#can’t believe i haven’t drawn them yet they’re literally my parents

[heyhanibee]

my mom and dad

[hercleverboy]

stars

spencer reid x fem!reader

summary ↠ spencer and the reader watch the stars and talk about their future.

category ↠ fluff

warnings/includes ↠ none

word count ↠ 1.7k

dedicating this fluff fest to my wifey, @alltooreid thank you for not only your creative input on this, but also for being there for me when i needed someone. much love <333

“And so I named the stars one by one, after every favourite memory of you.” — Stephen Stilwell

“Isn’t it beautiful?” She whispered, eyes staring up into the night, drawn to the little specks of light dotted in the clear sky. They were laid on the soft grass, blanket beneath them as they looked up together, beaming smiles on both their faces.

He grinned down at the woman who rested her head on his chest, his arms wound tightly around her. “It certainly is. I’m surprised the sky is so clear tonight, I really didn’t think we were going to be able to see much.” He admitted with a little laugh.

She chuckled at that. “You didn’t think we’d see much, and yet you still let me drag you out here at an ungodly hour so we could watch the stars?” She asked, shuffling slightly so she could look up at him.

“Of course. You’re cute when you’re excited, I didn’t have the heart to tell you that the probability of the sky being clear enough for us to see anything was only around 37%.” He explained, intertwining their hands together. “But there you go again, proving me wrong.”

“Hm. Aren’t you supposed to be a genius or something?” She joked, making him roll his eyes.

“I am! Unless you too can recite the Bible from memory? Or the manual for our microwave?” He joked, causing Y/N to give him a gentle shove.

“Can I ask you something?” She whispered, looking up at him.

He breathed out. “Anything.”

They were quiet for a little while before she spoke again. “Do you ever think about our future?”

Spencer’s breath hitched at the question.

Of course, he thought about their future. All the time. Marriage, kids, a big house with a white picket fence, perhaps even a dog. It was the ‘apple-pie’ life he’d dreamt of, more than he’d like to admit.

He gave her a squeeze, one of reassurance.

They’d been together for two years. Two years that had simultaneously been the best and worst of his life. In those years he’d nearly died after being shot in the neck, he’d lost Alex, Kate, Gideon, and the team was still under immense threat from Mr. Scratch. And somehow, admist all the chaos, he’d met this incredible woman who had helped him through it all. The last few months in particular had been rough for him. With Morgan leaving the team and his mother’s condition worsening, it had certainly made him reconsider everything he had in his life and also reminded him of not only what he’d lost, but what he’d gained. 

Y/N sighed, but still gave Spencer a smile. “It’s ok. We don’t have to talk about it, I was only wondering.”

“No, no. It’s ok. I’m just trying to gather my thoughts, is all.” He assured her, moving to sit up straight. Y/N sat up too, Spencer reaching out and grabbing one of her hands to hold tightly in his. “I think about it all the time, truthfully.” He mumbled.

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. You’re it for me, Y/N.” He gave a small smile, his gaze dropping to their intertwined fingers. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

Y/N nodded, urging him to continue.

“I’ve been thinking about my position at the BAU.” He stated firmly. Y/N’s eyes widened slightly in shock, surprised at the confession. The way he said it was so sure, so certain. He’d evidently been thinking about it for quite some time.

“Ever since Morgan left, I’ve been going over it again and again in my head. I understand why he left. His family needed him and it’s honestly the most admirable thing I’ve ever seen him do. I just wonder,” He paused, biting down on his lip in thought. “Would it be wise for me to make the same decision he did?” 

Y/N frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean— Y/N I love you. I want us to get married, have children, I want us to have a life together. And after watching Morgan, seeing how he gave up the job for his family, don’t you think I should do that too? For you, for us?” He explained, eyes finally meeting her worried ones.

“Woah, woah Spence. Are you saying you’re thinking of leaving the BAU?” She clarified, moving a little closer to him.

Spencer nodded. “I know, it seems crazy right? At first I couldn’t believe that I was even considering it but I’ve thought about it a lot and it just, it seems like the right thing to do.” He gave a small shrug. “If we’re going to have a life together I want our family to be my priority, and I just don’t think I can do that while I’m still doing this job. I’ve seen it all first hand. I watched Hotch lose Haley, I watched Morgan nearly lose Savannah, all because of this job.” 

Y/N shook her head slowly, much to Spencer’s surprise. “Spencer... I won’t be the reason that you leave a job that you worked so hard for, a job that you love so much. What about the team? They’re your family- “

It was Spencer’s turn to shake his head, cutting her off mid-sentence. “You’re right. The team are my family, but so are you. And if they care about me like I know they do, they’ll support me with this. And as for jobs? There are plenty out there that I’ll enjoy. I’ve actually been thinking of getting in contact with Alex, maybe asking about teaching opportunities at Georgetown.”

Y/N looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing as she studied his face intently. He avoided her eyes, small smile pulling at his lips.

She smiled back, a knowing look on her face. “You’ve already spoken to Alex about it, haven’t you?”

Spencer chuckled with a nod. “You know me too well. I spoke to her last week. She said there’s an open spot as the head of the Criminal Psychology department. The job is mine if I want it.”

Y/N gave him a grin, squeezing his hands. “Are you sure this is what you want?” He nodded, but that wasn’t enough for her. “No, I need to hear you say it. I need to know that you’re not going to resent me in a few years because of this.”

He was quick to shake his head, pulling her toward him as one of his hands came up to cup her face. “I would never resent you.”

“So, this is what you want?” She asked once more, just so she knew he was absolutely sure. 

He nodded adamantly. “I want you. I’m only ever going to want you.” He murmured the words so softly that it made Y/N’s heart ache. “Now, and for the rest of my days.”

With joyful tears building in her eyes she nodded, enveloping him in a hug as he kissed the side of her forehead.

Spencer let out a sigh accompanied by a teary smile. He gave her a squeeze, his hands soothing along her back as he looked up at the stars. “Did you know, there’s an old Buddhist saying that when you meet your soulmate, remember that the act to bring you together was 500 years in the making. We’re supposedly, quite literally, bound together through space and time. Isn’t that cool?” He rambled, earning a chuckle from Y/N.

“That is really cool.” She agreed. 

“You know I’m a man of science, but how else is it possible that you came into my life at a time where I needed you the most?” He whispered the last part, as though he was afraid to be so vulnerable as to let the words leave his lips. “Do you- do you think it’s possible that the stars brought us together?” 

She grinned, tilting back her head slightly to look up at the stars with him. “Yeah, I think so.” 

*

Spencer looked down in awe at the baby girl pressed against his bare chest. Josephine June Reid, barely three days old and already she had her father wrapped right around her tiny finger. Nothing he’d ever felt before compared to the feeling he had when he looked down at her, his little girl, his daughter. She slept peacefully against him, her little chest rising and falling rhythmically as his hands soothed over her back, gently rocking her. 

There was a soft knock on the nursery door, his tired-looking wife pushing it open. “Spence?”

He looked up, and offered her a warm smile. “Hey, you’re supposed to be resting.”

Y/N gave a sleepy grin, moving toward them. “You know that we’re supposed to sleep when she does, right?”

He snickered at that, raising an eyebrow at her. “You only gave birth three days ago. You know I’m going to tell you to get back into bed, right? Doctor’s orders.”

She held her hands up in a mock surrender, placing a kiss on the side of Spencer’s head. “I know.” 

It was silent for a moment, the new parents just staring down at the little life they’d created, filled with such a warmth, such a happiness that they’d never felt before. 

“I can’t put her down, not yet. I don’t want to let her go.” Spencer whispered, bringing up a finger to soothe over his daughter’s cheek. “I love her so much.”

“I know. She loves you too.” Y/N assured, watching with joy at how Spencer was with their daughter. He really was a natural with kids.

“You really should go back to bed, love. You need all the rest you can get.” He warned in a playful tone.

Y/N chuckled a little with a nod, bending down to press a gentle kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “I’m not going to fight you on that one Doc, I’m exhausted.” She ruffled the curls on her husband’s head, offering him a warm smile. “Love you. Come back to bed soon, yeah?”

Spencer nodded, promising he would.  

Before Y/N left the nursery, she turned back to her husband, calling his name softly. “Spence?”

“Yeah, love?”

“Do you regret it now?” She whispered, her fingers fumbling together as though she was afraid she wouldn’t like his answer. “Do you regret leaving the BAU?”

The question made him frown, it made him think. Did he regret leaving? 

His eyes flickered between his wife and the beautiful little girl against his chest and he smiled slightly at the realisation. This was everything he’d ever wanted, here, right in front of him. Every decision he’d made, every moment of heartache, every person he’d lost, they had all lead him there. To that very moment. 

And for that, he was so incredibly grateful. 

“No.” He replied, his voice as sure as the day he first mentioned leaving. “Not even for a second.”

He supposed he had the stars to thank for that. 

[innittowinit]

SBI headcanons awooga

Some headcanons and things for my sbi fd! Abandoned amusement park fic lol 

Here's the link if you haven't read it btw 

SBI last name is Reid, DT last name is Jackson btw lmao, i probably won't mention it much though unless it's like Mrs Reid for the sbi mom y'know

This has Tommy, Techno, Wilbur and Phil included; lmk if a dt post would be a good idea too 

Tommy

The youngest brother, he’s seven lmao what a child

Even though he’s the youngest, he’s also the most confrontational and will gladly ‘fight��� anyone who talks bad about his brothers 

He can’t fight

He’s very tall for his age but is also extremely light since he’s always running around 

Phil tries to get him to try new foods a lot but Tommy’s a really picky eater

...Tantrums.. Every time he doesn’t get his way

This lead to his brothers spoiling him quite a bit, he’s still sweet enough though since Phil has had many stern conversations with him about being nice to people 

Has a toy music boy, with collectable discs

Wilbur got his first disc for him, it’s his most prised possession 

Every time he does all of his chores (which are really just small things like clean up after himself and keep his room tidy) someone, whether its his Mum, Wilbur or someone else, gets him a new disc 

Techno got him ‘Pig step’ for his seventh birthday and he listens to it every night before bed 

One time he snuck downstairs while Techno and Wilbur were having a sleepover and watched the horror movie they were watching without them realising it. Techno and Wil were the ones to get into trouble since Tommy wouldn’t sleep for a week afterwards. 

Techno had to read him a story every night until he stopped thinking he was going to be eaten by a demon in the middle of the night 

Drinks way too much caffeine for a kid, someone take this boys coke away

He’s got a habit of biting his nails, which has left him with some pretty crooked teeth, which will probably need to be fixed with braces when he’s older. 

It’s also gross because he climbs so much there’s almost always dirt under his nails 

Hasn’t really grasped the whole concept of not saying everything he thinks yet

Oh my god someone shut this boy up

He still believes in Santa and The easter bunny too

One time Techno told him Oogie Boogie from the nightmare before christmas was real and he cried

He talks a lot in school because he finds it boring but he’s also very good at maths and English for his age

Wilbur 

Middle child, Wil is 13. Techno’s twin 

He’s pretty insecure about his music even though he’s been playing his whole life

That’s why he likes being able to practice in L’manburg, there’s no pressure to be perfect when he’s alone with his brothers 

Super extroverted and confident in everything else though, Since Techno can’t talk to most people, he usually tries to speak for both of them

After realising that Techno didn’t really like it when he said ‘Techno thinks’ a lot, back in primary school, he adapted to trying to speak for what Techno wants without making Techno’s issues obvious

They tell people who need to know, but for people they’ll only talk to a few times they usually just get away with Wilbur acting super obnoxious and loud so it seems like Techno just doesn’t have room to talk, rather than that he can't 

It’s easier than getting into it since they don’t feel like most people will understand

has separation Anxiety, when he’s not with his brother he doesn’t relax/ feel safe at all. If it happens at school he won't do his work at all/ Will probably just leave the room and try to find Techno

Everyone kinda knows this and they try to suit things around it without saying it outright 

He’s kinda embarrassed, he likes to think he’s the one protecting Techno but really they need each other the same amount 

Techno gets this though, He doesn’t mind if wilbur has a bit of a saviour complex, he’ll play along if it makes him happy 

They’re working on it with their Therapist though so don’t worry, he won't grow up to be an ass

Interests (besides music) include: 

Watching obscure documentaries 

Disney movies, favourite is peter pan 

  Skating 

He and Techno got Picked on in primary school for being so close, he learnt kickboxing so he could defend himself if things ever got physical. Luckily they didn’t but he still knows how to kickbox so watch out

Almost always turning in homework late, he’s good at talking his way out of Detentions though. 

And when he cant talk his way out, Techno finds a way to get detention too

He’s VERY protective of his younger brother(s(he was born first so he likes to insist that Techno is his little brother)) 

That’s good for the most part but he can be a little overbearing sometimes, he’s got detention many many times for cussing out people who so much as looked at Techno wrong 

When he’s feeling guilty he mumbles a lot 

Techno 

Middle child, 13. Wilbur’s twin

Has selective Mutism, completely fine talking to Wilbur, Only talks to Tommy and Phil if Wil is there too but other than that he’s completely fine talking to them as well. He speaks to his parents but not as openly as he does with his brothers, with them its usually very quiet, one word sentences 

Like Wilbur, separation Anxiety also, It’s not as bad as Wilbur’s is though, Wil just makes him comfortable enough to talk with his brothers, he can deal with being without Wilbur but he absolutely doesn’t want to

He can be a bit arrogant and possessive of his brothers at times, he’s a bit scared of them leaving him because he can be so difficult so he has a tendency to be cold to any new people they bring home 

Interests include: Pvp games, ancient china, farming

He was hyper-fixated on a cartoon when he was younger and now he has multiple cosplays from it that he’ll probably never wear again

His hair is LONG and pink, they never figured out why it grew so fast or why it was pink but it is lmao 

When he was born his parents were terrified, they thought he had some kind of rare condition that was going to hurt him but the doctors eventually came to the conclusion that he just had healthy hair that grew fast and the pinkness was due to an abnormality in the melanin in his system or something idk fellas im failing science pls pretend this part makes sense 

Being silent with long pink hair as a kid, he got picked on a lot. There were many instances where he just pushed kids over or hit them because they were being mean 

Since he’s the quiet one, teachers usually trust him a lot so he and wilbur used to skip class a lot, back when they got picked on, by saying they had to help another teacher do something

In an attempt to get him to be more social, his parents signed him up for violin lessons aged 8, he really liked his teacher and had even managed to speak a little to her over the past 4 years he took lessons 

Spaces out a lot 

He watches a lot of conspiracy theory videos but he doesn’t actually believe any of them, he just finds them interesting

One time he convinced Tommy they were living in a simulation and Tommy hit a kid to see if his hand would pass through

He’s spoken a few words to squidkid too since they’re childhood friends and he’s very comfortable with him. Ironically all he seems to say to him is ‘bozo’ to tease the other for saying it so often, instead of literally any other insult

Phil 

Oldest brother, 16 

Cares about his brothers so so so so so much like he will do anything to keep them happy and safe

One time he missed an exam because Tommy was sick and he wanted to take him to the doctor before anything else

Tommy was fine btw, just one of those bugs you get when you're little

Their parents are pretty distant so Phil has been pretty much raising them since he was little, he doesn’t mind though

Their parents aren’t bad people or anything, they just get called out a lot for work and can’t be at home a whole bunch, it’s a big part of the reason why Techno never got comfortable talking a lot around them

He works at a Nearby florist to get extra cash to buy his brothers things when his parents arent home

When their mum is home, he brings her flower arrangements home from work because he is sweet <3

He’s really into mythology and Folklore as well as drawing, when he was younger he had multiple sketchbooks filled up with different creatures that he had drawn 

When he, techno and wilbur were all little, he used to play a game with them where they’d describe a monster off the tops of their heads and he’d draw it for them 

Techno and Wilbur loved this and always put up Phil’s drawings on their bedroom walls 

When he was 13 he used to write angsty poetry, He told wilbur about it one day and that's when wilbur first started adding lyrics to his songs 

He can be pretty gullible, he likes to believe that people mean good no matter how hard it might be to see it that way 

He can hold grudges for a pretty long time, he’s quick to forgive when it’s himself that’s been hurt but it’s very very hard to get on his good side again if you hurt his brothers 

Watches Alien theories with techno, unlike techno he actually believes in them

Has the ‘i believe in aliens’ poster 

When they were little, he used to grow strawberry plants with techno and Wilbur, this is what prompted techno to start growing other vegetables in their garden himself

[writer-room]

Siblings: Chapter Two

AO3

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Summary: The Bats reflect on how their thoughts about siblings have changed over the years. Some opinions stayed, others didn't.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Barbara never really thought about having siblings.

Sure, she’d wonder on occasion, when kids would bring up how lucky she was not to have any siblings. Or to tease her when she didn’t understand whatever strange rituals they got up to.

It was just life. She was an only child, and that was fine with her.

Of the two sets of parents she’d had in her life, neither really brought up having other kids. Jim mentioned it once, but she figured it probably wouldn’t be happening, since it was never brought up again. That was fine with her. She wouldn’t really have the time to deal with one, anyway. She had priorities, vigilantes to learn about, not babysitting a kid.

She was fine without any other little kid to deal with. She probably wouldn’t be any good at it, anyway.

,

“Well. You’re not supposed to be here.”

Three pairs of eyes snapped up, two of them shining briefly like they were in a badly taken picture with flash on.

“We’re also not supposed to be awake,” Tim said calmly, slowly setting down the case files he had in his hands. “And yet, here we are.”

“No, that’s normal for you,” Barbara said, waving her hand. “Even Cass I kind of understand,” She said, giving a nod to the girl, who nodded in return. “But Cullen?” She turned a disappointed frown to the boy. “C’mon, I thought better of you.”

