#chasing jessi story

[juliaswickcrs]

character profile: princess mira of the fire nation (x)

Born in the great city of Caldera only a year after the birth of Prince Zuko, Princess Mira's birth has oft been a subject of debate for the fire sages. For neither General Iroh nor her mother were seen on the supposed day of her birth, leading many to speculate how exactly the Princess came about. General Iroh would claim she was the product of an affair in the earth kingdom colonies, a brief infatuation which led to an even briefer marriage, before the woman died giving birth to the future princess. But many speculated something far more sinister as whispers of bastardy and imprisoned water benders were carelessly tossed about the capital. That was all thrown aside when Fire Lord Azulon all but declared Mira the spare to Lu Ten's heir, and no other word was spoken on the matter. And of course once the world learned Mira struggled with bending as much as the prince, no one paid her any attention, certainly not her Uncle Ozai or her new cousins. And of course, after the death of her brother and the disappearance of her aunt, Mira watched as her father abdicated his crown, abandoned Ba Sing Se, and whisked her north to an island filled with a civilization long thought to have died out. The Sun Warriors. It was there Mira learned the truth of her bending, and how to master it. It was there Mira grew from a scared girl to a formidable warrior, her skill in battle only matched by her wit and grace. It was there she and her father were summoned back to the mainland for a war meeting which would change the course of Mira's life as she knew it. Her newly crowned Uncle dismisses her as neither bender nor warrior, simply a princess with no talent to offer, but lets her sit in out of love for his brother, he says. But there is no love in his eyes when his son speaks out against a general, or when Mira watches in horror as Fire Lord Ozai presses a burning flame to Zuko's face, scarring him at thirteen. Now, she and her father have joined Zuko on his hunt for the avatar, and while Mira's travels take her from pole to pole, she is left to wonder just how long it will be before her Uncle turns on her too....

tag list: @bisexualterror @foxesandmagic @iron-parkr​ @jvstjewels@camiemendess@a-song-of-quill-and-feather @arrthurpendragon @villain-connoisseur​ @starcrossedjedis @drbobbimorse​ @noratilney​ @stanshollaand @kingsmakers @astarionbae​ @darth-caillic @mystic-scripture @aliverse @misshiraethsworld @asirensrage @eddiemunscns

[noonslullabies]

My boys are about to become Cryptids of the pokemon world, and its what they deserve.

Literally an end of an era

[yamujiburo]

Do you think you could info dump all that you know about Madame Boss and Mayomoto with drawings? I would love to know more about their dynamic and about young Giovanni with baby Jessie. Maybe Delia could ask Jessie about it in a comic? Would it be sad or nostalgic? Maybe both? Like a flashback or something would be cool! Anyway, love your art and everything that you do!! ❤️

I'm not sure I can get it out in just drawings (just because it's a lot) but I have quite a few I've already done if you wanna look through my tags~ I'll also explain a bit here with some of my old comics. Long post under the cut~

Canonically, Madame Boss is the founder of Team Rocket and Giovnanni's mother. Miyamoto was one of her elite agents and Jessie's mother. They're REALLY close as evidenced by how they talk to one another (ex. Madame Boss calling Miyamoto "Miyamoto chan", Miyamoto's informal way of speaking to Madame Boss despite her being her superior, their friendly banter, etc.). Madame Boss sends Miyamoto and two other Team Rocket members on a mission to find Mew, but she and the other members never return. Miyamoto's implied to still be alive, endlessly chasing Mew with Jessie as her north star and reason to keep going. Madame Boss passes away sometime between the radio drama and before the events of the first Pokémon Movie. You can listen to the whole drama here! Madame Boss and Miyamoto are primarily in the first part, but Miyamoto pops up at the end of each of the other parts at different periods of time.

This is more where my headcanons begin! Miyamoto, whose dub name I hc being (Calamity) Jane, joined Team Rocket mostly because of her not great circumstances. She works her way up the ladder quickly and impresses Madame Boss. They become close but at the time, Miyamoto was dating a charismatic performer/con man that MB, not so subtly, doesn't approve of. She was right to not approve as this man got Miyamoto pregnant but left her before he'd known.

Madame Boss, despite her penny pinching behavior (Team Rocket wasn't that big yet), does what she can to help out Miyamoto. They had to tread carefully though, they didn't want anyone thinking there was any sort of favoritism happening.

Jessie is born, and for a little while Miyamoto keeps her and raises her the best she can. On more short term missions she'd leave her with Madame Boss, who's not super fond of children, and would have her own son Giovanni watch her (or have another grunt in Team Rocket watch her). This wasn't sustainable, so Miyamoto quickly puts Jessie in foster care (the foster care part is canon). Miyamoto would still visit her daughter whenever she could.

Ultimately, Miyamoto was a very driven, one track minded woman. She would constantly go on missions and after discovering Mew, became obsessed. It was around this time Madame Boss was starting to catch feelings for Miyamoto. Miyamoto would play along but was not nearly as invested in their relationship is Madame Boss was. Not in a malicious or leading on sort of way, she just had a job she wanted to get done

When it was time for Miyamoto to go on the mission to actually find Mew, Madame Boss, while excited at the prospect of getting her hands on a legendary Pokémon and the money that came with that, began to worry in the days leading up to the mission and tried to get Miyamoto to stay. She offered to send a different team out. To her they were disposable, but Miyamoto wasn't. Miyamoto didn't take the offer, wanting the glory and money of finding Mew for herself (but also had a daughter she wanted to get back to and be able to provide for). She leaves and goes MIA

Madame Boss is brokenhearted and after several years of Miyamoto going missing, is not able to run Team Rocket, troubled by the immense amount of guilt and heartache, and Giovanni takes over. She remains in the organization, more so operating in the background. It was rare for agents to see her out and about. But years later she sees Jessie's joined Team Rocket as a trainee. She requests Viper and Giovanni keep an eye out for her. Viper doesn't know why but does as he's told. Giovanni understands, remembering Jessie as the little toddler he'd have to take care of many years ago as well as her mother Miyamoto, who he knew was very close to his mother.

Not too long after, Madame Boss passes away but Giovanni keeps his promise and continues to keep Jessie employed.

I don't think Jessie remembers much of her mom or anything from around this time. I don't think she even remembers her mom being in Team Rocket or Giovanni babysitting her. She just remembers her mother leaving and never coming back and holds some resentment, not knowing the context of why Miyamoto disappeared.

I've thought about doing a story where Miyamoto returns in my hanamusa au but I still gotta think it out more. It starts with Miyamoto stopping by Delia's restaurant and she and Delia talk, not knowing the little connection they have via Jessie.

[dearest-painter]

I didn’t do anything wrong! PT.1

Summary: Y/N was just living their best life or as best as it can get as spider-man/women. Y/N misses their old friends but understands that they must be busy but once they go to a place that is filled with people wanting them as their child but also to write their story they get pissed off

TW/CW:Yandere behavior, unhealthy behavior, unhealthy relationship,abusive behavior,abusive relationship,Reader is Miles morals,Reader is tired and trying their best,very out of character characters,this is a series,Reader needs therapy,Reader will be forced into the spider society,I fuck up the movie a lot just so I can make this a bit more sense,Reader is forced to visit Spider society and be away from their actual family,Reader is paranoid and worried all the time now,this doesn’t completely go with the plot as it’ll be a bit different,Reader is mentioned to have selfed harmed because I wanna represent that more as I wanna show that everyone has had tough times even in wrong ways as I’ve selfed harmed in the past so this does mean a lot to me,Reader is basically forced to be around people they don’t want to be around,people might be out of character,tell me if I need to add more

PT.2

Hiding, that’s all your doing. Your panting and scared as people have chased you down for no reason at all! You covered your mouth as you started to cry, you wanted your mom, you wanted your dad, you wanted your uncle just so you can be comforted but no here you are stuck in some society that your scared of being in! It’s so easy for you to cry silently especially with your mouth being covered as you’ve done it many times in the past.

You want your dad to hold you again while comforting you as your mom made your comfort food as he also reassured your safe, you want your uncle Aaron to ruffle your hair while cracking up jokes to cheer you up. You just want to be with your family again but no your uncles dead and your in some strange place with people chasing you! What’s worse is that Gwen and Peter B seemed to be in on it!

Suppose you were to deep in thought to realize someone found you. “Heya” You jumped and crawled away very scared as you saw the women, she was pregnant. “Hey I’m not here to hurt you, I know it must be scary in a new place with new people” “Yeah especially when those people are chasing you and one of them literally has talons while you were unwilling forced to be here, of course I’d be scared! I just wanna go home!” You cried more. Jessica felt so bad, you didn’t deserve this but seeing you cry remind her of a child and she saw you as a child but her child even if you two weren’t biologically related.

