @byuns-coco @xiu-bee @ladyliliah - only if you guys want to of course ♡

What book are you currently reading?

She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai ♡

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year?

Everything Everywhere All At Once, like 10000%. this movie is so good. everyone go watch it if you can. 💫

What do you usually wear?

a t-shirt (plus a hoodie/flannel shirt if it's cold), a pair of jeans (two if it's cold), a pair of socks (two if it's cold), chucks (or boots if it's cold)

How tall are you?

~ 178cm / 5'10 but i'm slouching horribly xD

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

i am a Taurus (or so the birth chart says, i don't really see it tbh), aaaand my birthday is on Beltane, the Gaelic May Day festival. Or if we want to be political, Labour Day.

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

irl usually by my name, only online people and sometimes my mom call me by my childhood nickname (which i find really cute btw ^^). and my sister has her own set of nicknames for me xDD

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

i think to some extent i am the person all my younger selves wanted to be xD but career-wise not all. my childhood dream was to be a writer, only at 14 or 15 i started to think about my current course of study and also quickly dismissed the idea again back then xD

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

i'm not. and currently i have no real permanent crushes either, only the quick kind where i spend twenty minutes imagining a relationship with a stranger i've seen for like 3 seconds xD (but yeah speaking in terms of kpop, i have an everlasting crush on park chanyeol, today especially the one from the photoshoot that was teased today, and i have had it bad for han jisung from stray kids the past months too xD)

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

i'm good at.......language stuff (idk why this came to mind first but i have crap self-confidence so i can't really think about anything else); i'm bad at...i guess, being organized, keeping routines and getting things done efficiently, stuff like that. 😬

Dogs or cats?

both :c (but gun to my head, i'd say cat. because i have a cat.)

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this year?

choking on brown sugar and sweetened milk / wrapped in a flannel shirt cause i hate silk / need a neurosurgeon to cut out my brain / need to take a deep breath, i'm not going insane (which, yes, technically is a verse. the first verse of my song brown sugar actually, and i really love how it turned out)

What’s something you would like to create content for?

ohh i think The Case Study of Vanitas, which is my favourite manga series (no i haven't seen the anime (yet?)), i really want to write a fanfic about Vanitas and Noé because no wayyy they don't kiss at night xDD

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

always obsessed with exo xD then again, i think Ocean Vuong still has a hard grip on me right now. i recently finished reading On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous and i am reading his poems every now and then and boy... i think that guy himself invented language

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

mmh... i think the fact my two bestied from school and i planned to meet at least twice and it never worked out - i met them separately, but i miss hanging out with my two favourite crackheads :/ (we'll probably meet over the last days of december tho, so...soon)

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

i dunno, it's not really "hidden" but i've baffled people with is before: i'm really fast at recognizing songs, probably because i know many songs that i don't particularly like listening to as well, i guess i just can memorize sounds quite well.

Are you religious?

i am agnostic, so i'm not strictly religious, i have always been really interested in religion tho. like as a kid i went to religion classes voluntarily despite noone in my family is religious.

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

a different brain hahahah :') jkjk i guess what i (quite childishly) wish for most is everything to be alright again, life to be less shit, generally. that's probably a crap answer but the most honest one i can give right now.

[steddie-island]

Finished

The Haunting of Alejandra - V. Castro 4/5 ⭐️

Electric Idol - Katee Robert 3.5/5 ⭐️

Learn My Lesson - Katee Robert 5/5 ⭐️

A Worthy Opponent - Katee Robert 4/5 ⭐️

Death Between the Pages - Peggy Jaeger 3.5/5 ⭐️

The Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker 3/5⭐️

My Darling Dreadful Thing - Johanna van Veen 5/5⭐️

Requiem for a Memory - Saige Denmark 2.5/5⭐️

Hunt on Dark Waters - Katee Robert 3/5⭐️

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson 4/5⭐️

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke - Eric LaRocca 2/5 ⭐️

Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle 4/5⭐️

When I Arrived at the Castle - Emily Carroll 4/5⭐️

From the Belly - Emmett Nahil 5/5⭐️

Hexis - Charlene Elsby 3/5⭐️

Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Dan Kois 4/5⭐️ (This was sort of a book of short stories and would've been a solid 3/5 but one of the stories gave it another full star!)

How to Sell a Haunted House - Grady Hendrix 5/5⭐️ (This was my first foray into Grady Hendrix and holy shit I love him. This book was so good, I finished it in one night.)

Incidents Around the House - Josh Malerman 5/5⭐️ (Holy fuck, one of the best horror books I've ever read. It sucks you in from page one, definitely one of my top reads of the year!)

