#good are books i genuinely liked but weren't very special to me

[5aaliyah5]

Never Ever Getting Rid of Me (Hange Zoë x Reader)

Just a simple one shot I decided to write 😭

Based on the song: "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" From Waitress the musical (I love that musical sm and this song reminded me of Hange).

Hange is a very persistent suitor.

(thats it- they just wanna date you 😭✌️)

Words: 3.7k

Warnings: slight cussing, other than that none

“I went on a date” Y/N threw the multiple Keg mugs down with frustration. She had just gotten to work and was cleaning up the multiple cups that had been left on the tables from the nigh before. Another one of the tavern girls said she would close and clean up for the night since she worked the night shift, but she had apparently gotten sick towards the end of her shift and figured she would leave it for the morning. How lucky of Y/N to be in the morning shift the next day.

Another girl- Hannah- smiled upon hearing Y/N’s words. “Really? How was it?”

“About as good as a date can go with a member of the Survey Corps-” Y/N started but Hannah’s head shot up and slightly startled Y/N, causing her to stop

“No-” hannah gasped. “Y/N you didn't!” It was an unspoken rule that the girls who worked there agreed upon. With so many of their customers being Scouts who either wanted to drink away the memories or have a genuinely good time before they might die on the next expedition- it was a silent rule that the girls there were not to get attached to or romantically involved with any scout members. It saved them from the pain of possibly never seeing their beloved customers again.

“I did, and now my poor taste in dating is coming back to haunt me! They are in my section-” Y/N subtly pointed to a certain scout who remained seated at a table. Their back was turned towards Y/N and Hannah, leaving Hannah unable to see their face. “We ran into each other while I was out buying paper for the book im writing, and they asked me out. I know I should have said no, but they were so charming it was hard to…” Y/N pouted, as she explained the story to Hannah. “The date was not terrible in all honesty, its just… Their profession- You know why we don't get mixed up with the Survey Corps.”

“Here, ill go cover for you. I wanna see what made you agree to go out with them in the first place!” Hannah chuckled as she grabbed a clean mug to bring to them. It was rare that people came into the tavern without drinking in the first place- so Hannah had figured the same would be true of this customer.

There were few people actually in the Tavern, especially so earl in the morning. The few who were were either travelers who were enjoying a basic breakfast, or those who needed a morning drink (and most likely an afternoon and evening drink as well).

“Good Morning, How can I help you?” Hannah put on her best customer service voice as she looked down towards the Brunette soldier.

“Where is Y/N?” Hange asked, taken aback with Hannah coming up to their table. Hannah, paused for a section as she examined Hange. They weren't anything special in her eyes, possibly seemed like sort of a nerd, and she internally laughed at how predictable Y/N was with her type in dating. Hannah also noticed that in their hands they held a cute little bouquet

“Ill be taking your order for today” Hannah smiled. “She’s busy cleaning behind the counter since last night the cleaning didn't get done.”

“Thank you, but I really need to see Y/N” Hange answered. “I really don't mean to bother her, but wasn't sure how else to find her. She mentioned she worked here, and I wanted to speak with her about our date a few nights ago-“

Hannah looked to Y/N, which caused Hange to catch sight of her. Hannah shrugged and internally Y/N could hear her excuse ‘I tried’. Y/N sighed a rolled her eyes as she walked out to Hange’s table and slammed her hands down, making those around the table go silent. Before she could say what she initially was going to, her eyes caught the flower bouquet and she blushed. “Please just take the mixed bouquet and leave- just leave!” Y/N practically shouted, as the silence in the tavern made it carry throughout the establishment. She needed to scare them off (even if a part of her didn't want to), so that whatever feelings were developing between the two of them would cease.

Hannah and Hange both looked taken aback by her response. “You get 5 minutes before the boss gets back. Ill cover your section-” Hannah says as she places a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. “Either settle with them to do this later or get them out of here and Be quick.” She shoots Hange a glare as she walked behind the counter where Y/N had previously been to continue the task of cleaning.

Y/N sat down across from Hange, her arms folded on the table as they stared at one another: “Go ahead.” She sighed “What’s your argument?”

“Im a Section commander-” They started and Y/N interrupted.

“So that means you’ll die sooner?” Y/N tilted her head, as Hange’s face didn't even shift at the question. They must have come to terms with their (probable) death if they were so unfazed by Y/N’s unfiltered and rather morbid ask.

“Well yes- but I get better pay as well. I would be able to take care of you-” They responded. Y/N brushed that off, waving her hand.

“Tch, I don't need anyone to take care of me-” Y/N huffed out. The gall of this- this- Y/N couldn't even find the words to describe them! “Thats why I have this job. I get by just fine Section Commander.”

“I would be a great lover” They grinned and added “and consider myself pretty decent to look at.”

“That sounds rather cocky of you, don't you think?” Y/N was now smirking as Hange continued to go on. She had to give it to them, they were persistent. “But you also look like you dont shower regularly. You admitted as much to me a few nights ago.”

“I did for our date-” Hange argued and Y/N laughed at that. What a very soldier thing to say. “Would hygiene be something you would want me to improve on before you considered dating me?”

“Hm- well maybe more regular showers.” Y/N admitted “But thats besides the point! You’re in the Corps. I dont- I cant do that to myself. That would be like shooting myself in the foot! What? I get attached to you only for you to die by the hands of a titan and leave me a sobbing widow?” Y/N raised an eyebrow “Not gonna happen.”

“Hm, you make a hard bargain” Hange now folded their arms, as they started to really think “Would it help if I said I research titans and what they are?” They asked

“Thats nice- but no.” Y/N shook her head now having a genuine smile on her face. Hange sighed and just as they were about to continue, Y/N’s boss (the owner of the Tavern) approached the table, an irritated look upon his face.

“Y/N!” He said, and she stood as her eyes widened. She had been caught. “Say your ‘I love you’s’ and get back to work!” He said and Y/N blushed once more.

“N-No its not like tha-” She didnt finish her sentence though as he cut her off, raising a hand to silence her.

“I dont care.” He said, and turned to walk away and speak to another customer.

Y/N, frowning, turned to Hange. “You should be heading out now, i've got work to do.” And with that, Y/N went on about her day.

•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•★•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•

It was silent the next few days, nothing eventful happening. She figured Hange had gotten whatever they had in their system, out, and had moved onto the next poor tavern girl that would give them a chance. That’s how it usually went with soldiers. They would flirt and go on a date or two with a town girl, then get over them quickly if they weren’t exciting enough.