“Don’t guilt trip me on this,” Cullen pointed a finger at her. “These two forced me along.” He said, pointing at Tim and Cass.

“I literally told you not to come.” Tim deadpanned.

“You were breaking into Babs apartment,” Cullen stressed. “I came to shield you from getting beaten to a pulp.”

“And blackmail?” Cass tilted her head.

“...and blackmail.”

“I knew it.” Tim whispered, narrowing his eyes like he’d solved the mystery of the year.

Barbara groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. She set aside the taser she’d had hidden in the seat of her wheelchair, knowing she wouldn’t need it now. She didn’t have to do much to get these idiots out of her apartment.

“Why are you here?” She sighed, facing them as she wheeled closer to her coffee table, where she’d left a few minor police cases to look back on in the morning.

“The energy drinks haven’t left my system yet.” Tim said simply, slowly inching his hand back to one of the files. “I already took care of my stack of cases, and you always get the hardest ones, so I thought--”

Barbara smacked his hand away. Tim squeaked and jerked his hand back, clutching it like she’d stung him.

“Go bully Dick on his cases. In fact, why not just go to sleep?” Barbara said, reaching out and gathering her cases closer to her. “Why is Cass even here?”

“Make sure he does not pass out,” Cass said, signing the words she spoke in a slightly more understandable manner. “Or run. Cannot let little brother solve case on own.”

“He’s banned from taking on cases by himself after the last incident.” Cullen explained.

“The one with the ghosts or the turtles?”

“I still can’t believe you won’t believe me on the turtles,” Tim rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “We’ve met aliens and witches and repeatedly come back from the dead, but mutant turtles in the sewers are out of the question?”

“They’re turtles, Tim.” Cullen sighed, like they’d had this conversation a hundred times. Which they probably had.

“And?”

“Alright, alright, enough out of you.” Barbara scolded, tightening her hold on her files when she saw Tim’s hand twitch towards them, his expression looking close to becoming crazed.

“Only one?” Cass pleaded, suddenly appearing at Barbara’s side. “Small one. Tiny one, like baby brother.”

“I resent you,” Tim huffed, glaring at Cass.

“You couldn’t have waited till morning like normal people?” Barbara muttered, eyes shifting between the two. “You’re not even in your uniforms! Did you walk here like actual normal people?”

“They stole the limo because they didn’t want to be spotted carrying me across Gotham.” Cullen mumbled, eyes looking anywhere but at Barbara.

Barbara stared at him for a moment, wondering how she’d lasted as long as she did with these people.

“Is there a goddamn limo belonging to Bruce Wayne outside my apartment?” She demanded.

“Of course not,” Tim said, like this was the stupidest question he’d heard in his life. “We parked it a block away so that suspicion wouldn’t be drawn.”

“You almost crashed it into restaurant,”

“But I didn’t.” Tim said, raising a finger as if that made a good point.

“You parked it on the curb.”

“...alright I deserve that one.” Tim relented, letting his hand drop.

“Why did you let the seventeen-year-old with no licence drive a limo?” Barbara stressed, wondering if she could risk her files by rubbing at her temples. She was going to get a migraine from these two.

“Because Cass behind the wheel would’ve been anarchy and Cullen forgot where you lived.” Tim said easily.

“I didn’t forget,” Cullen corrected sharply. “Nobody ever told me. How was I supposed to know she has a place outside the Manor like Harper and me? I thought she lived at the Manor or at some, I dunno, underground bunker with a million computers or something.” He said, waving his hands around.

“All the more reason for me to get out of the Manor more,” Barbara mumbled under her breath. “Look, tell you what,” She said, freeing an arm for a moment to wheel herself back from the coffee table. 

“You three go to sleep, because I am not taking you back to the Manor or having you drive back in the limo,” She said, adding a glare that the three of them looked away from. “And I’ll find some case for Tim in the morning, where Cass and Dick can keep an eye on him.”

“You’re cruel,” Tim whined, rubbing at his face like that would somehow hide the bags she could very obviously see under his eyes. 

“So will Bruce be if he finds out you took his limo on a joyride at midnight unsupervised.” Barbara said calmly. “Now the three of you better be grabbing the sleeping bags from my closet in the next twenty seconds or I’m not covering a single one of your backs on that inevitable disaster.”

Tim and Cullen were up and scrambling off before she’d even finished her sentence. Cass was quick to get up too, but she was far more dignified and less frantic than the others. She gave Barbara a delightful grin before slipping off after the boys.

She was going to have to do so much editing of security cameras for these morons. Barbara sighed and wheeled towards the kitchen, stashing her files in one of the drawers and hoping that would be enough for now. She had never been more grateful she’d prepared sleeping bags in her room after the Bats had broken in one too many times in the middle of the night.

She allowed herself a small smile as she checked her files to make sure they stayed at least somewhat neat in the drawer. Oh, if Jim knew the people she was stuck around with.

She paused, counting her files again as she frowned. She counted them a third time under her breath, sifting through them.

A file was missing.

That damned sneak!

“Cass!” Barbara barked, pushing herself away from the drawer. “You bring me my file right now before I call Bruce!”

“I can’t believe she used the ‘I’m calling dad’ argument,” A muffled voice complained from what was definitely not her room.

“I can hear you, you little shit!”

“Scatter!”

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Shinkai Kaze no Shou Drama Translation - Shogunate Dogs and Puppies

last post of the month!  so as always, i’ll end by asking if you can please support through ko-fi, through paypal or patreon, the latter will give you early access to my stuff and blog translations (changed the tiers)…. also let me know if you have any hakuoki drama cds that you’d be willing to share that are on my looking for list  since i either do not have audio for those cds or do not have audio that i can share... 

Anyway! im finally done with this! AND I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE HOW LUCKY I AM THAT THE AUDIO WAS POSTED FOR THIS RECENTLY!

also the 3rd and 5th sanan tsukikage chapters were re-posted so I saved them as pdfs this time (also kazama’s 7th chapter was taken down but i thankfully already had that saved as a pdf). if im lucky, that translator will repost the other chapters they took down... tho i’m likely not going to translate any of that since i still have a shit ton of stuff on my to-do list plus... ginsei no shou is what im interested in... and i really wanna find some saito stuff to translate lol. especially given the cgs. they’re sooooooooooooooooooo pretty!

lol. as always, final edits will be done on the video (will be delayed due to me being busy)... and since I translated this before I actually heard this cd, I just went with what the Mandarin pingyin reads as for several things in this drama translation. also, there’s a lot of barking not directly mentioned in my tl that i didn’t see in the original TL i used for this.

Aside from the Shinsengumi Oni-tan drama, this is the 2nd drama I’ve always wanted to translate... with the 3rd being ???? xD. only translated track 6 of that one for some reason, and it’s a +30 min drama so i have no idea when it’ll get posted (the 4th would be the Thumb-sized samurai one cuz i’m still annoyed at how i only got tl for 4/7 tracks while the 5th would be the vita zuisouroku one”手紙” for the same reason since im missing tl for tracks 1-6 for that. T_T did find tl for the 妖刀始末记 drama cd i was missing translations for though i don’t have the audio for that). 

image from suruga-ya.

enjoy~!  do not repost this elsewhere!

Hakuoki Shinkai Kaze no Shou Drama CD “Shogunate Dogs and Puppies”

Translation by KumoriYami

Hijikata: ha.. really. I didn't expect to work so late. the sun's already gone down/set.

Yamazaki: Although we planned on getting back before dinner... it is unlikely that we'll make it.

Hijikata: Yeah.... now that dinner is over, i hope that those idiots haven't eaten everything.

Yamzaki: vice-commander, if you wish to hurry, we can take shortcuts/a shortcut.

Hijiakta: shortcuts? is there a shortcut nearby?

Yamazaki: Yes, it's not a well-known [??] shortcut, (and) could affect the vice-commander's safety, so I don't really recommend it....

Hijikata: No, it doesn't matter. Lead the way. If the Shinsengumi's vice-commander doesnt dare to go, it would be a problem.

Yamazaki: I understand. Then please, go this way.

Hijikata: So/Originally, as long as you passed this road we'd be near headquarters. But/However this shortcut feels a little creepy.

Yamazaki: There were reports of wild dog attacks here. I'll go first, also vice-commander please make yourself quieter----What was that noise/sound?!

[I assume that Yamazaki means for Hijikata to make quieter movements though I can't say that for certain. "也請副長多加小" literally word for word: also please vice-commander much/many add/plus small]

Hijikata: Yamazaki! Get ready! (sword gets drawn) It's in the grass over there!

Yamazaki: Wa! Wh-what... is that a wild dog?

hijikata: no, it's just a puppy. did it get separated from its parents?

puppy: wuwu.....

Yamazaki: Do-don't come (over)/cause trouble....go!

Hijikata: hey, when you meant wild dogs, did you mean this guy? Although it's a bit surprising, however isn't this cute? I thought it was a bandit/robber——

Kazama: hm, I was wondering what was making so much noise over here, it turns out it was the Shogunate's hunting dog/lackey playing around with a stray dog? What a funny display/an interesting sight to behold.

Yamazaki: You are Kazama Chikage....?!

Hijikata: Che! In a sense, this guy is [even] worse than a bandit/robber...... Why have you come here?!

Kazama: That's my line/what I should bee saying. Avoiding the main road, taking this shortcut to imitate a dog and steal a chicken [idiom], all I can see in my eyes/before me are people with no sense of shame.

Hijikata: Hey! Look at yourself before speaking of others! If you show up here, it also means that you're very suspicious.

Kazama: Hm, applying [accusing] what you saying to others/applying what you are doing to others is proof of how despicable you are. [As expected of the] Shogunate's hunting dog, truly how shameless. I originally had no business with you today, but I am not so forgiving as to ignore a bunch of bastard dogs who are always trying to pick a fight.

Hijikata: Interesting. Want to fight?

Kazama: Hmph, just watch how I cut you, and your sword covered in dog filth.

Hijikatta: That's what I was thinking/just what I want, I'll be able to rid myself of you!

Kazama: hmph, "the weaker dog will always bark/the weaker the dog is, the more it will bark" and that barking has been happening from the start.......This is only the start.... and I'm bored to death! What's wrong, I've been shouting since just now!

Yamazaki: C-calm down, dog! come on! come, sit down!

Hijikata: I think I've suddenly lost my will to fight.... Oi, Kazama! Is this dog yours? If it is, hurry up and take it with you [away]!

Kazama: How stupid! How could I have taken in such a filthy dog. Since you're all dogs, it should be a companion of you guys!

Hijikata: Who knows, we don't have a clue. But, what's to be done about this guy?

Yamazaki: The way it''s been barking, has ruined the atmosphere for a fight.

Kazama: Really...... it's no fun if you're saying that you were disturbed by a puppy barking as an excuse for losing. (sheathes blade). Hey, I'll wait. You guys get that dog to shut up now.

hijiktat: don't talk to yourself!

Kazama: Hurry up! Talking is a waste of time.

Hijikata: Che[? the definition of the TL here is 'to yawn' so i'm guessing that this might be more of a 'tsk' or 'che']! hey yamazaki, you think of a way to get the dog to shut up.

Yamazaki: M-me? If that's an order, I will comply...... but just now it didn't quiet down at all.

Kazama: Haha...... the Shogunate's hunting dog has been fooled by a wild dog? You indeed all resemble each other. 

Hijikata: You don't have the qualification to talk to us! Hey, have you gotten it to shut up yet?

Yamazaki: It apparently seems to be warning us, as long as we aren't hostile, it should be quiet.

Kazama: Oh.....then you've truly given up. It was probably barking because of how dreadful/awful/fearful/hideous your faces look. Do you want to cover up your faces?

Hijikata: What are you saying about our faces being dreadful? Your face looks more awful than ours, so it was probably barking at that? What do you think? Yamazaki.

Yamazaki:......Uh, ah! yes! I believe Kazama's face is extremely dreadful.

Hijikata: hey, wait...... why was that silence just now?

Yamazaki: It, it's nothing! It absolutely didn’t mean anything!

Kazama: Quit it with the senseless questions and answers. Quickly get that dog to be quiet!

Hijikata: damn it! When this is over, remember this (for me [will probably omit that])! Yamazaki, let's go! Hey, isn't it time [for you] to shut up now? If you don't calm down, don't you know what the consequences will be?........Damn, the barking is really difficult to deal with. Be good, don't worry, so stop barking.

Kazama: hey, just now were you guys trying to please [coax?] it?

Hijikata: ah? Don't bother me!!

Puppy: wanwanwanwan, wanwanwan!!!

Yamazaki: Vice-commander, this is counter-productive. it's rare for that guy to be a bit honest......

Kazama: One or two stray/wild dogs cannot be ordered into doing something, it seems that the dignity of the Shogunate's hunting dog is of no use.

Hijikata: You mouth speaks very well...... however in the end, this guy only started barking after you showed up.

Yamazaki: Indeed. That is to say, the reason for this barking isn't us, rather it is you!

Kazama: What? Being unable to get this dog to shut up, you decide to blame someone else? How unsightly.

Yamazaki: If you were unrelated as you say, why does this dog keep barking at you?!

Kazama: Apparently this lowly dog is unable to understand its position. Then I shall personally get it to shut its mouth.

Hijikata: What do you want to do?  Could it be you want to...!

Kazama: It'll only takes a moment to shut it up!

Hijikata: Hey! Stop.... Nn? What's that?

Kazama: ah, since it seems like you want to eat this dango [i’m assuming ‘dango’ is said here since the tl is ‘dumpling.’ usually whenever i see ‘dumpling the audio puts it as dango], I'll give it to you to eat. Dislikeable/ Disagreeable/ Annoying dog [kinda like 'what a disagreeable fellow' i guess? can't really say for certain since no audio].

Hijikata: I thought you were going to kill it!

Kazama: To always cut down those who hinder you........ is it because you normally do such a thing, that you can only think in this way?

Hijikata: There's no such thing! To use food instead of words/To actually say such a thing using food, you're so/truly despicable/mean!

Kazama: That is completely baseless, I only made the use of everything to stop this. Anyway, this guy is only a domestic animal, it's impossible to for it to not have an appetite. What's the matter? Now that it's satisfied, it's quiet so come——

puppy: wan! wanwan......!

Hijikata: What's wrong? It didn't quiet down/calm down at all.

Yamazaki: That seemed to have the opposite effect. It seems to be asking for more/for you to feed it again

Kazama: che, don't you know how to be grateful? what are you dissatisfied with?

HIjikata: Seeing you speak like that, it seems that you also aren't able to accomplish/do it?

Kazama: Let me first say, that it is barking for different reasons. It's barking at you guys because it think your faces are terrible while its barking at me is to ask me to give it more [feed it again... i think makes more sense].

Hijikata: Whatever you say, regardless/in the end, this problem still hasn't been resolved.

Yamazaki: It's as he says/He's right. What are you going to do this time/So what are you going to do with it......

Kazama: Leave it to me, I'll show you what I can do.

Yamazaki: Kazama! You're still trying to kill this dog---

Kazama: Insignificant and lowly dog that is barking! Shut up!!

puppy: wuwu......

Kazama: hmph, see? My majesty/prestige/dignity/authority [??? i guess something like 'behold my authority'?]

Yamazaki: You're just threatening it to keep/stay quiet....? Eh? (It's) Not barking?

Kazama: Okay, now that the annoying guy has shut up, we can continue.

Hijikata: So the outcome/result was like this..........Good grief. Are you ready?

Kazama: I'm up [assuming im ready/prepared].

puppy: wanwanwan! wanwan.......!

Kazama: You guys....! I ordered you to shut up, why are you yelling/barking again?!

Hijikata: What's wrong? You'll have to calm it down and show us.

Yamazaki: Kazama Chikage, what do you intend to do? You took charge of this dog/The dog is in your charge.  

Kazama: Hah....! (sheathes sword) Hmph, dogs and dogs really fit together, I truly am stupid for playing around with you guys. I'm going.

Puppy: wan! wanwan!

Yamazaki: Exactly what does this puppy want?

Hijikata: Is it trying to get between/obstruct/hinder us.... Maybe it's trying to stop us from fighting.

Yamazaki: This... how is that possible/how can this be?

Hijikata: Okay, we've wasted enough time, it's time to go.

Yamzaki: Yes. However/But, how should the dog be handled?

Hijkata: It's impossible to bring it back to headquarters, though it might be heartless... but/however, I believe dogs have their own world. Even if we don't worry about it, it'll survive.

Yamazaki: I understand.

Kazama Chikage, Tsuda Kenjirō Hijikata Toshizou, Miki Shinichiro Yamazaki Susumu, Suzuki Takayuki

--End--

....i wanna complain that ive had no motivation to do anything music related since the pandemic started... tho i’m guessing part of it’s owed to listening to increase of songs from TSFH and metal gear, the majority of which don’t really work on piano... maybe that’ll change if i start a certain switch game lol....

next month, i have various translated things from various mediums scheduled.

[12redsky34]

wip roundup

I have been tag-teamed by @autisticmidoriyas and @yamadadzawa so I guess it’s my turn! Thanks for inviting me to share my many ideas, both of u xD

Just gonna preface this by saying that I have only three actual in-progress and posted wips at the moment, so I’ll split this into written and currently unwritten. In addition, while most of my ideas are for BNHA, I have a few for Haikyuu as well that I’ll include.

