#easily one of the top 5 most reasonable responses
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man i will forever be so very grateful that the casting team for Word of Honor took one look at Zhou Zishu, a character whose appearance is specifically described as Inconspicuously Plain and Unremarkable and Somewhat Haggard, and went "y'know who we should get to play this guy? Most Gorgeous Human Alive Zhang Zhehan"
like if i were Wen Kexing and i fell in love with a drunken hobo only for him to remove his mask and reveal that he's actually The Most Beautiful Man In The Entire World i'd probably say something dumb as all hell too
#like for real let's cut him some slack here#Have i ever mentioned that i actually like men?#easily one of the top 5 most reasonable responses#right up there with bursting into tears and/or proposing marriage on the spot#word of honor#wenzhou#zhou zishu#zhang zhehan#tian ya ke#faraway wanderers#shan he ling#shl#woh#izzy speaks
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Writing Angry Scenes: Tips to Avoid Melodrama and Make It Real
Anger can be one of the most intense, relatable emotions to readâand one of the trickiest to write. When handled well, an angry scene can pull readers deep into the emotional world of a character, building tension and driving the story forward. But when handled poorly, anger can easily slip into melodrama, making the characterâs feelings seem overblown, forced, or even cringe-worthy.
So how can you avoid these pitfalls and write anger that feels real and compelling? Here are some tips to make angry scenes powerful without overdoing it.
1. Understand What Fuels Your Characterâs Anger
To write anger authentically, you need to understand its roots. People get angry for complex reasonsâfear, frustration, betrayal, grief, and even love. Ask yourself whatâs truly driving your characterâs anger. Are they afraid of losing control? Do they feel abandoned or misunderstood? Are they hurt by someone they trusted? Anger rarely exists in isolation, so dig into the deeper emotions fueling it.
When you understand the core reasons behind a characterâs anger, you can weave those nuances into the scene, making the anger more relatable and layered. Readers will feel the depth of the character's rage, not just the surface heat of it.
2. Show, Donât TellâBut Donât Overdo It
âShow, donât tellâ is classic writing advice, but itâs especially crucial in angry scenes. Donât rely on generic phrases like âShe was furiousâ or âHe clenched his fists in anger.â Instead, look for unique ways to convey how this specific character experiences anger. Maybe their voice drops to a deadly calm, or their eyes narrow in a way that makes everyone around them uncomfortable.
That said, showing too much can backfire, especially with exaggerated descriptions. Over-the-top body language, excessive shouting, or too many âflaring nostrilsâ can tip the scene into melodrama. Use body language and physical cues sparingly and mix them with subtler reactions for a more realistic portrayal.
3. Use Dialogue to Reveal Hidden Layers
People rarely say exactly what they feel, especially when theyâre angry. Angry dialogue isnât just about yelling or throwing out insults; itâs an opportunity to show the characterâs deeper thoughts and vulnerabilities.
Consider using controlled, icy responses or unexpected silences. Maybe your character says something hurtful in a low voice rather than screaming. They might express sarcasm, avoidance, or even laugh at the wrong moment. Anger often carries hidden layers, and using these nuances can help your characterâs dialogue feel genuine, even haunting, without falling into dramatic clichĂ©s.
4. Control the Pacing of the Scene
The pacing of an angry scene can be the difference between a powerful moment and a melodramatic one. In real life, anger doesnât always erupt instantly; it can simmer, spike, or deflate depending on the situation and the characterâs personality. Experiment with different pacing techniques to create tension.
You might build the anger slowly, with small signs that somethingâs brewing. Or maybe the character explodes suddenly, only to calm down just as quickly, leaving a chill in the air. Controlling the pace helps you control the readerâs emotional engagement, drawing them in without overwhelming them.
5. Avoid Clichéd Expressions and Overused Reactions
When writing anger, avoid falling back on clichĂ©s like âseeing red,â âboiling with rage,â or âblood boiling.â These phrases have been overused to the point that they lose their impact. Instead, get creative and think about how your characterâs anger might feel specifically to them.
Maybe their skin feels prickly, or their jaw aches from clenching it. Think about details that are unique to the character and to the moment. By focusing on small, unique sensory details, youâll help readers feel the anger rather than just reading about it.
6. Let the Setting Reflect the Emotion
The setting can be an effective tool to amplify a characterâs anger without overstating it. Small details in the environmentâsuch as the hum of a refrigerator, the slow ticking of a clock, or the distant sounds of laughterâcan create a sense of contrast or isolation that heightens the characterâs rage.
For example, imagine a character seething in a peaceful park or a quiet library. The calm of the surroundings can make their anger feel more potent. Or maybe theyâre in a crowded, noisy room where they feel unseen and unheard, which fuels their frustration further. This use of setting can add depth to the scene without the need for dramatic gestures.
7. Let Consequences Speak for Themselves
An effective way to avoid melodrama is to let the consequences of the anger show its intensity. Characters donât always have to yell or physically react; sometimes, a single choice can convey more than any outburst.
Perhaps your character cuts off a close friend or says something they canât take back. Maybe they throw away a meaningful object or walk out in silence. By focusing on the consequences of their anger, you can reveal the impact without over-explaining it.
8. Let the Emotion Simmer After the Scene Ends
Anger is rarely resolved in a single moment, and its effects often linger. When writing an angry scene, think about how it will affect your character moving forward. Are they holding onto grudges? Do they feel guilty or exhausted afterward? Does their anger transform into something else, like sadness or regret?
Allowing the anger to simmer in your characterâs mind even after the scene ends creates a more authentic and layered portrayal. It shows that anger is complex and doesnât just disappear the moment the scene is over, adding emotional weight to both the character and the story.
#writing tips#writing advice#character development#writers on tumblr#writeblr#creative writing#fiction writing#writerscommunity#writing#writing help#writing resources#ai assisted
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What do you think about the passive language used in azrielâs bonus chapter? Azriel says he found himself entering the foyer right before elain comes and then he finds himself in the library at 7.
Oooooh my darling anon. You have me giddy and kicking my feet with excitement to talk about this! Once again, a simple anon ask has spiraled into a deep crack theory post. This is a long one!
I love this bonus chapter so much. The prose are some of her loveliest work and the treasure trove of details is simply masterful. And I'm so excited about where I think the story is headed.
I definitely understand what you mean regarding passive language: there's a sense of everything happening without intention. In fact- he is explicitly acting against his "every intention." but the devil is in the details. As you said, the bell chime for the seven pm service. The exact same bell chime from when Nesta attended a service and was lulled into non-con scrying session with ancient songs. Ones Clotho just happened upon below level seven of the library one day in a random stack of books. Azriel giving away Elain's necklace to G/wyn or any other priestess who would like it after meaning to return it to the store. There's so much to get into but for the sake of keeping this post a reasonable length (which I still failed at anyway), I am going to hone in on what is, in my opinion, the most important line in the entire G/wyn section of the bonus chapter:
For whatever reason.
One of the most difficult parts about writing is that it is so easy to get hung up on a catch phrase or a certain way of describing things. Whether it is through our subconscious minds, or more intentional developmental edits, there are phrases that invoke something very specific and it is hard not to re-use them. I struggle with this. SJM has definitely come under fire for this as well.
For whatever reason has been used 13 times in the entirety of ACOTAR including the bonus chapter (it takes .5 seconds to type it into the search bar on Kindle and it displays the number count up top, this is not as unhinged as it sounds đ«Ł) and two of those times were regarding G/wyn, three were regarding the Priestesses, and every single time it was used to express that there is hidden information at play- be in magic, motivations, or machinations- something out of character, or something we do not yet understand. It essentially means that there is a reason, but it is not being revealed.
All of Azriel's passive actions and the little parallels between Azriel's experience with G/wyn and Nesta's experiences in the book (hearing G/wyn's song calling to her, her power rumbling in response to G/wyn, the glow, so on and so forth) are also connected through this line:
Azriel:
Nesta:
If we trust that for whatever reason does in fact indicate that there is a reason, there is an oft overlooked detail that also connects Nesta and Azriel's experience on page: G/wyn's breath.
In Nesta's for whatever reason moment, G/wyn is guiding her through the Valkyrie breathing technique. Nesta continues to focus on G/wyn's breath, which leads her to feeling this rush of thinking about how amazing G/wyn is, how she is good at everything, and somehow nothing about it irks the easily irked Nesta. G/wyn's breath settles her and leaves her content to be there:
Contented. Calm. Distant. Stilled. Resting. These are all of the sensations listening to G/wyn's breath creates. Now let's look at Azriel:
Azriel's shadows hear the silent music in G/wyn's breath. Suddenly, Azriel and his shadows are calm. Content. Stilled. Resting.
Even more interesting? Both of these moments occur after deeply painful moments with Elain. For Nesta, this takes place after Elain calls her out for focusing on what Elain's trauma did to her. Azriel is obviously wrecked from being ordered away from Elain. Then they both find themselves with G/wyn, there is a pointed experience of them interacting with her breath, and they are suddenly distantly removed from the situation that was ailing them mentally. Settled, calmed and feeling abnormally giddy over thoughts of G/wyn and how amazing she is and how happy they are to make her happy- for whatever reason.
Now, if you are still with me, we are REALLY going to get into some crack theory.
I do not believe that it is a coincidence that in a book where Nesta and Cassian were the two POV's, only Nesta and Azriel experienced G/wyn's lulling effects. We are dipping into major HoFaS spoilers here, so stop now if you don't want to move ahead!
In HoFaS, we learned the Cauldron has been corrupted by the Asteri. They pooled their power into it so that it would work their will. I think there is likely a push and pull for power within the Cauldron itself between the dark corruption of the Asteri and the original power of fate and creation by the Mother. Both entities exist within the Cauldron, if you will. We also learn that Truth-Teller was made in the Cauldron as a weapon against the Asteri. But we also learn that Azriel himself was a weapon crafted by the Asteri:
I believe this is in reference to Shadowsingers, but either way, there is a suggestion that whoever- what ever- Azriel is, it was crafted by the Asteri.
I also believe that whatever Nesta stole from the Cauldron was not the power that the Mother had gifted to Elain when it recognized her, perhaps the Archeron bloodline (let's not forget the Bone Carver's words about salvation laying dormant in a human bloodline), but the dark corruption of the Asteri.
No longer just a tool of creation, but a deadly tool of destruction. Nesta's power of death. And Silene's parents turned the horrors it produced to their advantage. I assume this is in reference to Truth-Teller, the knife that can unmake things which was created the Starborn bloodline to defeat the Asteri:
A tool not of creation, but of destruction. Unmaking.
I absolutely love Azriel and Nesta's friendship, but I also think there is something deeper going on here. I think Nesta and Azriel both experience the weight of the darkness of the Asteri's powers. Yes, they both have trauma. But they also are deeply unsettled people who fight incredibly hard against the darkness that weighs on them.
I believe both Nesta and Azriel carry the literal corruption of the Asteri, and it is something only they, and not the rest of their family, has to fight. They are doing it. And they also lean on each other in a very deep and beautiful way.
UGH. I love them, Your Honor.
I also believe that Nesta gave back her corrupted powers at the end of ACOSF (hopefully). And the mother interrupted her giving back all of her power, leaving only what the Mother intended remaining. Nesta seems much calmer and more settled in HoFaS, and while we can attribute it to her emotional growth, I think again it is extremely important that Nesta and Azriel, the only two characters to have been affected by G/wyn's luring, were also the main characters in the crossover where the corruption of the Cauldron is revealed.
Okay- but what does this have to do with G/wyn? I know, I know, G/wyn's lightsinger theory is the most accepted theory. And it might be true. But I also don't think it is everything. There is more going on here, and something that specifically leaves Nesta and Azriel susceptible. Nesta was also welcomed to the library to work with the priestesses in ACOSF for whatever reason.
I have made a few posts now about the Priestesses as the likely next mini villains in the upcoming ACOTAR book in alliance with Vallahan. You can read those here and here if you are interested. But I believe the invoking stones of the priestesses might come into play. In this case, what is occurring isn't specific to G/wyn, and I don't believe that she is the only one that could have this affect on Azriel and Nesta. Or maybe it's both, her lightsinger abilities allow her to lure while the invoking stones allow her to lull. Either way, there is a wider picture of the Priestesses and the secret powers they hold involved.
G/wyn believes that the stones are filled with the power of the Mother, and can only be used to protect and not harm. However, Ianthe also used her invoking stone (that was my interpretation, anyways) to lull guards to sleep. Feyre also questions if the invoking stones contain power far deadlier. Lucien confirms that the power the priestesses hold can be utterly lethal if they choose it.
If the invoking stones are also Cauldron Made, then they too carry both life and death. Creation and destruction. Protection and harm. I truly believe that G/wyn is completely ignorant to her own power, what the stones are capable of, and what the intentions of some of the corrupt Priestesses are. To destroy the rule of the High Lord's and regain their power:
The feminist in me is like yes queens, get off your knees and take your power back. But in this context, I think we can safely assume this is not a good thing, as we know many of the High Priestesses are also corrupted and do not have good intentions.
I think there is a lot of evidence that the like calls to like occurring very specifically between Azriel, Nesta, and G/wyn, might have less to do with the (very fair and again possibly correct) theory that G/wyn is a light singer and much more to do with the warped power of the Asteri. I think it is most likely Gwyn is not a villain, nor has any impure intention in her heart. But she does believe in her religion, in the Priestesses, and that they solely enact the power of the Mother for good. That leaves her in a position to be easily manipulated by the "promise" of greater good. The sole fact that she doesn't even think the invoking stone or power of the priestesses is capable of harming when we know otherwise says a lot about her indoctrination.
I also don't even know if G/wyn will specifically play a role in what I assume will be the future luring and lulling of Azriel, or if she was just a deeper representation of the power the priestesses hold. Either is definitely possible.