The Mary Shelley Club - Goldy Moldavsky 4/5⭐️ (Could have used another edit, basically the first half of the book was setup, but holy shit it had a GREAT ending.)

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix 4/5⭐️

Currently reading The goal is to get through these three by the end of the month and then just read Horror Movie for book club but we'll see!!

A Dowry of Blood - S.T. Gibson (Definitely not hitting the way I wanted it to, it feels like not a whole lot has happened yet? We'll see how long it takes to pick up.)

Horror Stor - Grady Hendrix (I'm really really trying to get into this one but it's not pulling me in the way his other books have. But I'm not giving up yet!)

The Salt Grows Heavy - Cassandra Khaw

Upcoming TBR We'll see how many of these I actually get through, with all of the ST writing events and kinktober 💀

Horror Movie - Paul Tremblay

The Final Girl Support Group - Grady Hendrix

DNFs of the year

Never Whistle at Night - A dark fiction anthology

The God of the Woods - Liz Moore

Still Life With Bones - Alexa Hagerty - What I read of this was really good, but it was also super heavy and really intense and maybe the time to read this would've been now, given the multiple genocides going on in the world, but I just. Couldn't cut it. I will absolutely be returning to this later, but for now I had to DNF.

Manhunt - Gretchen Falker-Martin - Again, what I read was good, but it also hit too close to home right now given gestures around fucking everything going on with trans people. I'm planning on revisiting this one eventually, too, but at this point in time it made me too anxious to enjoy reading it.

(Previous versions of this post x x x )

[stonewallsposts]

Jesus Revolution Movie

We went to see the Jesus Revolution last night. The church bought out an entire theater for the show, so we went as a church. 

I loved the movie. I've been at a Calvary Chapel for over 30 years now, but my history with them stretches back even farther. 

Back when I was in high school, they used to have concerts on Saturday nights, and we would go there, listen to the bands, and then hear a message. That was in the late 70's/early 80's. 

I was attending a small Baptist church at the time, but after getting married, the guy who had been the youth pastor left and moved up to Monrovia to take over a small Baptist church there. He asked me to move up there and take charge of the youth ministry. I did. That was in 1985. But I had no idea whatsoever what I was doing. I thought I'd just show up and do the same type of things we did before. But the kids we had in Monrovia were not the same demographic. The kids that were coming were basically not church kids at all. They were from what would be called now a 'diverse' neighborhood, and they hadn't grown up in church, they came because they were looking for something to do. The things I had done in my church were not what was needed there. After 5 years of frustration and going nowhere in the ministry, I moved on.  

I had heard that good things were happening at Calvary Chapels, and there was one not too far from us, so we went there. 9 months later we moved to Whittier, so I thought I'd better find a church closer. In Jan 1991, I was driving down the street and noticed a banner advertising Calvary Chapel La Mirada. I went in that Sunday and have been there ever since. 

The thing I learned at Calvary was to listen to the Holy Spirit. I of course knew of the Holy Spirit already, but we were taught in the Baptist church that listening to the Holy Spirit was a pentecostal thing, and pentecostal things were at best, delusional, at worst, demonic. But what I saw wasn't delusional or demonic- it was people who were genuinely committed to the Lord and wanting to serve Him. 

Part of my frustration in ministry was because I had not bothered to ask the Lord what I should be doing to minister to the kids. I just figured I'd do what I had seen. When that didn’t work, I was lost. 

I had heard from a bunch of the 'old timers' about the tent days, but that was already well in the past. 

Even when I was going to the concerts in the late 70's, the current building was already in place. 

The movie had some really funny moments for me. 

When the daughter brings Lonnie home and Chuck sees him in the house, he pulls his daughter aside and asks what the hippy is doing there? She says- well you said if God brought you a hippy, you'd ask him what it's about? 

Chuck answers, "I said that... but I didn't mean it." 

Then there's the spot in the movie where the band love song has just finished playing their worship music at the church, and the band leader says, 'We'll be here next week. Except for the drummer. He has to finish serving a drug sentence." And Lonnie says, "Yeah, that can happen." 

Then the scene where the commune gets Greg a car. He asks, "Does it run?" And Lonnie says, "Oh yeah... we all prayed over it this morning.  

Greg gets in, turns the key and the engine sputters and dies. Lonnie says- "alright everybody, let's pray some more", while Greg continues trying to start it up. Lonnie is praying, "Lord if you could just help us out here....." 

Overall, I really enjoyed the humor, but there is also some sadness in the movie.  

But I'm always encouraged to see stories of faith. It reminds me of God's love and faithfulness. The movie, along with a recent review, encouraged me to find ways to connect with those today who might be considered on the outside. Interestingly enough, I've had two groups of people who I found tough. When door to door, the only people I ever had any trouble with were older people. And I found myself wary of approaching houses that had Trump paraphenalia outside. Most were ok, but some met us at the door to yell: Go AWAY! 