She crouched down while holding her belly as she sat beside you, you were not crying because of fear now but now because of anger. “Listen…I understand that your stressed and scared but everyone here just wants the best for you” “and my biological parents are the best for me!? They’ve protected me and raised me all my life! What makes this place safer then my parents arms!” She sighed again, she knew it was to much to ask you to calm down as you had a right to be mad. “I know that it’s just…most people here believe that your safer here as no danger can get you and you don’t have to deal with being spider-man/women/person, even if you wanna be that person they are scared that you’ll lose one of those fights one day”

You scoffed, people who you don’t know are worried for you? That sounds creepy as shit. “Look I know your trying to comfort me but when you see it from my perspective it’s creepy as people I don’t know and didn’t know exist know about me and where I live, they know about my whole life basically and they worry for me. When your taken from the only place you know is home by people who know so much of you but you know so little of them it’s terrifying. You understand now?” She nodded her head. “Yeah now I do, let’s just sit here while you calm down” You nodded your head at the pregnant women.

“I’m Jessica drew” “Y/N Morales…nice to meet ya Ms.drew” she chuckled a bit at your formality, that was something she found cute about you other then your smile.

[androgynousblackbox]

Alright, I am watching the reaction stream of another person to see the video of Jamesy and I have thoughts! -Jamesy is REALLY counting on buttering up to Jessie Gender specifically. He named her so many times trying to "apologize" for weaponizing his audience against her when she told him to not erase her work in Nebula just because his whiny entitled ass couldn't accept that he wasn't invited to the platform. Not a single word about actually going to her and talk privately though, just a bunch of "ooh, Jessie Gender is the kindest, best human being ever and I am so sorry to her", like, bitch, WHY ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT HER? Jessie wasn't the worst victim of your actions! Your bullshit with her happened long BEFORE anything of this happened, so why the fuck are you even bringing her up?? My only guess is that Jamesy wants Jessie to speak on his favor and "forgive him", hoping that will bring him new good will from the queer community in youtube. I am fucking crossing my fingers and touching wood that Jessie does not fall for this manipulative bullshit. This guy is literally clout chasing because, again, when it came to the plagiarism, Jessie had NOTHING to do here. Jessie, if you want an easy win, don't say anything about this. Don't even aknowledge it. Pretend like a mosquito just farted in another building. You had nothing to do with this and I am sorry this piece of shit is trying to drag you into it to take advantage of your good nature. -"I only cared about the production side of making videos, that is why I bring Nick in as the main writer." This motherfucker really went and did it. He is literally blaming Nick squarely now, because now he is just not a co-writer. No, now he is the MAIN WRITER. Jamesy here was just trying to making his little films and buy expensive ass equipment while telling everyone he was starving on the streets, he only cared about the production. NICK, THOUGH, HE WAS ALL ABOUT THE WRITING. He was the one who put the words and little Jamesy baby boy here only "produced, directed and edited" (omg, shut the fuck off, man, your editing skills are mid at best) everything. -Way too many sob stories. I don't care, man. I don't fucking care that you got fired or whatever conditions you had. Do you have any fucking clue how many people do really struggle to reach the end of the month and they still never even think of stealing someone else's work? Everyone is struggling and yet, you were the one who made a career for fucking years out of stealing the works of everyone else in this community AND THEN, when call out, tried to paint them as the bad guys.

-A lot, and I do mean, a lot of time to "apologize" to Jessie Gender, but you know who he didn't apologize to? Literally none of the authors he stole from. Not the fan whose edit of Korra he used without credit. Not Alexander Avila. Not that person who was harassed to hell and back by Jamesy and his audience when they showed how he plagiarized on his disney video. Jessie deserved to be name dropped at least thirty times, but those people?? They are fucking nobodies. They don't matter. Why name them at all? It's not like their WORK WAS STOLEN BY YOU OR ANYTHING! And that is another thing! Even if Jamesy is really out there blaming Nick for all the words that they took without credit, then what the fuck is up with all the footage, edits and audiovisual works that weren't for you to take? You said your passion is production. That is part of the production, Jamesy. Is this you admitting you fully just fucking stole them and hoped nobody would notice because you are a lazy piece of garbage?

-"Having to do multiple edits because youtube copyright issues was so hard for me, guys, you don't understand uwu. It was so hard on me to make it less obvious I had plagiarized people!" THAT IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN FAULT, BRO.

-So, hey, funny thing. I was looking to see if other people were reacting or had reuploaded the video so I could put it here. They haven't yet, there is only two reactions, but while I was doing that I found a video of ANOTHER person talking about Jamesy ripping them off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsD-wodn288 Apparently Jamesy had stolen a blog post that this person wrote about Lord of The Rings and they weren't known by anyone, they don't even like that article anymore, but still! Go see that video instead of watching Jamesy and support them if you find value on their work.

-Hey, Jamesy. Jamesy. You do know that epilepsy and head injuries or memory issues don't take you threaten, lie and weaponize your audience against people who call out your plagiarism with the evidence in hand, right? That has literally nothing to do actually, because you had to be aware off of the issue for you to lie about it after someone else brought it up. After the first time it happened, you could have hired another beta reader to tell you that ups, your memory/epilepsy/memory issues/ADHD strike again and you don't remember from where you took that quote from, sorry! You had money for that expensive ass camera, you could have. -Like, my guy, there were so many steps involved here. So many steps from writing, production, backlash and your response to the backlash. Even if any part on this was an honest mistake, something I don't fucking believe in because fuck you, you had millions of opportunities to rectified it and change it. And yet you didnd't. And so here we are, without you receiving not even a miserable fucking like. Go to hell. A mistake doesn't get repeated so many times for years. That was all a choice, bitch. Fuck you.

And here is where I stopped because his voice is like nail on my ears.

Don't look at his video, it's truly not worth it. DON'T LEAVE COMMENTS EITHER, YOUTUBE TAKES THAT AS ENGAGEMENT ANYWAY.

[ameliawarnerr]

POV: MC is drunk at Aurora and she texts Jake.

Part - 2

Find part 1 here!

—MC—

I tip-toe down the stairs, my hand grazing the wall as I silently pray not to wake anybody. And by anybody, I mean, Lilly Donfort, Hannah Donfort and Jake Donfort. I am the only one who isn't Donfort so I figured I should get the hell out of here before any of them wakes up. Explaining my presence here is not going to be easy.

I'm clearly in the clothes I wore last night– all wrinkled and shrunken. I have no idea where my phone, my shoes or oh wait I don't know where my entire logic has vanished.

If I ran into someone, I truly hope it to be Lilly. And she could even tell me why I am at her place. Perhaps she found me and then rescued me here. Obviously, it cannot be Hannah. She doesn't even come out of the house that often. If I am unfortunate enough to run into her this morning, I have no clue what I am supposed to say. What if she thinks I slept with her half brother?!

Did I?

However, if I'm as ill-fated as Shakespeare’s tragic characters, I’d definitely come across Jake.

Although it cannot be Jake who got me here. He never goes to Aurora and if Phil was to call anyone to help me, the list would start with Jessy and end with Thomas. Jake wouldn't make it to that list for obvious reasons.

I successfully lay my feet on the ground floor. It's five in the morning. No one would be awake. I sprint straight to the door, paying little attention to my surroundings. I'd have my phone collected later. I'm currently in the red zone of potential awkward situations, followed by guilt and longing. All things I hate.

My hand wraps around the cold knob of the door. I turn it around but it's locked. “Son of a…”

“Where do you think you are leaving?” A distant voice makes a trail of obscene words escape my mouth. Whoever is writing my story is clearly inspired by Shakespeare.

I clear my throat, removing my hand from the knob. I don't turn away as I say, “I don't know how I got here but I need to be back at home. I have an important thing to do.”

“Make a mindmap of all the things that happened last night? I can help.” His voice is a little distracted, taunting and infuriating.

I scoff, turning away to look at him. He’s behind the kitchen island which I had conveniently ignored on the little run from the stairs to the door. He's cooking something. If he really wants to play the indirect, between the lines tormenting game, I think he doesn't know my argumentative and bitch side because I had a soft spot for him as soon as I knew him.

“If you are really feeling helpful, Donfort, then, why don't you tell me what I am doing here?” I fold my hands on my chest. Addressing the opponent with the last name is sort of a declaration.

He doesn't look at me as he sprinkles salt and black pepper onto whatever he's cooking in that pan. My eyes descend to his hands as he works before I jerk them away. “Oh, I stalked you and then I found out that you were drunk and vulnerable so I kidnapped you.” He deadpans.

I scoff again. Jake doesn't beat around the bush. If he's doing this, he wants to make a point.

“I can't imagine why you'd do that.” I crease my brows, pretending to be genuinely confused. I walk towards him. As I lay my palms on the island, I see the slight shake of his hand and his posture becoming rigid. I don't know if it's my closeness or that I indirectly pointed at our history because as much as we both try to ignore it, one of us would mention it. And I can't be the one being caught off-guard.