So yes, Azriel was acting out of character, a bit dazed and passive and almost in a trance. Just as he and Nesta had both experienced around G/wyn before.
For whatever reason.
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your top 5 fave motogp races? or alternatively what races youâd show to a newbie to get them into the sport or smth
one of those things where it's painful to pick five, but at least this ask gives me the chance to hedge my bets and pick five different races for each category (most of these races will be featured in the recs lists; 27, 4+93, 46)
laguna '08: works wonders to bring both that season and the rivalry alive. delightfully visceral and vicious, there's few duels that tell you quite so much about both participants. I have lap-by-lap notes for this race. I have points tables assessing how much of a turning point it was in the season. I have read the bit in casey's autobiography about this race about a million times. how their expectations going in influenced the dynamics of the race, how the slower man won the race, what valentino was attempting to do to casey, casey's response... I could quite literally talk about this race forever
phillip island '17: idk I don't think this is objectively 'better' than the other two infamous dogfights of that era (pi '15; assen '18), but sometimes you just notice which one has the most rewatch value for you... I really like races where risk/reward calculation is a big deal, where at least one of the riders is having to actively judge how much they're willing to do to win... with the hard style of racing in this one, those calculations feel particularly present. phillip island is in such a perfect calendar spot for generating maximum drama
misano '17: maybe the quirkiest pick. marc is too good and too successful for me to ever really have been 'stressed' watching him in his prime, but bloody hell did he run me close here. something so satisfying about being so adept in wet/mixed conditions... love the spite element of this race, love the risk/reward calculations, how marc just needs to go for it in the very final lap, his dogged determination... a race where he doesn't have a massive margin over the field but just wants it so so badly that he goes for it. he's making a statement, bouncing back from a low point in the season, super compelling stuff
mugello '04: just love races that are kinda a mess! lots of twists and turns... bunch of riders fighting it out, the sete duel, the rain interruption, bunch of riders fighting it out but now on a way more slippery track... I don't know, there's just something charming about a race that has a bit of everything! of course it's also part of my beloved 2004 season, from which I could have easily included five different races (and if you're ever looking for a full season to watch, 2004 2006 and 2017 are the holy trinity - mix of title fight drama and banger races)
okay listen I'm gonna cheat here because I wrote out the word 'catalunya' and then had a crisis staring at this post. '07 I need to include because it's my favourite casey win and it's how he establishes himself as an all-round threat and is so important in the overall context of the valentino rivalry, but '09 is like... right up there with laguna as season lynchpin races and also somehow jorge has been left out from these picks... I love big momentum-switchers I love races that have so much meaning in the context of a rivalry AND season. I also love how they're connected! that valentino did the same move on casey (just not on the final lap) and had basically already rehearsed his coup de grĂące two years in advance, before visualising it the week before the race... casey joking about it in the catalunya '09 presser, jorge knowing he kinda should have seen it coming, casey kinda ragging on jorge for not having seen it coming... idk!! I like this little legacy they built there together
for newbies
phillip island '23: you need to include something a little more current to give new fans a reason to watch now... phillip island races are reliably great - this one introduces you to two of the major protagonists of the current game in a way that kind tells you a lot about both of them, gives you a demonstration of one of the best types of races (the multi-rider dogfight), and it also is the most brute force way imaginable of explaining how tyres work in motogp. pedagogically pleasing! it's the kind of race new viewers will be able to enjoy in the moment, but have a lot of questions about afterwards - the sweet spot
assen '15: easily makes my top five rewatched races too, but I put it under the newbie header because again... tells you a lot! it's very likely this hypothetical newbie will have at least have SOME knowledge of who the two protagonists are and know they've fallen out, though I suppose it'd be funny to go in completely blind. obviously a great duel and a very nice introduction to the two big names plus their respective riding styles... what you really want is some late drama and a controversial finish that you can immediately have a hot take about
donington '05: we need a full wet race, not just mixed but wet wet... this one's got one hell of an attrition rate but also proper tussling between the different riders, rather than everyone just riding out on their own. it really gives you a feeling for how these kinds of races work... lot of riders wobbling around, saving near-falls, trying to get a sense of how much they can risk, riding behind each other to have somebody else test out their conditions... plus, the valentino performance kinda slaps
austria '17: got to be a marc/dovi duel in here, and this one has the clear edge not as much for the race itself but a) the novelty at the time, and b) the significance in the title fight. in dovi you've got somebody who is emerging as a threat and is providing a new flavour of challenge.... there's also that fun tension between how marc logically very much should just be happy to be there as a result of what a ducati circuit it is and he's simply supposed to be limiting the points damage... but he also really, really wants to win... actually either this or motegi 2017, almost want to change my pick. one of those two!!
brno '03: sneaking in an old race as a gateway drug, and I think this one is quite 'accessible' to the uninitiated. I considered other ones like phillip island '01 (valentino's first premier class matchpoint race, classic dogfight) or welkom '04 (first yamaha race and one of the duels) - but I think you don't need much context to get absorbed in this one. the race commentary already gives you the most important information... valentino's struggles that season, the criticisms he was facing from the italian press, how badly he wanted to win, the haircut, all of it... and then you get to see the post-race prisoner's celebrations, a flavour of the proper classic camp dramatics
slightly silly number of honourable mentions, each of which I was extremely tempted to include: motegi '10, jerez 2005, misano '19, laguna '11, jerez '10, assen '04, catalunya '04 '05 '16, mugello '05 '06, sachsenring '06, assen '04, phillip island '04, le mans 2005, qatar 2005, suzuka '01, thailand '19, austria '19, qatar '18, silverstone '19, sachsenring '10, qatar '15, mugello '16, sepang '10, assen '07 (and ones I did already kinda mention above: phillip island '15, assen '18, phillip island '01, welkom '04, motegi '17)
#race rec tag#almost died making this. if i made this tomorrow they'd be completely different races#motogp#//#brr brr#batsplat responds#is phillip island 2017 actually that good or do races get rewarded in my mind if I wake up early and they make it worth it#best lil sequences of races are '19 [austria silverstone misano] '04 [mugello catalunya assen] '17 [motegi phillip island sepang]#'04 [qatar sepang phillip island] and 2015... y'know#that's what it's all about... little runs of back to back fun races that are also narratively compelling
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He Does not "Fit the Setting Better" than the MCs
There's a fundamentally idiotic claim that the "Only reason" Ironwood was a villain is because he's the only one who acts like he lives in a death world & in a gritter, more "Realistic" series he'd be a hero. To anyone with even a grasp of world building this is patently absurd.
Ironwood does not grasp the world of Remnant better than others, frankly he grasps how it works far less than almost anyone! Negative emotions lure Grimm and yet he perpetually does things that piss off, alienate, scare, or depress large quantities of people.
He's hilariously ill-equipped for the setting that he's in not because its a hope-punk setting, but because he ignores anything that doesn't align with his personal biases. He keeps trying to rely on his army, which even with a bloated runaway budget, is not actually that effective at fighting the Grimm.
Not for tonal reasons, but because Grimm are really fucking strong.
As in, his mechanical soldiers and regular troops can barely kill the lowest tier Grimm when they have them outnumbered & the Grimm pretty much always have the numerical advantage. We see stuff like missiles launched at an approaching horde just get shrugged off thanks to their incredible durability and once the Grimm are inside the city most of Atlas's battleships are useless.
His overarching plan before his total decline into fascism involved sending his already ill-equipped army to three other nations to "restore order" after he causes mass panic by announcing "Hey guys, turns out the horrible death monsters that infest our world have a millennia old boss whose magic and like, super smart, but don't worry we got you!".
Then expecting that not not end in disaster when most other countries don't like or trust Atlas that much. Especially after he bailed on Mistral in Volume 4/5 the moment he suspected there might be an attack, leaving them to wither on the vine, and thus showing how fickle his supposed loyalty to his allies really is.
Oh, he also needs to be reminded scouts exist for a reason, as his default response to a perceived or potential threat is to send his army stomping into the region blindly and just assuming they can muscle their way to victory. & keep in mind, the wilds he wanted to send said army to is where Grimm are and they outnumber his army vastly.
So their numbers would not avail them as they sometimes did in smaller arenas, where said army was backed up by actual Huntsmen and Huntresses, & can thus be useful by playing support. Rather than getting shredded by things way too big, fast and durable for them to easily kill in notable number before being overwhelmed.
Ironwood's not behaving appropriately for the world he lives in, nor is he a man in the wrong genre. He's a man obsessed with military bravado who got drunk on his nations propagandized idea of itself as a place held to a higher standard that helps out the lesser kingdoms and utterly vital to the world. When its usually just blundering around guns blazing and causing problems.
He's not a "General Ripper" type stuck in a sparkly, twee, the power of love setting. He's a self proclaimed four star general who never fought in war, let alone led an army through a war. Who holds an an fannish affection for technology he consistently fails to understand given his shitty grasp of tings like cyber-security.
If he was in a "Grittier" setting, Ironwood would still be a fuck up.
Because Ironwood's issues things like his ego, hypocrisy and a genuine lack of certain skills, with a penchant for paranoid, overly sensitive, over the top reactions that are extremely easy to provoke. Flaws that would not serve him well in any setting, genre or world!
#Grittier/grim-dark military generals would look at him and go:#Why is this wannabe coast-guard running your army!?#RWBY#CRWBY#General Ironwood#Text Post
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
Lucifer was a vast number of things. He'd even admit to most of them.
Stupid enough to deal with Alastor while having been up for two days and only running on a few sips of coffee was not one of them.
After laying out some of the finer details of his plans with the group, he'd retreated back to his room to get some actual sleep. He kept the mug out of a bout of petty spite that likely wouldn't amount to anything in the end other than his own amusement. He left the mug on one of the bedside tables, largely undrunk from, before falling into bed.
It was a testament to how tired he was that he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. How thin he was pulling himself that he slept through the rest of the day and all through the night. When he next woke, he didn't necessarily feel well rested, but his mind was clearer, which was the important part. When he got dressed, it was in full suit and hat.
Alastor had already demonstrated he was very good at seeing right through him. There was little reason to give him even more ammunition by not showing up in top form.
A glance at his clock showed that it was still morning, but not so early it might be perceived as impolite to go knocking on someone's door. Which is what he found himself actually doing for a change, when he took the time to knock on Alastor's door.
For several long moments, there was no sign of movement from within. Lucifer hadn't been paying any attention to the deer demon's comings and goings, so he had no idea if he was even in the hotel at the moment. There was always a possibility he could be in his radio station, but the On Air light had been off since the hotel was rebuilt.
He was just about to withdraw to see if Alastor might be some where else within the hotel, when a noise came from within. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal that the room's occupant was indeed at home.
Lucifer studied the Overlord. Nothing about his appearance suggested why it might have taken him so long to answer. There was not a single thing out of place about him, save the continued absence of his microphone. Even his smarmy smile was it's usual self.
Alastor feigned surprise as he gazed down on the being standing outside his door. "Your Majesty, what a surprise! How can I help you on such short notice?"
Lucifer ignored the potential jab at his height, used to it by now. It was worth it to see the slight tightening of Alastor's smile when he refused to engage with it. Instead, he replied in a bored tone, "I request an audience with the Overlord Alastor."
Alastor's eyes narrowed, cottoning on to the fact that this wasn't actually a request. Refusing to be the first to miss a step in their little dance, he fell easily into the roll of host. "Please, come in! Do excuse the lack of hospitality. I wasn't expecting guests today."
Lucifer stepped into the room and was immediately hit with the pungent scent of rotting flesh. His fingers curled around his cane as he fought the urge to cover his face. A quick glance around revealed the smell was coming from the partially decomposed carcass of a deer laid out across the lone table out in the bayou.
Disgusting.
Alastor was completely unfazed, as usual, to the response to his diet. "I was just in the process of eating breakfast." He glanced at Lucifer out of the corner of his eye, smile a touch more amused. "Would you care to join me?"
Lucifer swallowed back a gag at the mere idea. The only response he cared to give to that was to wave his hand, erasing the poor thing from existence. "Thank you for the ...offer... but I'll pass, thank you very much."
The redhead blinked once at the loss of his breakfast, before shrugging. He turned his full attention to his guest with a clap of his hands. "Very well, now that you've cost me my breakfast, tell me however I can be of assistance! Do be quick, though, I do have a meeting later today with my fellow Overlords."
Without so much as a twitch, Lucifer cast his net over the room. Alastor, prey instincts very much alive and well under it all, noticed the change in the room immediately. He hid it well, but the flattening of his ears gave away his irritation at being trapped.
Lucifer was beginning to get the sense that Alastor didn't care for being reminded that he could be rendered powerless. The king didn't intend to escalate this any further than necessary, but he needed Alastor's full and undivided attention.
And judging by the poorly veiled look of anger being directed at him, he had it.
"This discussion will last as long as I require it to." Keeping to the bored facade, Lucifer led with, "It is the topic of the other Overlords I wished to discuss with you."
Alastor was quick to recover, effecting a similar attitude. "Come now, sire. If you wanted to talk about the attacks, we both know this show of power is unnecessary."
White clad shoulders rose in a shrug. "The last time we talked, I needed you for something. This time I would merely like your cooperation."
The redhead tilted his head ever so slightly too far to the side, eyebrow raised. For the first time since his domain had been intruded upon, he looked intrigued. With a flick of the hand, he indicated for Lucifer to continue.
Well, here they went. "I plan to have a reminder televised and broadcast to everyone that while I might not care about Hell, I do care about anything that endangers my daughter."
Alastor threw him a shrewd look. "Television isn't really my thing, so I fail to see how I come into this."
"What I'm about to do might cause some... upset." Lucifer gestured to Alastor. "I'm asking for a show of solidarity from you when I do it."
He got a hum in response to that, neither interested nor dismissive. "And what, pray tell, is this mysterious action you plan to do that's so going to upset people?"