Young people, even if they had the full on rainbow stickers and NOH8 stuff, were usually at least decent in their rejections. But in drive-thru prayer, the usual one's who will yell curses or flip us off are the green-haired SJW types. I still smile and wave at them because hey, Jesus loves them too, and everyone, I don't care who you are, needs the love of God. 

Even as I think now of so many young people, they are seeking some sort of place to fit in, and desperately looking for some truth to believe in. I don't think much of what is floating around out there politically is truth-based, and these are the things people are latching on to in order to make sense of their lives and the world they fit in. But the answer today is the same as it has always been: Jesus.  

It's always good to be reminded of that. 

[smilingperformer]

Discussing the good and bad of Pokémon Journeys: Part "Ash Ketchum"

I'm just gonna go ahead and start discussing my opinions on how Journeys is handling Satoshi aka Ash Ketchum in Pokémon (2019)/Journeys, no need to do any intro talk.

If you want a TLDR version, I'll basically be talking about how Satoshi's handling has changed from pre-JN and how I've started to feel like Satoshi isn't exactly written that interestingly this time around, and how I'm more and more feeling less interested in his current goal of PWC, while also discussing what I have liked. Rest is under the cut, and I'll be abverting the show to JN from now on.

So. I'm just gonna start talking about whatever comes to mind first, so let's talk about Satoshi's current goal in JN: The Pokémon World Championships.

In theory, the concept of PWC is pretty much what was teased back in Diamond & Pearl with Shirona/Cynthia's Champion's League matches, and how Satoshi aimed to battle in one some day. I LOVED the introduction to the whole event when it was revealed, as it gave us the big picture of huge potential in it.

Satoshi would be battling trainers all around the world, whenever his Rotomphone would peep with a match closeby, and with Wataru/Lance's return, it sparked huge potential with past character returns, and it certainly has delivered in the forms of Korrina/Corni, Shijima/Chuck, and soon I most likely believe Shigeru and Iris to be PWC opponents as well. I love this concept a lot! However, there's been some huge issues with it that have, for me, been making this goal feel a bit... boring? Not interesting to watch? Not feeling invested in it? And the biggest issue would definitely be in the pacing.

Let's first remember how it took Satoshi a whopping 13 episodes to even get a goal established compared to Gou whose goal got established in episode 6. This further highlights my issue with Satoshi's goal handling, and is related to how I feel about PWC.

In just a span of one year, Satoshi has climbed a whopping 3500+ ranks, and is soon about to enter the Hyper Class ranking. And how many battles have we seen on screen? Somewhere between 10-20 I think, I don't have exact numbers. And there was a time when he jumped a HUGE amount of ranks without showcasing it to us, and it made me feel like I wasn't allowed to see him progress. It made him feel insignificant and honestly, I feel so sad in not feeling invested in this goal. Like, right now I'm not sure if we'll see him rank up to Hyper Class on screen, thou that's probably the pessimist in me speaking, since a lot of the battles have been off screen. Yes. Off screen. We've been shown that he's done battles to get up those ranks but we haven't actually seen him do it. I don't WANT to feel like this, but I just, do.

"But why does it matter, it's not like every match is gonna be interesting." You're right. But here's the thing. We're allowed to see every single capture Gou does on screen, each episode progressing his goal. But we don't for Satoshi. That makes me feel like Gou is the more important one, and Satoshi's just there with a goal they don't want to show us fully. And while I get it's hard to show all of the matches, it still stinks.

Like, compare to past goals he's had. He's done Pokémon Gyms, Island Challenge, Battle Frontier. Each time we actually got to see each of the Gym Battles, Trials and Battle Captain battles. We were shown his struggles, wins, trainings, made it feel like we should root for him. In between each gym and trial captain, we'd see him battle other trainers, friends, companions, Rocket Gang, other evil gangs, and so on. For me, there was never a moment where I felt like his goal was just there to give him a goal. Because we actually always saw him do it. Were there gaps between each episodes sometimes? Yes. But that never, ever bothered me. Because we'd still see him train. Hell, when it comes to leagues, Alola League's my favourite due to us seeing every single match in it, not skipping a single one. I felt so invested in it, and I'm not that interested in the actions scenes!

Even in JN, I am not bothered by not seeing important PWC matches that often. I am more bothered by not seeing him battle for it at ALL. Compared to Gou's goal, Satoshi's goal doesn't seem like it was that though out. And the fact that he's in Hyper Class already, makes me wonder what exactly they intend to do with him. Because if they do another "drop a class" arc for him and he climbs back up without us seeing it, I don't see the point for it. It's exactly how I feel about the JN036 episodes nowdays. I used to like the episode, and it DID make me like Gou as a character back then as well. But nowdays, I don't see the point for it anymore. As he climbed back up to Super Class without us seeing it happen. And it, honestly makes me sad.