Y/N yawned as she exited the tavern after a particularly slow day. The sun was setting, and she held the door open for the closing shift as they entered. The door closed and just as Y/N was about to start walking, something was caught in the corner of her eye.

“Huh!?” Y/N Jumped backwards, barely landing on her feet as she slightly stumbled, catching herself. To the right of her, right outside the door, was none other than Section Commander Hange Zoë (which did have a nice ring to it now that she thought about it). They were sitting on the floor, head down, as they looked up when Y/N addressed them, “Wha-What are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?”

“No!” Hange stood to attention, almost as if they were in front of the commander. “No No, I swear Im not! Its just…I was in town with a few friends and… Levi took my horse.”

“Took… Your horse?” She asked, incredulous at the response they gave her. ‘You have to be kidding me…’

“Yeaaaahhh…” They scratched the back of their head “I pissed him off and he left me here… I was just about to start walking back to the base, but its at least a two hour walk.”

“Thats the stupidest thing i've ever heard.” She replied, her face deadpanned “Maybe you shouldn't have pissed him off. Fortunate for you, Im off work.” She looked the other way, down the pathway that would take her home.

“So you wanna go on another date is what im hearing?” They seemed to perk up.

“What?” Y/N snapped her head back to them “No- Stay focused! I can help you get back to the scouts base-” She shook her head, turning to start walking in the direction she had previously been looking towards. “You're helpless.”

“How?” Hange followed after her, now more hopeful at their predicament.

“Ill just get my horse.” Y/N said like it was no big deal “I've been riding since I was a little girl, so I could take you back to the base and get back home in less than 30 minutes.”

“You would help me out like that?” Y/N tilted her head

“Yeah, but you have to promise not to show up at my work again…” Hange reached their hand out, and Y/N took it as they shook.

“Deal.”

•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•★•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•◌•

Y/N had been quick to go into her house and inform her parents of her quick trip, and then came back outside, unfortunately being followed by her mother. “Ah, and who is this Y/N? You've never brought home a customer so that must mean this one is special right?” Her mother mused as she stepped off the porch and towards Hange.

“Mama, im just doing a friend a favor” She paused and the asked “Please go inside-” She didn't listen though, as Y/N’s mother, walked up to Hange, visibly shorter than Hange especially in her older age. She seemed to examine Hange, adjusting her own glasses.

“Nice to meet you Ma’am. Im Section Commander Hange Zoë of the Survey Corps” And very quickly, Y/N’s mother grabbed onto Hange’s arm, pulling them towards Y/N with strength Y/N wasnt sure where the hell she had gotten. Her mother had always been a frail woman, could easily be blown away by a strong gust of wind. It must be that mothers strength that Y/N had always heard about in stories, she guessed.

“Mama! Your manners!” Y/N blushed at the display, and her mother ignored her.

“You’ve found yourself a nice strong soldier Y/N! A section Commander!” She said happily, and Hange also blushed. “I prayed this day would happen- having someone to take care of you. You work way too hard for how young you are-”

“Me and Hange are not together Mama-” Y/N tried to dispute her mothers claim “They are just a friend” she said, walking towards her mother.

“Really?” Y/N’s mother looked towards hange and shook her head “What a shame, you would look so cute together.”

“Okay Okay, thats enough. Im gonna get Buttercup and take Hange back to the scouts base. Ill be back before dinner okay?” And as she said that, she pulled hange towards herself and away from her mother, trying to lead them toward the horse stables. Y/N’s mother nodded and waved off Hange and Y/N.

“I am so so sorry about that- I didn't know she would do that-” Y/N apologized as Hange followed her once more.

“No, its fine. Its sweet how your mother cares about you and hopes for a good future for you.” Hange smiles. For a second, Y/N turns around and wants to question about Hange’s own parents, but she felt the question was too personal for how recently they met one another.

Y/N cleared her throat, as she approached Buttercups stall. “Here she is-” Y/N smiled and opened the wooden gate. Buttercup, a beautiful friesian mare with a black coat.

“Rather interesting name for a horse, considering buttercup flowers are dangerous for horses to digest” Hange noted and Y/N petted Buttercups mane, as the horse leaned into her touch.

“Yeah, when she was young my father got her for super cheap from a guy in wall Sina who had no idea what he was doing with horses and had fed her some buttercups.” Y/N recalled “The guy sold my dad her, thinking she would die within the next few days and might as well get whatever he could for her before she did. My dad though, who came from generations of farmers who had always cared for horses, knw just what to give her to make her feel better and she was healthy within the next 6 weeks. He then gave her to me for my 7th birthday, since she was such a beautiful horse. Too beautiful to do hard farm work, and worthy of being shown off around town.” Y/N smiled “all the girls in town were so jealous of her. And luckily she is still young- she has another 15 years in her with the way her health is” Y/N smiled and then turned to hange, seeing as they were intensely watching her.

“S-sorry” She looked down, as she started guiding Buttercup out of the stables “I just really love horses” She says.

“Don't apologize Y/N.” Hange stated firmly as they walked towards Y/N and behind her, reaching out to pet Buttercup as well. The sweet sweet horse simply tilted her head towards Hange and accepted the pets. “You should never apologize for what you love. Its what makes you, you-”

“Thank you.” Y/N said earnestly, and then went to grabbed the saddle for Buttercup. She placed in on her back, and adjusted it so that it wouldn't slide off. Y/N then mounted Buttercup, making sure to check and see if the saddle was placed correctly and she wouldn't slide off, before turning to hange once more.

“Its not the most comfortable position, but she could carry the both of us comfortably and is the only horse I have experience with.” Y/N said as she held out a hand for Hange to grip onto. They were fluid in their motions as they mounted the horse, sitting behind her, though she figured that was because they were used to ridding horses themselves.

“Its more than fine.” Hange responded as they gripped onto Y/N’s hips. Y/N shuddered as she scolded them.

“Move your hands higher, I know you can and I know you know that-” Y/N grinned, glad that Hange couldn't see it.

“Ah, right-” hange gingerly moved their hands a little more upwards to a comfortable position around her abdomen.

“Right, lets get going while we still have sunlight-” Y/N pulled on the reigns as she guided the horse into a quick canter. She didn't want to push Buttercup, as she was just used to either Y/N riding her short distances or helping with light farm work. As they cantered towards the scouts base, making great timing considering they were not hitting max speed, Y/N finally asked : “so, you’re a titan researcher? How does that work?”