Lucifer allowed himself to smile, letting hints of his malicious intent peak through. "I plan to break Angel's contract."
Slowly, Alastor's smile widened until every single one of his teeth could be seen, something outright sinister to it. When he laughed, there was a touch of mania to it. "Oh my! I've often dreamed of causing a stir, but I think this might take the cake, my good man!" He laughed again, as if genuinely amused by over how much potential chaos this was going to cause.
From some of the stories Vaggie had told him, Lucifer supposed he would find such a thing amusing. Alastor was here because he was bored, was he not?
Lucifer allowed him another moment with his amusement, before pointedly clearing his throat.
Taking the cue, Alastor reigned his amusement back in. It still colored his voice as he pointed out, "I still hardly see why you would need my help with this little plan."
It was time to show a few of his cards, he supposed. Reaching out, Lucifer took hold of a random one of Alastor's contracts, grip only enough to bring it into existence. The redhead's eyes ticked to it, acknowledging it. The blonde, having no intention of doing anything with it, released it, allowing it to vanish. "As easy as it is to break one of these silly little deals you all like to make amongst yourselves, I need to be near either the contractor or the contracted. And as much as I'm sure Angel likes being in front of a camera," he leaned forward, fingers of his right hand tapping on the top of his cane, "I thought it might be more ...satisfying to see the look on Valentino's face when I do it."
There was nothing feigned about Alastor's amusement. Lucifer was entertaining him and they both knew it. Still, he was ever the one to play hard to get. "What you're proposing could incite a war between the Vees and the hotel."
Lucifer snorted. "You could care less about any conflict with the Vees and we both know it."
Alastor hummed, not denying it. "Perhaps, but we've only just survived one all-out assault. Do you really want to risk Charlie's safety in another?"
Ultimately, Lucifer waved the concern away. "If necessary, I'll just eradicate the Vees and allow the ensuing power vacuum to distract everyone. It might be the perfect opportunity to install someone who is ...better controlled in their place."
Alastor shivered, though out of excitement or something else, it was hard to tell. "How positively cutthroat."
The blonde stared expectantly. When he didn't receive any further comments, he asked, "Well?"
The redhead stared back. "To agree to this could threaten the balance I have with the other Overlords." He examined his claws, as if check to see how sharp they were. "Please forgive my hesitation to agree to this with hast without some stipulations of my own."
Lucifer sighed and resisted the urge to role his eyes, having seen this coming a mile away. "Of course." He lifted a hand from his cane to flick his fingers in a 'go on' gesture. "Well, what do you want?"
Alastor made a show of studying him, likely trying to figure out what he could get away with asking for. "Do I have time to think about it?"
Lucifer laughed, a short, single, "HA!" What did this guy take him for? A fool? Maybe if the smarmy bastard had the slightest clue how to not be a smarmy bastard that might have been an option, but Alastor was a textbook example of a person who would take someone for all they were worth if they so much as showed him a single bit of leeway. Enjoying the way the redhead's eye twitched in irritation, Lucifer pointed out, "You're the one that said you had a meeting later today, did you not?"
He let the threat of them staying in this room until either they hashed out an agreement, or Lucifer was sent away empty handed hang in the air.
In the wake of having the upper hand, Lucifer forgot how petty Alastor could be. He may have indeed been on a deadline, but it was becoming increasingly clear after the first hour that said meeting wasn't as early in the day as the blonde had hoped. Alastor gave very little away as he pondered his options, the very picture of someone who had all the time in the world. He did glance up in the general direction of his radio tower, at some point, his eyes narrowing speculatively, but was otherwise a blank slate.
Lucifer understood petty spite, willing to match it toe to toe with any irritating little upstart who thought they were bigger than they really were, but even he had his limits. As the first hour crept into the second, his good graces were starting to run out. It would be nice not to have to fight this battle on two fronts, but he didn't actually need Alastor.
Perhaps noticing his window was closing, Alastor placed a single finger tip to his lips thoughtfully. "I would like to warn Rosie and Carmilla Carmine ahead of the broadcast." At the blonde's indication he was listening, the redhead explained, "Rosie was kind enough to supply the manpower to defend the hotel during the last extermination day. Carmine supplied the weapons. It's polite to warn our allies about such drastic moves." He smiled as if he cared about both of them, as opposed to just Cannibal Town's Overlord. "We don't want them to think we suspect them of attacking the hotel, now do we?"
Translation: Alastor wanted it to look like Carmilla was more an ally than she actually was. It wouldn't matter if she actually was or not. Everyone else would think she was.
Lucifer nodded, already tired of the political BS. "Fine. Next?"
"I want two favors: one up front, one at a later time of my choosing." Alastor leaned forward, eyes dimly glowing. "And this will be a binding deal."
Warning bells went off in the back of Lucifer's mind. He shook his head. "No open ended favors. Name the favor's now or chose something else."
There was a pause, long enough he thought Alastor might actually chose something else. He watched the redhead straighten, a war clearly being fought behind that smile of his.
Finally, Alastor sighed, put upon. "Very well." He spun on his heel, heading in the direction of what appeared to be the roof access door. He turned his head enough to glance at Lucifer over his shoulder. "Come along, I will show you the first favor."
Intrigued despite himself, Lucifer followed him. The door was correctly placed to be somehow connected to the Radio Demon's infamous radio tower. To his knowledge, no one but Alastor himself ever went into there and came back out alive. Even as they had rebuilt everything else, Lucifer hadn't gone any more near the tower than necessary, mostly reviving it from the remains of the original and simply restoring it.
Lucifer blamed not noticing the way Alastor was watching him on the fact that he was just so damn curious. If he had, he would have noticed the shit eating grin on the redhead's face before he used one of his shadows to open the access way.
There was no stairs. In fact, there was no enclosed structure at all. The access way opened up right under the steel beams that supported the tower to the side of the building.
Lucifer gaped, incredulous. "You want us to climb that?"
"Oh, heavens, no! I can't speak for you, but this demon would never resort to such monkey shenanigans." A laugh track went off around them, the sound creepy without any radios near by. Alastor leaned in until they were nearly nose to nose as Lucifer squinted at him. "My first favor is in my booth. I usually just travel by shadow up there, which I'd be more than happy to do for both of us if you'd lower the shield...?"
Lucifer's squint turned suspicious. "Absolutely not." It was simple to extend the barrier and then open a portal of his own straight into the studio. He smirked. "After you."
Alastor looked disappointed at being deprived of his fun, but stepped through with an air of good-nature. Lucifer followed, already taking in the room as he did so.
The room was of decent size. Electronic equipment took up the majority of one side of the room, a small couch/bench stationed in front of it. The room had that same voodoo-swamp-old fashion vibe Alastor's room had. A lamp with eyes that followed them as they moved cast a warm yellow glow throughout the room. A coat rack made from a deer's antlers sat off to the side and somehow Alastor had gotten cattails to grow up through the otherwise metal floor. The most interesting thing in the room, though, sat on the table in front of the radio equipment.
It was Alastor's mysteriously missing microphone.
As if in a trance and unable to take his eyes off it, Lucifer crossed the room to exam it more closely. Someone had taken something just sharp enough to it, slicing it in two. He had only peripherally paid attention to the staff the last time he'd seen it, hadn't thought too much of it. Thought the pole the microphone sat on looked almost flimsy. Up close, it was easier to see that it was far sturdier than it had appeared at first glance. Whatever had broken it had to have been powerful.
A bigger picture was starting to take shape. Something they'd all just overlooked because Alastor was just that good at pretending to be fine.
But here was proof of the cracks, carefully hidden away where no one would dare to look for it.
"Is this Adam's work?"
Alastor's expression twisted with distain, his fingers fidgeting like they wanted to tap something. "I admit I underestimated that cur and his downright ridiculous axe."
Like the final piece of a puzzle falling into place, dozens of little things Lucifer had observed over the weeks since he had moved in suddenly made sense. "You were hit by Adam's guitar?" Horror and reluctant awe (and maybe a tiny bit of worry) took up residence in his chest completely taking out his brain to mouth filter. "How are you still alive?"
Alastor, of course, only chose to focus on the worry. "I'm touched, your Majesty. Is that concern I hear in your voice?" If his smile got any larger, it was going to split his face in two.
Knowing him, maybe it could.
Lucifer grit his teeth. Why did he want this guy's help again? Surely nothing was worth this. Glaring, he snarled, "If I was, I'm not anymore." Wanting to wipe that smile off his face, schooled his features into something smug. "So, why haven't you fixed it? It's almost been two months."
Some of that amusement smoothed into something closer to frustration. "It's not as simple as it looks." When Lucifer didn't look convinced, Alastor waved a hand towards the staff.
Not seeing what the big deal was, Lucifer reached out and placed a hand over the area where the pole had broken. At first, the staff seemed to be little more than a prop, an object Alastor favored and was clearly attached to.
But the longer Lucifer touched the object, the more he began to suspect that there might be more to it than just an inanimate object. In fact, if he didn't know better, he could almost swear he felt--
Under his fingers, was the unmistakable ba-bump of a heartbeat.
Startled, Lucifer jerked his hands away. "It's alive?!" He went to take a step backward, only to back right up into a solid body. Lucifer froze, suddenly hyper aware of the line of heat pressed up against his back.
So stunned by what he told himself was the sheer audacity of this sinner, Lucifer simply stared as Alastor ran a hand down his arm, half leaning over him as the redhead guided their hands back to the microphone. Bracketed by Alastor from behind and the living(?) staff under his hand, when Lucifer heard the heartbeat again, he heard its twin against his back. "Oh. It's... you?"
"A part of me, yes." Alastor pulled away, his hand withdrawing like a caress.
Lucifer shuddered from the chill at his back, goosebumps raising all along his arm. He was never more thankful he wore long sleeves then he was in that moment, as he cursed the redhead for his utter and complete lack of respect for other people's personal space. He swallowed around his discomfort. "Your first favor is to fix this?"
He couldn't see it, but he could hear the smug grin in Alastor's voice. "My microphone is as much a part of my image as I imagine your cane is. We wouldn't want any flaws in the front we're putting up, now would we?"
Lucifer suspected there was more to this than Alastor wanting to preserve some image. Unlike his cane, the microphone seemed to actually be a part of Alastor in some way. Being deprived of it had to have depleted him in some way. Using a favor for something like this meant that it was important.
Feeling like he might be making a mistake, although he wasn't sure how, Lucifer turned around to face the other. "I accept the terms. What is your second favor?"
The redhead's expression schooled itself into a perfectly blank smile. "I can't tell you."
The blond felt a rise of irritation. "Pass, try again--"
"I really can't tell you." The depth of seriousness in Alastor's tone caused Lucifer to pause. The redhead's smile tightened in a grimace, and for the briefest of seconds, the blonde thought he saw the green glow of stitches along his lips.
Lucifer frowned. If he didn't know any better, he would have said those stitches were literally keeping Alastor's mouth shut.
Pulling his composure back together, all vulnerability smoothed away into Alastor's default host façade. "I assure you, what I plan to ask for is within your abilities. No one else need get involved. We don't even have to leave my room."
Lucifer studied him. "Will this favor put Charlie in danger?"
Alastor softened, although it was only skin deep. "Not a hair will be harmed on our precious Charlie's head."
He still had his reservations. Those alarm bells were going off like mad, but as long as Charlie wasn't in danger... "How will I know what your favor is if you can't tell me?"
A red clawed hand waved the question away. "Details will be delivered when the time is right."
Oh, he really shouldn't do this. Lucifer knew this, but... He sighed. "Fine, I accept." He pointed a finger at Alastor, narrowly stopping right under his nose just for the pleasure of seeing the deer demon go cross eyed to glare at it. "But if you pull any funny business whatsoever, I don't care if Charlie likes you or not, you are done."
Alastor side stepped the offending limb, holding out his hand. Around them, the shadows in the corners of the room began to dance and writhe with anticipation. "Ah, does that mean we have a deal?"
Lucifer eyed the hand, mouth turning down into a severe frown. He wanted this to be the end of the negotiations. Wanted things to end while he was still in a favorable spot. He still could. He didn't have to do this. He was so tired of their games.
"There's one more thing."
Alastor's patience was a strained thing. It seemed he wasn't the only one wanting to strike while the iron was hot. "Oh?"
Here they went.
"Release Husk from his contract."
Alastor stood completely frozen, a sign Lucifer was coming to suspect might be his way of hiding any immediate, knee jerk reactions and to buy himself a moment to think of an appropriate response. "Come again?"
Lucifer merely stared back. They both knew he'd heard him.
Alastor drew back, studying him like an entirely new specimen had just skittered across his desk and the redhead had no idea what to make of him. "Now, why ever would you care about Husker's contract?"
Lucifer knew he shouldn't be getting involved with this. This was already messy with getting involved with Angel's and Valentino's business. That he atleast could blame on the fact that Charlie had asked him.
Getting involved with this couldn't be blamed on Charlie, beyond the fact she'd invited him into her home and hadn't kicked him back out. All of this looked a lot like proof that underneath all his apathy, Lucifer still had the capacity for empathy.
And that was sort of the problem, wasn't it? Allowing himself to care - admitting that he cared already - about Angel's plight meant he had to admit he wasn't blind to Husk's.
Not to mention... Husk had been kind to him, in his own gruff way. There were nonalcoholic drinks on the menu at the bar, because the bartender had figured out the King of Hell wasn't big on alcohol. Husk hadn't judged him that time he had decided to drink, recognizing he wasn't doing well that day. He'd simply known when it was time to cut him off and send him off to bed.
There was absolutely no reason for him to have involved himself the night after Lucifer's and Alastor's first deal. Stood absolutely nothing to gain from warning him, considering everything pointed to Lucifer potentially using him to make a point.