 BNHA

1. The Soul Behind The Quirk: Currently the fic I’ve written the most content for, and it’s been tonnes of fun to write!. It basically started with the thought “what if Izuku could see like... souls?” and it spiralled from there. It starts with Hisashi, an S-class villain (not AfO though), coming to Izuku and Inko’s home. He and a currently unnamed accomplice murder Inko and heavily injure Izuku, leaving Aizawa to rescue him from the burning apartment. Izuku force-manifests a quirk from the stress of the experience.

2. Dancing through Embers: This one is still in the baby stages, but it features quirkless, trans Izuku and Hitoshi, graffiti artist Hitoshi, vigilante Izuku, vigilante and brotherly Dabi (eventually, it’s a bit far down the line at the moment), and eventual parental Aizawa. Also featuring the characters in Karasuno from Haikyuu!! You don’t need to know anything about Haikyuu to enjoy them, but they’re a nice addition for those who do. This one’s more serious than most of my other fics so far, and I’ve outlined a lot more than the rest. I’m actually quite proud of what I’ve planned, and you may take that as you will ;)

3. A Study of Soulmates: You want a soulmate AU? You want good dad Hisashi? Want a quirkless Izuku who doesn’t ever step foot into UA? Want an Izuku that will eventually work in a coffee shop as an informant on the side? Well this is the place for you! This one is in it’s early early stages; like I just started posting last month, early. It’s mostly going to be fairly light-hearted, with both platonic and romantic soulmates, but Tododeku is planned as a main pairing and there will be plenty of shenanigans surrounding them.

3. I’m falling to pieces (falling to pieces): A oneshot that is still being written. I’ve seen a lot of fics where Aizawa and/or his classmates find out about Izuku’s previous quirklessness somehow, and this was actually inspired from this post by @zippodippo! Features all the dadzawa content!

4. Dragon!Quirked Izuku AU: This hasn’t had too much thought beyond “I want to make Izuku a dragon” and “Ooooh what if he was taken in by the Hero Commission just like Hawks?” Basically in this fic, his quirk manifested a little late and quite violently; he effectively goes feral for a short while until heroes are called in to subdue him. He would have been pardoned for his quirk use considering it happened while he was afraid and under significant stress, but the power his quirk had even then caught the Commission’s attention and they basically forced Inko and Hisashi to hand him over. There isn’t a lot they can do about it.

5. Shady Dealings: Doesn’t really have an end goal at the moment, but this basically started from “I want to write a villain/informant AU that I feel would be true to Izuku’s character,” and it resulted in this. Inko works as a nurse/doctor of sorts in the underground for villains, vigilantes, or just people who can’t afford an actual hospital for whatever reason. Hisashi works as a support mechanic of sorts for the underground, mostly for vigilantes and for the poor division of the population who can’t afford traditional prosthetics. Both of them take payment in the form of money, favours, or both. They’re also very careful to keep anyone from targeting Izuku, and make active attempts to get him into a more lawful line of work, but that backfires of course. I plan for it to be pretty lighthearted despite the serious subject.

6. Everyone is Brainwashed: I see a lot of fix-it fics where those involved are often like “why didn’t I see/notice this before?” and I thought “well... what if it’s because everyone literally can’t?” The basic premise is this: when UA was first being planned and built, AfO placed a very subtle but very wide-ranged brainwashing on anyone involved in major decisions regarding the school. He can’t change how anyone under influence acts in a major way, but he can, for instance, make someone decide not to put in place one safety measure or another. This is a chink he eventually takes advantage of through the USJ arc. Things are going quite well for him until one Izuku Midoriya walks in completely unaffected by the brainwashing zone he’s put in place.

7. Anomaly!AU: Basically if Izuku is an SCP from SCP: Containment Breach. I’ve taken a fair amount of creative liberties with this one, partially because I have never actually played the game and partially because fitting things like that into a world of quirks can be a little tricky. He’ll be an SCP of my own design, I’ve actually drawn him quite a bit at this point, but he wasn’t originally one. AfO took him as a child and felt like experimenting so he sort of crammed a lot of weird, random quirks into him, but it kind of backfired, and Izuku became something not quite human anymore. There’s not a whole lot planned yet but I have some ideas!

Haikyuu!!

1. Lightning Strikes Twice: Basically a HTTYD AU with some creative liberties. Hinata is a rare lightning Dragon, known in the racing world for his speed. The only problem is, his paired rider is abusive and keeps pushing and demanding, always telling him he isn’t good enough even though he keeps trying. Kageyama is a renowned dragon rider, known for his excellent control on the saddle and for being able to navigate racing courses even veterans find hard to clear. However, he never manages to find a dragon he truly connects with, and to make it far in the racing industry, that kind of connection is basically a requirement. Tragic accidents drive them from their old teams and bring them to Karasuno, where they both get a fresh start.

2. Giant Crow Hinata: Almost everything is the same except Hinata isn’t human, and lives in the mountains with his family, who are also not human. I haven’t decided what exactly they are past giant creatures of some sort. Hinata belongs to a clan of giant bird creatures, and he specifically is a crow. One night in a storm, he gets injured and ends up in Kageyama’s back yard. Kageyama’s mother patches him up and sends him home, but he comes back, and eventually he and Tobio end up in a routine of sorts where Hinata will sit there and listen to Tobio talking about volleyball. One day, Hinata arrives but he’s in a more human-like form and demands that he let Tobio try and play with him. That’s about all I got for that so far.

3. Pokemon AU: This one is. So involved, mostly on the worldbuilding side of things. For those who know anything at all about the main series Pokemon games, this will be set in Galar (Sword/Shield). Hinata grows up wanting nothing more than to be a Pokemon Ranger (they have a slightly different role than “canon” here), whereas Kageyama was born from a Gym Leader and the CEO of an influential company and has had heavy expectations on him basically since birth. The stress and fear of failure make him cold and controlling at first, so when he does his first run of the Pokemon League, he fails. He gets advice to visit the Wild Area where a certain Ranger spends most of his time. Needless to say, when he meets this scrawny, wild-haired little Ranger, he is not expecting it to be while he himself is being chased around by an angry Dragon-type until Hinata arrives and calms it down by just being there. He has many questions.

Aaaaand that’s it I believe! If any of you want to ask me questions about these, feel free to leave an ask! I’d be happy to talk about them more :D As for tagging, uhhhh... I dunno, @plusultrachaos, @faelwenholdsthelight, and @psychicshr00m, if y’all haven’t done so and would like to do this!

[she1smyscar]

Reasons Why I Don’t Like Barchie

Let me start off by saying that I don't really have a ship for any of the teens really. There are some that I like more than others and there are a couple that are 100% my NOTPs (Barchie being one of them), but I'm not a Bughead stan, a Varchie stan, a Beronica stan, a Choni stan, etc. I mainly focus on the plot and the parents. Ships aren't my main focus most of the time. But I haven't been able to watch this season since Barchie got so much bigger and I'll tell you why.

When I started to watch Riverdale, I was 100% in Betty's shoes. I had a big crush on my best friend and I thought that eventually we'd end up together and when I thought he liked me back, I got rejected just like Betty and was expected to continue to move on as best friends as if nothing happened. But just like Betty, it was too hard and too painful. That happened to me irl only about a few weeks before I watched it happen on Riverdale and I went through that heartbreak all over again. I've seen shippers praising the exact scene where Archie broke Betty's heart after the dance. I don't understand why you could praise a scene where he HURT her. It would be the same vice versa....if she had broken his heart. Either way, it's not romantic at all. She went into her room and probably cried that night. Something I know well about feeling unwanted.

I know several people blame Grundy for that, but that doesn't make any sense. Here's why. Archie never looked at Betty the way he looked at Veronica THE SECOND, she showed up in Pop's her first night in Riverdale. Right there is a clear sign that he wasn't interested in Betty. He proposed to her when they were younger, yes. But they grew up, still really close to each other, and he never asked her out. Meaning he either didn't see her the way he saw Veronica that first day, or he really did just want to stay friends with Betty. Back to Grundy. People say that Archie felt drawn to Grundy so he rejected Betty. But if it were because of Grundy, why, only two episodes after Grundy leaves, did Archie go straight for VALERIE and NOT Betty? Grundy left in Season 1, Episode 4. Which means Archie could have gotten with Betty (if she really was his first choice) in Season 1, Episode 5. I know, I know. It was too soon, right? Hm? Then why did Archie get with Valerie in Season 1, Episode 6? That's not even that much longer after Grundy left. So when people say that Archie has loved Betty this whole time, it doesn't feel true to me, because if she really was his first choice, he would've gone right to her once Grundy was gone, but nope. He chose Valerie first. Also...he kissed Veronica in Episode 1, which shows that Grundy was definitely not stopping him from kissing other girls. They both KNEW Betty liked him yet they kissed anyway even though they WERE just gonna stand in the closet and not do anything till time was up, but they kissed anyway because they were attracted to each other. If Archie was attracted to Betty from the get-go, he wouldn't have held back from kissing her the moment he knew she liked him. He liked Veronica that way, not Betty. So I'm debunking the Grundy theory.

Another thing that bothers me is when people call Jughead "Betty's rebound" off of Archie. Hm...if that was true, I doubt she would've stayed with her "rebound" as long as 4 years. Especially since Betty and Archie have both been single at the same time yet she still chose Jughead over him. She fell for Jug after he finally gave her back the stuff she's been waiting for from Archie. So Jughead was and is not a rebound. If anything, Veronica was ARCHIE's rebound. But not from Betty. FROM VALERIE. He got drunk af at Jughead's birthday party because it was right after Val left him for being a terrible boyfriend (which he clearly is) and after Val threw her drink in his face, he got more drunk and then Veronica kissed him and he was like "Oh, sure. I'll sleep with you since you kissed me and I'm upset and Val left me."

Back to Archie being a terrible boyfriend (aside from when he was with Josie). With Val...he ignored her and only gave her attention when he was gaining something with his music. Then Cheryl's family gave him an opportunity to go to a good music school, so boom, he ignored Val's wish not to be Cheryl's date to her family Maple Gathering. Dumb move. No wonder Val told him she was done. Then...with Veronica, he kissed Betty. But then Betty was not interested (Hmmm, because she loves her “”rebound”” Jughead so much). And then Veronica told Archie to stay away from Hiram and what did Archie do? Completely ignored her and got stuck in some big mob mess and illegal shit. Then he broke up with her over the phone when she was trying to support him. So she got with Reggie who treated her so well (yes, they had problems too) but he was so whipped for her, let's be real. He did everything she wanted and he would've done anything for her. Then they had their issues and broke up but they were about to get back together, LITERALLY, just as Archie showed up and was all "I love you. Come back to me" and Veronica was obviously still not over him, so poor Reggie had no chance and then Veronica got back with Archie who she should not have gotten back with. She was amazing to him (all of his friends were) when his father passed away. But VERONICA talked him out of saying that his father would be ashamed of him and she made him see otherwise and told him that Fred would be proud of him. That's a GOOD girlfriend. Meanwhile, Archie still has eyes for other girls (Betty now apparently). But anyway. I'm just saying that Betty AND Veronica both deserve a better guy than Archie Andrews.

I just don't see why any girl on this show would be shipped with him. Remember when Veronica decided to kiss Jughead to even the playing field after they told Jug about Barchie kissing? Archie looked pissed. Like wtf? You kissed Betty when you were STILL WITH VERONICA. At least Betty and Jughead were over at the time. I don't believe Archie had a right to look so mad about Jeronica's little fun/platonic kiss when what he did was behind Veronica's back and while they were still together. Her and Jug "getting even" was right there in front of the other two and playful. Nothing to be angry or possessive about Archie. Jeez.

The only time he was an outstanding boyfriend was with Josie and that was the only time I was actually EXCITED to watch Archie scenes. They were great together and they both EQUALLY supported each other and helped each other through things. Not to say that Archie doesn't have good qualities, because he does. He's been trying to clean up Riverdale and he helped Veronica figure out how to get Hiram to fight through his sickness. But I just really can't see him with Betty after everything they've been through without each other. They barely talk anyway till now when they're FAKING being together.

Bonus: There are people who talk about how Archie and Betty doing investigations together are better than Betty and Jughead. But the only time Betty and Archie did an investigation together was to figure out who the Black Hood was and they ended up unmasking the wrong person. Their janitor, who was actually innocent. So clearly, Betty and Jughead are a better team. Not to mention, Archie can really be one of the biggest dumbasses in Riverdale.

THE COMICS: Yes. I know they are canon in the comics. But we well know that the comics and the show are VERY different (Did you know that Penny Peabody and Fangs Fogarty are supposed to be endgame like they are in the comics??? But Riverdale made Penny a 30 year old and Fangs a 16 year old, so that became a "NO" right away. Hence...the difference between the show and the comics). Also....there are comics where Betty kisses Archie behind Veronica's back when Varchie were together and she kissed him without his consent in the dark when he thought he was kissing Veronica (A BIG "NO"). So the comics aren't really a good template to follow. Especially since nowadays, I really don't see chemistry between Lili and KJ. Their fake kiss in the music room (I've seen it on Twitter, because I still haven't seen 4x16) was so awkward and weird to watch. It was so bad. Idk. I can't get behind it.

THE FORBIDDEN LOVE: I don’t understand why people call them forbidden, when they’re both Northsiders who grew up next door to each other and they were never forbidden from being friends. They’re not a forbidden love. Bughead was at first because he was from the Southside and Alice didn’t want Betty to be around Jug or Serpents. But Barchie is definitely not forbidden love. If it is now, then it’s because they would both be cheating and that is disgusting.

Anyway, I haven't been able to watch the season since 4x15, because all of this fake Barchie nonsense legit makes me ACTUALLY sick to my stomach. Cheating really is not okay at all and them pretending that Archie cheated on Veronica and that Betty would get another boyfriend SO FAST after she was framed for MURDERING HER OWN really does not sit well with me or my stomach. The writers are NOT doing this right. If they wanted Barchie to be together....the best way to have done that would have been through them ACTUALLY breaking up with their s/o and then becoming close friends again AND THEN moving around to that romance. But this fake dating and fake cheating stuff is disgusting and I don't think I'm gonna continue season 4 if they become canon that way. Just no.

[miraculouscontent]

Did you ever give your thoughts on Gamer 2.0? If not, would you mind sharing?

I haven’t given my thoughts, no, and I wouldn’t mind sharing!

(Firstly, just throwing this out there: I have no comment on the fact that we’re clearly missing an episode, so “sad trombone akuma” being there doesn’t strike me in any particular way. I complain about the order that episodes are released in, but I don’t feel that an episode being aired “out-of-order” should count towards what I view as its quality.)

(Also going to ignore Marinette’s much more intense love of gaming because it makes more sense than what she had in “Gamer”. I don’t mind retcons if they’re doing so to make more sense.)

(…though I do wish this had been the episode where Sabine gets into gaming rather than her already liking it)

Anyway, Gamer 2.0 is certainly… something. It asks the question of “what if each villain-of-the-day could duke it out with each other?” It also shows us how Ladybug and Chat would use them if they could take control. Seeing these guys come back in an interesting way (even though some akuma have an inherent disadvantage due to the battlefield, which is admittedly kinda dumb) is very interesting (also adore some of the references there).

I also like the ending, where Marinette brings Max to her parents and they literally drag him away to go play video games together. Her parents getting all excited and the hilarity of Max just being helplessly dragged off was funny. Max also gives up his akumatized object willingly (after Ladybug nails yet another lucky charm), which was a good moment (Chris doesn’t even remotely count for me because they were threatening to destroy his robot).

…That said, I really don’t like the rest of this episode. Now, admittedly, part of it is me judging the episode for what it isn’t rather than what it is, but I’ll get there.

[Level 1 - Max Attack]

Alright, so… Max.

Like, look, I get it. Max is hurting because he put all this work into this game and no one has time to play it for him.

But at the same time, this is one of the weakest akumatizations I’ve ever seen, at least in terms of the set-up.

For example, characters like Kim didn’t establish that they’d be gone for a long time. All Kim said that he was going to the pool. His activity would take the rest of the day at worst.

It’s the same with Kitty Section, who are only planning to try on Marinette’s T-shirts (by the way, completely unrelated, but having that happen before this scene and giving them a different excuse would’ve been way better considering that Kitty Section could’ve suggested Marinette because they know she’s been stressed, but I digress).

If Max is so invested in this game, he can just do small touches while he waits for someone to be free, whether it’s Kim or Kitty Section. It’s one thing to be really excited about it, but it’s another thing (especially for Max) to not even consider asking people when they would be free, because then he could just excitedly work on his game while he waits for that person to be available.

Now, if people had to keep bailing on Max due to obligations, continuously saying that they’d do it but having to cancel due to getting wrapped up in other things, that’d be different. It would be a frustrating (however understandable) situation for Max, where he can’t exactly be angry at his friends, but he has a right to be disappointed.

I simply just don’t buy that he spent maybe an hour asking everyone and then got sad enough to be akumatized because they had prior arrangements they’d already agreed to. If asking people to play with him was just to playtest his game, then he can simply continue working on it while he waits.

Heck, if he made this whole game himself, why not talk to people about design choices instead, which takes up a lot less time? Surely he has beta designs or things he wasn’t sure about. I can’t imagine many of his friends minding if he just showed them some concepts and asked for their opinion, which would only take a few seconds. If he’s aiming to make his game the best it can be, then–

…I’m getting too deep into this.

*ahem* Point being, his game is likely not perfect yet and it would’ve been more believable for his disappointment to be built up more. It’s great that he was a good sport when Ladybug beat him fair and square, but when the episode prioritizes his problems over Marinette’s (which I’ll get to), I want to understand the feelings he has when he gets akumatized, and I don’t.

Even if one were to say that it was Chloe’s insult who caused it…

Max, think for half a second.