Y/N could feel Hange perk up once more at the line of questioning. “Yes! Its fascinating work I assure you, and so fulfilling.” They started “I actually have two of my own-”

“Titans!? Are you mad?” Y/N asked, trying to turn her head to look towards Hange. They were crazy- she had almost gotten with a crazy person- she thinks in her mind.

“Perhaps a little. At Least, thats what most tell me” Hange shrugged, again unfazed. Y/N wished she couldnt give a fuck like they did.

“Alright- So what are their names?” She asked and then added “I hope you named them at least-”

“Sawney and Bean” They clasped their hands together as they recounted their experiences. Y/N listened, enthralled at actually hearing what titans were really like and reacted to certain things (aside from how they wanted to eat people). “They also were hard to get approval for, but eventually Commander Erwin relented with my unorthodox methods. Still, they are heavily watched since they are still a risk for people if they got out-”

“you didn't tame them then?” Y/N clutched onto the rope, now concerned for Hange’s safety (great- she thinks sarcastically).

“Who said I wanted to tame them? I think they are perfect just the way the are!” Hange smiled, seeming genuine in their response. “If I were to tame them, then I wouldn't get as much information as I needed out of them”

“But… they could eat you- They want to eat you!” Y/N argues “what if you get hurt?”

“Perhaps,” Y/N could feel Hange’s hands tighten on her waist. “I think thats a risk regardless though of if I kept titans or didn't. My chances of getting physically hurt are reduced, sure, but emotionally, us humans hurt each other all the time-” Hange said, and Y/N could feel the mood shift- “it doesn't mean I shouldn't stop loving people in fear of getting hurt, or not care about things. If anything, the chance of getting hurt but continuing to get another day to prove myself makes loving more rewarding every day. And in the end, some things are worth getting hurt for, even dying for.”

They… had a point, Y/N mentally admitted to herself. Why should she stop loving people in fears of getting hurt? She didn't stop loving her mother or father despite their old age and that they would eventually die as well. It didn't stop her from loving Hannah, even though the chance of something happening to Hannah was just as high as Hange’s or any of the scouts was because of her gender (Authors note: because men suck and terrorize women no matter what they do).

Y/N just nodded her head, not saying anything else the remainder of the ride to the base. She had a lot to ponder over for the evening. They didn't have to wait long as in the distance, Y/N and Hange could make out the lights from the scouts base, coming to life as the last rays of suns dipped beneath the horizon. As Y/N pulled into the gates, slowing down into a trot as she examined where to stop, they both took sight of three figures.

“You cheated.” Levi states as he, miche and Erwin stood outside, seeming to be… relaxing, and waiting for Hange’s return.

“You never said I couldn't get a ride-” Hange responded, obviously triumphant as they dismounted the horse and landed on their feet smoothly. Y/N repositioned buttercup so that she could see off Hange better. “You just said to figure out how to get back to base myself.”

“Tch. Whatever.” he responded as Hange laughed.

“You better go and check on those friends of yours to make sure they didn't get into any trouble-” Y/N said, smiling as Hange continued to laugh. They stopped for a second to look up to her. Y/N felt her heart start to flutter in excitement, just seeing how they looked to her, a way she hadn't noticed before.

“Ah, so they told you about Sawney and Bean?” Erwin mused and walked towards Hange and Y/N.

“What didn't they tell me about them? Don't worry, ill keep it under wraps from the town” Y/N reassured him. “I want to thank you all personally for your dedicated work. If you ever stop by Henry’s Tavern in town, ask for Y/N and ill give you four some food and drinks, on the house.”

“We appreciate that, and look forward to getting to know you-” Erwin stopped “What is your name?

“Y/N L/N” Y/N responded, reaching down to shake his hand. “Nice to formally meet you Commander Erwin.” Y/N readjusted herself as she noticed it was now nighttime. It didn't matter as she was on horse back and could get back home in no time now that there was only one rider and could gallop her way home. “Hey Section Commander-” Y/N called out from where she sat on Buttercup. All four of the scouts turned their head, intrigued by what she had to say “Ill take you up on that offer for a second date after all. Maybe you were right- Might just be rewarding to fall for you after all…”

“Ill make it rewarding for you. I promise.” And with a shake of her head and grin, Y/N rode off, back to her home to eat dinner and sleep.

“Im gonna marry her.” Hange states as they turned back towards their friends. “I promise you all that.”

“Only in your dreams, four eyes” Levi responded, though he also did not doubt that Hange could and would somehow accomplish that. He also knew that they were one to keep their promises, and that gave him hope for Hange’s future.

[spotaus]

Hehe, you flatter me!!!

Yes! This is low-key Error's first real introduction to tye plot as of now, so I had to re-establish his behavior a little! He's like... obnoxiously happy to share his stuff, all the time, and it shows!!

And ough, I'm so so glad the vibes played out there because that's exactly the energy I was going for with the food, haha! (He's suddenly in a very secure and safe location, feeling good about himself, and has very little worries? AND he doesn't have to eat Geno's bad cooking? He'll yeag 🙏)

Yes! At first I was going to have him overreact, but Error has seen a LOT of weird stuff in his life, and heard a lot of stories, and frankly Nightmare's new look didn't strike him as an issue. (And if it *was* something he wasn't supposed to see. Well. He was decent at playing off those encounters too lol-)

I wasn't sure how intense I wanted to go with his reaction, so I went with the gut feeling of 'oh, that's not good'. Because like. Geno used to tell Error all sorts of horror stories from magic mishaps from his school, or in the market, or from the past. The academy had certain magic studies banned for those reasons too. And. Idk how much I want to focus on it. But Geno didn't always have that giant wound in his skull. I almost like to think that what made him the way he is now was him playing around with altering his magic typing.

I'm thinking that back before even Fresh was around, Geno had realized that his magic could be stronger if he just learned to use other magic, like humans could. Amd the way he sees magic like gems? He'd cobble together haphazard crystals, each one with a different make-up, texture, and ofc spell behind them. They were unrefined, and not clean. And then it occurred to him that Diamonds reflect all the colors! So maybe... and yeah, I think this idiot baby boy tried to make a spell with all the magic types fused into one, but obviously he was just a little guy! The strain on his developing soul was too much and he burnt out his right eyelight. His soul, already about half a normal soul, crystallized and chucked away, leaving him with his soul 'shard'.

And Error doesn't know the full story, but Geno had warned him away from playing with different magic types when he was alone. (BTW Geno did end up figuring out how to make crystals. They just require an ungodly amount of patience and perfect concentration for like. Several days. Pressure all at once backfires, slowly applied pressure works wonders.)