Without meaning to, his mind went back to the expression on Husk's face as Lucifer and Angel discussed the plan with the promise to come back to it when they weren't both half dead from exhaustion. Even with the new information that there were other options to get out of contracts, Husk hadn't once held hope for himself. If anything, there was only the simple, sincere congratulations that Angel was going to regain his freedom.
Despite himself, Lucifer could feel that same guilt rising up again when he couldn't afford to be showing any weaknesses.
Judging by the way Alastor's features sharpened, a shark scenting blood in the water, he'd already messed that one up.
Sure enough. "I see." The redhead was aglow - literally - with his manic delight. "Oh, my dear, dear, sire. You've grown attached."
Lucifer said nothing, having already said too much already. It hardly mattered at this point, as his silence was telling enough.
Alastor's own carefully contained movements as he circled around the room - around his king - were telling in their own way. The redhead knew exactly what he wanted, he was simply covering up his eagerness with the veneer of patience. "Husker is one of my prized contracts. It brought me great joy when I won it." He paused, eyes dim as he lost himself in the memory. His expression growing more sadistic. "It would pain me to lose one of my favorites."
Lucifer turned his lip up, disgusted with the song and dance. "You have other toys."
The redhead hummed in agreement as the blonde likely wasn't wrong there. Still, "Regardless, as former business partners and long time associates, Husker knows things about me I'd prefer not to be spread around."
"Then renegotiate the contract," Lucifer countered, unimpressed with the flimsy excuse to get out of giving up Husk's soul. He tapped his cane against the floor sharply. "Don't forget I can simply get rid of it if I so choose. I don't need for you to agree."
Alastor dissolved into his shadows. While he was restricted from leaving the confines of his quarters, he could still move around the area inside the barrier. Lucifer regretted not having cutting that off as his eyes darted around the studio, trying to anticipate where he would reappear.
Hands wrapped around his shoulders, deceptively gentle. Warm breathe brushed his ear, as Alastor drawled, "And yet you asked me anyway."
Lucifer turned his head until he could see Alastor's face out of the corner of his eye. His body warred with itself as the redhead drew his right hand up the blonde's shoulder, the sharp points of Alastor's claws coming to rest against Lucifer's juggler.
"Give me unlimited access to your blood," Alastor tapped his finger tips against racing pulse, "and I will renegotiate Husker's contract. Our dear Husk gets his soul and freedom back in exchange for his silence and you get to assuage your guilt over the fact that you didn't just do it in the first place."
Lucifer shivered, finally giving into the urge to step out of Alastor's grasp and putting some distance between them. He shouldn't have ignored whatever he was feeling towards the redhead. How low had he fallen that Alastor's attentions, never born out of anything other than the sinner's twisted hunt for amusement, was preferable to being alone?
He wondered if Alastor understood that Lucifer wasn't the only one getting in too deep with this move. There would be consequences to this. Right in that moment, the Devil decided the punishment for Alastor's hubris would be that he would allow the sinner to discover the depths of those consequences on his own.
Lucifer turned around, refusing to have this little back and forth with his back to Alastor. "No yanking my chain." His tone made it clear there was no room for negotiation there. "Send me a message like a normal person."
Alastor blinked, pleasantly surprised Lucifer was actually going to say yes. Perhaps this is why he agreed so easily, saying, "Of course! I'm hardly a savage." He pondered the situation, adding, "I expect a response promptly, say, no less than a few hours...?"
The blonde snorted at the idea of the redhead being anything other than a savage. Posture stern, he countered with, "24 hours."
The redhead hummed, leaning forward to put himself just on the edges of Lucifer's personal space. "Twelve hours, and I'll make allowances for political meeting spill overs."
Oh, he'd 'make allowances,' would he? Lucifer gave into the urge to roll his eyes, but otherwise acquiesced. "Fine."
Alastor's form lit up with glowing green symbols, stiches visible for all to see. The shadows along the edges of the room danced with near frenzy. "Then we have a deal?"
Lucifer looked at Alastor's hand. Raised his eyes to lock gazes with the sinner he was about to tie himself to potentially until death did they part. Thought about what Alastor's expression would be when he realized the hole he was digging for himself. It brought a smile to own his face.
A hint, a shadow of doubt took root in Alastor's eyes, but it was much too late to back out now. Before either of them could second guess this, The King of Hell, his own demonic attributes on full display, reached out and took the Radio Demon's hand.
"Deal."
tbc
Part 10
#radioapple#alastor#lucifer morningstar#deer lucifer fic#oh boy#i have yet to figure out if angel blood is addicting#or if any other food source is going to become lack luster#im thinking of going with the second#we'll see
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NIMONA GOLDENHEART HEADCANONS
In the comic version, Bal is older while Ambro is younger
But in the film version, Bal younger while ambro is older
When Bal started his training, he has to tie his hair tightly 24/7, from ponytail to hairbun.
Bal was a very shy, introverted and quiet kid, so Ambro greeted first but Bal worries that he might be like Todd and his goons.
If one of those who have the most sense of humor it's Ambrosius, he always the one who makes Bal laugh and smile and loves doing so.
Bal fell first, because of how Ambro easily charms Bal with his golden retriever energy, but Ambro fell harder for his skills, pretty eyes and smile.
But he soon warms up to Ambro and often approaches to him evertime.
He'd let Ambro play with his hair, from hairstyling to accessories.
He was even suprised that Bal's natural hair is wavy curls and he adores it very much.
When Ambro saw Bal in his haircut, short and straight, he'd ugly cried with the snot on his nose because he's gonna miss playing with Bal's hair.
Baby Ambro: (Sobbing) Why!? Why must you cut off your beautiful hair Bal!?
(Even Valerin is upset but does not show it)
Bal pretty cries with his rosy cheeks and big round eyes, Ambro ugly cries with snots.
As kids, Ambro talks, likes to run around and play in the dirt, while Bal listens, reads and stays under the shade.
When it comes to how they sing, Bal sings like an angel, something like this but doesn't believe that it's good. But Ambro does and he adores it, while Ambro sings off Key and something like this.
And they still do as adults
Who ever's responsible on making Bal laugh, it's Ambro because he loves seeing Bal laugh and smile, and must keep going, even Ambro's terrible singing makes Bal laughed so hard.
When Bal's not training, he often goes to the garden to read, holds out his fingers so he can hope for a butterfly to come.
For Ambro's parents, I'm tired of snobby asshole parents, I mean the bloodline last a thousand years, I'm sure it happened to his parents before because based on some fics I read, I hc that he has both loving and supportive moms, and adores Bal more than Ambro does.
Ambro's mom: (cuddling baby Bal) "Ambrosius dear, who's this little kitty he's adorable".
Ambro's dog coded energy is something he inherited from his mama
During pre teens, Bal came out as trans to Valerin first, saying that he doesn't feel like a girl but rather than a boy, he got his top surgery way in hie late teens.
During the night before the day when they have no training or studying, Ambro and Bal would have small make out sessions, but the reason why it's short because Bal worries that they might get in trouble.
If you're wondering who gets into many fights, it's Ambrosius, because he's so sick of Todd and his cronie's shit, but Bal often prevents the fights from happening but sometimes it doesn't work.
The way how Ambro dressed, is simple, comfy practical, such as simple hoodies, sweaters, sweatpants, simple sneakers and comfy loose short, in bright, pastel and muted tones and etc.
For Bal he'd wear something academic, studious, simple and 5% formal like, academia but comfy, such as blouse and sweater vest, turtle necks and some simple yet causal pants, in pastel, earthy, eye catching and dark tones, because he often worries of how people will see him.
During the post canon, Ambro choice of clothing stays the same except more free spirited, some ear piercings and let his hair grow a bit longer.
But for Bal, he started wearing more gothic and emo, black and dark tones more with earrings and ear piercings too, along with makeuo, such as eyelinear, surma, and masscara as he slowly reaches out of his shell thanks to Nimona.
Ambro wakes up first since he's the early bird, and everytime he does, he always kisses his sleepy Ballister good morning and kisses him good night if Bal falls asleep first.
Like canon, Ambro's the big spoon, a very clingy big spoon, and Bal's the lil spoon.
Ambro's love language is act of service, qualite time physical touch which means he's super clingy to Bal like a puppy, while Bal's language is also the same but physical touch in a delicate way head petting.
Who handles spicy food the longest?
Todd can only last a bite
Diego can last half of the meal
Ambro would finish almost the whole meal before chugging down a gallons of ice cold water.
But for Bal and Nimona, it's childs play for them, they'd add extra hot sauce that would scare the heck out of everyone.
Ambro's scared of dentist and big injection, so every appointment he always have to hold onto something or hand everytime.
And when he realise that Nimona shared the same fear of Injections, during Nimona's first appointment, he hides them in his pockets, but Bal caught them.
Ambrosuis's pet name for Ballister: Princess, sweatheart, kitten, ìŁŒë°©, ìČìŹ, Babydoll ,Doll.
Ballisters's pet name for Ambrosius: Darling, rose, Ambro, ÙŸÛۧ۱Û, ŰŻÚŸÙÙŸ.
Want some smut headcanons and more?
Staytuned for the reblog
#nimona#ballister boldheart#ambrosius goldenloin#ambrosius x ballister#ballister x ambrosius#goldenheart
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Top 5 Versions of The Mummy
The culture and iconography of Ancient Egypt has been fascinating to more modern minds for many decades. Perhaps its peak of prominence was with the discovery of the resting place of Tutankhamun, a.k.a. King Tutâs Tomb. Among the many, MANY reasons this moment in archaeological history became so famous was because of the rumors of a supposed curse, placed upon the Kingâs burial chamber, which swore all who disturbed the dead pharaohâs slumber would suffer a terrible fate. This rumored curse seemed proven when various people connected to the expedition began dropping like flies not so long after the digging was done. While most people accept that King Tutâs Curse is a totally fictitious urban legend, the mystique surrounding the discovery, the rumored hex, and the rising interest in Egyptology as a whole all sort of blended to create an increasing popularity in the use of the subject for works of mystery and horror in fiction. This fascination has never really disappeared, and nowhere is this more obvious than in one recurring monster in fiction: the living mummy. Mummies as walking corpses, spurred on by ancient curses and old superstitions, have been around in fiction since the Victorian era. However, the concept reached its xenith in the early 1930s, when Universal released their famous horror flick, simply called âThe Mummyâ: the story of a long-buried evil, and a strange romance, returning to wreak havoc on the modern world. I was initially going to talk about Mummies as a whole with this countdown for my October specialsâŠbut after much consideration, I realized how difficult that would really be. Itâs a bit like talking about Dracula AND other vampires in the same list: you know that one is going to dominate the ranks, and itâs also hard to compare good and heroic characters to the more traditional monster. Perhaps Iâll do a second list about other Mummy characters in the future, but for now, I decided to just focus my list on THE Mummy: the specific, branded property handled by Universal. This franchise, and its lead Mummy figure, have evolved over the years quite a lot. In fact, not only have multiple actors played the creature over the decades - from Lon Chaney Jr. to Tom Tyler - but itâs not even the same Mummy in every single movie. With that in mind, Iâm going to base this countdown on a few questions: which Mummies were the most interesting from a character perspective? Which were the most frightening from a horror perspective? Finally, which ones just appeared in the best stories from a writing perspective? With that said, here are My Top 5 Favorite Versions of The Mummy!
5. Michael Reid MacKay, from Monster Squad (1987).
This is the only Mummy on the list whose given name isnât offered, as well as the only Mummy who isnât part of a specific line of films. âMonster Squadâ was the Universal Monstersâ response to successes like âThe Gooniesâ and âGhostbusters.â In fact, the film was literally described as being a combination of those two movies! The plot focuses on a group of kid-and-teen heroes working together to stop the classic Monsters, who have all joined forces with Dracula in a plan to - of course - take over the world. One of the things that made the film popular was the way it updated the designs of the Monsters, making several of them more viscerally unsettling and threatening in appearance. The Mummy was no exception: the costume and makeup for MacKayâs Mummy really does make him seem more gnarled, twisted up, and withered than any other Mummy before, while also making him fittingly unnerving in the scenes where he goes on the attack. Heâs one of the creepiest Mummies out there, but he sadly gets taken out pretty easily, and is the first of the Monsters to be properly defeated. As a result, as much as I love MacKayâs physical performance and the outfit heâs in, I donât think I can rank this version too highly.
4. Eddie Powell, from The Mummyâs Shroud (1967).
After Hammerâs adaptations of âFrankensteinâ and âDraculaâ turned out to be successful, Universal - who were Hammerâs U.S.A. distributors for a while - gave the UK-based studio the rights to use some elements from their films and adapt them in their own fashion. For the most part, Hammer still did their own thing, but this did give them the opportunity to do their own take on the Mummy franchise. However, while most of the Universal Mummy films followed a loose continuity, there is NO continuity between ANY of the Hammer Mummy movies. All of them are standalone pieces, which just so happen to share similar plot elements and themes. Of all the latter Hammer Mummy movies, âThe Mummyâs Shroudâ is my favorite. The Mummy in this case (no pun intended) is called Prem; played by actor and stuntman Eddie Powell in the bandages, and by Dickie Owen in flashback scenes (Owen previously played the Mummy in another film). His backstory is a little different from others before him: instead of being a lover-out-of-time, determined to avenge his long lost darling, Prem is the bodyguard and devoted caretaker of a young prince, who died during childhood. Prem is sworn to guard the body of his young charge even after death. When a snobby aristocrat desecrates the tomb, and accidentally brings Prem back to life, a wave of murder and terror ensues. The twist to the Mummyâs motivations is interesting to me, and I also like Premâs design, with his facemask and unique wrappings actually being inspired by the real life Mummy at the British museum. This film seems to be considered one of the weakest of the Hammer films, but I personally enjoy itâŠof course, the fact that the Master from Doctor Who is controlling the Mummy probably helps. No joke, look it up.