“Kidnappers often have motivations and planning for months but sometimes, they are driven by reasons that might be beyond the victim’s understanding.” He states, his hands moving swiftly again as he lowers the flame of the stove. There's a mug filled with coffee. I eye it.

Jake looks up then follows my gaze as I look away. He grabs the mug and offers it to me. I take it without saying thank you.

“What’s your point?” I cut to the chase. I'm used to him being percipient and having thoughts a normal human being can't fathom, but I could understand his points. I can, still. But it's five in the morning.

“My point, Stephens, is that the motivation for abduction doesn't matter if you are the victim.” He uses my last name.

“It mattered when Hannah was kidnapped.” I rebuke.

He sighs, putting the stove off and really looking at me for the first time. I might be tackling the guilt of shutting him out internally but the longing is coming out on the surface. “Again, it mattered to us. Not to Hannah. All she could have thought about was finding a way out or regretting being careless in the first place.”

I know what this is about now. No matter the status of our relationship, I don't think he can ever hold back from lecturing me about my own safety. I shove down the softness that his care brings in me and think about how much I hate being called weak. “So this is about my getting drunk in a bar owned by a friend.”

He gives me a look.

“What? It's not like I was totally alone. Phil was there and he's a friend. I'm allowed to get wasted in the company of a friend. And he owns the bar. There's no way he'd let anyone hurt me on his property.”

If I hate being called weak– directly or indirectly– he hates when I trust Phil.

“The same Phil Hawkins who got arrested and had to plead for help to a stranger towns away? The same guy whose bar Cleo and Thomas broke into and he couldn't do anything about that, save for sulking to his sister? That guy?” There's a challenge in his voice.

I slid down to the stool. I can't defend Phil against the truth so I drink my coffee silently after saying, “Yep. Him.”

Jake shakes his head. “All I am asking you is to be a little careful. I know you are smart and can get out of situations perhaps even I wouldn't be able to.” My shoulders rise. His words can make me feel absolutely weak and then inevitable all of a sudden. “But that doesn't mean you can be careless.”

I don't look at him as I drink my coffee, staring at the wall. “I think you shouldn't care.”

He nods. “And I think it's cruel of you,” our eyes meet, “To pretend not to know why I care.”

I tear my gaze off him. “I’ve moved on. I need to pretend that you have too.”

I can feel his gaze on me, pleading silently for me to look at him. I cannot. “You haven't moved on. You're trying to move on and evidently, you are doing an awful job.” He says, his patience little by little vanishing.

I look at him, then. “What do you mean, evidently?” I query, ignoring everything else he said. He turns away and reaches out for something from the opposite kitchen counter. Turning back, he hands me my phone.

The screen shows our chat. Two recent messages marked read. Two recent messages that I sent while I was drunk and it's clear that I was drunk. God, so many spelling errors on top of no punctuation. And I thought solving a case through texts would make me a pro at texting. I threatened him to sleep with any guy? What is wrong with me?

I shrug. “I don't talk like this. This must have been–”

He cuts me off. “Phil? Save it. The drunk you have already tried it. Not to mention, she was more like you than you are now. Honest and bold. She wasn't the one who'd not have enough courage to look someone in the eye.” His voice lowers with every word.

Mortification riles me up from the chair. “Alright. Thanks for the coffee and the lecture I didn't pay for. I’ll be leaving now.” I lay the cup on the island and turn away.

“You talk a lot when you're drunk.” He says, making me halt midway. All the stupid things I could have said wander around my head. The reason I got drunk in the first place is the most plausible one. Shit shit shit—

As I slowly turn sound, I find that Jake has left the kitchen and is now heading towards the stairs, unaffected by my declaration that I'm leaving. Motherfucker knows I'd follow him.

I rush towards him as he climbs the first step. “What did I say?” I ask, firmly.

“Weren’t you leaving?” He banters while continuing to climb the stairs. I do the same, only a step behind him.

“Jake, come on, we are not five years old. Tell me what I said.” I bark.

He barely acts threatened by my acidified voice. “What part? When you were babbling not knowing I was standing two steps away or the long one in the car? To me, they were both equally enjoyable.”

oh my god. I can't trust the drunk me talking to him directly, what shit would I have spitted when I didn't know he was around?

I glance up and he's already five steps away. I rush to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “Jake, I swear to god, tell me right now—”

He whirls around and I'm taken by surprise– ending with one foot on the same step as his and the other one step down. My hand on his shoulder slides down to his chest. “Or else? What will you do?” He challenges, his coffee-like eyes dart from one eye to the other in a mischievous manner. He knows if he presents anything like a challenge, I'd take it.

My back is against the wall and if he takes half a step, I'd pressed between them. “Or, or,” the closeness makes me stutter. Or maybe it's the fact that he's not nervous at all. Or he's just hiding it well. I can't lose to him because of closeness. That's some excuse Thomas would pull.

“I’m listening.”

I gain my posture back, straight my spine but still need to look up to meet his eyes. “Or I’ll go to your room, sleep in that bed and come out when Lilly’s awake and before I’d even begin to explain, she’d go around telling everyone that we slept together.”

Jake has such an infuriating gaze then I can neither look at him nor look away. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

I really need to keep my fantasies away from my threats. “No. I guess I'm still a little drunk. So please, tell me what I said?” I try softening my voice, looking at him rather than glaring.

He blinks and looks away. “I think you know what you said. That's why you are so desperate to confirm it, that you are standing on my foot.”

I peek down. I am actually standing on his foot. I pull my feet back but end up losing my balance. The hand on Jake’s chest fists his black t-shirt. His hand wraps around my waist holding me in place. I gain my balance back and my face ends up too close to his.

His body is pressed against mine though there's still some sane distance between our heads. I gulp down the urges surfacing all of a sudden. The ones I locked away for weeks. The air is thick with ache and yearning. Our collective wants.

He glances at my lips then back at my eyes. “You said that I forced you to drink because I didn't try to contact you after you rejected me. You said you can't stop thinking about me. And when I was getting you out of the car, you said you wanted to kiss me.”

“Did I?” I foolishly ask, looking at his lips.

“Yes.” He breathes out, nearing me. His grip on my waist tightens.

“And did you do it?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Of course, not.” He answers in a beat.

“Because I was drunk.” I say the reason out loud, leaning in.

He inhales and agrees. “Because you were drunk.”

“Which I am not anymore.” I lean in, merely an inch away from his lips. I don't think either of us is looking anywhere but each other's lips. I don't know if it's yearning for each other or the fact that we have spent almost a month thinking about us, that we no longer waste any time thinking. All thoughts weigh no importance anymore. It's clear what we want.

“Say it.” He whispers, his lips grazing against mine.

I don't. I let the weeks of frustration, guilt, longing release out as our lips touch. There's no point being gentle and slow. I know he knows it and he's acting upon it. I'm pressed against the wall, as his other hand caresses the side of my neck. I fist his t-shirt in my hand again, as the other hand wanders in his hair.

His tongue skims over my lower lip as he arches my neck up. I open my mouth, letting him enjoy my submissive side for a moment. Then, I bit his lip, smiling between the kisses. I can feel his smirk. The hand on my waist slides under my top and pinches my side. I wriggle in his hold.

I pull his hair harder but that only encourages him to kiss me faster. He grabs my hand on his chest and pins it against the wall, slowly sliding it above my head.

We break through only when we hear a door opening. We are both out of breath as we stare at each other, knowing the only wall between us: my decision to move on, has been burned down.

“Get drunk more often. It's always fun listening to you complain about me.” He smiles.

I bite back a smile but I think I'm terribly failing.. “Didn’t I need to be more careful?”

“When I’m around, you can put your guard down.” He affirms.

“That’s sweet but I really need to leave now.” I partly turn and take a step down only for him to wrap his hands around my waist to stop me.

“Yeah, that's not happening.” He says, leading me up the stairs again.

Yeah, that's not happening any time soon.