Sorry, sidetracked! But yes! Error knows that it's not good, abd that it hurts, and the he doesn't like it! But it's not his place to step in because Night's not doing it alone, and he assumes there must be good reason if someone like Ccino isn't stopping him. (When Nightmare literally told no one how much it hurts abd strains him so they just don't know lmao-)

Hehehe!!!! I took a page put of you bookeith that section! I wanted to delve a bit deeper into how Error sees his magic, abd like you said, he needed to try it out himself to try and understand! I feel like Error's always a hands-on learner, and when words fail him, physical things won't!

And yeag. I think the house was usually pretty empty, but when Geno came home for breaks he'd fill a shelf with his books to study. And Error isn't a book guy, but a skim would've been more helpful than his current nothingburger worth of knowledge lol!

!!!!! I genuinely could not come up with a way to present the vibes Error had but! Yes!! He saw Nightmare frfr being just like him. Someone talented, someone special in a way people weren't prepared for (bro does NOT get that Night actually has -3 intelligence coming to Magic now) and he's thrilled! Another person in the same boat as him!

Yes, the offer! Technically, Nightmare already offered for Ccino to leave. (I don't think he ever asks the Knights directly, but he hints at it. Those first few missions after his change being solo ones, a chance to run) but Error is the first person he believes might take it. He could go anywhere, Night would sponsor him, and it would be easy as that. But Night forgets that Error is opinionated. (And stubborn, and he hates drastic change.) Error made his choice that a day to become a Mage. He broke rules to get here, he sat through Night's lectures to get here! He's not just giving that all up now! Protection is never something he believes he needs, he's the danger to everyone else, frankly. He's staying whether the King likes it or not!!!

And yeag!! Nightmare was scared! He had spiraled after Error fled his office and was sure that Error would run away, or hate him, or (worst of all) decide to rebel. Despite Ccino calming him down, he was sure Error was going to leave. Nightmare thought he was going to fail Error. But! When Error so stubbornly claimed loyalty, Nightmare couldn't help but cry! He was an emotional kid before, he's one now. And Error! He's not used to people crying (not like Fresh or Geno did much of it) but he used to get comforted by Geno a lot when he'd come back from market or school and get so mad he would cry. And Geno used to tell him it was alright, relate to it. So Error does the same here! (<- Geno was emotionally constipated about romance, but he's got brothering down to an art!)

The balcony!!! That stupid lil fireworks gun was going to be my final scene whether I wanted it to be or not! Error made something entirely for fun for once, and it was to be thoughtful towards the king! The King he didn't even know was young again! And he shut his trap for once to just enjoy tye silence. Not many people can get him to do that haha!

New Age AU Drabble (Lonely)

Hello everyone!! Welcome to the next drabble I swore I was going to write! This one I'm very fond of, because it involves the two who kickstarted this whole thing, the King and his Royal Mage (in-training)-

This happens some time after Nightmare's reversal to his new age, so it's basically the next one in chronological order for the main story drabbles!

@ancha-aus @mutzelputz @papiliovolens Hi guys!! Welcome back :)

Ping

Error glanced up from his project when the little tingle of his magic blinked into his awareness. Someone’s outside? He looked over at the heavy door that separated the cool space of his study from the stairs which led down to the main floors of the castle. On his end, it was absolutely tangled in blue wires, like his own little spider web. Though, to be fair, the rest of the room wasn’t faring much better. He’d certainly taken the chance to make the space his. The king had told him to, after all! Much better than the tidy room his brothers always made him help clean…

Blue strings lashed out from the ceiling and wrapped around his current project, wrapping securely around it before tugging it, his knitting needles, and the notes he had scattered all up into the loft space shrouded in shadow above him. It was just a lot safer to keep all his projects up there, out of his way until he needed them. Out of sight of his rare visitors. He couldn’t show them something that wasn’t ready! That would be embarrassing! Not Royal Wizard behavior at all. 

As his project rose, Error rolled onto his back, popping his spine before making an effor to stand up himself. How long had he been laying there? Normally he’d have been up in one of his hammocks, but this project required he keep it level until a later step, so he’d decided that the soft rug on the floor and a few blankets would have to suffice. Had it been an hour or two? Knowing him, probably much longer. He didn’t like pulling back the curtains, his strings didn’t glow in the darkness if he did. Infusing magic worked a lot easier for him in the dark.

He glanced to the door again. Thirty seconds and there hadn’t been any more pings? It had to be someone he actually halfway wanted to see, then. Darn. 

Error crossed the space, stepping over a few loose supplies, and around a few of his hanging strings, until he came to the door. As much as he wished he could ignore this person, he knew better. So, he gripped the solid iron handle and swung the door inwards towards him. 

Stood outside on the landing of the stairs was Sir Dust. 

He wasn’t an unwelcome sight, but he definitely wasn’t an expected one either. Lately, it’d been that Ccino guy showing up to his door unannounced, bringing him meals or just checking in on him. Sir Dust had been there the day he was hired, the knight doing his best to encourage Error to not make stupid, rash choices. Fortunately, given that chance to think, Error had been able to return with a smart and rash choice instead! Which, might he add, landed him this sweet gig for royalty. That was why, when Dust came around, Error didn’t turn him away. His magic was powerful, and despite being small, he was really cool. 

“Error.” Sir Dust greeted. “Brought dinner. Ccino’s been busy.” 

Sir Dust was always blunt. Even that first day they met, when he’d spoken more than a few words he’d seemed strained. Uncomfortable. He was comfortable here in his home territory. 

And, he wasn’t lying! Error hadn’t even noticed it, but when he looked down, his eyelights honed in on the plate held easily in one of Dust’s hands, and a jug held in the other to his side. 

Error was quick to lean out the doorway with a grin and snatch up the plate, careful not to make contact with Dust’s hands. He’d abandoned his glasses somewhere behind him in the room, so he had to raise the plate closer to his face before he recognized the contents. 

“Noodles, sweet!” He half-whispered to himself. 

His hand moved, gesturing out towards Dust. More of his strings shot past, from somewhere in the room, and clutched the jug before tugging it back inside with a flick of Error’s free hand. 

“Ccino told me to tell you: Drink that water. You’ll get dehydrated.” Dust voiced, watching unbothered as the jug was tugged back and out of his view. 

Error glanced up at him, and scoffed. Ccino had been doing his best to get Error to drink more tea with him because tea had water. Error was fine! He didn’t need as much water or food as an average monster, it was normal! Besides, he’d forget about it anyways. 