Chloe is a bully who lies just to rile people up, and if Max honestly believes that his friends are lying to him (which makes zero sense, since Marinette verified what Kitty Section Minus One™ told Max without him asking), then he needs to have a little more faith in himself and his relationships, because yikes.

[Level 2 - The Pavement of Predictability]

People who have been following me for a long time know how much it irritates me when an episode lays out its plot from the word “go”. I definitely filled my sarcasm quota for the day–for the week, really–as this episode hammered how stressed Marinette was and how much she had to resist gaming, followed by someone being akumatized with a gaming theme.

Like, gee, I wonder what will happen?

I wonder if Ladybug will try to go through this as quickly as possible.

I wonder if her usual gaming skill will vanish when she does so.

I wonder if none of this will be blamed on the fact that she’s likely lacking sleep (she fell asleep during her test even though she managed to fill it out), is stressed beyond belief, and needs a freaking hug.

I wonder if that schedule Adrien mentioned will go completely disregarded as Chat is unbothered skipping out his obligations because being a hero is “fun” for him, further making this all pointless considering that Adrien doesn’t care about his schedule and Marinette does because most of the things she’s doing are things for people she cares about.

I wonder if Chat will continue goofing off as he practically ignores the fact that Ladybug told him that she had things to do, only worsening Ladybug’s mood.

I wonder if Ladybug will be mocked viciously just because she’s in a hurry.

This entire akuma fight played out exactly how I thought it would, right down to Chat purposefully throwing himself off the edge to let Ladybug deal with the final battle alone. The only thing I was happy to be right about predicting was Ladybug’s win over Gamer 2.0, which was legitimately awesome of her as usual.

The problem with this whole fight (more the conversations during the fights, really) is that it’s standard. It’s too easy to see where it’s going, and where it’s going isn’t pleasant.

Marinette wanted to play with Max. She didn’t maliciously deny him or try to lie her way out of it. She just had too many things to do.

And for that, she’s punished by being forced to play a long, drawn-out game with him.

She didn’t do anything to deserve this happening to her, but the narrative is clearly setting this up for comedy because anger is often seen as more funny than sadness and Ladybug is mostly frustrated and nothing else.

But, in this situation, I don’t think that either would be funny, and Gamer 2.0 being a smug akuma who makes fun of Ladybug when she loses just pours salt in a wound that he caused.

Even if the mocking is a punishment for how Ladybug is unable to handle the situation well, it doesn’t work because I can see how she’s not taking it well. She is fourteen years old and has the burden of a miraculous placed upon her without her asking for it. She struggles to say “no”, she still has to go to school and do well, and she has friends and celebrities who unintentionally request things for her at the same time.

And it’s not like this whole “punishment” thing hasn’t happened before. There have been episodes like “Antibug” where Marinette has to learn a “”””lesson“””” because she snapped at Chloe for interfering with her job, and now it’s just the same thing but Marinette how dare you be busy alongside everyone else and how dare you not ignore your obligations to have fun instead.

It’s cruel, plain and simple. It’s the “working-on-actually-important-things” Ladybug versus the person who got akumatized because everyone had too many obligations one day to playtest his game.

Just… whyyyyyy.

[Level 3 - Chat Cove]

We’re gonna have to have another “look, I get it” moment here because… look, I get it, Chat’s character is there to be the goofball while Ladybug is a lot more serious.

But Chat here absolutely cannot catch onto Ladybug’s mood, and the only reason he’s helpful at all is because he likes gaming.

Let’s look at the facts, scene by scene.

Firstly, the one thing I did like, which was him being concerned about Gamer 2.0 laying a trap out for them when Ladybug was clearly stressed and perhaps not thinking straight. Good moment, bravo, and all that, because Chat should be ready to have a little restraint to cover for Ladybug when she doesn’t.

…But then all of that is immediately thrown out the window by the time they step into the game itself.

Here’s what happens: Ladybug picks the Mime for one of her fights. While she’s busy, Chat makes a teasing (or perhaps semi-serious) comment to her, which Ladybug replies to and thus loses what she’d been miming.

Chat then feels the need to tell her that she loses what she mimes if she talks.

…Well then maybe you shouldn’t have said anything that warranted a reply, Chat.

Chat also is aware that Ladybug is stressed (she basically said it to his face), yet when it’s his turn to play the game, he waffles around as he tries to decide on which character to use, cracking jokes about using Copycat but it being “too easy if it’s basically himself” until Ladybug gets irritated by this. He then picks Mr. Pigeon and continues goofing off.

Am I meant to be annoyed that Ladybug snapped at him? Because I’m not. I don’t mind if he’s still his jokester self but he shouldn’t be wasting time when Ladybug stressed how many things she has to do. What he did as Mr. Pigeon was legitimately funny, but the fact that he seems to almost intentionally waste time despite what Ladybug said makes it frustrating.

Theeeen we get to Gamer 2.0’s comment on Ladybug’s rushing and Chat trying to teach Ladybug a lesson.

First, Gamer 2.0, because the problem is not that Ladybug is trying to rush. I mean, speedrunning is a thing that exists. The problem is that she’s not thinking due to intense stress and an increasing lack of interest.

(Not only that, but why is Gamer 2.0 smug and not sad/annoyed by this? That would be actually INTERESTING if he was trying to make the game as fun as possible and was disappointed that Ladybug was just irritated by it. This is supposed to be HIS game, so how can he be satisfied with someone not enjoying it(he’s even glad later that she’s enjoying herself, but he’d been enjoying her frustration, so…???)? And regardless, no self-respecting gamer would get smug at winning because their opponent wasn’t trying or wasn’t into it.)

Second, Chat, and this bizarre lesson of “it’s not about not knowing how to play, it’s because you’re not having fun!”

Like, okay, it’s great that he asked her if she was alright instead of being upset that she lost multiple times, but to then turn around and give her non-advice?

Yeah, no. Just no.

Firstly, knowing how to play IS actually important (can’t believe I have to say this) and whether someone’s having fun or not doesn’t matter.

On the contrary, some people have fun regardless of if they win or not. Some people may not even try to win and just do whatever they want. If two people have the same amount of skill but one of them has more fun, then yes, theoretically the fun person could win, but they could just as easily lose if they’re not focused enough due to having too much fun.

The advice should not be to “have fun;” it should be to remain calm and focus on a plan, because that’s what Ladybug does best at.

Chat is applying his own logic to Ladybug, which only works because plot. Chat and Ladybug have two completely different styles and Chat is only thinking of himself and what he does. It’s as if Chat doesn’t even understand Ladybug or how she works.

Heck, this episode could’ve even been a compromise! Maybe Ladybug is too stressed and Chat goofs off too much, so they’d have to find a happy middle-ground where they’re focused but still having enough fun to not be stressed.

The only reason Chat is on any sort of high-ground here is because this is a game. I mean, we all remember “Stormy Weather” where he was so nonchalant with the akuma that he got flung fifty feet in the air and slammed his face into a car, right? His tendency to have fun and goof off is just convenient here and only here.

Anyway though, back to the actual episode, Chat then feels the need to sacrifice himself so that Ladybug can fight Gamer 2.0 which, coming right after Chat’s so-called “lesson,” just makes me think that he has no communication skills whatsoever (not that it doesn’t make sense, but the show shouldn’t present him as doing the right thing).

The fact that only one of them can face Gamer 2.0 isn’t the problem, because that’s logical given that Gamer’s failure the first time around was due to him going up against two people (since Chat manned the controls while Ladybug dealt with the real Gamer inside the robot).

The problem isn’t even the fact that Chat has sacrificed himself before. I mean, yes, not all of those sacrifices were necessary, and yes, it puts undue pressure on Ladybug every single time. That’s a reasonable frustration and I will never deny that.

The problem then is that Chat failed to convey his sacrifice to Ladybug. They have all the time in the world to talk and Chat is hardly there for a few seconds before just being like “lol bye i trust you.”

This is what I mean when I talk about Chat’s communication problems. I have no issue with him throwing himself off the edge, but only if he and Ladybug had agreed on it.

Ladybug is the planner. She usually gets the akuma. It makes perfect sense why she’d be the one to face Gamer 2.0.

But why did Chat have to be so dramatic about it? Ladybug felt horrified and pressured at his sacrifice because he decided to do it without her consent. All it would’ve taken is a “let’s be real here, you’re the most qualified to do this and neither of us want to fight each other, so is it okay if I just knock myself out of the ring so you can do that, or do you have a reason why I’d be better at fighting this time?” and that would be it.

It’s just an unnecessary way to create drama/tension while needlessly making Chat look bad.

And then, as if that wasn’t enough, the narrative has Gamer 2.0 mock Ladybug over Chat’s sacrifice because she was the one who said she wanted to get the game over quickly.

Seriously? She’d been having fun for the last few rounds and the narrative still wants to get on her case for having obligations that she wanted to take care of? She gets told a phony lesson, manages to work with it, and then still has to be criticized for something that isn’t even a factor anymore.

(Also, I simply do not believe that the Gamer 2.0 who mocked Ladybug relentlessly and was unbearably smug during this whole thing would be so respectful and nice after Ladybug beat him.)

There’s also Chat’s line after Ladybug asks him how he manages to have fun between his superhero and civilian life, which he again brushes off in a very Chat-way.

It’s yet another situation where Chat doesn’t know Ladybug enough to give her advice. Chat simplifies his answer to “I have fun when I’m being a superhero” yet fails to mention that he has fun because his life is boring (due to his schedule) and he enjoys the freedom that being Chat Noir gives him.

Also, it’s a non-answer considering that Ladybug had also asked more specifically if he’s afraid that he’ll have to give everything up to be a superhero someday. Chat clearly isn’t thinking as seriously about his answer as she wanted and their situations aren’t comparable.

Adrien’s obligations are things that often annoy him since they disrupt his plans with others, so I can see why his immediate reaction would be “oh, you mean getting away from my father, never having to do photoshoots again, and being able to spend all my time with you? Heck yeah, sign me up, I’ll sacrifice all of that!” (I know that sounds bad considering he’d be giving up his friends too, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt and say that he’s only thinking about his obligations and trying to say something flirty to Ladybug at the same time).

But Marinette’s obligations are typically things that she wanted to do.

She wanted to make Kitty Section T-shirts.

She wanted to make Jagged Stone a poster.

And she also wanted to have time to play a game with her father.

Chat’s answer doesn’t apply to her, because Marinette’s happiness doesn’t come from being Ladybug. The show tries to present Chat’s line as something romantic, but ignores the fact that it doesn’t help her.

And, y’know, the fact that Chat “enjoying his time with Ladybug” often involves him throwing himself into danger and falling under an akuma’s influence, further stressing exactly why Ladybug can’t find enjoyment in fights at times.

Just… what did Ladybug do to you, show? Did she spill hot coffee on the lap of one of your writers or what?

Geez.

[Level 4 - I’m Already Sick of Making Level Names And This Episode Doesn’t Understand Focus So Why Should I Bother?]

Okay, so here’s where I talk more about what the episode isn’t, and it all comes back to how the show is portraying Marinette’s struggle and how the characters around her react.

Marinette has a “thousand” things to do. Her week is chock full of stuff and she’s miserable over it. Tikki is helping however she can (kinda), which is something, but what does Tom do?

He gives Marinette non-advice. Like, I legitimately don’t know if this man understands his daughter whatsoever.

It is far too late to talk to Marinette about having “too many cakes in the oven,” and even if it wasn’t, has Tom honestly forgotten the thing that we learned in the first episode ever?

Marinette struggles to say “no.” It’s a character flaw of hers. Whether she knew she had “too many cakes” is pointless because what likely happened is that Marinette knew that she was overloaded and could not control herself when she agreed to “more cakes.”

Tom and Sabine are utterly useless when it comes to Marinette’s conflict. Yet again, they babble about things that aren’t even remotely going to help their daughter (with Sabine focusing more on making Tom feel better than thinking how they can help Marinette). They have no idea of the struggle she’s going through, nor do they try to understand.

They just bury themselves in video games while Marinette suffers. Tom saying something to her is a step up from “Weredad,” but it’s a similar situation to that episode when Tom and Sabine talk to each other about it and then proceed to not do anything.

I’m not asking Tom and Sabine to completely solve Marinette’s problems. Obviously, that’s impossible. A lot of what Marinette needs to do can’t be done by another person.

But, they don’t know that Tikki exists. They could’ve offered to help her with her history. They could’ve offered her advice on how they remembered things when they used to be in school (which doesn’t solve everything but that’s kind of the point when they appear so early in the episode; they also could’ve been busy in the bakery at the start and then gave Marinette better advice later instead).

But they don’t, and that shows a huge problem in the episode. The moral of this episode is garbage because it’s not offering Marinette any actual solutions to her problems.

Some activities are just not fun. That’s an inevitability. “Making things fun” is a worthless, meaningless concept that waffles around the issue and ignores the fact that “having fun” could very well mean that Marinette could slip up by not focusing enough or being too relaxed in the situation of needing to get a lot of things done at once.

And, yet again, the show says that Marinette has a problem without actually giving her a solution.

Where are the people trying to give her strategies for time crunches? Where in this episode do people actually offer help concerning Marinette’s issue of being unable to say “no”? Where is the person who swoops in at the end to at least give actual advice on the issue (which I honestly thought they were going to do with Luka when I first saw that he was strangely absent from Kitty Section; it had nothing to do with me wanting Lukanette, I just thought there was a reason for him not being there)?

Heck, Max is even in the episode and is the focus in terms of getting akumatized and getting his freaking problems actually resolved in the end. With how smart he supposedly is, why not have Max care about Marinette’s problems and offer solutions based on facts and logic instead of something that Chat “feels” is correct?

Maybe he knows the exact time to take breaks and how long to take them so to both avoid burn-out and also refresh Marinette enough for her to remain at her best working speed? Maybe he could’ve even suggested a schedule that would show her how long each activity would realistically take given her usual speed, and how much she would have to work/relax based on that?

Like, just saying, I would hope that the students would want to help their “everyday Ladybug” (I know that phrase is meaningless now, but roll with me here) in any way they can.

Tom sings when he makes bread. He could suggest that Marinette sing/hum while doing her projects to help her relax.

Kitty Section (again, minus Luka for some reason) could all be productive based on music (Rose is even wearing headphones in “Reverser” while she’s in the art club), so each of them would offer Marinette the type of music they use to help them keep calm while still working hard.

Just something. Even on Marinette’s issue of saying “no,” maybe Sabine could suggest that Marinette use a handheld schedule to show all her activities and, when someone asks Marinette to do something, Marinette would check her schedule and “inadvertently” show it to them so they’d be able to see how busy she is. It won’t stop everyone from insisting that she still do it, but it would at least make some people be like “no, it’s okay, I see you’re busy” or “I can wait” while Marinette works on being able to say “no” right to their face (so it’s at least a minor solution to her problem while she works on the major solution).

But no. Marinette helps with someone else’s problems while her issues are brushed aside.

Again.

By the end of the episode, her issue is brushed away with “Well, surely her obligations can wait a while! She can go play with Max, it’s fiiiine! It’s not as if she said that she was overloaded and that breaks were absolutely not an option or anything! Surely, this was just a scenario where Marinette overreacted and it’s all her fault for freaking out so much instead of taking a break!”

This episode isn’t about helping Marinette. It’s about watching Marinette be miserable for minutes on end with no one able to actually help her. For a show that’s supposed to teach lessons, it’s woefully pathetic about it, preferring to make up solutions that don’t actually help anyone.

Just… ugh. I’d rather watch the original “Gamer”, and that’s saying something because I don’t like that episode either. Seeing the akuma fight was cool but it’s just not worth it.

[mysideblogofsurveys]

Survey 16.

Favorite beverage: Well, Water I guess.  I like drinking Mt. Dew or Coffee but I’ve cut back on all that stuff (but I will have a cup of coffee every morning)

When was the last time you had ketchup? On Saturday.  We made Sweet Potato Fries but they don’t really good with ketchup

What is the most recent gift you've been given? My co-workers gave me a GrubHub gift card for all the help (they’re working from home but I still go into the office so they e-mail what they need to do to me so I can do it for them - I actually hate doing it but..we don’t really have a choice).  Anyway, they wanted to give me something as “Thanks for all the help” and I told them a simple “Thank You” is all I want but people don’t listen. (Not to be ungrateful but I don’t like receiving gifts from anyone other than family and NO ONE listens and gives me things anyway).

Did you leave the house today? Not yet, I’ll be leaving about 8:10 to go to work

Are there bumper stickers on your car? Yes :) a “Straw Hat” pirate one from the anime One Piece and an EXO sticker for the kpop group.

Are you watching tv right now? Kind of.  “Dark” on Netflix.  I paused it briefly though to read these questions - its in German so I need to read the subtitles.

Are you wearing anything blue? No

Do you have a job? Yes..but I’ve been thinking about quitting so I can move back to the city I loved.  Life is too short to live in a place you don’t like and I’ve seen other jobs I can apply for so I’m not worried.

Is your car messy? No, I like to keep it clean.

When did you last have whipped cream? This morning..I like using heavy whipping cream in my coffee (as opposed to the other creamers that are all sugar).  My husband uses the canned/aerosol whipped cream in his coffee though.

How far away is the closest house? Literally down 2 flights of stairs.  I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment.

What street do you live on? On one that has a cool name

Are you dating anyone? I’m married.

What color is you computer? Both my laptop and desktop are black

Do you own an iPod? What color is it? I do!  I won an iPod at my high school graduation celebration (my class had a “lock in” at the school - basically they “lock” you in the school (from like 6pm to 6am) where you can play games, nap if you want, eat all sorts of junk food or just hang out and have a party for everyone graduating, it was a lot of fun.  They had a raffle before everyone went home the next morning and I won an iPod (this was in 2006 so a long time ago lol) But it was just the standard black one.