3. Boris Karloff, from The Mummy (1932).
The one that started it all. Whatâs interesting is that the popular perception of the Mummy - a shriveled, withered, bandaged, staggering creature - isnât really present in the original film at all. After the initial resurrection scene, where Karloffïżœïżœïżœs Mummy isnât even seen walking onscreen, the character spends most of the movie looking (relatively) normal, apparently revitalized, although still very stiff and wrinkly. In this case, the Mummy is Imhotep: an architect and high priest from Ancient Egypt, who fell in love with his pharaohâs princess. Heartbroken by his belovedâs death, Imhotep tried to bring her back, but was caught in the act and punished for his blasphemy and insubordination. When he is reawakened, Imhotep goes on a quest to seek out the reincarnation of his lost love. This, for the record, is the basic motivation most versions of the Mummy have been given, including the two above Karloff. The original Mummy movie owes a lot to Universalâs earlier success of Dracula, featuring several of the same plot points and cast members playing the same basic roles. (Edward Van Sloan, for example, plays Van Helsing in Dracula, and plays a character who is pretty much Diet Van Helsing in this movie.) Itâs also a bit slow in places, mostly due to its age. However, Karloffâs performance - equal parts intensely creepy, even now, and genuinely tender in his romantic desires - still holds up strongly. Ironically, just as Dracula inspired the Mummy, the Mummy would inspire later versions of Dracula: Dan Curtis, Francis Ford Coppola, and multiple other takes on the vampire would use the same idea of an undead lover seeking his reincarnated bride in future adaptations. âThe circle is now complete.â
2. Arnold Vosloo, from The Mummy (1999) AND The Mummy Returns (2001).
When most people nowadays think of the title âThe Mummy,â this is probably the version they think of first. Heck, for a long time, this was the version I thought of, even before Karloff! In the late 90s and early 2000s, Universal and filmmaker Stephen Sommers seemed to want to try and upgrade the Universal Monsters franchise, by bringing out of the world of Gothic horror and more into the vein of action/adventure; more like Indiana Jones than anything else. The 1999 film, starring Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick OâConnell, proved a big hit, and led to a whole franchise of Mummy-related things, including sequel films, a cartoon show, a spin-off series of movies called âThe Scorpion King,â and even an attraction at the Universal Studios theme parks! While Fraser as the hero gets a lot of attention, itâs also worth mentioning Arnold Vosloo as the central antagonist of the franchise: the Mummy himself, once again named Imhotep. This version shares the same basic backstory as the Karloff version, but with a few new twists. First, Voslooâs Imhotep is a bit more evil, as he not only plans to bring back his lost love, but also wishes to - what else? - take over the world, and rule by her side. Second, this Imhotep is able to become younger and more handsome by devouring the souls of other human beings, thus turning them into Mummies in turn. The more souls he consumes, the more powerful Imhotep becomes, able to control the elements, as well as being able to show off some sick fighting moves when necessary. As a kid, I was honestly terrified of Voslooâs Mummy; I literally had nightmares about him destroying me and those I loved, no joke. As an adultâŠIâd be lying if I said I found him, orâŠmost things in these films scary anymore (except for the Scarabs, those things are freaking HORRIFYING), but heâs still a very memorable action film antagonist, and while all of these movies have their flaws, several of them are still extremely entertaining.
1. Christopher Lee, from The Mummy (1959).
This was Hammerâs first foray into the Mummy franchise, following their agreement with Universal. In a way, it feels like a sort of crossroads between the slow, looming, creeping menace of Universalâs earlier movies and the more spectacular, action-packed, adventurous spirit of the Sommers films. The story and characters are sort of a conglomeration of elements from the whole Universal series beforehand, taking the best bits from each and combining them into one movie. At first, that sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the combination of excellent casting, opulent cinematography, great effects and stunts (especially for the time), and a well-crafted script described as a combination of âEgyptology and Razzmatazzâ makes for a really fun, thrilling movie. At the center of the action is Christopher Lee as the titular Mummy, here given the name âKharis.â Once again, the Mummy is a tragic lover, who was gruesomely punished for crimes of heresy when he tried to resurrect his precious princess, Ananka. Years later, he is resurrected by the mad cultist Mehemet Bay, who uses Kharis to punish a group of archaeologists who dug up Anankaâs tomb. Covered from head to toe in Mummy makeup, Lee nevertheless delivers a powerful, multi-layered performance. While he lacks the sorcerer-like abilities of either take on Imhotep, he is probably the most intimidating Mummy on a physical level. So much of what Lee does comes simply from the smallest of gestures, combined with the power of his eyes; he is able to go from a dead-eyed stare, to a look of vengeful rage, to a tortured expression of pained remorse and anguished love, all in the span of seconds. The 1959 version of the Mummy is my personal favorite reimagining, even more than the rip-roaring excitement of the Sommers films. A big part of the reason why comes from Lee as Kharis: by far My Favorite Version of The Mummy. (Mummy) Case Closed.
HONORABLE MENTIONSâŠ
Valerie Leon, from Blood From the Mummyâs Tomb (1971).
Long before the âDark Universeâ attempt in 2017, this Hammer production tried to twist the tale by making the requisite princess of the story into the monster. However, despite the title, Valerie Leonâs âMummyâ - Queen Tera - isnât TECHNICALLY a Mummy at all, so I wasnât sure how much she should really count.
Jim Cummings, from The Mummy: The Animated Series.
This somewhat forgotten cartoon show was spun-off from the first two Stephen Sommers films, and supposedly takes place in the same continuity. However, in this show, Imhotep has learned how to speak English. Aside from the speech matters, this is SUPPOSEDLY the same character played by Vosloo, and I therefore wasnât wholly sure how much he should count.Â
Eddie Parker, from Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy.
In my opinion, none of the black-and-white Mummy films following the original really hold a candle to Karloffâs inaugural presentation. No matter who wears the bandages and makeup, they just donât have the same presence or level of character and threat. I give Parkerâs Mummy, here called âKlaris,â a free pass for the simple fact that this movie is meant to be a comedy: if the Mummy is a bit of a klutz, at least it matches the tone.
#list#countdown#horror#action#adventure#halloween#the mummy#mummies#mummy#imhotep#kharis#prem#klaris#universal monsters#hammer horror#top 5#favorites#best#film#movies
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âEXO's chances of surviving a zombie apocalypseâ
A/N: because why have your first post be romantic or suggestive when it can be unserious and downright weird.
Xiumin/Minseok: 9/10
⟠Letâs be honest, this man is way too good at sports not to survive far into a zombie apocalypse. Pretty sure those skills will translate and be useful in some way. He can outrun them so easily that he never truly finds himself in any danger.
⟠Xiumin actually possesses functional brain cells and a good dose of common sense which means he makes good, well thought out, decisions. Unlike the beagle line, he wonât get himself stupidly killed.
⟠Despite all the chaos, he is incredibly organized, keeping precise track of what he has and needs.
⟠He can properly take care of himself and could run this thing solo. He is not dependent on others to do things for him and he strikes me as someone who is perfectly content to be on his own. The only reason he would team up with the others is for the company and because he finds their idiocy amusing.
⟠He has the added bonus that the zombies think he is adorable, like a pet, so they will keep him alive even when he does get caught.
Suho/Junmyeon: 5/10
⟠Remember that time when Suho fell asleep during carting? Yeah, he is beyond exhausted before the apocalypse even starts and will probably die by accidentally falling asleep. Suho will try to ârest his eyesâ and before he knows it a zombie is gnawing on his arm.
⟠Honestly trying his hardest to keep the rest of the members from dying, but instead of appreciating his efforts, they keep making fun of him for it. They are really testing his patience but he feels too responsible for their safety to leave them to fend for themselves.
⟠Not that anything he says matters, they never truly listen to him so instead he has to be the one to get them out of the dangerous situations they get themselves in.
⟠If he doesnât get eaten due to his permanent exhaustion, he would be the type to accept his fate. The members will drive him insane to the point where he will simply give up and walk into a hoard of zombies with open arms.
⟠If you pair him up with his babies Kai and Sehun his survival rate somehow increases. Nobody touches his babies.
Baekhyun: ?/10
⟠Okay, so he either survives until the end or does something stupid and gets himself killed. His survival rate is either 10/10 or 0/10, there is no in-between.
⟠Like Baekhyun is an ace in most games so he has the ability to outsmart the apocalypse if he puts in the effort. He is competitive enough to take it seriously, too.
⟠His survival truly depends on whether he gives in to his intrusive thoughts and letâs be fair, he has many and zero impulse control.
⟠He would, for instance, believe that he can successfully pretend to be a zombie to blend in with them. He has a lot of dumb ideas and will either act on it himself or get someone else to try it out.
⟠Obviously, his plans wouldnât work and he, or his chosen guinea pig, would get eaten. Then again, it is Baekhyun and somehow he always manages to come out on top, so who knows, he might survive.
Chen/Jongdae: 6.5/10
⟠Okay, this man is a father so he gets to enjoy the father buff. If his family is with him, he is near unstoppable. Chen can be competitive and has a lot of energy, so technically his chances arenât too bad.
⟠His main issue is that, well, every zombie and their mother can hear him from the other side of the planet. He is absolutely oblivious as to why the zombies keep finding him.
⟠Like Chen, please use your inner voice, zombies are not deaf and you are giving them your location whenever you talk.
⟠Will âaccidentallyâ push Chanyeol into a zombie when he jokes about being the C in CBX and finally find peace. At this point, he kind of deserves it.
Chanyeol: -10/10
⟠Hear me out, this man is a mess.
⟠Technically, he could survive but he is another one that for sure will listen to his intrusive thoughts. Like letâs be fair, Chanyeol has mastered an array of weird skills just because he canât stand being bad at something; he will be just as determined to figure out how to survive during an apocalypse.
⟠The type to âI saw this in a filmâ and try it. He will quickly discover that most of it wonât work because those are movies and not real life. Still, he will have the biggest motivation to figure things out, even if most of his sources are fiction.
⟠The problem is that he is way too much into this whole apocalypse scenario. He will try to out-apocalypse the others or will make up some sort of stupid competition to kill time because sitting still for five minutes is for losers.
⟠He comes up with the âWho can get closest to the zombie without getting killedâ game. Baekhyun might have helped.
⟠To be honest, it doesnât quite matter how good his cards are in the context of a zombie apocalypse, he will probably die within a day because he has two left feet and a very intimate relationship with the floor.
D.O./Kyungsoo: 7/10
⟠Pair him up with another member, and suddenly their chances increase.
⟠His cooking skills make him so incredibly valuable. He will make sure no one starves, and can make a decent meal out of pretty much anything you give him.
⟠The others try their hardest to keep him alive because being in an apocalypse does not mean one has to eat grass.
⟠Then again, he would not hesitate to sacrifice the others to the zombies if they annoy him.
⟠The only one able to keep the beagle line from doing stupid shit with his threats.
⟠You canât really count on him outrunning the zombies, though. We have all seen this man attempt to play soccer, he is not made for physical activity. He will not survive with his physical skills and will absolutely accept his fate rather than try.
Kai/Jongin: -100000000/10
⟠Listen, this man will die within the first five seconds of the apocalypse.
⟠It is not a question of whether he dies, more so than how. There are so many ways that he can get himself killed, even without the apocalypse playing a major factor.
⟠He could give himself food poisoning when he tries to cook or trip over his own feet when he tries to run away from the zombies. He does not really have a great sense of self-preservation.
⟠10000% the type to think that they could befriend the zombies because âzombies are people too.â Luckily for him, the zombies do think he is adorable and wonât immediately eat him when he gets too close.
⟠But yeah, if it isnât for the others constantly monitoring him, he is dead.
Sehun: 1000/10
⟠Last to die because his members will do everything they can to keep him alive. Maknae privileges and whatnot.
⟠He is very much dependent on his members to do basically anything, but the thing is, they would do it without question.
⟠He will complain the entire time and whine constantly.
⟠If Suho dies, you might as well kill him too. How is he supposed to sleep without his emotional-support-hyung??? So yeah, the only way to really decrease his survival rate is to eliminate his members.
⟠Honestly, we all are simply living in his world, what Sehun wants, Sehun gets. It might even extend to the zombies. He would just ask them to stop trying to eat him and they would oblige because, well, Sehun asked.
⟠He is 1000% responsible for the cure being found. It has nothing to do with Sehun finding it himself. Instead, when/if he gets bitten, the members will stop at nothing to find a way to rid him of the disease. Sleep? Who needs sleep when Oh Sehun is dying!?
masterlist
#exo#exo reaction#exo x reader#exo scenarios#suho x reader#xiumin x reader#baekhyun x reader#chen x reader#chanyeol x reader#kyungsoo x reader#kai x reader#sehun x reader#exo reactions#exo fanfic#suho#kim junmyeon#xiumin#kim minseok#chen#kim jongdae#baekhyun#byun baekhyun#chanyeol#park chanyeol#kyungsoo#do kyungsoo#kai#kim jongin#sehun#oh sehun
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So Âżwhat in your opinion are Danny fenton's top 5 cutest crossover ships? In both het and slash.
So Âżtwo top 5's? I don't know.
Well, this is going to be fun because I have more than just 5 hehehe đŒ
1) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Manny Rivera/El Tigre (TigerGhost/TigerSpirit) I just fell in love with their dynamic, thanks to @/nicktoonsunite
I love Danny and Manny because Danny tends to be a little more serious and easily stressed out than Manny. And Manny's laid-back and fun loving personality helps balance that out for Danny. But the main draw for me is that they both understand what it's like to have separate identities that clash with their lives and the responsibility of protecting others. Even though they may feel like their powers get in the way of their normal lives sometimes, they will always put aside their own needs to do what's right.
2) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBoo) because of @/nicktoonsunite (and because I remember playing Nicktoons Volcano Island on my old GameCube and Nicktoons Globs of Doom on my old PS2).Â
Danny and SpongeBob are just cute, queerplatonic partners, and their personalities mesh well together. I love how close and comforting they are in @/nicktoonsunite's universe. If there was something that was bothering them both, they would be the first people they chose to confide in.Â
3) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom and Octavia Goetia (Spectral Owl) because of you and how cute they are. I honestly love the idea of Danny and Via healthily trauma bonding over the upbringings they had in their family homes. I love how shy and awkward they would be with each other.
I imagine Octavia helping Danny ghost hunt with her magic and knowledge of the supernatural, but I think what I love most is how slowly and gently Danny gets Octavia to put her walls down and trust him. They would be absolutely good for each other as a couple, and I headcanon that Danny will grow to be 6âČ 1âł and Octavia will be 6âČ 7âł. Danny and Octavia will be a tall and adorable king and queen couple one day. (He will always nickname her Spooky.)
4) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Betty Barrett/Atomic Betty (Galactic Ghost) Now I was a huge Atomic Betty and Danny Phantom fan in my childhood (still am) so that's how this ship came to be.
I ship Betty and Danny for the same reasons I ship Danny and Manny but Danny becomes a galactic guardian and Betty becomes a ghost buster lol.
5) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Little Cato (Spectral Space/Spooky Cat/Ghostly Hellions) (I need more ship names for these two).
I'm a huge Little Cato fan, and this is one of my favorite ships that I've come up with for him. I like to imagine that Little Cato gets his first intense crush on Danny, and Danny is completely oblivious (for awhile) about it. Little Cato just thinks that Danny is the coolest person he's ever met, and laughs at all of his silly jokes. Danny can't help but think how cute Little Cato is and finds himself enjoying every moment that they spend together. That's all I'm going to say about this ship because I plan to make a post about them in the future.
Honorable Mentions:
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Jenny Wakeman/XJ-9
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Billy Joe Cobra
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Lydia Deetz (Because Lydia is sweet and kind and everything Sam isn't)
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Spencer Wright
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Verosika Mayday
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Loona the hellhoundÂ
 There's probably more that I like but can't think of any more right now.
Thanks for the ask @amethystoceandespiser
#danny fenton#danny phantom#asks#ask#ship talk#crossover shipping#my top 5#shipping discussion#shipping opinions#multishipper#nicktoons unite#manny rivera#el tigre#spongebob squarepants#my life as a teenage robot#spongeboo#octavia goetia#atomic betty#betty barrett#little cato#final space#jenny wakeman#xj9#billy joe cobra#spencer wright#dude thats my ghost#helluva boss#verosika mayday#lydia deetz#beetlejuice
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I've tried thinking about which characters in DFF are my favorite and which ones are my least favorite, but that becomes exceedingly difficult as the show progresses. The reason for this is, as many posts have pointed out, the way the show reflects reality and therefore has no "Good and Bad" no "Black and White," but instead simply has many different hues of grey. So, at the end of the day, it all comes down to one's opinion or the way one perceives a character. I will do my best to express my thoughts on each of the 9 main characters.
1. Por
The leader of the pack. He is one of the one's we're obviously not supposed to like as much; he bullied Non, he stole his work, he was two-faced, he almost killed Non. But he still has a bit of complexity added to his character what with his family situation. Ultimately, in my opinion, that does not excuse any of his actions. He is pretty low on my list.
2. Top
This is gonna be a short paragraph. I hate him. The things he did weren't as extreme as some of the things Por did, but he literally has no excuse whatsoever. He's just plain annoying, a bully with a backstory as long as his dick, which is to say nonexistent.
3. Fluke
I think he has morals? If he does he fully does not listen to them. His biggest flaw is his selfishness. I believe he would've ratted Top and Tee out when Top broke the camera if it wouldn't have caused a crack in the friendship of the group, and therefore his spot in the popular group in school. Because let's be honest, he doesn't give a rat's ass about his "friends," he doesn't wanna be a part of whatever they're doing 3/4 of the time. But his selfishness ruins what potential he might've had, to the point of him being downright creepy.
4. Tee
Now this is a character. I think his shade of grey is the perfect blend of both white and black. Yes, I obviously hate what he did, but at the same time I understand. I would rather jump off of a cliff than give someone other than myself problems, but if I was a little less like that and a little more cowardly, I think I could relate to him a lot. He wasn't as warm to Non as Jin was, but he definitely wasn't as cold as Por and Top were. And boy, does he have a past. It looks to me like he's been a part of his uncle's gang for quite a bit, which would obviously quiet the kindness in anyone's voice, if not in there whole being. He has a sick father he genuinley cares about and no other way to make money. He's in a corner. And while I believe there's always a choice, I understand why he saw the one he picked the clearest. The thing, though, is that he didn't want to hurt Non, he didn't want to bring Non to his uncle, it just wasn't as strong as his want for himself and his father to be fine. But this is what makes him stand out more than the other members of the original friend group. He regreted it. He feels guilty. It's quite literally haunting him. He never could and never will be able to escape that part of his life. He even brought Non 2.0 (aka White) right up close to himself, and he would do anything to keep White there, safe where he can see him. So while I don't like him, and he is easily one of the more everything-i-do-damages-Non characters, he is still a very interesting one.
5. Jin
I can't explain how much I hate him. When I was in elementary school there was an anti-bullying poster that said something like "a bystander that does not help is just as guilty as the bully." And although both Fluke and Jin acted as bystanders, I hate Jin more because he is under the impression that he is kind and innocent, and he is branded this way to all the other characters. Even Non believed it. He takes no responsibility for what he did, or rather, what he didn't do. I don't even think he feels guilty about what happened to Non, he so easily forgot about it. He moved on so fast for someone he saw as a "friend" or, going even further, a "crush." The most evil thing is that the change in the way he acted between the past (smiley, warm, there) and the present (frowny, cold, closed-off) was not due to the fact that he absolutely ruined this kid--someone he considered a friend--'s chance at a future by leaking a video of said kid being groomed, and then proceed to nearly (if not actually) kill this kid with the help of his friends. No, it was do to the fact that his new crush said they were just friends. That's so incredibly pathetic. I'm obviosuly not saying that crushes can't literally crush your soul, but I think he had other issues he could've been worrying about.
6. Phee
Up until episode 9 I absolutely loved him. But then he dissapointed me a bit (which he is aloud to do, he's literally still a kid; for that reason I haven't kicked him off of my list of characters I like just yet). He has a big heart, which was used to cause a lot of good, but unfortunately became his flaw. It started to grow until it out-weighed his sense of justice. I think he still loves Non and wants to know what happened to him, but not as much as he wants to forget and move on with Jin. He came to the house partly to get answers but mostly to fix his relationship with Jin. He started to like the friend group, so he wants to live in ignorance, and that I do not agree with.
7. Tan
Him and Non had a pretty weak relationship, but despite that, he still loves him (he loves his whole family, actually, even if their parents don't deserve it) deeply; deeply enough for them to be the only thing he's living for. In my--who am I kidding, the fandom's opinion, he is currently doing nothing wrong, killing people or not. He lost literally everything, and frankly, it shows. But instead of giving up, he perserved, which is more than Phee can say.
8. Non
Jesus Christ, this poor kid. A family that forgot about him while he was there, and loved him after he was gone, and a boyfriend that loved him while he was there, then quickly forgot him after he was gone. He'd never had it easy in his life and still didn't have it easy (possibly) after his life. If you think what happened with Keng was Non cheating on Phee, fuck you. Fuck you. That was grooming, Non was being taken advantage of. Although I don't really think of Phee sleeping with Jin as cheating, it was more cheating than Non and Keng. Yes, he pulled the rest of the friend group into the illegal money thing, but that was not his fault, it was Por, Top, and Tee's fault. So much shit happened to him, and none of it was deserved; I really hope he's alive and killing them.
9. White
I don't dare to have opinions on him yet because I'm really expecting a deeper backstory. I don't think he's as naive as he's letting on.
If you want to add any of your opinions, feel free to!
#dff#dead friend forever#thai bl#pheejin#jinphee#pheenon#nonphee#nonjin#jinnon#pheejinnon#nonjinphee#pheenonjin#nonpheejin#jinpheenon#jinnonphee#analysis#por#top#fluke#tee#jin#phee#phi#tan#new#non#white#phijin#phinon#teewhite
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The darkest parts of me (2/5)
Title:Â The darkest parts of me (2/5) Summary: They find each other in a dark world where they do twisted things. The only way things could have become more dangerous, is if they were together. Funny how life turns out.
Unsub!Hotchniss AU.  Word count: 2,9k Rating: Explicit Warnings (for most or all chapters): smut, descriptions of violence, descriptions of murder, gore (nothing too explicit), mentions of weapons
It was supposed to be one night of pleasure, but it didnât turn out that way.
One night turns into more and he knows that they should stop. Because the craving was increasing, getting worse as his need to kill grows. He should leave Washington, but for some reason he doesnât, and he tries to ignore the thought that maybe Joan was the reason. Then one night the need becomes too much, and he finds a man, a scum of a human to take back to his apartment with a promise of drugs.
When he punches him hard enough for bones to break he feels the release heâs been needing, and he takes his time, savors every scream, enjoys every whimper. Maybe thatâs why he loses track of how much time actually passes, maybe thatâs why he doesnât hear the knock on his front door or the soft hello from the hallway. Heâs in the middle of cleaning up the blood and when he looks up, sheâs there.
âJoan-â He starts but stops at the way she doesnât look afraid.
âWhat happened?â Emily looks at the pools of red, smells bleach and lye and she should walk away. She had left this life behind. But she feels the familiar pull in her stomach, feels adrenaline and the rush she had missed terribly since she left Ireland, so she stays.
âHe broke in.â He says it slowly, the lie sliding off his tongue easily as he stands up. His eyes stay on hers, thereâs something about the way her cheeks flush and how she looks more relaxed than heâs ever seen her that immediately makes him feel at ease.
âYouâre lying.â She whispers as he walks towards her, a shudder running through her when he comes close enough to touch. His eyes are hard, the darkness of his orbs reflecting something close to vehemence and she feels her thighs clench in response to his violence. âTell me what happened.â He smells of blood, the sweet and metallic smell mixing with the intense smell of bleach and she breaths in through her nose, inhaling the familiar scent greedily.
âYouâre not afraid?â He takes off his gloves and grabs her jaw, his fingers gripping tightly. His knuckles are bruised and swollen and she doesnât as much as flinch as she keeps her eyes on his.
âNo.â She smirks and her eyes flicker with want, making them even darker than usual. When he smiles back she knows that whatever it was that had attracted her to him in the first place, was even more dangerous than anything sheâd ever had before.
That night she finds out about his past and as she tells him about hers, he listens intently. She tells him her name, her real name that she hadnât used for years and as she helps him clean up the mess in his home, she realizes that the connection between them was something more hazardous than either of them had expected.Â
Before Aaron, Emily never had to deal with the clean-up, one of Ianâs men always taking care of it for them. But Aaron teaches her, and together they find themselves finding a new kind of release. He was addicted to the kill, the chase, Emily was addicted to the power of it.
âYou get off on it.â He stated after their first kill together. They had travelled to New York, and after he had watched Emily end another manâs life she had pressed him against a wall. The way she clawed at him, tugged his clothes and fucked him right then and there was more than enough for him to know.
âI do.â She smiles, cheeks still flushed and hair wild. âBut I donât get off on the torture like you do.â
âI only kill those who deserve it.â He rolls on top of her and traps her between his body and the bed. His hand hovers over her throat and when she nods he squeezes tight. âI torture men who are rotten, men that this world is better without.â
When Emily licks her bottom lip he groans and letâs go of his hold.
âI want to watch next time.â She spreads her legs wide and she feels his hard cock against her naked thigh, already ready for another round. âBut I want to finish him off.â
âDeal.â He thrusts inside of her roughly and enjoys the way she gasps at the stretch. âIâll teach you how to use the knife.â
âBut I like my gun.â She squirms when he stays still, hips pressed against hers and almost uncomfortably big. She buckles her hips, needing him to move.
âAh-ah, thatâs how you get caught.â He bites her neck and she hisses, her nails digging into his skin in warning and he starts to thrust. They could talk more about this later, right now all he wanted was to hear the way she moaned his name.
*
Money was never an issue for either of them, Aaron had saved his whole life and always took a little from each of his victims, Emily still had her funds and money from her years with Ian. It had been surprisingly easy as she got him a whole new identity to use and as they traveled to South Carolina together, Aaron realized just how much easier it was being a pair than a single man traveling alone.
âWhat about him?â Emily asked as they sat in a bar in Georgetown, having a drink as they watched people walking by. They hadnât killed in almost a month and she couldnât help missed the raw danger that she now associated with the rush of arousal and Aaron.
âYou canât choose someone at random, I told you, we need to know if he deserves it.â His warped sense of justice causes her to smile. She had never really given much thought to who deserved to die and who didnât, she had always just thought about the way it made her feel. She wasnât patient enough for the chase, maybe thatâs why she had met him, she thought. Aaron grounded her in a way no one ever had.
âWhat?â He mutters and she realizes that he had caught her staring.
âI just, never thought Iâd meet someone like you. Someone so similar and yet so different.â It wasnât logical, it wasnât the kind of love sheâd grown up reading about. It was more, the way he made her feel addictive. It had only been a few months, but she couldnât imagine life without him anymore. Their destructiveness was something that she knew was dangerous, but couldnât see herself without. Â
He smiles at her words, they were rarely soft with each other, both getting off on the cruelty of it all, but he knew heâd never felt the way he did for someone else, not even Haley. He takes her hand and rubs his thumb over the top of hers, feeling her soft skin.