“Okay. Thanks!” he said anyways. Though, it was mostly thanks for the food. Error loved when Ccino made noodles. They were always buttery, and Error wasn’t sure how he always made something that looked so bland taste so good. …Now his mouth was watering. Maybe he was a little hungry after all. 

Error waited for Dust to start making his decent back down the stairs, but when he saw the monster was still stood still and quiet, he raised a brow. Was there something else? Had to be. He hoped Dust didn’t want inside. Error had all the plans to devour this food and then dive headfirst back into his project. He didn’t want to be distracted. 

“One more message.” Dust said, watching Error. His white eyelights were clear under his hood. Error didn’t think he was wearing his mask, but even with the soft glow from his web of strings he couldn’t tell in the shadows. Didn’t matter to him either way. 

“King Nightmare’s rescheduling your next… report.” Dust said plainly.

At that, Error felt his soul stop a bit in his chest. “Why?” He asked without thinking. The King had been listening and seemed interested during his last report! He’d made a lot of progress since then too, finished one of them enough that they could test it! The King had said he was excited to see it! Surely he hadn’t been tossed aside so quickly?

Dust seemed unphased by his demand of an answer. 

“The King is just taking time to rest. Last project wore him out.” Dust explained, before he added, “Ccino’s orders. Like drinking your water.” 

Error couldn’t tell, not really, but he was pretty sure the knight was grinning at that last part. Ha ha, very funny. Though, he wasn’t wrong. Error was pretty sure the entire castle knew that Ccino guy was in charge of keeping the King in check. Heck, when he’d first been brought in, the King looked worried about introducing him to that Ccino. Error never knew why, they’d gotten along great! 

But, if it was Ccino telling the King to take a break? He figured that the King was probably listening. Fair enough. His soul calmed down a little at the rationalization. 

“Oh, alright.” Error said finally, “Do you… know when he’ll want the next report by, then?” 

He could still plan, right? Maybe it was only a few days. 

“Mm, pretty sure Ccino said next month? Gotta catch up on some things. You live here.” Dust replied. 

Oh. Okay. Hmm. That was… a lot longer than he’d been hoping for. He could probably manage, though. Keep chugging away at his current project, maybe have time to draft a new one. Bigger? But, wait, the King wanted him to propose any bigger ones to him first. Supposedly he’d be allowed unlimited creative liberties, it was more so if something exploded he’d know what happened, but still. He didn’t want to break the few rules he had. Old projects then! Make them the best ever! 

He blinked in surprise when the little ping tingled in his skull. 

Dust had turned around without him noticing, a hand extended to just barely nudge one of his hanging strings. He didn’t look back as he spoke. 

“Gotta get back to rounds. G’night Error.” He said.

Error watched, disoriented for a second, before he nodded to himself. 

“Good night, Sir Dust!” He returned hurriedly.

He watched as the knight started moving, and entirely silently he descended the steps. Only when he had turned the curve out of sight and his shadow disappeared from the wall where torches below cast it, did he pull the door shut and return inside his room. 

His steps echoed against the stone floor until he returned to the cushioned rug, and then moved even further past that to one of his low-hanging hammocks. 

It was tucked beside a bookshelf that the King had let him stock with whatever books he liked from the library during his first week. The room had been cold and bare, obviously unlived in for a while, and Error didn’t exactly have a lot to move in. Just his spare clothes, the (now empty) pouch he’d been using to store his coin, and the dolls. He’d refused to remove those from his bag until he was alone, though, so he’d really had nothing to call his own. The King had given him the opportunity to collect items like books from the library, had let him choose some items from an incoming shipment of trading goods, and had sent someone to buy any equipment Error might need to advance his magic and creations. 

And, for the most part, Error was very self-sufficient. He’d had time to knit himself new clothes, and blankets, and decorate the room entirely with his magic. He spent a lot of time up in the high ceiling too, it was where he kept his dolls, and the projects, and all his important belongings. Everyone once in a while, though, he liked the bookshelf wall. Especially when he was eating. It was just easier to remember not to just hang up the plate among his projects. 

Ccino’s cooking was always delicious, Error would never not look forward to a meal made by him, even if it was the lamest sounding food ever. He’d managed to make brussel sprouts tolerable. A feat, honestly. The tastiness and warmth that spread through him couldn’t distract him from his worries, though. 

Error knew he’d have to work hard to make sure the King was impressed. But also not too bothered by it. He knows his explosive spells used to make his professors and tutors angry, and while the King had been nice about it so far, if he was tired? Error wouldn’t want to push the limits. But if he was too simply about it or lackluster, the King might be upset he was wasting his time? Ohhh. At least he had a month to work and try things out before then. Hopefully he could have an idea at that point. Hopefully. 

…

Ten days. 

Error had given it about 5 days after the time that the report was originally meant to happen, five days after Dust told him it’d been rescheduled, before he felt like he might go stir-crazy. Not because he was worried, but because of the exact opposite. He had his few other ongoing projects, mostly if not entirely completed, up to the King’s review. But he’d also developed another, newer, concept that he just knew would brighten the King’s mood. 

Dust had been the one periodically bringing him food still, he hadn’t seen Ccino, and Error didn’t dare pry too far. All he’d been told was that the King was still swamped with duties and was locking himself in his study to complete his duties. 

Now, Error was not one to talk about unhealthy work ethic, not in the slightest, but he figured it couldn’t be fun. The things the King was doing weren’t exciting or engaging like Error’s projects were, they were all papers and about talking to people. Error dreaded the idea of sitting alone in a room, trying to figure out something stupid like which roads a guy should walk or what people thought of him. Sounded stressful. 

So, Error had made something to make the King feel less bad! Less cooped up! 

Originally he had wanted to wait until his report, but he’d been so invested in making this that it’d only taken him a day, and his miniature prototypes had worked perfectly, so the larger one was ready in just a day or two! He’d really really tried to convince himself to be patient but… The King had liked him because he was bold! And did things he didn’t expect! And Error didn’t want to lose that reputation. If the King wouldn’t come to him, he’d just go to the King! 

That was the thought process, of course, which had led him to the entryway to the King’s royal wing. Then past it and the guards standing watch. Then to standing right infront of the door to the King’s study. 

He knew it was the study because he’d been inside once before. The King usually met with him up in the tower, but they had met down in his study once, to talk about the revised contract. It had been a long, boring conversation which involved the King asking Error to repeat his words back to him at certain points (the King had caught him spacing out several times, but never scolded him) to make sure he was actually listening. Something about making sure Error was safe and had other options? The King seemed super serious about making sure Error was okay, just because he was a kid, but he wasn’t a kid anymore! He was 13 by the time he signed, basically a whole adult! 