What is the most recent picture on your phone/camera of: UGH OMG so I forgot I took a picture of this DISGUSTING roach that I found in our apt on Friday night.  They’re not the tiny/infestation ones, they’re large “Palmetto Bug” roaches that tend to wander into houses that have cracks and our vents.  Since I live in an apartment, theres not much I can do about it. I can’t wait to move!!!

Have you ever shot a gun? Oh definitely, we like to go to the gun range with my father-in-law.  Its a great way for us to bond and I hope to God I’ll never ever have to actually use one but I like the idea of not being completely defenseless if someone breaks into my house (as I’m small and could easily get overpowered)

What temperature is it? Maybe 70 in the apt but probably 80s outside? Do you know anyone with a third nipple? Uh..no.

What do your parents do for a living? My Mom is a dental hygienist and my Dad is an Electrician.

Have you ever had a pet that had babies? No :/ I always thought that would have been fun though

Which grocery store is closest to you? Publix

Do you have a hamper in your room? Yes

Do you know anyone that's a nurse? Yes but I haven’t talked to him in years.

Do you know someone with the name Alaina? No

What color is the blanket on your bed? Ahh, black blankets, blue blankets, purple blanket..we have like 4 or 5 blankets on our bed.

What are your parent's middle names? Well, one starts with an “S” the other starts with an “E”

Have you ever broken a bone? Yes, kind of

Do you wear braces or glasses? I wear glasses and had braces growing up.

What color are they? I’m assuming my glasses?  They’re black and have tiny stars in the corner. 

Are you currently reading a book? Yes, I’m reading “Legends of the Alfar” by Markus Heitz

When did you last get your blood drawn? Its been quite a few years

Have you ever done hard drugs? No, I’ve smoked weed before but didn’t like it.

How many contacts are in your phone? A lot but thats because I haven’t deleted them.  If I deleted everyone I don’t talk to, there wouldn’t be many.

Does your toilet have a seat cover? No.

What's currently on your grocery list? I have a whole list.  We haven’t been to the grocery store in a few days but we need to go when I get off work.

What things do you take with you everywhere? Wallet, phone, car keys..and my Zune (yes, the MP3 player from like 2000 lol)

Do you know someone that is/was over 100 years old? No but my Great-Grandpa is still living and he’s 96

Was your HS principal a girl or a boy? Woman I think..I actually don’t remember

Have you ever eaten a raw egg? No

Do you own any rings? Yes

Have you eaten fruit today? Not yet.  I’ve peeled 2 clementines for my breakfast when I get to work though

What about milk? Nope, not for a couple weeks.

What letter does your state start with? F

Could you list all 50 states? Easily.

What about their capitals? No, I used to be able to though

What internet browser do you use? Firefox.

Do you know anyone that lives in Wyoming? No, but my Husband and I joke about just leaving everything and moving there sometimes (to just get away from all the idiocy we see in this city).  I can’t believe there are only 500,000 people living in the entire state!

Do you smoke cigarettes? No

Which person you know has the most unique name? A few I suppose

Do you know someone that's missing a limb? No

Do you have facial hair? I don’t but my husband does Are you a bad person? I’m not and I hope no one thinks I am

What was the last swear you said? Bullshit (referring to my state closing beaches for Independence Day - yes I realize this was over a week ago but it still annoys me)

Have you ever called the police on someone? No

What is the most amount of pets you've had at one time? Two - a cat and dog

When did you last check your email? Yesterday.

Have you ever had a 3rd degree burn? No

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Yes, I fainted at work on time and they brought me to the hospital to find out what was wrong - thankfully it was nothing major

How long is your hair? About the middle of my back

Do you lock your doors at night? Oh yeah, they’re always locked even when we’re home.

Does your bedroom have a lock? Our bedroom doors do not

What do you have at your bedside? I have a table with old mail, a clock and sometimes my book (I want to read more before bed instead of looking at my phone)

How big is your bed? King

Do you know someone that was murdered? No

Do you know someone who's pregnant? No.  My friend was pregnant recently but she miscarried :(

Do you wear a watch? No, but I want to start wearing one!

What was your first pet? A cat

How much jewelry do you own? Not too much.  I don’t really wear jewelry.

What is the closest purple thing? My EXO pencil bag - it has their logo in a galaxy themed colors (purple, blue and green)

Green? Same thing as above

What time is it? 7:44am

What is your ideal profession? I wish I knew!! I have no idea :(

How tall are you? Like 5′0

Have you ever gotten x-rays? Yes

Do you wear gloves in the winter? I would but its never Winter in FL.

Do you consider yourself smart? Eh, so so.  I’m not stupid but I”m also not a genius.  I’m just average.

What color eyes are the prettiest? Gray-Blue eyes or Dark brown

Are your teeth straight? Yes

Do you like chocolate milk? I do but I don’t drink it because of all the sugar

Do you own a bike? No, I haven’t in years.  I want to buy one though but theres not really a place to bike where I live right now.

Are you taller than your mom? No, she’s like 5′1 lol so she’s just barely taller than me

Have you ever been engaged? Yes :)

What, in your opinion, is the ugliest name? I dont’ know, I don’t particularly like the old style names though

[angelcatsiel]

I reblogged an ask game thing the other day but no one sent any asks so I just fuckin answered them all because I was bored and I am learning to not give a fuck what anyone thinks of me and it was fun

1. What is your favorite childhood story of yourself?

This is a hard one. I want to think of a funny one but my childhood wasn’t great. My dad has told me that when I was a toddler, before I can remember, he used to play AC/DC and I used to put clothes pegs in my hair for some unknown reason, stand on the sofa and violently headbang.

2. What is the stupidest way you have ever gotten hurt?

When I was about 11, I was swinging on a swing in the garden, and got curious about what would happen if I put my hands right at the very bottom of the chains while I was swinging. The answer was that I fell off backwards and hit my head. I went in to my dad crying, calmed down, and went back on the swing again. I tried to work out what exactly I had done to cause myself to fall off. I remember thinking, I think I held the chains near the bottom like this... and tested the theory, and fell off again, and hit my head again.

This is one of many stupid injuries. Other considerations were the time I climbed up a slide and hit my head on the bar at the top and knocked myself out, or the time I got kicked by a horse in a field and grabbed onto the electric fence to hold myself up.

3. What was the first PG-13 movie you watched?

Literally no idea.

4. What was the first R rated movie you watched?

I think it may have been the first Deadpool? Haven’t seen that many tbh

5. When was the moment you felt most badass?

When I was about 8, I was at the park with my brother, and this much older kid (maybe about 16 or 17, hardly a kid) with an aggressive dog stole my brother’s ice cream money. I marched up to him and demanded he give it back. He let his dog off the lead and it sniffed around my ankles and growled, and he told me it would bite me if I ran. I stood there and stared him down for a good 20 seconds or so before he called back the dog and walked away. I didn’t get the money back.

6. What is a band you can reliably always love?

Marillion. Favourite band, always.

7. What is your favorite form of self expression?

Probably singing even though I’m very bad at it.

8. What is something from your childhood you wish you still had?

My stuffed rabbit Hoppy. I haven’t been able to find him in several years. Can’t think about it too hard or I’ll cry.

9. Where is your favorite place on earth?

The Isle of Wight. My dad used to take me and my brother there for holidays every few years. It’s beautiful and full of memories, the most precious memories being the time we saved up vouchers in the newspaper to go the year after my dad left his abusive wife and ended up homeless. We were so poor but with the vouchers we could just afford to go, and it was the first time I saw my dad happy in a long time.

10. What is the longest friendship you have ever had?

My best friend @van-helsa124 who I have known since literally nursery and I love her so much.

11. Is there anyone is your life you wish you had met sooner than you did?

Maybe my friend Luce who I only met a couple of years ago, but we’ve grown close pretty quick.

12. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yep definitely. Pretty sure I was visited by my gran after she died and I’ve had a few creepy experiences.

13. What is the coldest water you have ever swam in?

No idea tbh, I don’t swim much

14. How old were you when you learned how to swim?

Maybe 8 or 9? I had lessons in primary school.

15.  What song do you listen to when you’re sad?

Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift. It’s my cry song.

16. Are you an adrenaline junky?

Yep! Love roller coasters and stuff like that, and would love to do something extreme like jump out of a plane or something.

17. What is a song that takes you back to childhood?

I have a few but the main ones are probably Man on the Moon by REM, and You Were Right by Badly Drawn Boy.

18. What is your favorite word?

Not sure I have one. For some reason the only one coming to mind is a place not too far from where my family live called Biggleswade, and I have to say it every time we drive past because I love saying it. I also love saying tiddies at every opportunity.

19. What is your least favorite word?

Don’t think I have a least favourite either, the usual infamous ones (e.g. moist) don’t really bother me.

20. What scent reminds you of childhood?

Cherryade. I drank some several years ago and the smell before I tasted it transported me immediately back to my childhood and a memory I’d completely forgotten, which was my gran constantly buying me a shit ton of cherryade every time I stayed over her house.

21. Were you sad when you found out clouds weren’t like pillows, or did you never think that?

I don’t think I was sad, I think I was just curious and interested to learn, and I tried to come up with new interesting ways of describing the feeling of clouds in my head, since even as a kid I loved to write.

22. When in life did you laugh the hardest?

A few times come to mind and they all involve @van-helsa124. A lot would make absolutely no sense, no matter how much I tried to explain. They’re now ‘friendship memes’. The only one that might be explainable is the first time we ever got drunk, to celebrate achieving ultimate friendship, after we found out that her mum had believed me and her were in a relationship for a year and a half. We even created our own drink, named the year and a half, which was literally just a mix of vodka, koppaberg, rose wine and cloudy lemonade. Tasted better than it sounds. Got me drunk in about 0.5 seconds. Ended the night hugging her trash can trying not to throw up while she read me a destiel fanfic to take my mind off feeling sick

23. What makes you laugh when you don’t feel like laughing?

Old yogscast videos.

24. Do you come from a big family?

Fairly big, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins.

25. What is your favorite part of yourself?

My positivity and the inner strength that I have, that helps me find happiness and courage even when my mental health is low.

26. What is the worst pain you have ever felt?

Trigeminal neuralgia pain (facial nerve pain). Spent 90% of January this year constantly crying and even screaming in pain. Hospital couldn’t do anything for me. I get occasional flare ups now but nothing that severe, but it’s probably going to come back. Feels like someone trying to rip out my cheekbone and jawbone or like someone is literally drilling into the bones in my face, and that’s the milder part. Every so often that pain is interrupted by stabs of sharper pain like electric shocks which have caused me to collapse to the floor screaming. 0/10 do not recommend

27. Do you swear often?

Not super often out loud but very often in my head.

28. Do you get confused for being older or younger than you are?

People always assume I’m younger than I am. I get asked for ID for everything.

29. What is your favorite way to eat a potato?

Probably roast potatoes, but they’ve gotta be done right. Soft inside, crispy outside, and obviously with herbs and spices.

30. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

Honestly no idea.

31. Describe yourself in 6 words?

Slightly unstable yet somehow happy weirdo

32. What is the worst insult you have ever received?

Can’t think of any major insults either lmao no one talks to me apparently

33. Have you ever taken in any media that changed your life?

The Good Place and Supernatural. With supernatural it wasn’t the actual show so much as the friendships it made me and the confidence and happiness the conventions gave me, at a time when my mental health was at its worst, although the show helped massively too. Idc if it’s cringey, it kept me alive. The Good Place changed my entire worldview and actually made me less afraid of death.

34. Have you ever collected anything?

My model horses! I have at least 10 at this point

35. Strangest thing you have ever broken?

As in bones or objects? Can’t think of any objects and the only time I ever broke a bone was when I broke my toe at like 12:01am on new year’s day when I got up to pour myself another drink and tripped over the table

36. Weirdest food you have ever eaten?

I’m not that adventurous with food so nothing that weird

37. Childhood nickname?

My dad would call me Flo. Not sure why.

38. Most people you have shared a bed with in a non sexual manner?

Two. Shared a bed with my best friend and my other friend Josh, once at a convention, once at Josh’s birthday. Birthday one is a bit blurry as I was drunk but at the convention I got to be in the middle and spooned Josh while my best friend spooned me and it was very cosy

39. What is something that makes you fall asleep?

The Marillion song Angelina, or this one ASMR video that’s supposed to be the sound of being in the Impala with the Winchesters. Laugh all you want, I like it.

40. Did your parents ever accidentally lose or forget you?

No but my teacher did once, can’t remember the context, I think she had to drive me and some other girls somewhere for some club event and when we got back to the school she forgot me in the car because I was so quiet lmao

41. If you were a superhero what would your weakness be?

I would be a terrible superhero and have many weaknesses. Loud noises would immediately put me out of action. Someone makes eye contact with me and I disintegrate immediately

42. What food reminds you of home?

Tuna pasta! With this one specific sauce that my mum used to make it with

43. What is your comfort food?

Probably also that tuna pasta. And chocolate. A shit ton of chocolate.

44. Cold room with lots of blankets or hot room with no blankets?

Cold room with lots of blankets, no question.

45. No shoes without socks or no shoes with socks?

No shoes without socks

46. Do you run hot your cold?

I am presuming this means ‘do you run hot or cold’ and the answer is, usually, both simultaneously. My body has no idea what temperature regulation is. Catch me out for a walk in short sleeves in the snow, sweating profusely while violently shivering bc I’m feeling extremely hot internally but my skin is freezing (and yes, I have actually done this). Do I have some sort of legit medical issue? No one knows, least of all my doctors!

47. Favorite condiment?

Probably ketchup. Though I also love garlic dip. Does that count as a condiment?

48. What utensil do you use the most?

Probably my tongs for turning chicken and stuff

49. When are you most comfortable?

Any time I’m home alone, just doing my own thing

50. If you could be really good at one thing, what would it be?

Singing! I would love to be an amazing singer but sadly I am a terrible singer though I do practice every day in the vain hope that maybe my voice will improve. If the neighbours could hear me they would have killed me by now

[l0kisbitch]

Shifter: Prologue

Warnings: blood, angst, character death, some biggo curse words my guys, um yea?

Pairing: Eventual Bucky x Reader

Authors Note: oh hello there. This is the prologue to give some background on everything. I apologize in advance if this is confusing, bad writing, so so many errors, etc. It’ll get better (?) from here, hopefully. we thank @maladaptive-ninja-returns for getting me here. :)

Summary: You and your people have spent over five hundred years hidden from the human eye when Hydra decides to take revenge on two different groups that will tear them apart at the seams, forcing you out of the shadows and into the arms of someone youve been trying to avoid for many years. Not to mention with the looming threat of the world always ending hanging over everyones head, like mistle toe during Christmas, and you just might be the only one who holds the key to saving it.

So what exactly happens when the avengers find out those bedtime stories their parents used to tell them are real? Those Twilight books did nothing to prepare them for the nightmare thats about to unfold- literally.

*there will be mentions of certain movies along with infinity war with events that will more than likely go in order from the first avengers movie but fuck endgame we aint pullin no russo stunt today bois.

- - -

Planet Earth is a dark place.

 It’s filled with any and every synonym to the word ‘bad’. For thousands of years my sisters and I have watched mankind grow and every century we’ve seen the horrors they bestow on one another, we’ve seen their weapons go from feeble sticks and stones to machines that can fire on command wiping out entire cities.

Death and destruction is what this planet thrives on. 

Humans used to worship the Gods, bringing them gifts in hope for a better life or thanking them for life, to which the Gods responded to, they built alters and temples to showcase their love for them. But they’ve forgotten, turning to their own greed and malicious actions to live their life. Killing one another to gain more land and rule with an iron fist, cities built and later turned to ruins after some great war that claimed innocent lives. 

History will always repeat itself and eventually mankind will be the downfall of this once beautiful planet. 

-

It wasn’t until those who developed abilities did they realize this world is changing at a much faster rate than they thought. Instead of accepting this change they rejected it, only this time they were enslaving the ones with powers, abandoning them, killing them. They believed Captain America was the first to gain new powers but they were wrong. Gods were they wrong. 

My kind have been here since my mother gifted me new life. We were called the Shifters, those deemed worthy of another life after falling victim to the horrors of death. We were given the task of taking the souls of the damned to Hell.

Elizabeth was the first Shadow Walker. My father gifted her when her life was taken by the hands of a man during the night, his own creation which he loves dearly. His brother, however, wasn’t pleased when he realized what his daughter was turned into, but grew to accept it. She was given her own coven to protect the lives of the innocent. 

Wynter was the final creation known as the Winged One. She was pure, a light in the Dark Ages. She and her feathered friends took the souls of those who lived their life doing right by others to Heaven.

We were feared, respected, and worshiped. 

Until our kind betrayed us, exposing themselves and becoming drunk with power.  Turning their backs on those who created us and decided to make mankind into what we were, starting wars, killing one another just like the humans, trying to dominate the world. We became no better than the ones we tried to stop.

The Gods became angry but before they could serve a punishment the humans found ways to permanently end our lives. 

So we went into hiding, becoming nothing more than a bedtime story. They painted us as the ones who caused death and destruction.

We became a myth. 

Gods help you if we have to come out of the dark.

And we did.

- -

"Wh...who are you people" she gasped, false fear glistening in her amber colored orbs. "I haven't done anything, please, let me go! or at least let my son go, he's only five, he has no quarrel with you!"

The men laughed as the young child cried out in pain from the hand gripping his small arm.

"Mommy!"

"It's okay, James, mommy is right here. I won't let them hurt you." She spoke softly to the small child hoping to ease his own fear.