âCome on, I know where to go.â
He takes her to a part of the city that he knows has a high crime rate and as they sit in their rental car he keeps his hand on her thigh. Itâs warm outside, so she was wearing a dress and when his fingers skim over her smooth skin he notices the way she shivers, always just a touch away from needing more.
âPay attention.â He says lowly with a knowing smirk and then watches her as she watches the street. It doesnât take long before two men walk past their car and into an alley. He takes notice of the way they speak to each other, how the quick flash of a gun gleams under the streetlight before they disappear from sight and he notices that Emily has seen it too.
âLetâs go.â She says and gets out of the car, Aaron right behind her.
They walk in silence, just barely catches the drug deal before one of the men turns to walk the other way. Emily knew that wouldnât be enough of a reason for Aaron to want either of them dead. But then the second man walks straight up to a woman who couldnât be more than 18, a life on the street already forcing her to use her body to survive. The conversation between the man and the woman is quiet, until itâs not. They watch as he grabs her and she fights but heâs stronger and bigger and when he reaches for his gun she stops struggling.
âYouâre coming with me one way or the other, are you going to make it hard?â The man says, gun still pointed towards the woman who looks at him with teary eyes.
âPlease, donât kill me.â She whispers, taking a slow step backwards.
Theyâre still hidden away in the dark and Aaron takes advantage of the fact. He hits him in the back of the head, then punches him again and knocking him out.
âLeave.â Emily tells the woman whoâs looking at them, stuck somewhere between fear and surprise. âGet out of here.â When the woman still doesnât move Emily sighs and pulls out her gun. âNow.â
She runs away, barely sparing them another glance as Aaron starts to drag the man back further into the alley.
âGo get the car so I donât have to carry him the entire way.â He tells her and she catches the car key he throws her way.
âDo you think sheâll talk?â She asks, eyes still on the retrieving form of the woman.
âNo, she wonât deal with cops unless sheâs arrested herself.â He knew women like her, they never talked to the police, even when they should.
Emily takes his word for it with a nod and then walks back through the alley to get the car. She drives around the building, makes sure that she stays hidden out of streets lights and cameras and when Aaron puts the body of the man in the trunk, she feels excitement run through her.
Theyâve rented a small house on the outskirts of town, far away from other residents. It comes in handy, Emily realizes as she hears the loud screams coming from the man each time Aaron cuts him with his knife. She had never found blood or the mess thrilling, but as she watched Aaron, effortlessly powerful, twisted in all the ways she was, she found a steady pulse of arousal beating between her legs.
Aaron takes a break and looks up at her as she watches him from a stool, a glass of red wine in hand. Heâs sweaty, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He never thought heâd enjoy being watched this way, but as Emilyâs breathing hitches and cheeks flush pink he realizes that he does.
âHow many women have you hurt?â He uses his foot to roll the man onto his back and looks down at his bloody face. Thereâs no answer, only grunts of pain and fear. âYou donât even know, do you? Filth.â His foot connects to his stomach and when the gurgling wheeze of a mouth filled with blood is the only sound heard Aaron feels the euphoria heâs always chasing. âCome on sweetheart, finish him off.â
Emily reaches for her gun on the countertop but he stops her with a shake of his head.
âYou think you feel powerful with the gun? Just wait until you use the knife.â He smirks and she carefully drops the gun back on the counter. So far she had stuck to her gun but Aaron had encouraged her to stop ever since they started killing together.
She knew that a gun was easier to trace, that he was right when he said that she should change things up. When her fingers grasp the knife her hand shakes from nerves and adrenaline, but he only nods reassuringly at her.
âPlease-â The man on the floor pleads and the rush of power is immediate as she kneels down next to him.
âBegging will get you nowhere.â She holds his stare as she raises the knife. The feeling of steel slicing through flesh is foreign, the heat of blood on her hand new and she stares, wide-eyed at the way the floor is colored red.
âGoing for the neck, smart choice.â Aaron says behind her, voice thick with barely restrained want.
She doesnât stand back up until sheâs sure the man is dead and when she does Aaron grabs her tightly, his hands shaking against her hips.
âYouâre so pretty like this baby.â He tells her and she lets go of the knife and grabs his shirt instead, not caring that sheâs ruining the material as she does.
She pulls him into a rough kiss, her tongue immediately seeking out his as they leave the mess theyâve made on the floor for the time being. He tastes like danger and adrenaline, metallic and Aaron and she moans softly as his hands starts to tug her dress up her hips.
He hears the fabric of her dress tearing as he forces it off her body and swiftly picks her up and her legs wrap around him. Even through his shirt and her underwear, he feels the heat of her between her legs and he growls against her lips. He needs her, needs to feel her and with that thought in mind he places her on the counter. She seems just as desperate for him, her fingers working on each button of his shirt with an impatient huff until she gives up and rips the shirt open, sending buttons flying.
The marble is cold against her heated skin but she barely registers it, her sole focus on him. She watches as he pushes his jeans and boxers down just enough for his cock to spring free, then helps him with her panties by lifting her hips as he drags them down her legs. His teeth are bruising her as he bites down on the soft flesh of her breast and when she moans at the pain he looks at her with something close to madness.
âFuck me.â She tells him, her fingers tight in his hair as she pulls him up to kiss him. âMake me come.â
Aaron nods into another messy kiss, mostly tongue and heavy breaths but he doesnât care. Emily drunk off the power of a fresh kill was his favorite kind of Emily. The heat of her as he rubs the tip of his cock through her makes him suck in a breath, her slick shiny on her thighs.
âYour wish, my command.â He whispers and the way her lips tug into a satisfied smirk goes straight to his cock. His grip on her is bruising when he pushes inside of her. He takes his time, lets her feel every inch of him until heâs pressed flush against her.
Her eyes drift closed as he starts to pull out, keeping the same slow pace. Normally theyâre frantic, desperate to be pleased and to please, but the way heâs teasing them both is driving her insane in the best way possible. She canât move, his hold is too tight and she can tell that he knows just how much heâs teasing her from the way heâs smirking at her.
âHarder, fuck me like you mean it.â She grunts, voice tight with frustration and sheâs once again impressed by his self-control. But it seems like heâs done teasing only a few strokes later and instead he fucks into her faster, hard enough for her body to jolt and she bites down a loud moan.
âYou can scream, no oneâs going to hear you.â He lets go of her hip and moves his hand between her legs, his thumb starting to rub her clit. She leans back against the counter, resting her weight on her elbows as she watches him with hooded eyes. Heâs sweaty, his body shining with it, his hands red and stained with dried blood, small specks of it on his neck and face. The visual mixed with how heâs touching her causes her to cry out as her head falls back.
âItâs so good.â She gasps, eyes hooded and mouth slack.
Itâs not long until she feels the coiling in her belly and she can tell that heâs close as well. Heâs rubbing her clit in fast circles, his muscles tense. Then he pulls her up so sheâs sitting again, his lips claiming hers in a bruising kiss.
âCome with me.â He grunts and she nods. Her arms wrap around his neck and when he bites down on her shoulder she moans at the painful pleasure. She comes with a scream, her body shuddering as her muffles more sounds against his neck. The feeling of his release only prolongs her pleasure, the heat of him inside of her making her gasp as his hips stutter against hers.
Aaron doesnât move away until his breathing has slowed and his heart rate has returned to normal. When he looks down at her, he sees the same relaxation on her face that he feels himself.
âWeâre too good at this.â She smiles and he chuckles before kissing her forehead.
âSex or murder?â He asks, half teasingly.
âBoth.â
#hotchniss#criminal minds fanfiction#hotchniss smut#hotchniss fanfiction#criminal minds smut#aaron hotchner x emily prentiss smut#aaron hotchner x emily prentiss#hotch x emily#aaron x emily#aaron hotchner fanfiction#aaron hotchner smut#emily prentiss fanfiction#emily prentiss smut
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6 Kitchen design Ideas For 2025 That will completely Transform your kitchen into a center of attraction
What satisfies your craving? âKitcheÂn rightâ. To some, itâs more than a room. It unites family. For otheÂrs, itâs the heart of their homeÂ. A room with so many memories. It enables the growth of family ties. It offers each person shared joy and appreciation. to Us, itâs akin to the heart of a home.
The New Colors Palette that will dominate the coming year
Now Color is the most important aspect of interior designing and that is why it should be your priority, the new color that is catching all the light is Green color and there are multiple reasons for that
1st â It soothes your eyes, and creates a tranquil environment
2nd â blend with the environment easily and give a fresh look to your kitchen
3rd â because of the massive urbanization people are looking for the environment-friendly designs
i) Muted & soft Shades
Colors like light pink, light red & taupe color = these colors have some sort of symphony they have an earthy touch
ii) The Deeper Tones
Apart from the lighter hues like light gray, dark gray, anthracite are gaining traction
2. Natural and ambient lighting
Now we will focus on the next important part â lighting- the type of color you are going to use will heavily influence the kitchenâs lighting. back in the old days when kitchens were tucked away separately, and used to rely on artificial lights. But now we are seeing more and more use of incorporated kitchens. But why is this design on the rise?
i)Â open kitchens are functional and spacious.
ii)Â It brings more light.
Heading into 2025, natural light is gaining more attention. Following this trend, modeÂrn designs add large windows for plenty of sunshineÂ.and Smartly placed lights, like those undeÂr cabinets, pendant lights, and built-in ceiling lights,create a kitchen that feÂels snug and looks pleasing.
3. Biophilic Design FeÂatures. Weâve talkeÂd about color and light before. But for this combo to truly shine, we need one more thing. Thatâs the treasures of our world â Plants. Itâs common knowledge that these leafy wondeÂrs hold immense value; theÂy are the beating pulse of our world. So, hereâs your guide on gifting your kitcheÂn a touch of green.
Plants and Green Walls: Think about adding Aloe Vera, Peace Lily, or Pothos. Maybe even Basil, diffeÂrent Herbs, ZZ Plant, Snake Plant, or Lucky Bamboo to jazz up your kitcheÂn. Add what you like. Also, using a light green color scheÂme can improve how your kitchen looks.
Nature-inspireÂd elements: Include more materials like juteÂ, rattan, and cane in your decor and furniture. This will match your kitchenâs style.
4. GreeÂn Materials and Finishes:
Earth-friendly Options: Bamboo, TeÂak, and recycled metal are trending. Theyâre sourceÂd responsibly and recycled. Quartzite and marble are top picks in natural stones. SeÂmi-precious stones are making a big splash in kitcheÂn decor. Matte & Natural Finishes: Folks adore matte surfaces and natural wood. They offeÂr a rustic, unassuming look.
5. Open and Adaptable Designs: This style brings space and usefulness to your homeÂ. No wonder itâs the latest craze this allows homeowners to display stylish kitchenware, it also adds personality to your kitchen. the glass â front cabinets are also on trend, this showcases the beautiful kitchen cabinet and shelves
Multi-Functional Islands:Â You can also opt for multifunctional islands as they enhance the layout.
6. Smart Appliances â with AI technology
Our World is Inundated with AI technology and we all know that this is our future. now smart kitchen appliances are on the rise, like refrigerator with AI that will detect the quality of food automatically adjust the temperature, and smart multi-functional sinks. Appliances that can be controlled via remote like smart ovens and voice-controlled devices and touchless faucets these smart technologies are must have addition.
For more helpful tips and information, click the Here to read additional blog posts.
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Ouran High School Host Club Ep. 12 Review
Previous Reviews:
To Episode 1 Review.
To Episode 2 Review.
To Episode 3 Review.
To Episode 4 Review.
To Episode 5 Review.
To Episode 6 Review.
To Episode 7 Review.
To Episode 8 Review.
To Episode 9 Review.
To Episode 10 Review.
To Episode 11 Review.
What Am I Reviewing?
Ouran High School Host Club â Episode 12: Honeyâs Three Bitter Days!
Have I Seen This Before?
Nope.
A Recap:
Following their formation of the âI love Haruhi and am also stupidâ subsection of the Host Club, the twins and Tamaki create easily resolvable and preventable shenanigans with their bad decisions. Specifically, they stain Honeyâs plush toy Usa with tea and spend most of their time cowering in fear of an angry top-level marital artist. Fortunately, Mori is there to keep them from feeling the consequences of their actions.
Some time later, Honey develops a cavity due to his unhealthy eating habits and the Host Club enforces a ban on sweets until Honey recovers. Donât ask me why they didnât send Honey to a dentist, because I donât know. In an attempt to subvert the ban, Honey begins to lie, manipulate, and guilt-trip his peers and clientele, but his tactics fail every time.
On two sidenotes, Renge has taken over the peanut gallery and Mori is dealing with a romantic subplot.
Everything comes to a head when Honey starts lashing out and attacks Mori. After Honey leaves, Haruhi deduces that Mori was riling Honey up as a form of self-punishment; Mori confirms this and admits that he feels responsible for Honeyâs cavity because he forgot to remind Honey to brush his teeth. Fortunately for Mori, Honey overhears everything, apologizes for the attack, and promising to be more careful with his oral hygiene.
The episode ends with the romantic subplot being resolved when the girl crushing on Mori joins Rengeâs peanut gallery.
Which Character is the Strongest in Terms of Writing?
Honey.
It shown right at the start with the idiot trioâs fears about Honey that this episode is meant to be about exploring more about Honey as a person. One of the best ways they did this is by making Honey the antagonist of this episode.
Bear in mind, Iâm not saying that Honey is evil. In terms of writing, the Host Club carries the protagonist role because they have a well-intentioned goal that they strive towards, while Honey carries the antagonist role because he attempts to subvert the goal for selfish reasons. I can see an argument being made that Honey is the villain of this episode, as long as itâs being acknowledged that Honey is not evil.
Making Honey the antagonist was a good decision because we got to see what kind of person he is when he opposes the Host Club; and he is someone who proved every concern that Tamaki and the twins had about him to be correct.