—The End—

[lakesbian]

ok the post i was going to make after i woke up. the reason why i've been rooting 4 sy and jessie becoming A Thing for the large recent duration of my twig read is that i liked how the dynamic was being established between them in a way that could clearly lead into a functional romance where other relationships sy has couldn't.

at one point, sy notes that he couldn't imagine a world where he was able to spend a full uninterrupted day with lillian (His Actual Girlfriend at the time) without either ruining it by upsetting her or becoming exhausted from putting effort into not upsetting her & having a terrible time himself. with jessie, after she runs away to tynewear for sy, the main point of their dynamic that wildbow hammers in over and over again is that she's someone who can spend months alone with sy and hold her ground both intellectually and emotionally without her starting to loathe him, her becoming exhausted from effort, or him becoming exhausted from effort.

and as for the reason as to Why that is. it's partially because perfect memory is very useful for interacting with sy on a daily basis, but it's also in large part because she has an Anti Sy Bullshit Field sort of personality. it's really endearing dynamic writing how she's obviously in love with him, and it never once causes her to budge where she wants to take a stand. i really fucking like the scene where she's talking to noreen to earn her cooperation after sy being a manipulative ass didn't work, and she outright agrees w noreen that a lot of the time she doesn't like sy either, with the implicit "but" (because her dialogue pattern prior had been a series of "buts" like "he's the darkest bastard i know, but he makes me laugh") being "but i love him."

and i can actually see why sy's earned that love during the tynewear arcs despite not always being very likable--when he does things like grip her by the cheeks and force her to say "okay" to being saved from the plague where anyone else would have left her for dead, it's completely understandable how she loves him despite (and sometimes because of) the fact that he frequently does shit that makes her threaten to beat him with an umbrella. i was rooting 4 them because the book was repeatedly intentionally stating that sy clearly needs a partner who's naturally enough of an intelligent hardass to be resistant to his bullshit while still caring for him deeply and enjoying his company, and jessie obviously met those criteria.

and like. this Is stated explicitly. right before the book shits itself in this department, sy horrendously upsets lillian during the "i don't like the me that says yes to sy" scene, and jessie 1. accurately bluntly explains to sy why he's on unequal footing with lillian in a way that's deeply unfair to lillian and 2. accurately implies that She is someone who would be compatible with and fair for sy to date.

where the problem comes in is that after this, sy absconds for no reason and goes on the inane slogging adventure of arc 14, while jessie is forced to be the one who chases after him, the one who apologizes and makes up for the absolutely atrocious way sy treated her over both the possibility and the outright suggestion of them dating, and the one who bends over backwards to nervously pose her transitioning as a solution to the Irreparable Friendship Ruining Gap of her being attracted to sy while they're both boys. he doesn't even become interested in her afterwards, he's not interested in her yet at the point in the story where i'm at like 15 chapters after her transition! the unrequited love is still there, it's just that it's somehow infinitely more tolerable for him if it's not coming from a boy. (sylvester lambsbridge trans-positive homophobe: very funny choice, not a good one.) yes, it's made clear that she would really genuinely like to transition for a number of other reasons as well, but it's a scene that's part of a series of scenes where, instead of getting to play the interesting hardass that calls sy out on how absolutely fucked it is that he literally intentionally mentally infantilized himself to shoot the possibility of acknowledging a boy having feelings for him in the foot--the hardass that expects him to have the faintest ounce of accountability to both her and lillian--she just. bends over backwards to accommodate and apologize and repair things with him, without him having to put in any meaningful effort despite being the one who caused the fight he ran away over in the first place.

and then after that. even after she slips a memory and becomes afraid of literally fucking dying within the next three days. she's STILL just fucking politely intermittently hoping that Maybe something will happen if sy, but no problem at all if not, she doesn't want to force anything! like i just feel bad for her at this point man. it does not feel good to watch, and it definitely does not feel coherent with what was established about her character & why she's a good match for sy previously. and i think the reason it doesn't feel coherent is that wildbow was not properly grasping why sy's treatment of her was hurtful, and he wasn't properly imagining the level of culpability sy would need to accept and act to amend in order for the dynamic to not be off-kilter and deeply unfair to jessie. like, it feels like the perspective twig is implicitly espousing is that just the mere act of sy being able to stand in the same room as jessie without getting awkward about her unrequited feelings IF and only IF she's not a boy is something involving commendable compromise and not below the literal fucking bare minimum of being able to stand in the same room as jessie without getting awkward about her unrequited feelings even if she was a boy. i find it more and more uncomfortable the longer i stew on it. i don't like it. complete fumble of their resolution of their fight and now everything after it feels tainted by that.

[gl1tchy-4rt]

silly question

did vigi and becca ever have kids / curd babies?

Yeah they did, and they love them a lot :3

In fact...

Here they are!

Meet Alex, Max and Cassie

(full names: Alexander, Maxwell and Cassidy)

# Alex

He is Vigi and Becca's firstborn (and the baby in the drawing above!) he is 7 years old, turning 8 in a couple of weeks and the oldest of the kids in "Spaghetti Family AU"

He admirers both of his parents and wishes to be a cowboy someday, chasing outlaws and riding horses, he tries being responsible and brave, not only to "prove himself" but mostly to keep is siblings and friends safe.

Nicknamed Ali (by Cassie) and Ace (both by himself and his friends)

Funfact: Alex's Red Hat is based of Jessie's Hat.

# Max and Cassie

The Cheese twins, they are 2 years old and they have a mole under their the left of their mouths

Cassie is more shy than Max but they are both pretty adventurous, crawling around the farm and (accidentally) getting themselves in trouble.

They are pretty much always together.

Alex loves his Family a lot and His Family loves him back :)

'Kay so that's the all of the chesse family (unless I post about John E. Cheese), and i will probably post the rest of the Families :)

Heck maybe talk more about the story or post "Biology Notes" or other characters who knows? Not even I know what I'll post next :D

Okay see y'all next time...

Buh-bye!! <3

[ewingstan]

I think what I love about Claw is that the protags don’t feel like they’d be protags in other WB stories.

Mia and Carson would be mooks or lieutenants to Coil, Tattletale, or Cauldron that Taylor and Victoria would barely interact with beyond potentially fighting them if need be. Val gives big sierra/charlotte/natalie/presley energy.

Ditto for Pact, Pale, and Twig (no spoilers because idk how far you are in those stories).

But because of this world in particular, they feel perfect for having the spotlight shining on them, if that makes sense.

I do agree that Mia and Carson have the vibe of people who'd be side characters in another story. I mean, the closest character I can think of to Mia's archetype is the vacuum cleaner guy in Breaking Bad, who's very memorable but is barely interacted with. For wildbow characters, she almost feels more like Piggot than anyone else. Piggot in a story where her startling effectiveness and ruthlessness wasn't rendered useless by virtue of not belonging to a superhuman.

There's isolated aspects of her that fit into the typical wildbow protag mold, particularly her ability to gain and use an incredible amount of information others couldn't (traits shared by main protagonists like Taylor and Sy as well as deuteragonists like Lisa, Jessie, etc.) What sets her apart (outside the obvious context of her being an adult parent) is her limitations. She doesn't have Taylor's powers or Sy's charm, which allow them to adapt to new information on the fly and instantly set new plans into motion. Instead, she relies on being so well-prepared that there's nothing she faces that she doesn't already have a plan for.

This changes the whole mode of storytelling. Rather than "how is the wildbow protag gonna use her wits to get outta this one?", its "lets slowly pull back the curtain on the complex machine of a plan the protagonist has put into place for just such a situation." Its a subtle difference, but it has a big impact on how the protag is characterized and what the audience's reaction to big moments are. Like narrating a tense firefight, vs lovingly describing the design of a complex rifle you made a while back and finally get a chance to use. There's a big difference between "oh wow, she just made a bomb to deal with the guys chasing her!" and "oh wow, she's had a bomb in her trunk the entire time on the off-chance someone started chasing her."

Carson's whole "unflappable amoral ladykiller" thing actually is pretty common in protagonists, I've seen bookshelf-filling series that star those types. Whats different about him is that rather than being a hyper-competent one-man army like those characters tend to be, Claw is pretty upfront about the fact that he'd be a two-bit drifter if he wasn't working with Mia. Being that dependent on someone else for your effectiveness bucks a trend not only in shlocky pulp protagonists, but in wildbow protagonists specifically, since wildbow loves taking away his guys allies and resources away only to have them still come out on top and display how they're incredible on their own.

Valentia I might disagree with slightly, if only because she reminds me a lot of Taylor both in her backstory and how her action gets narrated. She fits much more into the "desperate on-the-fly thinking" mold of the average wb protag than Mia "ohoho, you stumbled onto yet another of my landmines" Hurst.

[joelswritingmistress]

Last Halloween: Chapter 2

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Warning: Angst

Pairing: Joel x f!reader

You went back to the house you were renting with your three friends once your shift ended. Honestly, despite them being some of the closest people in your life, you didn't know how they would feel about your interaction with Joel. Rather than speculate and guess, you simply put it out in the open.

"I talked to Joel Miller today," you blurted out while the four of you mindlessly toyed on your phones with the television playing in the background. The mindlessness paused at the mention of his name and suddenly all eyes were on you.

"You talked to him?" Your friend Chrissy asked.

"Where?" Winnie asked a second later.

Shit. You knew by making it sound ominous that you weren't doing him any justice. You had unintentionally added to the local folklore, or worse, the slander of this man's name.

"He stops in at the coffee shop," you said with a shrug. "I feel bad for him."

"Bad?" Chrissy asked, her eyes bugging wide. "He's a killer."