"Oh my dear child, we're not the ones going to hurt you." The lead man chuckled. "Rather someone...more dear to you."

The young womans eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion, words she mean't to speak now stuck at the back of her throat.

"Sp-" The man was suddenly cut off as the front door burst open pieces of wood flying across the room, five bodies quickly entered their weapons drawn.

"If you want to live, I'd release the child and my sister." A voice spoke from the group, shadows draped intricately across their faces.

"Ah, impeccable timing, (Y/N)" The man spoke with an even tone yet his eyes held an unspeakable amount of rage. "I see you've brought the calvary however, I'd put the guns down."

The man gestured to the toddler now with a gun rested against his temple. (Y/N) let out a sharp breath putting her hands up and slowly placing the gun to the floor while the others, behind her, followed her movements. Quickly her friends were forced out of the shadows and onto their knees while their hands were tied behind their backs.

"Roll call shall we?" The man smirked gesturing to those around him. "A sad excuse of a shield agent the one and only, Daddy dearest. How are you today?"

If looks could kill then this man would be six feet under.

"Two of my greatest creations are back from the dead. How surprising." He sneered his eyes flickering to you then back to the two men. "Not so much fun being in this position again is it Axel? Alistair?"

"Fuck you" the twins spit, their chocolate colored hair couldn't begin to hide the rage that lurked in their multi-colored eyes.

"Wynter. The third and final sister of this band of misfits." The man smiled his gloved hand reaching out and grabbing the youngest sister by her jaw. "We'll see who is left after this won't we?"

"What do you want, Resnikov." (Y/N) spit.

He snapped his fingers and two men, clad in black, came forward. One grabbed (Y/N) sitting her in a chair directly across from the very pregnant Elizabeth, the other dragged Wynter forward placing her next to the eldest sister both with guns against the back of their heads.

"You see, (Y/N), this all started when Hydra was forced to dispose of their two greatest assets all because someone decided to disobey and those two retaliated. Not long after a certain black haired beauty escapes- taking those bodies with her." A low growl slipped past your lips, your jaw clenching as the man stepped closer to you with each word. "Skip forward a year or so later, our number one asset suddenly remembers who he is- all because of America's golden boy- and decides to make his own escape as well."

"That second part doesn't exactly involve me now does it?" You snap your hands balling into fists.

Resnikov chuckled lowly. "No, but it does involve her."

He points the tip of his gun at the woman across from you, her eyes darted between you and the man. Tears welling in her eyes, sorrow filled her orbs but also acceptance as if she knew what was coming.

"P..pleas-" she begins to stutter but is cut off with a loud smack, her head turning to the side from the hit. A cry sounds from the toddler who struggles in the arms of the hydra agent trying to get to his mother.

"Shut that fucking child up!" Resnikov yells pointing at the young child. "Before I personally put a bullet in him! I’m telling a damn story and he is ruining it!"

The child whimpers cowering away from the man.

"Now where was I?" He cleared his throat turning towards your sister.

"I wouldn't say that you're to blame but your husband and that thing in front of you certainly are." Resnikov hissed. "You see, Elizabeth, the events that are going to occur in this house isn't going to end with laughter and warm memories. They're going to end with pain and lots- I do mean lots- of bloodshed." 

There was stretch of silence throughout the room until the man clapped his gloved hands together.

“Lets play a game.” He smiled maliciously. 

“Did you just quote Jigsaw from those gory movies?” You spoke, cocking an eyebrow.

“I did, thank you for noticing.” Resnikov said. “I told you, Jerry, that at least one of these freaks would get my reference.”

The guy holding a gun to the toddlers head shrugged. “I didn’t know if they would get it. Some people can’t stand those stupid movies and given the ages of half these people and what they come from, I figured they wouldn’t care much for it.”

“Alright, can we get back to this game or whatever deal you’re about to throw at us.” You snapped bringing the attention back to you and the situation at hand.

“Right, right.” Resnikov straightened his jacket out his smirk plastering itself onto his face. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You have five minutes to decide who is going to die.”

There was another stretch of silence as the information sunk in. It wasn’t much of a surprise that someone was going to lose their life at the end of this.

“But here is the catch. My men aren’t going to do it.” He smiled seeing the color drain from everyone's face. “(Y/N) is. And your only options are Elizabeth or Wynter. I’d hurry up though, if you haven’t chosen when the five minutes is up, they both die a painful death.”

“When I get out these, you’re a fucking dead man.” The rough voice of the girls father echoed in the silent room, his eyes alight with fury. Resnikov waved his hand and soon enough your father was sprawled out on the floor unconscious.

“(Y/N) look at me. You can’t take Elizabeth away from James. She’s pregnant.” Wynter said softly, tears welling in her eyes. “She has a family. I’ll be okay.”

“No!” Elizabeth yelled out, her voicing cracking. “Don’t you dare try and sacrifice yourself, Wynter. It has to be me.” straining her words to get a point across.

“Well isn’t this cute.” Resnikov chuckled. “Tick Tock.”

“Shut up!” You snarled turning your head to look at him causing him to take a slight a step back at the look in your eyes.

“(Y/-.” The words were barely out of Wynters mouth when James suddenly pulled himself from one of the soldiers. The events that followed happened so fast no one had time to register what happened until the sound of a gun going off echoed throughout the house and the toddler flew forward hitting the cold hard floor, blood already pooling around him staining his pale blonde hair. His bright blue eyes stared straight ahead as the life in them became a vast ocean of emptiness.

Your ears rang, unable to take your eyes off the sight of your nephew laying before you, the entry wound in his back told you he was struck through the heart. When you finally willed your eyes to move around the room you could hardly breathe, Elizabeth was screaming his name over and over. Tears ran down her cheeks rapidly. Your youngest sister sat sobbing, grief clearly seen in her hazel eyes. The twins sat there silently, in shock before anger once more took over, they put up a fight that didn't last more than a few seconds before they too were out cold, much like your father.

Fingers snapped in front of your face causing you to blink and pull away. Only then did you feel the warm wetness running down your cheeks.

“H- He was a child!” You croaked but Resnikov only shrugged.

“It’s life. Oh and you’ve got about a two minutes before these two lovely ladies suffer the same fate.”

“You’re the real monster.” Wynter spit out. While Elizabeth continued to stare at her lost child. 

“Actually there’s a total of four monsters in here.” He smirked, waving his gun around. “One of which better hurry the fuck up and choose.”

“(Y/N) you listen to me and you listen well. It’s going to be me.” Elizabeth hisses, her fangs beginning to show. Wynter went to open her mouth but the look from her oldest sister caused her to shut it quickly. “My son is about to walk to the other side with no one but himself. You, of all people, know how cruel the Damned can be. I will not let him walk alone.”

“Liz, I can’t do it.” You choked out, your voice cracking as your evergreen orbs filled with tears once more. 

“Then I’m sorry I have to do this.” She smiled sadly, the tears had yet to cease, your eyes widened as you shook your head rapidly.

“Elizabeth n-” Your voice was cut off as she spoke the one word that change the fate of the world forever.

“Moarte.” 

In half a second all hell was unleashed.

You struggled with your own mind as your other half came to the surface- not that she wasn’t there already, itching to be let free and take out those who harmed her family. It didn’t take much for her to push you to the back of your own mind- it never was. Once she surfaced whoever deemed worthy enough to call her name had complete control.

“It’s time, Khaos.” Elizabeth sobbed in a broken voice. “I’ve known my end was near when the dreams came. But know this, he won’t forgive you easily. It’s gonna be one hell of a rode when this is over. Don’t let (Y/N) blame herself, this is my choice. It has to be me.”

“I know, my child.” Your voice was slightly deeper, rough and had an almost evil tone to it. “This isn’t going to painless, I’m sorry, but Death is never easy.”

“It’s okay, I’m ready.” The oldest sister whispered stretching her hand out slowly, silently tears began to streak down her cheeks once more, trying to prepare herself for her sudden end. Khaos nodded, meeting Elizabeth’s hand with her own, her pitch black eyes held empathy for the life lost and the one- two- about to be taken.

Elizabeth cried out in pain as her veins began to turn black, crawling slowly from her hand and up her arm before spreading across her body. She let out a choked scream as blood began to fill her lungs, spilling out of her mouth, as she slowly, painfully, felt the life being sucked out of her.

“I..I love you..all” Blood splattered across your face as the words left her mouth, her body convulsing but her hand never leaving yours. Her brown orbs flashed their true color before glazing over, all signs of life having been sucked out. 

You gasped, finally gaining control of your mind and body, your eyes stayed glued to your eldest sisters veins as they faded from the charcoal black to the light blue that sat beneath her pale skin. Tears welled in your eyes at the scene that laid around you. 

“Thank you for your hospitality, but it seems my time is up.” His sly grin stretched wider, madness glinting in his eyes. “Have a Merry Christmas ladies and gentlemen!”

Wynter suddenly appeared in your line of vision, forcing you to look away from Elizabeths body. “Y- you have to go, now. It wont be long before he comes. Resnikov must’ve set the alarms back up or alerted someone before him and his men fled.”

She spoke quickly grabbing your arm and shoving you towards the window where the twins were standing, grief mixed with panic swam in their orbs. You turned quickly to look at the two pairs of eyes that held no hatred for you. 

“W- what do I....” You trailed off not knowing what to say, you could feel your brain malfunctioning wanting to reject itself over what you just did. Your father stumbled over to you engulfing you in his arms. 

“Whatever you do” He started pausing as multiple sets of car lights flashed through the front windows. “Don’t blame yourself and do not let him catch you.”

“Don’t look back (Y/N)” Tears fell from the aging agents orbs as he released you. Car doors slammed shut, voices becoming louder, boots, rushing towards the front door, battling the thick snow.

 “Run.”

Just before more agents could enter the room, the sound of glass shattering filled the silent air, three bodies were pulled into the shadows leaving no trace they were ever there.

“aym het shodaws eb wtih ouy.” your voice echoed softly in the darkness only reaching the ears of your father and remaining sister.

-

aym het shodaws eb wtih ouy- may the shadows be with you.

i’m too lazy to ‘make’ a language so stick with me switching words around like a dumbass. i was going to use Romanian but that wouldn’t make sense bc people speak that so now we’re here. Khaos is the main characters ‘alter ego’ if you didn’t catch that, but y’all smart so i know y’all did, but i will be using italics for when Khaos is speaking or in control. if its confusing ill make it clear in the scene.

[lovemesomesurveys]

What are you planning to do tomorrow? Tomorrow is Halloween, but I’m not doing anything special. I’ll just watch scary movies, which I’ve been doing all month, and chill with my family. Probably get some takeout. Are you comfortable with your height? I wish I was a little bit taller. Ha, cue Skee-lo “I Wish.” Last text received? My dad letting me know he was on his way home from work yesterday. Whats your favorite subject in school? My favorite was always English. Many of my psych courses in college were as well, which is what I majored in. Whats your least favorite subject in school? Me and math never got along. Are you afraid of heights? Yes.

Are you afraid of the dark? I sleep with my TV on because I can’t have it be completely dark. Or quiet. Are you a jealous person? I feel envy more. I haven’t felt jealous in a long time. Do you miss anyone right now? There’s a few someones I’ll always miss.  How do you feel about your hair? I hate it right now. I badly need to get it dyed, trimmed, and styled.  Do sleep with a stuffed animal? I have 3 that sit on my bed. Do you sleep with the light on? I sleep with the TV on for a little sound and light. Do you sleep with the fan on? Yes. Were you happy when you woke up today? I never wake up happy. I wake up feeling like a zombie. Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Yeah. Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that hard. Do you drink coffee? Duhhh. Do you find piercings attractive? No. I don’t mind some, I just don’t find them particularly attractive. Do you find tattoos attractive? Same thing I said about piercings.  When is your birthday? July 28th. How long are you on the computer? I spend a lot of time on here. Do you watch a lot of TV? Yeah. It’s on as background noise a lot, but I’ll tune in and out to it. I do have my shows I watch and am into, though. Or if there’s a movie I like that’s on. I multitask between that and being on the computer. What was the last movie you watched? On TV it was Halloween (2007) yesterday and in theaters it was Joker last week. What was the last TV show you watched? Catfish. Do you curse in front of your parents? No. Are you slowly drifting away from someone close? That happened already with a lot of people these past few years. :/ Do you like your phone? Yeah. Have you ever taken a road drip? Yes. Are you happy right now? No. Do you have a crush on anyone? No. Have you ever written a story? Yeah. I used to write short stories when I was like 13/14. Man, I wish I still had those. What are you listening to right now? An ASMR video. Do you watch American Idol? No. I did when it first started and many seasons after that, but one the original judges started leaving I lost interest. Whats your favorite number? 8. Whats the last thing you ate? Ramen. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Gray.  How is the weather right now? Nice and cold.  Are you too shy to ask someone out? There isn’t anyone I want to ask out, but yeah I’m never the one to make the first move. What were you doing before this? Another survey. Do you have any pets? I have a 2 year old German Shepherd/Lab mix named Princess Leia. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing? Yeah. Are you still friends with someone from kindergarten? No. Do you like to travel by plane? I’ve only done it twice, but I might be traveling via plane next year. :O Do you use chapstick? Not often enough. I should. When did you last cry? A few days ago. What did you do today? So far just a few surveys and watched a few ASMR videos. Do you drink a lot of water? I need to drink more. I only drink like 1-2 bottles a day. What was the last website you visited? Google. How long do you think you will live? Blah. What do you spend most of your money on? Clothes. What did you eat for lunch today? I haven’t had lunch, yet, but I’m sure I’ll have a sandwich like I usually do. Do you eat breakfast? Usually. Do you eat junk food every day? I guess ramen could be considered junk food and I eat that like every night. Otherwise, no I’m not a snacker like I used to be. My appetite changed a lot a few years ago and I have some eating issues. How’s your life going lately? Blah. Do you like the winter time? Love it. Have you ever had to get your blood drawn? Countless times now. Do like eating mashed potatoes? Yesss. Are you a good cook? I make a pretty good bowl of ramen, ha. What is the most important thing to you? God and my family. Are you trying to avoid liking somebody at the moment? No. I don’t have an interest in anyone like that currently. When was the last time someone put you on the spot? Surveys like to do that. Do you lie about your age? No. I have no reason to. I’m 30 and old, ha. Have you ever been stung by a bee? No, thankfully. Who was the last person you high fived? Probably my mom. Who made you mad today? No one has. Do you like whip cream? Yeah, I like it in hot chocolate and like latte/mochas/cappuccinos. I don’t like whipped cream frosting, though. Give me buttercream. Do you know how to swim? Nope. Are you afraid of falling in love? Yes.  Could you go a whole month without cursing? Yeah. I don’t cure a lot anyway. Are you close to your mother? Very. Are you close to your father? No. We don’t have a bad relationship, but it’s not like the one my mom and I have. It’s just different. Do you miss your past? I miss a lot of things about my past. Are you any good at math? Nope. Do you look at the keyboard when you type? No. Who hugged you last? My mom. Who’s one person you can tell everything to? Ya’ll. ha. Do you keep things bottled up inside? I keep to myself a lot “in real life”, but I share a lot in surveys. Has anyone let you down lately? Just myself as always. Do you call anyone by their last name? No. Have you ever been called a bad influence? No. Do you have a lucky number? I don’t believe in luck, but I have a favorite number: 8. What scares you the most? Losing my loved ones, never getting better/getting worse, and never doing anything with my life and just wasting away. What did you do today? Just a few surveys and watched a few ASMR videos so far. It’s only 3:22AM. Why do you feel the way you feel? Good question! I’d sure like to know what the hell is wrong with me. What was the last thing you put in your mouth? Starbucks Doubleshot. What woke you up this morning? My body will wake itself up. Do you have a best friend to lean on? I have my family. Do you ever have wierd confusing dreams? All the time. How is your hair right now? A mess. When was the last time you went shopping? Earlier this month my mom and I did a little shopping at the mall. We went grocery shopping last week. Did you laugh a lot today? Not so far, but like I said it’s only 3 in the morning. Do you know what pseudo means? Yes. Was there anyone who made your day today? Sigh. Are you liking how you look today? No. Or any day. Do you hate when they give a lot of tv commercials? Yeah, they’re pretty annoying. Are you waiting for anything? Not at the moment. Are you a very stressed out person? Yes. Are you single? Yes. Do you watch the news? Sometimes. I mostly get my news online or from news app on my phone.  Have you ever been to disney world? No, but I’ve been to Disneyland. Do you like animals? Yesss. Do you know how to skateboard? I can’t. Do you go to church? No. I do listen to the sermon that’s uploaded every Sunday from a local church that I plan to attend in the future. What do you do to relax? “Relax, don’t do it when you want to go to it.” 