But, point is, Error had spent at least an hour or two in there listening to the King talk. He knew where this room was. 

Staring at the door was… a little imposing. What was his plan again? Burst inside? 

Yeah. If he knocked, someone would send him away. Just like at the try-outs. He had to just commit and walk in. The King had said in the contract that Error was always welcome to come to him if he needed something. And right now? Error needed his attention. 

He reached out, grabbing the big handle in one hand as he clutched his satchel with the other. He twisted it, and the moment it processed that it wasn’t locked, he pushed it inwards and slipped inside. He blindly shut it in his wake, just in-case someone tried to push him outside. 

Leaning against the door, his eyelights shot around to take in the room. 

No one was charging at him, and no one was rushing to yell at him. Good. Good. He-

“Error?” 

Well that wasn’t a voice he recognized! 

Error abandoned his skim of the room to search for the origin of the voice, and found himself staring wide-eyed at a monster across the room. This monster was a skeleton, their bones white, they seemed short, and skinny, and their one socket was wide in surprise with a single cyan eyelight, the other empty and seemingly gone dark. They stared at each-other. 

This odd skeleton, Error noticed, wore the King’s clothes. To a tee, the cloak, the shirt, the pants. The shoes looked different, but the pants covered them enough that Error couldn’t quite tell on a quick glance. That, and this skeleton had the King’s circlet resting on their skull, crescent moon plastered right in the center of their forehead. 

Error would’ve doubted the conclusion his mind came to, if it weren’t for the fact that he noticed this skeleton was not the only other one in the room. A quick glance revealed that Ccino was sat nearby to the skeleton, resting on one of the chairs around the coffee table. Error had been able to pick up that Ccino didn’t relax much at all. Especially not around strangers. 

“King Nightmare?” He asked back, staring at the monster across the room still. 

The way the monster seemed to flinch at the title told Error he was right. This was the King! 

A lot of questions flooded his mind, but they were beat-out by a sudden flood of curiosity. He hurried across the room, rapidly approaching the King, until they were stood just a few feet apart. He didn’t even notice Ccino’s worried ‘ah, ah wait-’ or the way the King had to refrain from stepping away. He just saw his suspicions were correct. 

“You’re… shorter.” He voiced, stupidly. 

He wasn’t wrong! The King was now shorter than him by at least half a head! Before the mass of dark magic that was the King had been taller than him by a lot, and he was tall for his age, but now! Now he was tiny! He wasn’t sure what to do with this information besides be delighted. He was used to being taller than people, but taller than a king? Now that was more his speed!

It took a few seconds for it to finally hit Error that the King did… not look happy. He didn’t look mad, but Error knew that was not an expression people would give when they were happy. His brows were furrowed a bit, his mouth tugged down ever so slightly at the corners, his shoulders were tense. 

“I- Yes, I am a bit… shorter. Than usual.” The King replied, “May I ask why you’re, ah, here, Mage Error?” 

Error blinked at him for a second. Right! He was here for a reason! 

“Oh! I just finished a lot of my projects, and I know that the report was rescheduled, but I made something I thought you would really like, and I…” He trailed off a moment as he realized Nightmare was staring at him. Had he done something wrong? 

Nightmare was still watching him, but seemed more alarmed that Error had stopped talking. He wasn’t sure he liked being able to read the King’s expressions like this. Usually, the king had a poker-face worthy of a family game night, only breaking when he was pleased and smiled. Now his expressions were so obvious even Error could read them. It was strange. 

“...Please, continue. A project?” The King seemed to catch himself and prompted. His expression schooled again, though it looked like he had to put in some effort. Eyelight flickering away from Error before shooting back to him. 

Error hesitated for a second, but ultimately continued. 

“I just… Thought that if I came to find you it wouldn’t take too long to show you, and then you wouldn’t be stuck doing just all your paperwork all day.” He was a bit more reserved than he’d meant to be when he presented the idea, both his hands now clutching the strap on his satchel. “I mean. If you’re that busy I can always. I can come back.” He paused again, “Or I- I- I can wait until my report day. Like I… probably should have.” 

He didn’t like the way his voice had stuttered and lagged at the end as he became more uncertain. He glanced over at Ccino. 

The older skeleton was watching between them wordlessly, looking a lot more tense than when Error had first seen him. Like he was waiting for something to happen. His eyelights were plastered on the King. Who was staring at Error intently. 

“Is this project something which you could share inside the study? I… wasn’t intending on leaving my hall today.” the King asked him in an oddly gentle tone. His voice slowed the same way as usual, but it was strange to hear it in such a high voice. 

Error’s hands wrung the strap of his satchel as he thought. “It’s. Ah. Explosive. It’d have to be outside.” He admitted in defeat. He hadn’t thought about the possibility that the King might not want to abandon his work to go look at Error’s spells. Thinking back, they did probably all look pretty silly to the King. He was really good at magic. Just like Dust was. “It can wait.” he added briefly. 

The silence that followed only lasted a second or two, enough for Error to furrow his brow and feel that little hint of indignation that used to plague him, the one that made him so mad at everyone. What was he thinking? He was good at magic too! Maybe not as good as the King, but certainly he was powerful, his magic wasn’t bad or a waste. Those instructors back at the academy were wrong, he knew so, he had to stop thinking about what they’d thought of him.

Error found himself glaring at the floor when a sound snapped his attention upwards. A fizzling sound and a little groan from the King. The King had gripped his skull, covering the socket with the cyan eyelight and turning away from Error’s view in a snap. 

That fizzling noise had sounded… unhealthy, to put it plainly. It didn’t help that Ccino finally spoke up, a little ‘My King?’ worriedly ringing out from the chair where Ccino had planted himself. The King had hunched himself forwards a bit to clutch at his socket, like he was trying to hold in pain. 

Was… was the king sick? Was that why he looked like this? Initially he’d assumed the dark energy had been a glamor. Some kind of magical enhancement to shield him, to make him more fearsome, even to cover up stunted growth. This must’ve been what he looked like normally, right? But. If that were true, the King would’ve just called it back onto his person or had Ccino usher him out. If he was sick, though? He might not be able to control that magic. Might be limited in its output, or even barred from access…

Error would’ve asked him, but his eyes moved curiously to the mirror instead. The reflection gave Error a perfect view of the King’s other side. The way the magic in his palm was flickering and sparking. Between- Between colors. The cyan Error was familiar with, and a soft purple that he’d never seen. 