"He's not a killer," you countered.

"Ooo, I don't know," your third roommate, Jessie, chimed in. "I heard-"

"Everyone has heard something different," you cut them all off. "At a trial he was found innocent. I heard he was the one who was attacked and he defended himself."

"Who the hell knows," Winnie said. "Whether he's a killer or not, I'd stay away. You just can never be too careful."

She isn't totally wrong, you knew. What if the people in town had it right and Joel had skated by on a loophole? Or what if he was attacked and it was all just a tragic mess that ended badly? From Joel's body language that you saw almost daily, you could almost see the guilt steaming out of him. Monsters didn't feel guilt.

"I just don't think he ever got a chance to tell his side of the story," you explained with a shrug. "I don't know."

"What did you talk to him about?" Jessie asked.

"I just sat down," you explained and then reluctantly admitted, "I asked him to go out-"

"You asked him out!?" Chrissy shouted. "He killed someone!"

"It was an accident," you assured her. "And I didn't ask him out like that. I just.. asked him to do something. He just looks so lonely."

Chrissy looked to Winnie. "Girl, can you talk some sense into her before she ends up on Dateline."

You all laughed and you shook your head. "I don't know. I l figured you guys would react like this." You stood up and went to retrieve a bottle of pumpkin ale from the fridge.

As good of friends as Chrissy, Winnie and Jessie were, you knew they wouldn't understand your empathy toward Joel, the man your town had branded as some kind of boogeyman. And so you decided to drop it and watch the scary movie one of your friends had put on. Deep down, however, you were silently thinking about Joel.

..

A deep dive into Google had lead you on a bit of a wild goose chase that night and the next morning. You had Googled Joel Miller, and after finally getting past the plethora of articles revolving around the accident, you finally discovered a link with some valuable information - like his employer.

Stalker! You called yourself in your mind. If anything it made you smile and roll your eyes at yourself. Everyone Googled everyone. Right? Joel Miller would be no exception to that. When you found the address of where he worked, you grabbed your keys and began your drive across town to a notorious junk yard and car repair center.

The gates to the grounds were wide open when you arrived. Despite living in town your whole life you had never been down here. It was stereotypical, with rows and rows of cars that seemed to stretch on for miles. With your window rolled down you could hear a loud humming or buzzing sound coming from somewhere in one of the big, open garage bays.

A hefty man with a bushy mustache approached your vehicle as you eased inside the gates.

"Can I help ya?" He asked, slightly out of breath as he placed a meaty hand on the car.

"Um, yeah, I have an appointment with Joel. He's supposed to take a look at this ratting noise in my car."

The man scratched his head and looked down toward one of the open bays. "You can pull it down in front of the last one there. He'll take care of ya."

"Thank you." You smiled and slowly cruised down between two rows of cars, a cloud of dirt trailed your vehicle as it bounced over the uneven landscape.

When you got to the last bay you glanced inside, seeing Joel working up a sweat and he whipped around the workspace. A Jeep was perched up on a lift inside.

For a moment you drank him in. Rolled up sleeves of a black thermal over jeans and beat up work boots. Grease was smudged in random places on his face and he carried a silver tool as he walked.

As you clicked the door open, he turned in your direction, only to do a double take when he saw it was you. Butterflies emerged in your stomach and you took a breath as you met him by the door's entrance.

"Hi." You greeted him.

"Hi." Skepticism continued to hang in the tone of his voice.

"She's got a rattling noise in her car." The man with the bushy mustache seemed to come out of nowhere, patting Joel on the shoulder as he quickly passed by to enter the garage.

For whatever reason, the interact left you at peace, at least to a small degree. Someone was friendly with Joel, at least.

"Yeah, um." You motioned to your car and you could tell Joel knew it was more bullshit.

"A rattling noise?" He asked.

"Yeah, look, I didn't come here about my car," you confessed, though you knew Joel already knew that.

"You can take off after that one!" The other man shouted to Joel. "I'll finish up the oil change on the Jeep and then lock it up for the night."

"Thanks," Joel called back and then returned his attention to you. "Why'd you come here?"

You eyed a motorcycle off to the side and before you could answer his question or ask him one of you own, Joel said simply. "It's mine."

A smirk formed on your face and you walked over toward the bike, placing a careful hand on the handlebars. "Teach me to ride it?" You said, half-kidding.

Joel finally cracked a barely-there smile and joined you by the motorcycle. "Fine. Hope on."

Your eyebrows raised and you smiled wider at him before doing your best to straddle the bike. When you placed your hands on the handlebars you looked back at him. "Now what?"

Joel crept in behind you and the butterflies in your stomach escalated again. You feel a twinge of pleasure when his hands came down over yours. "Believe it or not this is the break. And this is the throttle. If you bring your hand this way toward you, you accelerate." He moved your hand backwards a bit and you continued to grin to yourself.

Joel immediately backed off once he was done showing you some of the basics and you turned to him, still positioned on the bike.

"Do I look cool?" You asked, making him actually chuckle this time.

Progress, you thought.

"Cooler than I do," Joel answered.

"Well, let's judge." You got off the bike and waited as he hesitated before getting on. "All you need is a leather jacket."

"He's got one hanging in here," Joel's coworker called out, making you laugh at the fact that he was obviously eavesdropping.

"Thanks Ron." He shook his head and looked back to you, attempting not to smile but one finally broke through again.

"I've never been on one before," you admitted, creeping closer to him. Your eyes were sparkling with excitement and you could wholeheartedly sense Joel's hesitation again.

On the same note, you saw a flash of something change in his expression and could tell when his guard was let down just enough. "Get on."

You flashed a wide smile and straddled the back of the bike, wrapping your arms securely around his midsection. When Joel started up the bike you felt a rush of adrenaline that you hadn't ever felt in your life.

"Hold on," he instructed before taking off back up through the rows of cars.

Your hair whipped in all directions as you flew out of the gates and onto a wooded back road. What a rush!

A part of you wanted to look down but you knew it could ruin the experience and so you squinted ahead into the incoming darkness and smiled wider.

The chill of October air kissed your cheeks, leaving a little sting as you whipped through the town. Joel half-looked back at you when you cruised past your coffee shop and you held onto him a little tighter.

Everything whipped by in little flashes - couples walking the town green, ghosts hanging from trees, lights from the little businesses about town that were close to shutting down for the night.

As darkness fully submerged the two of you, you almost felt like there was no one else on earth; that you and Joel existed in this exclusive world build for the two of you without hurt, pain or prejudice. You didn't want the ride to end. You didn't want that feeling to end. It was a feeling you knew you would chase again.

When the motorcycle finally came to a halt in front of the now-locked gates of the junkyard, you could hear your chorus of heavy breathing for the first time. It matched Joel's, and when he got off the bike a second after you, you could see he was equally basking in the afterglow of the ride.

You ran your hands through your hair and you could almost feel the energy that radiated out of your wind tossed hair. "Wow." It was all you could say.

Joel smiled at you more genuinely now. "Hope I didn't scare you."

"You don't scare me." You shook your head. "Quite the opposite actually."

There was a silence that lingered as you stood there at the desolate entrance to the junkyard at the edge of town. Leaves from the surrounding trees swirled down in elegant, twirling patterns. One stuck in your hair and you didn't notice until Joel leaned a hand in your direction.

For a second you were prepared for a kiss - a smoldering, adrenaline-ridden kiss. But as your eyes began to close in anticipation you quickly realized Joel was reaching for the bright yellow leaf that had clung to your still-wild strands of hair.

"Oh." You felt the tiniest flush of embarrassment but it was fleeting and certainly didn't ruin the moment. "Thanks." You gave a quiet chuckle and Joel smiled.

"Let me get you to your car." He unlocked the gate and walked the motorcycle down into the junkyard with you by his side.

If Joel hadn't been beside you, you would have been freaked out. The place was eerie at night with no one around; but somehow that added to the thrill right then and there in the moment.

You weren't ready to call it a night. It felt as dark as midnight but it was only seven o'clock.

"So," you turned to him as you used your key fab to unlock your car. "Do you want to go down to the East Bend Tavern with me tonight? There's a costume party."

Joel seemed to cringe. "I don't know."

"Come." You knew you were sounding a little desperate, but it didn't matter. The motorcycle ride and the intensity you felt being in Joel's company was a bit addicting. Even if it ended up being just one night, you wanted to really live it.

"Costume party.." He toyed with the idea in his head.

"I picked up a couple of cheap masks." You gave a laugh and popped open the trunk of your car. You reached in and pulled out a plastic scarecrow mask and a plastic black cat that covered down past the nose. "I have dibs on the black cat but uh.." You extended your arm toward Joel with the scarecrow mask.

He looked down, slowly taking the mask in both of his hands. Joel stared at it for a moment and then looked back up. "Maybe no one will recognize me." He immediately added, "What time?"