Anyway, the only time I’m able to really relax even just a little is when I’m at the beach. Do you hate when people stare at you for no reason? Uh, yeah. It happens a lot with kids. They’re so fascinated by wheelchairs, I guess. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? My mom. Do you remember what date is was? When I had the deep convo with my mom? It was just a couple days ago. How often do you talk on the phone? I rarely talk on the phone. The only time are brief calls with one of my parents when they’re calling from work or while they’re out and about. Do you have any saved texted messages? My phone just keeps ‘em all. I’ve never gone through and deleted any. Which color is better? Red, Blue, Green, Black, or Yellow? I like all of them, but honestly I’d probably go with black. And blah, blah yeah I know it’s not really a color. Shh.  Whats your first initial? S. Are you good at hiding your feelings? Not anymore. I used to be. My emotions were like, “we’re in control now!” Are you afraid of rollercoasters? Yeahhh, I don’t do rollercoasters.  Is anyone annoying you right now? No. Everyone here is asleep. Do you smile a lot? *shrug* Genuine ones not as much.  Does the person you like know that you like them? I don’t like anyone in that way currently.  Have you ever cried from being so mad? Yes. If I’m mad then I cry, they go hand in hand. There’s been a few times where I was literally shaking with anger. That’s rare and takes a lot, but it has happened. Did you cry today? Not so far.  When was the last time you had a sleepover? Several years ago. My cousins used to sleep over all the time. Do you like watching horror movies? Love ‘em. How many kids do you want? Zero. What do you wanna be when you grow up? I’m “grown up”, but I still have no idea. Don’t let my age fool you, though. I don’t feel grown up in a lot of ways. Have you ever been suspended from school? No. Do you like taking pictures? Not of myself, but sure. Do walk around bare foot when your at home? Or do you wear socks? I always wear socks. Don’t you hate that when it’s freezing cold outside your nose gets runny? It’s not pleasant. Don’t you hate that when it’s freezing cold outside your eyes get teary? That doesn’t happen to me. Do you wear make up? It’s been a long time since I’ve worn any makeup. I honestly don’t think I have at all this year. :O Do you wear jewerly? I wear these beaded bracelets (some I made, some I bought) sometimes. Do you ever play games on the computer? I like to play The Sims sometimes. It’s been awhile, though.

[withdrcwn]

         ⁚ ⁛  oh my god !  you can’t believe who i just saw. it was  jo ahreum !  they really resemble  hwang eunbi , don’t they ?  i heard they started their career about  three years ago  as the  main dancer + vocalist + center  in  terra , but it sure seems longer, doesn’t it ?  they always seem so  energetic ,  diligent  +  protective  in interviews and to their fans, but their latest scandal made them sound like  haughty ,  stubborn  +  brusque … oh well, must’ve been the bad lighting. did you know they came all the way from  cheongju ,  south korea  to new york city ?  it was really brave of them to sacrifice so much. you think they’re survive the spotlight ? 「+ hwang eunbi 」

hello everyone !  i’m vee and i say y’all way more than is necessary and/or healthy. also i literally haven’t rped since like january so i’m a bit rusty but yeah, my friends are planning to leave at 8am for this hiking thing and it’s now 5am and i have umpah umpah stuck in my head and i'm probably gonna suffer but i wanted to get some sort of an intro out at least before i sleep so without further ado~

     —   𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 ��𝒏𝒇𝒐.

on june 3rd, 1998 this kiddo was born in cheongju, south korea to a lovely couple and their son.

from a young age, ahreum loved to move around. whether it was running around the garden chasing butterflies while her mother watered the plants, wriggling around to the old trot songs her father loved to have on in the background when he was working, or even playing around with her older brother as they sailed the seven seas or traveled to mars.

it didn’t take long for her parents to see that the little girl had the talent and passion to perform as she frequently asked to join the school’s dance club.

not long after, she asked to take dance lessons.

then asked to join a dance troupe.

she was a natural on stage and on screen. from placing first at dance competitions, being an extra on that thursday night drama, and modelling children’s clothing — she was scouted by a talent agency.

by the age of twelve, she had her first audition for the company as a dancer/vocalist and was accepted.

five years into training, the company unfortunately had issues and she moved over to a different company to continue.

her debut in terra as the main dancer/vocalist/center ( & part-time choreographer ) happened quicker than expected under the new company and soon enough, their group had gained a following and their first music show win.

tbc.

     —   𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚.

let’s start this off by stating she’s what one would expect from a type AB...... mostly because she is a type AB.

from debut, her stage personality wasn’t that different from her at home. of course, it’s toned down in front of the cameras but it’s hard not to pick up on it.

fans were drawn to the cute girl with the tsundere personality, apparently.

she does have a tough time with strangers as she tries to be as polite as possible without immediately wanting to go home and curl up into a blanket burrito.

but while she’s cold to people even she’s close with aka her group members, there’s a certain charm to it.

even so, media outlets like to think she’s not nice.

of course she gets nicer,  slightly , as she gets comfortable. but don’t expect compliments from her just yet....... unless she wants something, then that’s a different story.

on the other hand, gets excited very easily when she’s comfy. like a kid in a candy shop.

she’s honestly a whiny baby why did i write all of that stuff above.

     —   𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔. 𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗𝒗 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝒊 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓.

ok listen so she’s basically sinb

mostly bc my brain is too fried to create anything original for her atm other than like having some cute lil cacti in a  terrarium                                                                                                                                         ba dum tss

has a puppy named angkko that she loves more than jajangmyeon and will do anything for her. literally anything.

loves heights. will climb a tree bc why not. no but really she loves bungee jumping and roller coasters and will love you five-ever if you ever take her to an amusement park.

hates aegyo/getting forced to be cute. will climb a tree to get away if she has to.

loves to eat food and hide snacks in her skirt. it’s less weird than you think. kinda.

uh is allergic to grapes,,,,,, but only like the purple ones. she can eat the green ones just fine for some reason.

a bit of a homebody. she doesn’t have many friends outside of her members and staff. unless y’all want to change that wink wink nudge nudge.

will probably cry throw something at you if you bring this up.

oh, also mostly fluent in english bc america and all. yeah.

uhh that’s all i got for now maybe i’ll add a connections part later. i’ll have a full bio on my blog someday but today is not that day. i’m about to pass out now but my IMs are always open so pls come and plot with me and my bab.

[laurabelle2930]

At Last... An Olicity fic inspired by @mel-loves-all

Okay so my dear and amazing friend @mel-loves-all has been making these amazing mood boards. I was so inspired by this Mood Board that I asked if I could write this fic. She agreed so here it is! The song “At Last” is by Etta James. The mistakes are all mine and once again the idea came from Mel! 

Link to the Mood Board is posted above and below: 

https://mel-loves-all.tumblr.com/post/175888837918/olicity-modern-au-moodboard-oliver-queen-owner

Read it here or on AO3

“At Last” 

Two Months...

That’s how long Oliver Queen had been troubled, beguiled, inspired and, tortured by the woman at the end his bar… Oliver felt Tommy’s hand fall over his slumped shoulder before a soft, “Ollie are you ever going to give Clive back his weekend shifts?” left his signature smirk.

“It’s complicated,” Oliver managed to croak before his forehead fell to his forearm and, everything around him began to slowly blur….

Two Months Ago…

Every story has a beginning and, this tale was no exception. Oliver’s problem began about five years ago when he and his best friend Tommy Merlyn decided to thwart their parents expectations and, go into business together. Tommy’s father was Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver’s was Robert Queen. Both men were CEO’s of global companies and, both men wanted their sons on their respective thrones.

Oliver and Tommy both graduated with honors from Yale business school even though they both found the business world unbearable. They both wanted to make their father’s proud but, neither of them wanted the life that was laid out before them. It was a random act of fate that created the life they now thrived in.

The idea for the club was formed when Oliver met his father at an abandoned factory before they went for a late lunch. The building then was a condemned pile of steel and drywall but, all Oliver could see was the potential for more. Robert’s plan was to encourage Oliver’s creative thinking skills. Robert hoped that Oliver would find the buildings business potential. Robert never thought his son would see Verdant; Starling City’s most popular jazz club in nearly twenty years.

The details for how both Robert and Malcolm were convinced to loan them the seed money was long and tedious but, needless to say the money was granted and, both men were determined to succeed.

Now after five years Verdant was thriving. Oliver and Tommy had been smart enough to book established acts while also encouraging unknown talent. Weekends we're for the big names like the “Lyla Michaels Experience”. On the weekdays they held open mic nights for the local artists who were hoping to spread their wings by singing/performing for a live audience. The club itself was a two story building with wide open spaces and, windows to spare. In order to give the club a more intimate feel they’d filled the empty spaces of the first floor with oversized leather couches and comfortable oversized chairs to match. The cement floors were covered with dark hardwood panels and the walls were painted with hues of black, gray and green. The front doors had stained glass panels that glittered in the sunlight and, even glowed in the moonlight. The entire back wall was filled with floor to ceiling windows that let the world in both during the night and the day.  

Up against those windows was the stage. The dance floor of course was in front of the stage with small tables positioned at the edges for ease of access. The second floor held Oliver and Tommy’s offices, the employee break room and, another 40 tables for the patrons who’d rather listen than dance.

They had a small but, responsible staff that was made up of friends and family.  Sara Lance bartender and server extraordinaire was the younger sister of Laurel Lance who had once been in a relationship with Tommy. The romantic relationship between Laurel and Tommy ended but, the friendship between Laurel, Tommy and even Sara remained. Sara and Tommy had over the years become the best of friends. They’re bond was even strong enough that they eventually became sometime roommates whenever either of them was newly single. Clive their weekend bartender was an old classmate and Oliver’s college roommate. Oliver’s younger sister Thea was a server, her husband of a year Roy was another bartender. Even Laurel the attorney by day picked up a serving shift for extra cash about twice a week. Oliver and Tommy served as both bartenders and servers when needed but, the club while large always felt small and, intimate.

The night everything changed began with Oliver in a panic. No scratch that Oliver was just plain pissed off. His stormy blue eyes fell to his watch as the phone rang for the third time. He mumbled as the small hand inched toward the small, italic five. The front door’s were beginning to swing back and forth steadily as the night crowd began to move through the dimly lit room.

His soft mumbled, “Of all the nights for my bartender to be sick,” went unnoticed while the room around him slowly began to fill.

The phone rang for the fifth time. Oliver’s patience was nearly gone when to his dismay a very sick sounding voice gargled out a weak, “Ollie please don’t be mad…”

His heart sank to his stomach as a whispered, “Please don’t tell me you and, Clive are both sick?” fell from his frowning lips.

The voice on the other end of the phone coughed out a weak, “Yes and, before you ask no.”

Oliver’s frown grew. He knew what that no meant and, yet he still groaned, “Oh come on Tommy! Sara can’t still be angry about that? It was one drunk guy and, we both had him thrown out!”

His sick friend and, business partner let out a weak sounding laugh as he replied, “She is and, you’re not the one she’s currently living with!

Oliver’s brow crinkled when he realized what he’d have to do. “You realize I haven’t had to bar-tend in almost three years don’t you?

Oliver’s question must have fallen on deaf ears because the only reply he received was a soft, “You got this…” before the line went silent.

Oliver hung up in defeat as the once silent room began to almost glow with the sounds of laughter and, excitement at what the night before them could hold.  The only person who wasn’t excited was him.

With resignation Oliver began to set up the bar. He checked to make sure the booze was out and each bottle was full. He had a selection of white wines chilling and, a selection of reds placed along the back of the bar rail. The kegs were full, the bar snacks were out, and each station had a full array of bar napkins and sipping straws.

He glanced at his watch, it was now 5:15. The rush wouldn't begin until after 6. Oliver than glanced towards the stage. Lyla and her husband John were already getting set up for their first set. Lyla was in her signature dark green, strapless dress. Her short brown hair was gelled back, her makeup was minimal and as always she looked stunning. John wore his signature black vest with a white button up shirt underneath. His ebony skin glowed beneath the green and white spotlights that would change color as they went through each set.

As he watched them he marveled at the depth of love and respect that seemed to flow through every movement they made. When he first booked Lyla she was a one woman show. She packed the house but, Oliver always felt that she seemed lonely. About two years after they opened Oliver hired John to play the piano for the weekday open mic performers. They only met because Lyla stopped by to check out her local competition. The moment their eyes locked Oliver swore their hearts began to beat as one. Lyla waved when she caught him staring. Oliver smiled and waved back. She then went back to what she’d been doing and, Oliver did the same.  

Around 5:45 people began to arrive in droves. Oliver had Thea and Sara serving the upstairs patrons with Roy posted as their upstairs bartender. Oliver handled the main bar and the droves of thirsty customers. Thankfully, Laurel offered to come in and handle the downstairs tables which Oliver gladly accepted. Even though he was busy Oliver caught the first few lines of Lyla’s opening song before he was lost in the crush of incoming drink orders that seemed to swirl around him like an impending Typhoon. Oliver remained lost in the violent storm until he heard her first words...

“So what's better? A vodka cranberry or a Cosmo?”

Oliver's glance shot upwards from the sea of tickets and towards the sound of heaven. His heart slammed along his chest like thunder roars through the skies when he saw who owned the voice that silenced the storm all around him. She wasn't breathtaking, she was beyond that. She was love at first sight and, Oliver was stupefied by his reaction. He couldn't believe that she'd literally stolen his heart with a few simple words. He was drawn in by how her bright, pink hair fell along the angles of her oval shaped face in short ringlets. Her lips matched her hair, her blue eyes swam with warmth and amusement as they continued to stare at the other in an oddly comfortable silence. Oliver gulped as his own blue eyes traveled along the lines of her slender yet toned figure. Her black leather pants made her pink, leather halter top pop as she slowly placed her pink nails along the edge of the bar rail.

She smiled as she cocked her head and his heart dropped down to his aching toes. Her blue eyes glittered in amusement as she breathed, “Since you've gone silent I'll take the Cosmo,”. Oliver gaped but, nothing more occurred. He seemed to be frozen while the woman before him was beginning to walk away. He saw her fingers slipping along the edge of the bar. His heart suddenly was lodged in his throat. She moved them down off the rail and towards her purse. She then fished out a ten and a five dollar bill. She placed them on the bar, her tempting fingers were within reach and, all he could do was gulp as she whispered, “That should take care of it.”

By the time Oliver could manage a simple, “Okay,” she was already seated at the end of the bar. Oliver made her drink and then flagged down Laurel so she'd deliver it.

Laurel gave him an odd look which he shrugged away before returning his attentions to the other patrons around them. The night wore on like an endless wave as they very carefully traded hidden looks. He'd glance at how she swayed along the bar stool. She in turn seemed to smile secretly everytime she rebuffed any man or woman who was brave enough to even say hello. Yes Oliver watched her throughout the endless night. He watched as she ensnared her many victims only to leave them longing for the simple caress of her passing glance.

As the night came to close and, the club was beginning to empty Oliver felt something burning along his skin. He ignored the prickling sensation until his skin nearly erupted into flames. When he finally dared to seek out the source of his oddly enjoyable pain all he could find was a pair of sparkling blue eyes...

Current day…

“And that's how's it been every weekend for the past two months. This damn woman floats into my life like a flame and by the end of Sunday night she's gone,” Oliver lamented while once again “The Lyla Michaels Experience” began to take the stage.

“So you’ve taken Clive’s shifts so you can what feel her gaze fall upon you throughout the evening?” Tommy quired in utter amusement.

Oliver’s eyes rose to the ceiling in exasperation. “So what if I do. I’m addicted to how she makes me feel and I’ve yet to even share a single word with her…” he breathed in relief.

Tommy's mouth fell open with the obvious solution until Oliver swore he could see the tops of his expanding lungs. “Don't say it…” Oliver begged. “She's turned down everyone…’

“You're kidding?” Tommy quipped as Oliver's pink leather wearing siren song began moving through the front doors.

Oliver felt the familiar fire of her glance beginning to travel along his arched spine. His heart fluttered as her voice broke through the growing crowd. “Cosmo as usual,” she stated before she slipped her payment towards his waiting hand. He nodded and began to gather his necessary supplies. Tommy watched as the nameless woman took her usual seat and chuckled when she shot down two men in five seconds.

“Does she always look like that and, does she always pay in cash?”

Oliver mumbled a gruff, “Yes…” then once again flagged down Laurel.

Laurel appeared with her knowing smirk yet remained mum as she took the chilled glass to a pair of waiting lips.

“Does she always stare at you like that?”

Oliver was about to shout back “Yes, why do you think I’m taking these damn shifts” but, was stopped when the ache along his spine began to burn through his veins. He risked a glance…

His heart thudded madly when he saw her lips curve into a very soft smile. “She's gonna rip me to shreds…” Oliver lamented once he realized he couldn’t avoid her any longer.  

“Yeah,” Tommy agreed before he softly added, “or she's going to let Clive bar-tend again on the weekends.” Oliver glanced at friend begging for mercy. Tommy simply pushed him forward with a smirk and a stern, “Falling in love wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world would it?”

“I'm going to regret this….” Oliver breathed before he took his first step towards fate.

Lyla's voice moved like silk through the air between them. He began to measure his steps as John's fingers began to dance along the  ivories. His pink haired temptress kept her eyes  locked on his own as he slowly began to move toward her. She bit at her lower lip as the room began to grow quiet.

Oliver's stomach rolled when the chorus of his life for the past two months began to fill the room with spontaneous energy. Oliver glanced at the few couples dancing slowly as Lyla gently began to sing…

“At last, my love has come along. My lonely days are over and life is like a song…”

“Etta James is always a brave choice for any singer don't you agree?”

Oliver gulped as he placed his timid hand along the bar. She batted her bright, blue eyes while she slowly cocked her head. “Are you always this timid or are you trying to lure me into a false sense of security?” she asked once a minute of silence had passed.

Oliver mumbled, “Yes to the first and no to the second.”

“So you can speak,” she teased as Lyla began the second verse.

Oliver's eyes fell to the floor. Hers remained locked on his downfallen face while he murmured, “And you can apparently carry on more than a two sentence conversation.”

He felt her gaze washing over him. His skin burned as she slipped her index finger along the rim of her cocktail glass. The silence between them grew into a heated exchange once Oliver dared to meet her gaze. The air around them crackled as Lyla’s voice began to reach the climax of the song. Oliver's heart raced, his skin blazed with unseen flames as she searched his soul with her eyes. He felt exposed, naked and, afraid as she slipped through his heart and began to travel through his soul.