Case in point, the three idiots were afraid that upsetting Honey could cause him to throw a tantrum and resort to violence against his peers. Honey proves this concern to be correct when he attacked Tamakiâs teddy bear to express his frustration, attacked Tamaki without provocation, and attacked Mori out of frustration.
As another point, the trio of lovesick morons also put Honey and Kyoya on a comparative level, and Honey proves those concerns correct too. Over the course of the episode, Honey lies to Mori, manipulates the clubâs clientele, and guilt-trips Haruhi in an attempt to get the sweets that the club is denying him.
Another way to summarize what happened with Honey is that he validated the bully image that Renge gave him in Episode 4. He showed that heâs not above violence or emotional blackmail when he doesnât get what he wants.
As a matter of fact, seeing Honeyâs capacity for manipulation, dishonesty, and violence made me think that his character comes with an inherent dilemma; because the idiots were right, Honey is dangerous. Moreover, heâs not above using his martial arts expertise when angered, so the Host Club is less trusting of him and more afraid of him. The question this leaves is, âCan Honey be trusted?â Is he the Host Clubâs most precious ally? Or is he a time bomb waiting to go off? The idiot trio certainly think that latter, while the episodeâs ending suggests the former.
Any concerns I have with Honey are settled since he apologized to Mori. Maybe Honey should give Tamaki lessons, he certainly showed how easy it was to recognize being in the wrong and say, âIâm sorry.â
Which Relationship is Strongest in Terms of Writing?
Iâm torn between Honeyâs relationship with Mori, and Honeyâs relationship with the greater Host Club.
Honey and Mori:
There are three areas of focus with this episode which are shown as the episode starts, continues, and ends.
First, the beginning of the episode demonstrated that Mori is a key part of keeping Honey from destroying the Host Club. He was aware of how to defuse the situation with Honey when Haruhiâs love interests started causing trouble. Most importantly, Honey listened to Mori and calmed down right away. This suggests a relationship akin to a grenade and the pin. If Honey is a bomb, Mori is the reason the bomb doesnât explode.
Second, as the episode carried on and Mori enforced the sweets ban, the relationship started to take on the image of a misbehaving child and an ever-patient parent. The best examples of this involved Honeyâs attempts to smuggle sweets into the club, and his attempt to lie about being cured. On both accounts, Mori knew Honey was lying but never made the direct accusation. Instead, Mori played into the lie and physically acted to prevent Honeyâs schemes from working.
The last area of focus was after Mori admitted to his self-punishment by earning Honeyâs ire. Mori admits that he worries about Honey constantly and sees himself as the problem if Honey goes through anything difficult. Itâs an unreasonable amount of pressure, but itâs clear that Mori takes on that self-made pressure out of love for Honey. Honey himself was clearly touched to know that Mori loves him that much.
Honey and the Rest of the Club:
With the exception of Mori and Haruhi, this episode suggested that the rest of the club operates under the assumption that Honey could betray and brutalize them at any given moment. In other words, most of the Club doesnât trust Honey, theyâre scared of him.
With Tamaki and the twins, they made it clear that they expected Honey to rearrange their skeletal structure after the ordeal with Usa. Given the contents of this episode, itâs suggested that our three airheads were right to be afraid, since Honey isnât above attacking his friends when angered.
The case is more subtle with Kyoya but I believe heâs scared of Honey too. This interpretation would explain why Kyoya doesnât remove the money sink that is Honeyâs snacks. This interpretation also adds another dimension to Kyoyaâs episode-wide happiness; not only did he not have to buy Honey any snacks, he was clear from any retaliation since Mori enforced the ban.
As of the end of this episode, it seems that Haruhi and Mori are still the only ones not actively afraid of Honey. This could make for a good spot of drama in a follow-up episode.
Which Character is Weakest in Terms of Writing?
Renge.
Renge wasnât just being annoying, she was unnecessary!
As I said in the recap, Rengeâs role was a narrator in the peanut gallery. This only functioned to add humour, but it wasnât funny at all. Every time she showed up, I just wanted her to leave.
To make things worse, Rengeâs peanut gallery routine is the only reason the romantic subplot exists, and I hated the romantic subplot (Iâll explain later), so this whole routine isnât doing me any favours.
Which Relationship is Weakest in Terms of Writing?
Nothing comes to mind here.
How is the Conflict?
If I look at the Conflictâs content, it all seems petty. It really was just a misbehaving child not listening to the authority figures looking out for them.
However, the drama of the Conflict was everything.
This episode carried the question of what Honey could do to the club if he used his powers for evil, and it left some chilling answers. Honey is capable of lashing out, hurting others, disregarding his capacity for harm, and even stooping to emotional manipulation. Honey could be a terrifying opponent if he had a reason to oppose his peers.
Moreover, Mori was important to the Conflict because we got a view of the emotional effect Honey has on him. This conflict was important to him because Honeyâs friendship is important to him. This conflict wasnât just about if the Host Club could fall, it was about if Mori could lose his will to live.
Honey has too much power, and itâs scary how it could be misused.
Is there Anything Else I Can Praise or Criticize?
The Romantic Subplot:
I hated it.
When the subplot first showed up, I was wary of the girl talking to Mori. The language she used made me very uncomfortable. For instance, âI need you to accept my feelings.â I didnât like seeing that because it suggests less that she cares about if Mori reciprocates and more about if heâll indulge her. Thatâs a pretty selfish way to go about starting a relationship.
Moreover, I inferred from that sentence that the girl had already confessed and was turned down. If sheâs being persistent when already turned down, then Iâm worried for Moriâs safety. No means no, end of story.
 There was also the part of her asking if Moriâs refusal to accept was if he had someone else. Thatâs a really narrow-minded and narcissistic view of the whole thing! It suggests that she canât comprehend that Mori would say no out of a lack of attraction to her, and it enforces an amatonormative image onto the whole ordeal! Speaking as a biased asexual, Iâm not happy with that.
Thereâs one last reason I hate this subplot. That reason being IT WAS COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS! The whole thing amounted to a joke where the girl joined Rengeâs peanut gallery and cooed over the homosexual subtext between Honey and Mori! Thatâs all it was! A joke! Nothing meant anything here!
What Writing Lesson Can I Take from This Episode?
This episode was a good demonstration of using how the character is perceived to expand their characterization and create drama. This episode did this using Honey. Instead of viewing him as the cutesy child as per usual, it changed the view of Honey by making him technically the villain. And by using the villain role, I got a more three-dimensional view of Honey as a person and even got to ask some interesting questions about the structure of the Host Club.
So, the lesson here is to consider how the characters view each other, and lean into a viewpoint that is valid and suggests a different side to the character.
Or to pull a simpler variation, try to imagine the hero as a villain in a different characterâs point of view. It could make for a revelatory view of an existing relationship or the heroâs characterization.
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Top Ten Songs that my Roommates Hate:
If Iâm good at anything it's being obnoxious. Hereâs ten songs that I love, but drive my roommates up the wall. Ranked from their most to least tolerable.
10. âBangsâ- They Might be Giants
Starting off very tame, âBangsâ has the signature TMBG geeky sound and whiny vocals. The song conjures imagery of pocket protectors and protractors. With lyrics like "royal flyness" and talk of concordant angles, âBangsâ is likely a big hit in the math department. Hey at least they've got taste.
9. âBilly Don't Be a Heroâ- Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
What's better than mass manufactured 70s bubblegum pop hit about the Civil War? A cover of the Paper Lace âclassicâ, âBilly Don't Be a Heroâ tells a story of a soldier killed in combat, in the most catchy, kitschy way possible. Itâs a very addictive song, so please listen responsibly.
8. âXanaduâ- Rush
âXanaduâ by Rush is not to be confused with the 1980 Olivia Newton John film of the same name, though both are pretty polarizing. The only critique I can offer is that at only 11 minutes, âXanaduâ is entirely too short. Who wouldn't want to " To stand within the pleasure dome, decreed by Kubla Khanâ with Geddy Lee. Sounds pretty cool if you ask me.
7. âMotorcycle Mamaâ- Harpo
Everyone knows that a truly great musician is defined by their references to other, better musicians. Unlike the other songs on this list ( with the exception of Gaucho) this is a bad song, but it's a blast. Harpoâs so caught up in trying to string Ravi Shankar and Fritz the Cat together that he entirely forgets to pay any attention to the rest of the song.
6. âBe True to Your Schoolâ- The Beach Boys
Clearly, my roommates are lacking some serious school spirit. Just wait until some loud braggart tries to put them down. They won't know what hit them.
5. âYour Auntie Grizeldaâ- The Monkees
I'm a big fan of the Monkees, but even I have to admit that âYour Auntie Grizelda" is an annoying song. There is a definite reason Peter Tork wasn't placed on vocals, but I think there's a certain charm to having a singer who can't really sing.
4. âSchlock Rod Pt. 2â- Jan and Dean
âSchlock Rod Pt. 2â is nothing if not unique, it's an obnoxious conversation between two men, complete with constant voice cracks. Set to a tune consisting of clanging metal and sputtering car engines, it's satire, and Iâll defend it till the end. Think this one is annoying? Check out part one.
3. âGauchoâ- Steely Dan
I apologize in advance to all the Dan Fans out there, but damn this song sucks. Listening to âGauchoâ is like being transported to your grandpaâs pontoon in the 80s, and when a song mentions ponchos more than once, thereâs a fundamental issue lyrically.
2. âSally MacLennaneâ- The Pogues
The best way to listen to any Pogues song is at an ear-splitting volume, though the people I live with might disagree. If you have too many friends, this will either take care of it (especially if you listen at strange hours of the morning) or youâll meet the best people youâll ever know. Rest in peace, Shane MacGowan, you are a legend and a genius.
1. âStrap on That Jammy Pacâ- Ween
Recorded on a four-track cassette while both Dean and Gene Ween were supposedly huffing Scotchgard (they probably werenât) and had mono (they probably did); âStrap on That Jammy Pacâ is the first track off of The Pod, which is easily one of the best albums of all time. Shout out to Ween for this much needed addition to blues-country history.
-Parks
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
Thanks for the tag @bg-sparrow this looks like fun! âșïž
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
260 (and rapidly going up, because thereâs a bunch more one shots that are currently still in a multi-chapter and Iâm working on posting them individually)
2. Whatâs your total AO3 word count?
1,528,192 đ”âđ«
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Mostly BBC Sherlock and Star Wars. But Iâve also written a fic for The Hunger Games, Loki show, Grantchester, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, and Wonder Woman.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
(Iâm not gonna include the fic that technically comes in 4th place because thatâs the multi-chapter of one shots which will eventually be deleted completely from AO3 once all the one shots have their own post)
I Told You So (sherlolly)
Alliance (reylo)
Half Agony, Half Hope (sherlolly)
Zephyr (sherlolly)
For Science (sherlolly)
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
Absolutely! There was only one time in my life that I said I couldnât routinely do that, and that was at the height of popularity for I Told You So. I was posting it on AO3 and ffnet, and also posting the links on here, and I was getting feedback on all three platforms. Which was amazing! But it meant it was a bit much to keep up with. Other than that, I feel commenters deserve a response since theyâre giving us writers the thing we want most. â€ïž
6. Whatâs the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
For reylo probably Iâm Ready to be Heartbroken and for sherlolly I think itâs a tie between Youâre Dying and Congratulations, By The Way.
7. Whatâs the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
I truly couldnât say because Iâve written sooo many with happy endings that Idk what would be happiest đ
8. Do you get hate on fics?
Iâve gotten the very occasional slightly rude comment over the years, but not what Iâd consider hate.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
I never have and I donât plan to. Itâs just not something I want to do. And besides I think thereâs always more than enough of that for those who want it. If anything, what tends to be lacking is a large selection of fics without that type of content.
10. Do you write crossovers? Whatâs the craziest one youâve written?
Only think Iâve ever done is a Star Wars AU one shot for sherlolly called Balance.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of, and I donât know if Iâd even want to know because that would be such a huge amount of stress and Iâd probably be very limited in what I could do about it.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Iâm honored to say that I have! There might be one for I Told You So on ffnet⊠I canât remember. But definitely on AO3 thereâs a Russian translation of Zephyr and a Chinese translation of For Science
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Yes, indeed! Iâve co-written two fics with @thisisartbylexie. Alliance for reylo, and Half Agony, Half Hope for sherlolly. Coincidence that those are also in my top 5 kudos? I think not.
14. Whatâs your all time favorite ship?
Thatâs super hard but if for no other reason than the duration of my creating, I guess Iâd have to say sherlolly.
15. Whatâs a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
I donât think I have an answer for this because the 2 WIP I have at the moment are ones I am definitely in the process of finishing.
16. What are your writing strengths?
I think dialogue and internal descriptions for the character. And I guess describing things in a way that help the reader easily hear/see the scene in their mind, since thatâs a comment Iâve gotten many times over the years.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Action and mystery. Ironic, given my fandoms lol. I am always so uncomfortable describing action scenes or situations where thereâs a lot going on and itâs fast paced. And I absolutely would struggle if I had to come up with a mystery plot line!
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
What an interesting question! Iâm trying to think if Iâve ever even done this in a fic. đ€ But I think itâs a great thing to include if the plot calls for it! If I did Iâd ideally want to check with someone who is fluent in that language just to make sure Iâm not being inaccurate.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
BBC Sherlock (for sherlolly) going on 10 years ago đ„č
20. Favorite fic youâve ever written?
I genuinely donât think I can choose. Sometimes I try to when I get this question, but it really is a toss up between a few fics. Thereâs not one particular one that stands out from the others so much that Iâd call it my favorite. But some of my faves are definitely in that list of my top kudos fics that I listed in question 4.
Iâll tag @musicprincess1990 @englandsgray @love-yellow-door @strawberrypatty and whoever else sees this post and feels like participating!
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