"Meet you there at nine?"

"Nine." Joel looked back down at the mask and he let out a deep breath. Anxiety oozed out of him but he nodded. "Nine it is."

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 3

@untamedheart81 @amy172

[brokehorrorfan]

North by Northwest will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Digital in Steelbook and standard packaging on November 5 via Warner Bros. The classic 1959 thriller is directed by master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock.

Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, and Jessie Royce Landis star. Ernest Lehman (The Sound of Music, West Side Story) penned the script.

The film has been restored in 4K with HDR. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full Steelbook layout.

Special features:

Audio Commentary by Writer Ernest Lehman

North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit

Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

North by Northwest: One for the Ages

A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock

Cary Grant stars as a Manhattan adman plunged into a realm of spy (James Mason) and counterspy (Eva Marie Saint) when is abducted, framed for murder, chased and, in a signature set piece, crop-dusted.

Pre-order North by Northwest.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 26

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own a few OCs like Elizabeth, Katherine, Stacy, and Jessie. I do not condone any copying of this.

T'Challa introduced you to the people of Wakanda as his one and only beloved soulmate. You didn't have to speak, just standing by his side, holding his arm as he spoke. After the speech, he took you out of the city to see more of the countryside of Wakanda.

He brought you down to where the pastures were, where the farmers out here tamed White Rhinos for war. They also took care of goats.

T'Challa showed you the small hut by the water that Bucky had stayed in once. He had his own little fenced in area that still had two goats in it, the little kids that lived out here tending to his goat until he came back.

"What are their names?" You asked, petting one of the milk goats across her head. She let out a tiny bleat before wandering over to the water trough, lapping it up.

"This one is Samantha and the other one is Stella." T'Challa said, pointing to each individual goat, only able to tell apart the difference of their brown and white coats by the pink ribbon around Samantha's tail and the green one around Stella's.

You giggled. "So they're the goat versions of Sam and Steve?"

T'Challa laughed as well. "I suppose that's one way of looking at them."

The next week was fun as well. Wakanda was much larger than everyone had ever expected. You visited the forests and jungles. There were beautiful lakes that T'Challa took you too, the two of you skinny dipping as they were empty.

There were open plains and wide fields of flowers. The inner city was fun to explore as well. There were so many people there, the culture so vibrantly different from anything you had ever experienced.

You enjoyed checking out all of the stalls, even if you didn't always buy something. The young village kids seemed to absolutely adore you for some reason, always giving you flowers or small presents that were homemade.

T'Challa always just beamed from your side. You were sure that he was happy with how receptive the people were of you. Though you didn't always speak Wakandan (Xhosa), T'Challa would usually translate for you. Words of praise and your beauty or kindness were usually what they were. Or sometimes saying how they were glad that their King had found such a worthy soulmate.

Inside the palace was another story. Perhaps it was just simply because it was air-conditioned, but it just felt much colder there. Shuri, Queen Ramonda, and Okoye were all very nice, and a few of T'Challa's friends and the elders were just as nice, but the Dora Milaje seemed very cold towards you.

But you were probably making it up. Okoye always seemed colder whenever she was doing her royal duties as well. Shuri always liked to make jokes with it.

"When are the others getting here again?" You asked, holding T'Challa's hand as the two of you walked around the palace gardens. They had several exotic flowers that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. They were very special here and you absolutely loved them.

"The morning of the wedding ceremony. They're chasing a HYDRA lead I think." T'Challa said with a sigh.

"HYDRA again?" You frowned. "They really do take after the mythical creature."

T'Challa chuckled. "From what we can tell though, they are much weaker than they were when they had Bucky. Without their winter soldiers, it is very hard for them to operate. Especially since Fury has been alerted to their presence."

You nodded, leaning your head on his shoulder before you pointed to one of the large red and green flowers that looked almost tie-dyed. "What is this one called?"

"Lintyatyambo Zevatala." T'Challa answered.

"I think they're my favorites." You said, looking up at him, "Besides, you know, the lovely purple flowers that give you your powers. Those are pretty too."

T'Challa smiled down at you, putting his arm over your shoulder. "Yes, I like these too. A personal favorite I think. Shuri likes those the most though." He pointed out a pair of strange looking flowers that were weaving together, moving slightly by themselves.

"What are they?" You asked, watching as the orange and blue blossoms on the plant opened and closed like they were regrowing.

"Linzwakazi Eziyingozi" T'Challa said. "They're poisonous, so don't get to close to them. They're kind've like. . . Venus fly traps? But more animal than plant, really. Shuri has found a way to take their poisonous properties and make it a temporary Cancer cure. However, it doesn't always work. It depends on blood type, height, weight, other minor health ailments, etc. Sometimes it can do more harm than good so she is reluctant to use it unless as a last resort. However, she is still trying to come up with a perfect cure."

"Wow, that's wonderful! I thought she only worked in technology." You said as T'Challa led you out of the gardens. The sun was starting to set. The two of you would probably eat and then head off to bed where you'd fool around for an hour or two and then fall asleep in each others embrace.

"Well, I think medicine is a type of technology, if you look at it the right way." T'Challa answered.

"It's not a vaccine?" You asked.

"Vaccines don't cure anything." T'Challa said with a shake of his head. "They are only temporary, often meaning that you have to get them over and over to get rid of an illness. They are more. . . preventive than an actual cure. And sometimes ineffective. Her cure would be forever-lasting and would stop the Cancer already growing. If she were to create a vaccine, it would be meant to stop cancer before it even gets to her. Not to mention, Cancer isn't spread through the air so a vaccine is illogical."

You nodded your head, committing everything he said to memory.

"We don't even have vaccines here in Wakanda." T'Challa said with a shrug of his shoulders. "They are unnecessary, we very rarely get sick."

That made sense to you. Why have something if you never needed it? Plus the cure and the cancer also made sense to you.

"Anyways," T'Challa continued as you both headed to the dining hall to eat with the rest of the royal family, "I look forward to seeing Shuri complete the cure."

"Yes, as do I." You responded. It would be very exciting when a cure for cancer was finally made.

"You do what?" Shuri asked as the two of you entered the room. Dinner was already on the table in large pots and dishes, spoons and serving utensils sitting there, just waiting to be used. You could spot several African delicacies as well as a few of your favorite American dishes.

"Hope you finish your Cancer cure successfully." You answered as T'Challa pulled your chair out. You sat down, scooting yourself in while T'Challa sat next to you.

"You told her?!" Shuri complained to T'Challa.

"I think it's fascinating." You said quickly.

"Yeah, but it's not going well!" Shuri complained and then quickly said, "Did you know that up until this point, he still slept with a stuffed animal?"

"Oi!" T'Challa protested, "What was that for?"

You giggled as Shuri said, "You told her one of my secrets, so I told her one of yours."

"But why is mine so embarrassing?"

"You're whining like a brat."

"Children, children." Queen Ramonda said in a patronizing tone, though there was a small smile on her lips. "You're going to make Y/N think you're both eight years old."

"Well he is."

"Well she is."

You giggled again.

Queen Ramonda making a tsking sound. "Y/N, behold the King of Wakanda."

"Hey! You two are ganging up on me!" T'Challa protested, pointing fingers at the both of them with a mock frown on his face.

You smiled, "It's adorable. I love watching your family interact."

T'Challa's face softened and he kissed you on the cheek.

After dessert, T'Challa and you headed back up to your bedroom. You were both practically running by the time you were on the floor his bedroom resided on. T'Challa locked the doors behind the both of you, the two of you disappearing into the sheets.

***

Two days before the special wedding ceremony, you were sitting on his bed, making out with him. His back was to his door and you were sitting in his lap, your legs wrapped loosely around his waist. Your hands and his were delved into each others' hair. Your lips were meshed together in a passionate kiss.

You groaned as you broke away for air. He didn't seem to need his, his lips automatically attaching themselves to your throat.

"Brother!" T'Challa groaned, pulling away from me. Peering over his shoulder, I saw Shuri in the hologram, arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes, my annoying sister who interrupts me at the most inconvenient times?" T'Challa sighed.

"Sorry, but apparently the elders are waiting for you down in the council room." Shuri sighed. "There's been some update and they need you for your wise input. So hurry up." She blanked out, leaving the hologram table empty again.

You smiled at T'Challa, pulling away to start sliding under the covers. "It's fine T. I'm pretty tired anyways. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back. Have fun. . . doing business?"

He chuckled, sliding out of the bed, fixing his robes, kissing the top of your head and finding his shoes to slip on. "I'll try. It'll be worse than being here with you though."

"Naturally." You teased, winking.

He chuckled as he left the room.

You dimmed the lights, wrapping the thin sheet around you. You had left the wide doors open, letting in the warm African breeze. It wasn't to warm, especially as it was night and got cooler, but it wasn't to cold either. Paired with the thin sheets, you were rather content where temperature was concerned.