Which brings me to another point. Satoshi has for the longest time, been one of my absolute fav characters in Pokeani. He's been tons of fun to watch, tons of fun to follow, and just, truly enjoyable. For me, his peak was in Sun & Moon, where we got to see him do stuff he'd not really done before. I loved the whole setting of the show, I loved how Satoshi has such good episodes like SM020 and SM125, and like, seeing him truly enjoy his life to fullest in Alola was just so darn good. I truly loved watching him there.

In JN? I'm honestly feeling a bit bored with him. While he's still the same Satoshi in a sense, he kinda feels insignicant and... less of a protagonist than before. Most of his episodes in JN have been all about battles, or being an inspiration to Gou. Even his Pokémon team often feels like it's mostly Lucario and Pikachu, and now maaaaaybe Negigaknight/Sirfetch'd (it's too early to tell). Gengar and Dragonite have sort of, poofed, only making random appearances in the Sakuragi Laboratories. Not to mention how his newest capture, Uonoragon/Dracovish, hasn't made a single appearance since its debut (but based on recent special preview, will finally reappear soon). I feel like this is the worst case of how Satoshi's poketeam has been handled in any series so far. And I used to love Riolu/Lucario. Like... damn it. I truly miss looking forward to his episodes. Then again, it WAS apparently said by the head writer, Yonemura-san, himself that he considers Satoshi complete and finds him hard to write due to it. Which would explain why Satoshi feels less important and more of a tool for Gou's developments.

I COULD talk about how I feel about his dynamic with Gou, but I'm gonna leave that to its own post. But I guess I could say for now is that, I USED to like it, but now, not that much.

Their bond for me feels like two brothers who are able to do whatever they want with each other and not feel akward about it, and they like, work so well together. Their dynamic IS good.

But me not liking it that much anymore, I feel like it's partly due to the fanbase being a bit on the scary side for me, and every time I see posts of them, I'm reminded of that side. But also due to how I feel like it highlights the issues in Satoshi's current character handling. Mainly in what I mentioned before: Gou gets progress towards his goal in almost every single episode. Satoshi on the other hand doesn't. And that, to me, makes Satoshi feel like he's not an equal protagonist with Gou, but more like what past companions have been like. And I'm not sure how to feel about it.

And if anyone's gonna come and say that "we've known Satoshi for 20+ years", then yeh, YOU guys have. I myself have only known him truly for 4 to 5 years now (with ofc having binged all episodes during the span). But new viewers with no prior knowledge don't. And I seriously wonder, how many people find Satoshi interesting to watch compared to Gou, who's been getting most development and progression in this series so far. Also in a crazy fast pace. But that's for another post.

I also want to highlight the fact that, even if statistics were to imply that the focus episodes have been even between Gou and Satoshi, it still FEELS like Satoshi gets them less. Which is an incredibly weird feeling to have, and I hope JN can manage to flip this feeling in me around soon.

Anyway. I hope I managed to explain how I feel about Satoshi's character handling in this show. There have been some good episodes in this series, but so far, none have reached the same level of "oh this episode is SO GOOD" like I felt during Sun & Moon (it being in the freshest memory). And I miss that. So, in a way, I'm prepared for the possibility of this series being Satoshi's last, unless they reboot the show completely since Satoshi's starting to run out of any goals to progress on. As to me, PWC is the ultimate last step for him as the protagonist. And even then, he's not feeling like one.

Even if he said becoming the World Champion is the "first step in becoming a Pokémon Masters", it certainly feels like the opposite to me. But I don't know.

So, what exactly would make me feel invested in watching Satoshi progress then? By making us see some glimpse of his PWC matches between each PWC ep. Just a mention would be fine as well, or like show the end of the match. It'd still be off screen, granted, but less so. But also, give him episodes that would focus FULLY on him and his Pokémon. Without Gou. Or if Gou has to be around, make him not catch a Pokémon, or even try catching one. Give us an episode that would explore his current mindset. Because I miss that from Sun & Moon.

But that's enough rambling about Satoshi in JN, I HOPE I remembered all there was to talk about. Next post I plan on posting, it will be about how I feel about Gou.

So, if you read this far, thanks for reading, sorry for the rambles, and hope you guys are having a great day! And remember, these are just my opinions, and if you love JN, you are completely valid. And I just needed to get these out of my chest.

Til next time! Aleira, aka Smiling Performer, signing out.