The crowd began to clap as Oliver's breathing began to increase. He nearly begged for her next words but remained frozen as her lips slipped into an delighted yet playful smile. “I can carry out a conversation if the person I’m talking to is the right one…” she offered before she slid her used bar napkin forward.

“What game are you playing?” Oliver breathed as the cold pads of her fingers gently moved across his own.

She smirked coyly, “Let's see if you can figure it out,”

Then like lightning had split the ground between them she left leaving him sputtering for the words to make her stop in her wake. Oliver quickly unfolded the paper. His fingers slipped over the condensation filled paper as his eyes scanned over her delicate print.

There was one word… and it was the only word he needed to be motivated to run…

Oliver swept through the crowds of happy people around him. He heard Tommy and Sara teasing Laurel about her latest disaster of a date. He saw Thea and Roy holding hands in the back corner as they watched the patrons before them. He felt a thousand eyes falling all around him as he came barreling through the front doors and, out onto the damp street.

Oliver scanned the crowds of future guests and, even a few who’d chosen to leave for the night. His feet skimmed over the surface of the rain covered streets until once again his skin began to prickle before the burn of anticipation moved through his suddenly very steady heart.

Oliver’s heart once again quickened as he hollered out the sole thing that had made him run… He hollered out a breathless, “Felicity!” once he caught the sight of her pink curls bouncing along the nape of her delicate neck.

Felicity froze, which caused Oliver to once again run. He ran as the weather once again turned to rain. He ran and didn't stop until his forearm was securely around her waist. Felicity turned until they were face to face. Her dazzling blue eyes made the world around him fall away as she said,  “So tell me bartender boy why did I choose you after I rejected so many others?”

Oliver slid his fingers along the curve of her delicate cheekbone until he had his thumb pressed along her quivering bottom lip. He grinned almost proudly. Felicity’s tongue darted out along the pad of his thumb making his heart quicken and still all at once.

“Are you always this confident?” Oliver pressed once he felt Felicity’s arms beginning to encircle his waist.

She pressed a chaste kiss to his thumb pad as she whispered, “Does it always take you two months to make a move?”

Oliver’s forehead fell to the crown of Felicity’s head, “If I’d known you’d accept my advances I might have given my bartender his shifts back…” he breathed as his eyes slid shut.

Felicity’s fingers squeezed along his sides. Oliver heard Lyla’s voice floating through the open doors of Verdant. The rain around them started to quicken, the once pleasant drizzle was becoming an all out downpour as Felicity’s lips began to move along his skin. “If you’re not the bartender who are you then?” she asked for once in genuine wonder.

Oliver bit back a chuckle as they began to sway beneath the falling rain. “I’m the guy who met a girl who’s heartbeat matched my own…”

Felicity moved her nose along his, “Nice line,” she smirked.

“Well it only took me two months to say,” Oliver chuckled swiftly.

“True,” Felicity mused before adding, “but, that doesn’t tell me who you are?” Her assertions came as she moved her hands up the sides of his now drenched black shirt.

Oliver placed a timid kiss to her cheek then breathed, “I’m the owner of the club and my name is…”

“Oliver Queen,” Felicity supplied as they each lifted their eyes towards the stormy skies.

“You knew this entire time didn’t you?” Oliver asked almost breathlessly.

She nodded her forehead along his own as she breathed, “I’ve been coming to the club for years. I’d seen you but up until about two months ago you’d never seen me…”

Oliver’s stomach once again flipped, “Well you’ve clearly made up for lost time,” he moaned as their bodies began to sway to the beat of the falling rain.

“I thought the confidence would spark your interest,” she laughed as her lips slid along his jaw.

“You’re not going to make this easy are you?” Oliver breathed as something inside his stomach began to flutter with the unknown feeling of contentment.

Felicity wrinkled her nose as she leaned forward. Oliver closed the distance between them slowly as she answered with a soft sounding, “You’re the one that made it complicated…”

Oliver’s lips began to cover hers while he murmured, “How did I do that?”

She kissed him softly and, Oliver’s heart nearly plummeted to the ground. He felt her laughter through his skin as she whispered along his upper lip, “You made it complicated when you took two months to say a damn word…”

Oliver was about to refute her claim but, before he could form another word the heaven’s above them opened leaving them drenched and, smiling while Felicity continued to kiss him as they simply danced in the rain.  

Tagging: 

@michealajulius @blondeeoneexox @relativelyobsessedfangirl @thebookjumper @emmaamelia95 @hope-for-olicity @coal000 @missyriver @supersillyanddorky06 @mel-loves-all @love2luvyyou @memcjo @smoakingarrow19 @independent-fics @green-arrows-of-karamel @blondiegrl00 @it-was-a-red-heeler @diggo26 @charlinert @oliverfel4 @swordandarrow @scu11y22 @vaelisamaza @ireland1733 @redpensandgreenarrows @emmilynestill @rivaroma23 @miriam1779 @jaspertown @marytagus @onceuponarrow @lalawo1 @pleasantfanandstudent @alemap74 @kathrynelizabeth89 @sweetzcupcake @jedichick04 @nalla-madness @quiveringbunny @mrsbubblelee @olicitylovemaking @almondblossomme @befitandchase @pimsiepim @andjustforthismoment @anonymiss118 @thelockpickingvictorian @yet-i-remain-quiet @lexi9515 @marniforolicity @myhauntedblacksoul @myuntetheredsoul @felicity-said-just-in-case @i-m-a-fan-world @danski15 @emilyp05 @missafairy @cainc3 @captainolicitysbedroom @yespleasehawkeyee @tdgal1 @wherethereissmoak 

[ravkanreads-blog]

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black [goodreads] my rating: ★★★★★

SYNOPSIS

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Never in my entire life did I think a book about faeries would capture my full and undivided attention, let alone destroy my life so utterly and warrant all of the love in my itty bitty heart. But alas, here we are.

I’ve never been the world’s biggest fan of faeries or other similar fantasy creatures. For some reason, whenever a synopsis would mention them, I’d slowly back away and then run in the other direction. Then, when Throne of Glass descended into excessive fae male-ness without warning or cause, I truly feared I’d have an aversion to faeries forever. But there was so much hype surrounding this book and so many friends telling me I should read it, so I decided put to put my hesitation aside, just this once, and boy, am I glad I did.

THE STORY

“The odd thing about ambition is this: You can acquire it like a fever, but it is not so easy to shed.”

The Cruel Prince follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl living an ordinary life with her parents, her twin sister Taryn, and their half sister Vivienne, who is half-faerie. In a tragic turn, Vivienne’s father Madoc, a faerie general, murders Jude’s parents. In what proves to be an even greater tragic turn, Madoc steals the sisters from the mortal world and raises them as his own children in the land of Faerie, where Jude is pretty much doomed to be looked down upon for the rest of her life.

Since Madoc is a general for the High King, Jude and her sisters are basically raised among faerie royalty. And although the high society faeries she grows up with make her life a living hell, Jude wants desperately to fit in among them, but as a mortal, she can never compare to their beauty and power. She’s learned to live among them, dealing with their cruelty and hatred and pretending she isn’t afraid of them, but she’ll never be one of them. And she’s so tired of it.

Soon enough, just swallowing all the cruel insults and pranks isn’t enough for Jude. She’s bitter. She wants revenge against those who wronged her. She wants to have power over them, as impossible as that seems, and she wants it now. So when the opportunity arises for Jude to seize just that, she takes it.

Against a backdrop of twisted court politics rife with deceit and betrayal, Jude becomes a spy and an assassin, hoping to work her way up in the faerie courts. For once, her mortality is an asset. For once, everything seems like it’s working out. And then, of course, a wrench is thrown in her plans and if this didn’t sound absolutely delightful already, that’s when it really gets going.

I adore this story, I really do. I’ve now discovered that faeries are manipulative and chaotic and I love reading about manipulation and chaos, so someone please explain why I’ve never willingly picked up a faerie book before. And Jude’s role in all of this, as a mortal, adds such a cool twist to what could have been a very traditional, formulaic faerie story. Also, I love dark fantasy, and light this is not. There is treachery everywhere and it is so compelling and wonderful.

“Faerie might be beautiful, but its beauty is like a golden stag’s carcass, crawling with maggots beneath his hide, ready to burst.”

Alongside the plot, I also found the writing in this book to be absolutely gorgeous and descriptive. Holly Black did such an incredible job painting a picture of the dark, frightening beauty of Faerie and delving into the characters’ skewed motivations with ease. The writing style really just heightened the atmosphere, intensity, and my enjoyment of the story.

My one gripe with this story–and it’s really not a serious complaint at all–came in whenever the setting shifted to the mortal world, or when the characters’ talked about it. For some reason it just made me uncomfortable to be so enthralled by the world of Faerie, and then suddenly I’m walking through Target. It was really jarring and weird to me every time it happened. But I also feel like even this served a purpose, because that’s how Jude feels about the mortal world, being removed from it for most of her life.

Anyway, the fact that a book about faeries actually got me this invested took me by surprise. Except not really, because with so many good things coming together in one book, I was bound to like it. While it has its slower sections, the entire thing was a wild ride from start to finish. I was turning pages at the speed of light and trying to predict what would happen next. (I was usually wrong.) This is definitely one of those books that I wish I could reread without knowing all the twists and turns.

CHARACTERS

There’s something to hate about every character in this book and it’s glorious.

The complexity of the characters’ motivations and actions is what really made this book for me. I love twisted characters who do bad things for righteous reasons, or good things for despicable reasons. I love manipulative characters. This book is full of them. Without that element, I doubt it would have been as intriguing to me, personally. The characters worked hand in hand with the plot and the atmosphere to truly make this story dark and delicious.

Jude Duarte:

“Before, I never knew how far I would go. Now I believe I have the answer. I will go as far as there is to go. I will go way too far.”

First of all, I’d like to make it known that I would let Jude kill me if she really wanted to (and she might, if I got in her way). I think she was supposed to be “unlikeable” but I don’t even care. I love her so much and that is all.

I always find myself drawn to female characters like Jude–she fits perfectly into this archetype that I adore, every single time, without fail. A female character is downtrodden and spit upon her entire life, until it leads her to become resentful and ambitious and gives her a desire to wield power over those who wronged her, and she will go to any lengths to get it. I literally never get tired of this. For me, watching Jude grapple for power and influence in Faerie was the exact equivalent of curling up in bed and watching my favorite movie, popcorn and all, except more violent and less cuddly. I was rooting for her so hard.

One of my favorite things about Jude’s character is her ambition and determination, even when she’s been underestimated and afraid for most of her life. The dark places her character ends up because of that ambition are so interesting, considering where she started off.

Cardan Greenbriar:

“Prince Cardan, sixth-born to the High King Eldred, yet still the absolute worst.”

I still haven’t decided exactly how I feel about Cardan Greenbriar. On the one hand, he’s arrogant and cruel and a bully. By all means, I should hate him, right? On the other hand, by the end of the book, it was very difficult to hate him. I’m shook.

Cardan, admittedly, is a garbage fire of a human being (faerie being?) and an absolute mess. Despite being a prince, which entails being somewhat respectable, he does virtually nothing besides taunting others and getting ridiculously drunk. He’s elitist, entitled, and senselessly wicked. In the earlier parts of this book, I wanted to strangle him. Frequently.

But as we learn about the viciousness of the royal family and the faerie courts, the world in which Cardan was raised, we discover that Cardan hides behind many masks and wears many faces to get by. He’s a victim of manipulation and abuse, and while that doesn’t excuse his behavior, it does allow us to sympathize with the thought process behind it.

Ultimately, Cardan is a complex guy whose layers Jude and the reader have only just begun to peel away. I like him. I’m not sure if I’ll ever love him, but I’m excited to see his character move forward.

Locke:

*insert photo of a garbage can here*

Moving on.

Jude’s Family:

“Three is an odd configuration of sisters. There’s always one on the outside.”

This is one messed up family. I won’t say much, but wow.

Vivi is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Every time she appeared, she lit up the page. But the rest of Jude’s family? Yikes. Despite how much I can’t stand them all, I did find Jude’s relationship with Madoc to be intriguing, and I’d love to see more of it in the future. I also enjoyed the relationship between the three sisters at times, but mostly because it was interesting to see how each of the sisters shaped Jude.

RELATIONSHIPS

Given the abundance of betrayals and the abundance of morally gray characters in this book, there’s bound to be some drama. Lots of complicated relationships, mhmm I love me some of those. However, if I had to pick a favorite...

Jude and Cardan:

“You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing.”

Jude and Cardan’s dynamic is one of the most twisted–and compelling–I’ve read about in a long time. Like, to the point where I think back to the beginning of the book and then look at the end and go how on earth did we get here.

At the start of the book, Cardan hates Jude, because Jude is mortal. And Jude hates Cardan because he treats everyone like crap, namely her. It seems simple, but there are so many layers to peel away when it comes to their interactions. Because as much as they hate each other, their lives keep intersecting in the most unexpected ways and I have lots of feelings about it.

I’m not sold yet on the idea of a romantic relationship between them, but I can’t deny that their scenes were crackling with electricity. Whether that electricity was sexual tension or unadulterated hatred or both, I guess time will tell. Whatever happens, bringing two of the most screwed-up, twisted characters in this story together, in any capacity, has already proven to be interesting, and I cannot wait for more interactions between them.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

I went into this book fully expecting not to like it, for my own dumb reasons. Now, here I am, loving it and telling all my friends about it and watching all of my feelings concerning it pour from my heart like an unstoppable flood. It’s everything I could ever want from a book about trickery and betrayal, and its dark, magical atmosphere completely pulled me in. Also, I love Jude Duarte. I love her so much and she carried this story along so wonderfully. I’m proud of her.

I highly recommend this book for fans of high fantasy with political intrigue!

Holly Black, bring on The Wicked King.

[mysamcedesmadness]

Steerio Hearts Stuff & Stuff

Toxicity, Fetishism & Other Dirty Things that Plague Us

Belladuke

Bukowski doesn’t really love Tesla, does he? I can’t tell if he was lying or if in his sick twisted mind, he really does think he is in love.

I loved this entire review and the thoughts presented here, so I’m basically replying to the whole thing. This is stuff that may or may not be revealed, so in the instance that it is, you’ll already know, and in the instance that it isn’t, you’ll have answers that I haven’t made clear through the writing...

Bukowski believes in his assessment. He loves Tesla like a teenage boy loves porn. She is “something” that he isn’t necessarily supposed to have, but he’s gained access to and refuses to give up. He’s willing to take risks and willing to break rules in order to get his fix.

He ALSO sees her as an object. He values her the way that someone might value a trophy. He’s gonna take care of what he has. He maintains what he has. He’s proud of having felt like he earned this. 

This isn’t a person who has won a lot of hearts. This isn’t a person who a beautiful, functional woman would typically notice. She’s not very functional, but she is beautiful. She’s way out of his league, but he found her and won her. Him parting with her at this point would be a major stressor for him, and he would most likely react psychotically over it. 

So - yes and no. He loves her in how he defines love, but not in the way that a normal, healthy person would define it. And vice versa. There is a huge chunk of Tesla and Bukowski in Stevie’s story. They have quite a history, actually. That’s all I’ma say about that, right now.

Poor, poor Chase. He’s like a little puppy dog. He gets kicked and keeps coming back for more. You know it would be poetic justice if Chase and Tesla were the ones to take out Surette and Bukowski in the end. Chase is gradually learning to sort of function a little bit. There is actually some Chase-Tesla friendship coverage in the next chapter, but not a whole lot. I LOVE this idea of Chase and Tesla joining forces and making bullies pay. That’s not what I’ve outlined, but that is a damn good idea! Omg. I love it.

It broke my heart that Cheri had to lie to her parents. This is just going to justify them not coming to see her.

They’re just awful and I have nothing else to add to that. No, I kinda do... They treat this like some type of overseas boarding school, and if they could have gotten her into one in her suicidal state, they would have stashed her at one of those. Since they couldn’t, they decided to just let her marinate here until she was an adult. Then, they would grant her an inheritance and basically pay her to accept disownership.. This only changes after she gets pregnant, and not necessarily for the better! I feel like we’ve seen enough of Rhadja and Champ in the other stories that this isn’t a huge REVEAL, but more of like an addendum to the trifling shit that you already know. But, I certainly am adding these things into the story, in detail. It might be a while, but it’s gonna happen. 

I don’t know how to process Stevie’s journal entry yet. His need to “defile” does explain his freakyness, lol, but the self-loathing is problematic. Cheri really needs to stay away, but I know she won’t.

Stevie is a walking collection of problematic programming. He doesn’t even quite get that his self-esteem is low. He just accepts his negative view of self as truth. And one of the reasons that he is both drawn to and fights off Cheri is that he thinks that she’s mistaken about him. He enjoys that her assessments help him feel better about himself, but he also resents that she makes him feel this way with things that he believes to be false ideas of him.

He ALSO has a skewered idea of what love is (and that’s why he hasn’t admitted that that’s what he feels). He’s self aware enough to realize that whatever he’s feeling isn’t what love is supposed to look like, but not self aware enough to know that what he feels is what he considers love to be.

And in his mind, loving him is something that would devalue Cheri. Being with him is something that would literally taint her, as far as he’s concerned. Yet, it’s hard for him to deny her because he wants her as badly as he’s ever wanted anything. His “love” at this particular time could be better described as an addiction, but he’s mentally comparing it to a religious experience, because he grew up in a church and has that description and that imagery. He’s never done any drugs, beyond medication, so he doesn’t exactly know that this obsessive behavior can also translate as addiction.

On a lighter note, I completely agree with Stevie on the sweet tea!

Listen - I’m from Texas. We don’t play that unsweetened or lightly sweetened BS. LOL.