You could hear several people moving around outside- and down in the city as it started to close up- listening to the sounds of the life around you.

You wrapped one arm around the pillow underneath your head. You couldn't wait. Two more days and all of your favorite people would be here, celebrating you and T'Challa being together as a royal couple. You wondered how long it would take before the news got ahold of the information.

You smirked a little, knowing how annoyed you would be. You hated being on the news.

And you loved being here with T'Challa. He was kind, brave, funny, charismatic, sincere, and affectionate. He could also be serious and extremely protective, though loving. Not to mention bloody handsome.

But you did miss your other mates. Missed Sam and Clint's teasing, missed Fury and Rhodeys' seriousness. Tony's joking manner. Stephen's always half-amused, half-annoyed state. You missed your soldiers and your gods. You wanted all of them around you and didn't really like being with just one of them for extended periods of time.

You smiled, imaging them coming off the quinjet, wondering whose arms you'd run to first.

Probably whoever came off the jet first. Probably Bucky as he loved this country. Maybe Loki or Thor. Maybe even Rhodey, he had been here before.

You heard something whooshing through the air, though it didn't sound very near. You rolled over in bed, just as you felt something scrape along your back.

Your eyes popped open at the pain.

Snake!

[danganphobia]

for laishuro college au drabble requests... maybe the squad™ goes to an escape room or a haunted house? i feel like there could be some silly shenanigans there. like toshiro getting jumpscared and jumping into laios' arms but also maybe laios getting scared by some guy chasing him (because escape rooms sometimes have like those story scenarios? i think) and toshiro just calmly using his #martial arts skills to defend laios ...

i say the squad™ because i enjoy them hanging out sm in high society ^v^ totally fine if ur not up for it tho ahahs

oh i love this idea. i went with haunted house because i wanted a fun excuse to dress everyone up. fic is cross-posted to ao3, but you can read it under the cut!

Laios had the car parked in front of Marcille and Falin’s building. Him and Toshiro waited.

“When does the event start again?” Toshiro asked.

“Uh…” Laios looked down at his phone. “Fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh dear, we’re late then.”

“They’ll come out!”

Judging by Laios’ incredible patience, Toshiro had nothing to worry about. They were meeting Kabru, Mithrun, Kiki, Namari, Senshi, and Chilchuck at the scream park, because Laios wanted them all to do something for Halloween together. 

It’s the thirtieth of October, so it wasn’t even the day of Halloween — but that was because they had busy schedules on Halloween day. The joys of being an adult.

Falin and Marcille came running out the front door, rushing over to the car. They knocked on the window, and Laios unlocked the door for them to climb in the backseat.

“Sorry!” Falin said, bringing something else in the car with her. It was an axe.

“Patrick Bateman?” Toshiro asked, looking back at Falin’s bloody suit.

“Yeah!” Falin beamed. “Marcille was helping me with the makeup.” Marcille on the other hand, dressed up as Margot Robbie’s Barbie. A stark contrast of their personalities tonight. 

“Chilchuck said if we don’t get there in the next hour they’re gonna leave without us,” Marcille said. “Drive!” She hissed.

“Jeez, okay!” Laios started up the car.

When they reached the scream park, it was crowded with university students and older adults in costumes. They searched for their friends, finding them in the main area.

“What’s everyone dressed up as again?” Toshiro questioned. 

“Uh… I think Senshi’s Kratos, Chilchuck, I’m not sure if he dressed up,” Falin explained. “Namari’s Jessie and Kiki’s Catwoman.”

“Kabru and Mithrun are Pavitr and Gwen,” Laios said.

“Then I think they’re right over there,” Marcille pointed at a familiar group huddled in front of a gargoyle statue.

She was right, because when Kabru spotted them he went, “hey bitches!” 

“Yeah that’s Kabru,” Toshiro said with a snort. Upon meeting up, Namari and Kabru wolf-whistled at the couples. 

“If it isn’t Laios S. Kennedy and Toshiro Wong!” Namari hollered. “Damn, you guys look good!”

“Thanks!” Laios chirped, and Toshiro blushed, giving a quieter, meek “thank you” to their compliments. 

“Aww, Chil, you dressed up!” Marcille gushed at his Mario costume. “That’s so cute!”

“It’s minimal effort,” Chilchuck grumbled. He was right. He just had on a red shirt with overalls, a brown cap, and a red cap with an M drawn on it with a white marker. “My daughters dressed me up. They forced me to.”

“Alright! Now that everyone’s here!” Laios clapped his hands. “Are we ready to get scared?!”

They chorused in agreement, except for Toshiro, who was shifting in discomfort when they joined the growing line of eager guests.

It was fast-moving, because next thing Toshiro knew the grim reaper dude at the door went “have fun,” welcoming them inside. He shuffled closer to Laios, unconsciously holding on to him when they progressed through the house. 

This place wasted no time with the scares, jumping out at them at every corner. Kabru and Namari were making jokes. Kiki on the other hand, clung to Namari, probably to boost Namari’s ego from her overexaggerated reactions. 

Chilchuck pretended he wasn’t disturbed by the elaborate detail on the costumes, but he’d grab Senshi’s arm every now and then. Marcille couldn’t peel herself away from Falin’s side even if she tried. 

Mithrun had a straight-face the entire time, it was hard to tell if they were enjoying themselves, until the gang's screeching made them giggle, holding onto Kabru. Toshiro wondered if he and Marcille were the only ones genuinely terrified.

“Babe,” Laios said, moving on to the next room. “You’re gonna break my arm at this rate.”

“Huh?” Toshiro noticed he was clinging to Laios with a strong grip, practically hiding behind his shoulder. “Sorry…”

“Do you not like haunted houses?” Laios asked with a snort. “The monsters here are crazy scary, but they’re not real, y’know. I wish they were. Are they too spooky for you?”

“Such establishments don’t bode too well for me, Laios,” Toshiro mumbled. “I’m not exactly a fan of horror mo—AH!” A masked man wielding a chainsaw popped out of a shadowed corner.

“Oh hell no!” Kabru’s voice boomed, everyone scrambled to the next set, being chased by the masked man until they lost him, breaking out into hysterical laughter.

“Toshiro, your screams are so cute!” Laios said, giggling. Toshiro punched his shoulder, panting. He thought he was going to die back there.

There were more strange creatures lurking in the corners the more they progressed into the haunted attraction, waiting for the opportunity to spook passing guests. Marcille shrieked that she nearly peed, causing them to laugh, and that was the one time she and Toshiro came to a mutual understanding.

Huddled together, the silence in the dark, hazy room would be interrupted by a growl or a shrill voice echoing in the air, causing them to jump and bump into each other like cartoon characters.

Then, a sudden fart ripped through the air.

“Did somebody just fucking fart?” Namari asked with a grimace.

Awkward silence, before Laios shyly confessed. “Sorry. I got tense for a second.”

The group’s faces twisted in disgust at the smell, scolding him. “I said I was sorry!”

“Relax, son,” Senshi chuckled. “You’re in good company.”

“What the fuck did you eat, man?” Chilchuck said, scrunching up his nose. “That shit stinks.”

“Philly cheesesteak,” Laios replied.

“Alright girlies, let’s keep going!” Kabru said, guiding them across the set. “No pussying out!”

Whenever Laios wandered too far, Toshiro followed after him like a deer in the headlights. It was hard to see, the lights always flickering. If he strayed too far from the crowd he was afraid he’d bump into another fake body bag, or a Frankenstein bursting from a coffin and scaring him into cardiac arrest.

“Nice costume!” Laios complimented one of the actors, dressed as some sort of freakish ghoul. They were at a dead end. “Do you guys know where the other room is? I think we’re lost.”

“GRAH!” The actor screamed at them, Toshiro squeaked, but Laios was unfazed.

“GRAH!” Laios shouted back, and he actually spooked the actor in return.

“Holy fuck,” the actor gawked. “Scared the shit outta me, man.”

“Laios, they’re not supposed to talk to you!” Toshiro hissed, smacking his arm and dragging him in the other direction, apologizing to the poor actor. “I think everyone went over there.” If Laios stopped and talked to every single actor (and animatronic, as he couldn’t tell the difference) in every set, they would never make it out of the house, he got distracted too easily, rambling to Toshiro about the intricate monster SFX details that fascinated him, and Toshiro was desperately trying not to pee his pants.

“Guys?!” Marcille called out into the eerie mist surrounding the house. “Where’d you go?!”

“Easy girl, we’re right here, not dead yet.” Kabru said, making Marcille sigh with relief. In the next set, there was a staged fight between a woman and a werewolf, mimicking a final girl scene in a horror movie. With the way she pounced on the creature and started stabbing at its chest with a steak knife looked real, causing Kabru to say, “he need some milk!” laughter erupting from the group at his comment.