He must’ve been right, on some level, because he realized it. He couldn’t sense the King’s magic. 

Or, at least, he couldn’t sense any magic that was active. The King’s magic worked like an aura, at least as far as Error had seen of it. Wide-spread, curling around anyone and anything it liked like a vine, and strangling what it didn’t like a noose. He wasn’t as good at seeing magic or feeling it as his brother, but he knew when a magical signature was missing, and he could feel familiar ones. The magic that the King was using to make his eyelight flicker? It was familiar, if only faintly, but it wasn’t his normal magic. Not by a longshot. There was very little intent, and what there was felt. Strange. Desperate, almost. 

“It’s alright. I’m fine, just a hiccup.” The King said, clearly responding to Ccino. 

It took a few deep breaths before the King righted himself, and Error watched as he peeked at the mirror first. He saw that the King’s eyelight was cyan again, but only partly. The bottom portion was still that lavender, and he hissed under his breath before covering his socket with his hand again. 

That same fizzling noise again, but muffled. Error watched, clearly, as the King’s face momentarily contorted with pain, before going still again. 

That couldn’t be healthy, whatever he was doing. His brother had told him all sorts of horror stories about things going wrong with magic at his academy. People who would change their appearance, and they would do it poorly, with adverse effects on their body. He got a chill.

“I- I- can wait. The project can wait.” Error muttered over the sound of that magic fizzling and popping over the King’s socket. 

He didn’t waste any time, even as he was pretty sure the King turned to call him back. He was already to the door, and then out of the door, and then hurrying down the hall. 

No one in the castle actually cared what he was up to, so he wasn’t exactly careful as he hurried down the halls and back to the tall tower which was his. When he passed the entryway, hsi strings caught his arms and tugged him up and over the dozens of spiraling stairs, straight to his doorway. He practically spun inside and retreated to the rafters among his projects to disperse the ones he’d placed into his satchel. 

…

It was childish, but Error felt faint about what he’d seen. He wasn’t sure why, but his head hurt just thinking about it. Altering appearance wasn’t something unheard of, or even really frowned about in his circles. But the magic the King had been doing was unfamiliar and strange. Not just something to alter the appearance of his magic, but something else. Something that was unnatural.

He tugged a string directly from his socket as he hung alone in the rafters, and saw the way that it hung from his fingertips. Blue, a deep one. Monster souls shouldn’t have traits, most didn’t, at least not the way human souls do. Magic, however, tends to manifest in a way that reflects its owner. Error had seen the way a white soul produced bright red magic. His own manifested as a dark blue. Integrity, he’d been told. It was reflecting on how he saw himself as well, he never gave up, he always walked his own path. Those who’d met him could certainly vouch for that. 

As far as he’d known, the King’s magic was cyan. Somewhere between Patience and Kindness, which made sense to him. The King had certainly been kind, offering him this job despite the rules, and he was patient too. Letting Error go on and on and on about his creations. He’d never doubted that those were accurate traits. Now, though? Now the King seemed to be sporting Purple. Purple was not a color which Error had ever seen from him. And it seemed the King must’ve thought the same thing of himself.

Error took a breath as he moved the string so it sat hovering between his index finger and his thumb, the ends clinging with residual, pliable, magic. With his other hand, he pinched the end nearest to his thumb and closed his eyes. 

He didn’t think about it often, but his strings were just that, made up of plenty of little threads, all woven together in just the right way which pleased Error. Texture and thickness which he liked and relied on to hold his weight, keep his projects secure, it was unlike any threads seen in the rest of the world. All his own. It’d taken him time to perfect it, though. Each new string, a new pattern and new density, until a few years ago when he’d figured it out. If he was right, though, he could mimic other styles. Other existing patterns. Other existing colors of magic.

He let his grip slide an inch or so down the string, concentrating as the fibers snapped and rearranged themselves. He furrowed his brow as he recalled the method to make a rope, the braids and twists and tension involved. Each strand felt like he was mentally moving a ten pound weight, and his concentration wavered when he realized his fingers were growing warm. Then, a few more seconds, another inch, and it felt like his fingertips would burst into flame. He hissed and opened his eyes, retracting his hand to see what sort of abomination he’d made. 

Half the string was still that familiar deep blue, but the portion near his thumb was a bright yellow. Thick, three times as thick as the blue, and with the appearance of a rope. It trembled and shook with tension, the portion where Error had given up being a strange and ugly, frayed mass of blue and yellow strands, some portions a muddled green at the exact mid-point. 

The sight made Error wince, and he pulled his fingers apart, the frayed portion snapping easily. The blue strand fell limp into his palm, while the yellow strand began to unravel. Quickly. LIttle chunks of burnt-out thread exploded like confetti, turning white or back to that blue color. It spun and spun until Error was left with little chunks of blue magic thread stuck to the fabric of his shirt and floating to the floor below him. The yellow magic he’d imbued, all the intent pushed behind it, wasn’t nearly enough to keep it steady or in place. Even if he’d finished the entire strand and burnt his fingers to do it, it wouldn’t have held up a small rock, let alone anything important. It was useless.

His little test, he realized, didn’t even cover the severity of the situation. He’d used strings, something he’d removed from his person. The King was doing that… to his own socket. 

How long had he been doing that? If Cyan wasn’t his natural magic, how much strain had he been under? For how long? 

It was none of his business, he reminded himself. The King was an adult, with a lot of advisors and strong magic users and people like Ccino. He had people who would tell him to stop. Error didn’t have the whole picture, surely. It wasn’t his place to worry about it. It just… rubbed him the wrong way. It bothered him. 

…And now he had two things to sulk about. Great. 

…

Ping

There it was again. 

Honestly, Error hadn’t expected anyone to come to see him again so soon. It’d hardly been a few hours since he attempted to visit the King, and it must’ve been dark by now. Who was coming up past dinner time? 

He eased himself down from where he’d placed himself in the rafters, and stood in front of his large door for a second, before opening it up to peek out. 

And. Outside, in the dimly lit corridor, was… The King. 

Or, at least, it looked like the King? Same clothes, same height as he’d seen earlier in the day, and his eyelight was cyan once again. Only, this time he couldn’t see the King’s expressions. He was wearing a mask. Error had to blink to process it. An owl, round and dark, with big eye holes right at the right level for the King’s sockets. It reminded Error a little bit of the fluffy owls he used to see outside his window, the ones just barely out the nest still losing their fluffy baby feathers. Was… Was it heresy to think the King was small and cute? Probably. Very absurd thought, compared to the haunting dark mass he usually was. Maybe that was why he disguised?