Toshiro had to double-check if the poor guy was alive and still breathing. She just kept on stabbing him.

“Hurry it up back there!” Namari barked at Laios and Toshiro, lingering behind everyone else. Laios gave a sheepish apology, finding their way back to the gang. Toshiro’s gloved palm was sweaty, holding Laios’ the whole time, squeezing every now and then so they wouldn’t slip away from each other.

So far, the only thing that actually scared Laios was a part-cephalopod and part-man creature wielding multiple knives. The costume was so ridiculous that it made Toshiro laugh when they booked it so fast across the house, passing everyone else getting jerked around by the actors from wall to wall.

When they emerged from the house, Toshiro was laughing so hard he needed a moment to catch his breath, face red and buried into Laios’ chest.

“Out of all the monsters we saw in there,” he wheezed, holding onto Laios’ stupidly tight shirt and suspenders. “A-An octopus man is what frightened you?”

“I don’t like them!” Laios whined, tears pricking at his eyes from how spooked he was. “They’re so slimy and scary! And he had knives on his tentacles!”

“I’m sorry—” Toshiro broke out into another fit of giggles, the rest of the gang exiting the house in pairs. “That is utterly hilarious. I thought nothing scared you.”

“I admit, that one got me good,” Laios said, smiling again. The others were discussing how fun the house was, decidedly hungry, good thing Senshi brought along a full-course meal to feed everyone. “What about you?” He asked curiously.

“It was… highly disturbing,” Toshiro said, being honest. “But I had a lot of fun.” Laios’ face lit up at the confession, especially when Toshiro pecked him on the check, wrapping his arm around Laios. “Thank you, for protecting me.”

Laios froze, his face slowly turning redder than a tomato at Toshiro’s kind words. “Buh,” he stammered, completely incoherent and flustered. “Wuh. Huh. Uh. I. Uh. N—N-No p-problem…”

Laughing, Toshiro hauled his blubbering, blushing boyfriend over to follow the rest of the group to the canteen.

Marcille asked if Toshiro had broken Laios as they got seated at a large table, making the whole table cackle loudly.

[queereads-bracket]

Hiya! Love this as a thing, thanks for making it! I was wondering whether you had a complete list of submitted books anywhere, or if you'd be willing to make one? I would love to be able to add them all to my TBR and scrolling through the polls takes a bit of a while 😅 Thank you!

yes absolutely! helping people find fun new things to read is my Secret Nefarious True Purpose of this blog 😈

Below is a full list of all 68 entries to the Queer Fantasy Books bracket:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley The Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Lisa Sterle Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas The Tamir Triad series by Lynn Flewelling The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson Princess Princess Ever After by K. O’Neill The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske The Witch Boy series by Molly Knox Ostertag Nimona by ND Stevenson The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez The Seraphina Duology (Seraphina, Shadow Scale) by Rachel Hartman The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw The Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Crier's War duology (Crier's War, Iron Heart) by Nina Varela The Burning Kingdoms series by Tasha Suri The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan Crimson Sails series (Hunt on Dark Waters, Blood on the Tide) by Katee Robert House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland The Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (The Endsong series) Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare Salt Slow by Julia Armfield Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag The Masquerade Series by Seth Dickinson Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky Monstrous Regiment (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (Infinity Alchemist series) Mooncakes, written by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu Malice duology (Malice, Misrule) by Heather Walter The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Snapdragon by Kat Leyh The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare The Knight and the Necromancer series by A.H. Lee When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill The Left-Handed Booksellers of London series by Garth Nix The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost by Keezy Young The Radiant Emperor series by Shelley Parker-Chan Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare The Marble Queen, written by Anna Kopp, illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo The Cursed Heart by Derin Edala One Stormy Day in New Providence by E. Jade Lomax and K. Sundberg Godfell: The Complete Series by Christopher Sebela, Ben Hennessy (Illustrator)

[themattress]

Pokémemories: The Ghost Train Heist

Immediately after the Don Battle, Pokémon: Best Wishes gave us an amazing story arc where Meowth is fired from Team Rocket and joins Ash's group as a traveling companion, all while Jessie and James prepare for a large-scale heist in the Nimbasa City subway system under the direction of Dr. Zager. Meowth's interactions with Ash's group were great, as were the situations he got placed into, and trying to piece together the full scope of Team Rocket's plan was fun. It all came into a head with a two-parter set in Nimbasa City's Battle Subway.

Team Rocket's plan for the heist was something to behold: they commandeered a subway train to move outside the regular track routes to create a "ghost train" urban legend that distracts the attention of the Subway Bosses Ingo and Emmett. Then, when Meowth makes it to the Nimbasa City Pokemon Center with Ash's group, he calls Dr. Zager about it (because he was not fired from Team Rocket at all, it was a lie to gain Ash and his friends' trust). While Dr. Zager hacks the city drawbridge to prevent outside help from coming, Meowth loads all Pokemon from the Pokémon Center - including Ash, Iris and Cilan's which usually are used to thwart Team Rocket - onto the ghost train. Then when Ash, Iris, Cilan, Ingo and Emmett try to give chase, the Team Rocket trio dispatch multiple decoy ghost trains to obscure their actual route...which is toward Anville Town, where Dr. Zager and his helicopter are waiting to pick up the stolen loot. It's a brilliantly crafted and executed scheme, ultimately only failing because Pikachu gets loose and proves even more special than even Team Rocket had accounted for by becoming a temporary Pokémon trainer himself toward his fellow Pokémon.

God, was Team Rocket in Best Wishes awesome.

[rqsser]

song prompt list!

for romantic relationships

use these however you please! whether that be writing or creating a playlist:)

(song - artist)

hopeless/devoted

ocean avenue - yellowcard

there is - box car racer

are you gonna be my girl - jet

she’s out of her mind - blink-182

can’t help falling in love - elvis presley

vienna - billy joel

tear in my heart - twenty one pilots

come and get your love - redbone

ribs - lorde

i’m a believer - smash mouth

wherever you will go - the calling

my alien - simple plan

meet you there - simple plan

the rock show - blink-182

when your heart stops beating - +44

truly madly deeply - savage garden

cupid’s chokehold/breakfast in america - gym class heros

unrequited/complicated

should i stay or should i go? - the clash

dammit - blink182

complicated - avril lavigne

self esteem - the offspring

r u mine? - arctic monkeys

lover, you should’ve come over- jeff buckley

vampire empire - big thief

wasted summers - juju<3

you give love a bad name - bon jovi

roxanne - the police

fix you - coldplay

build me up buttercup - the foundations

i miss you - blink-182

stay together for the kids - blink-182

heartbreak hotel - elvis presley

jessie’s girl - rick springfield

what was i made for? - billie eilish

obsessive/delusional

every breath you take - the police

meant to be yours - heathers musical

paparazzi - lady gaga

do i wanna know? - arctic monkeys

are we still friends? - tyler, the creator

lovefool - the cardigans

maria - justin bieber

step on me - the cardigans

pacify her - melanie martinez

my strange addiction - billie eilish

national anthem - lana del rey

obsessed - olivia rodrigo

the red means i love you - madds buckley

tear you apart - she wants revenge

puppet - tyler, the creator

sexual/carnal

espresso - sabrina carpenter

crazy in love - beyoncé, jay-z

call out my name - the weeknd

rock your body - justin timberlake

sexy drug - falling in reverse

on my own - darci

runway walk - demrick

thong song - sisqo

goodies - ciara, petey pablo

california gurls - katy perry, snoop dogg

take my breath away - berlin

stacy’s mom - fountains of wayne

scotty doesn’t know - lustra

after last night - multiple artists

closer - nine inch nails

if u think i’m pretty - artemas

doin’ time - lana del rey

yearning/nostalgia

summer of ‘69 - bryan adams

happy together - the turtles

505 - arctic monkeys

lost in the woods - jonathan groff

end of beginning - djo

my girl - the temptations

please, please, please, let me get what i want - the smiths

good luck, babe! - chappell roan

need 2 - pinegrove

somethin’ stupid - frank & nancy sinatra

chasing cars - snow patrol

how to save a life - the fray

linger - the cranberries

so real - jeff buckley

slipping through my fingering - abba

race - alex g

no surprises - radiohead

love me - elvis presley

abusive/toxic

bad habit - steve lacy

nonsense - sabrina carpenter

please please please - sabrina carpenter

wake me up when september ends - green day

love the way you lie - eminem, rhianna

favourite crime - olivia rodrigo

drivers license - olivia rodrigo

set fire to the rain - adele

toxic - britney spears

don’t blame me - taylor swift

play date - melanie martinez

moral of the story - ashe

bad romance - lady gaga

jealousy, jealousy - olivia rodrigo

kill bill - sza

deja vu - olivia rodrigo

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