“Mage Error,” The King greeted, voice calm as it usually was, “I am aware that this is an impromptu visit, but may I come in? I realize I did not attend to you as I should have earlier, and I wish to rectify this mistake.” His cyan eyelight watched upwards, and Error stared down at him for a moment through the crack in the door. 

He glanced past him, too. But it seemed like the King was entirely alone. Just like he tended to be. 

Error swung open the door, pulling himself out of the way along with it. It wasn’t like he was going to say no to the King, but he wasn’t nearly as excited as usual. What should he do? Say? Obviously something was up with the King, but was Error supposed to say anything? Or was the King just here to make sure Error stayed out of trouble? Adults did that a lot back in the day when he got on their nerves. 

His thoughts persisted as the King entered the space. Error shut the door behind him and watched idly for a breath. The King was moving oddly. Like he was faint. His steps were just ever so slightly uneven and he seemed to wobble ever so slightly as he moved to sit at the unoccupied chair before Error’s desk. What was wrong with him? 

Error started moving, shifting away the items he’d once again strewn out on the floor back to the shadows of the rafters, and instead lowering a set of strings which held his hammock and a wooden board he much preferred to a table. The King watched as the items lowered, just like he always did, but the table was empty as Error hoisted himself to sit on the edge of the hammock across from the ruler. 

“You… have questions, right?” Nightmare voiced.

The King was looking at the empty surface suspended before the both of them, and Error realized he hadn’t even moved to gather his projects. For some reason he was hesitant to bring them up again. 

“Can I? Ask you stuff?” Error questioned uncertainly. “Adults usually don’t like when I start asking questions.” He admitted. 

The King looked up to him, before he sighed and nodded. “Ask anything you like.”

That was… an odd allowance. Error wasn’t used to that either. Usually the King was the one letting him talk, and talk, and talk, and his questions had never been about. Well. The King himself. Just about the knights, or the tapestries, or the food. Never about the King. 

“Why are you small?” The burning question was the one he had to get out of his head. He had theories, but the King was the only one who could confirm or deny them. 

The King was quiet for a brief second, before he brought a hand to his mask. It hovered there as he chuckled, though to Error it sounded a lot more like a giggle.

“It is a… complicated story. I’m still not quite sure myself, but I will share with you what I know as to how I came to be this way.” The King moved a hand behind his skull, tucking it beneath his hood, and tugged at a pretty silk ribbon. A purple one, Error noted. “It’s the least i can do.” 

The mask fell forward into the King’s awaiting hand, and once again Error was met by the image of that clean and soft white bone. The rounded face he didn’t recognize. His expression was neutral, schooled, careful.

“I know you are not from Orchard, nor are you familiar with the traditions of our kingdom. However, you recall the story of my upbringing, and my twin, correct?” He asked, and Error nodded. He recalled decently that there had been twin princes, the King, Nightmare, and his brother, Dream or something? He’d been asking about the tapestries and the King had told him how the two of them had grown up really close, and how he ended up with the throne in the end, banishing his twin so he wouldn’t steal the crown or something. 

“Good. Well. My coronation was not actually mine. It was that of my twin. Dream. He was the crown prince, but I had found word of a great cost to completing the ritual, and I was sure he would be hurt by the process.” The King explained. “The power of the kingdom is passed from generation to generation through the soul. Each King’s soul warps and changes, taking the shape of an apple, golden and shining with a seemingly divine magic. When my mother gave up her soul for Dream to eat, to inherit her title, I…” 

The king trailed off for a breath, and Error felt his insides twist a bit. Eating a soul? That was… a concept. Fascinating, but also he couldn’t imagine a scenario in which someone would actually follow through with it. Of course eating an entire other monster’s soul would provide a magic boost, just like when monsters absorbed human souls, or humans overloaded on magic.

“I stole it from him and completed the ritual myself.” So, maybe that was why he was sick? “The ritual, as it was meant to do, provided me with power beyond myself, yes, but it also altered my mind and physical form. I aged significantly, something I had always assumed was due to the overwhelming force of the gifted magic. In a matter of moments I was old, my mind more clear and sharp. The way you knew me before was the shape I was meant to hold. That I expected to stay.” The King rubbed a hand against his good socket, the other gently resting over the mask sat on his lap. “Several weeks ago, I collapsed. And when I awoke, I had taken on this form again, and it seems my mind is reverted as well. Both have returned, aside from my memories, back to the exact condition that they were on the day of my coronation. So, I find myself back in my youth, and small as a result.”

He seemed to pause for a second, before puffing a sigh, “Or, almost the exact condition. It seems a wound I suffered the same day didn’t ever quite heal.” He ghosted over his empty socket and the cracks running up and out of sight beneath his hood.

Error stared at him a second, and he blinked in confusion. That was a lot of wacky magic shenanigans, and that was coming from him of all monsters, but he was processing something that had been glossed over.

“Wait, so how old are you?” Error questioned, confused.

The King blinked at his question, before Error caught sight of something he didn’t quite expect to see today. A slight lavender blush dusted the King’s cheekbones. Error’s not even sure the King noticed he’d done it. 

“That’s a… tricky question I’ve been trying to decipher. However, as far as my development and mental state are concerned, I regrettably appear to be 13.” 

The King seemed ashamed to admit it, but Error found his mind working a bit faster than he’d meant it to be. The weak aura, the weird magic, the short height, the baby face, the higher voice, all of it! He’d heard of cases like this. Not usually between monsters, but often when monsters would overtake too much magic, or too many supplements, or strain their bodies, they could take on a higher form before reverting. Usually it only affected the amount of magic they could harness, and no one had ever sustained one long enough to actually age before releasing it, but it wasn’t an impossible idea. If the King had been operating on borrowed magic? It was entirely possible that there was a sort of stasis provided to him. Especially since Error was pretty sure he never ever got hurt. 

Part of him wished he’d paid more attention to the books on the shelves back home. His brother would eat this up. Soul-based research with an abnormally long-lasting period? Oh boy…

“That’s cool!” Error blurted without really thinking about it. 

The King seemed to actually flinch about it, cyan eyelight looking wide at Error form across the makeshift table. 

“I- What do you mean?” The King questioned, obviously confused and shocked. 

Error frowned a bit. Did the King really not realize how much skill that takes to pull something like that amount of magic transfer off? Error’s not even sure he could do something like that, and all without losing himself to this other invasive magic?

“King Nightmare, it sounds like you were a torch holding a really really hot fire and you didn’t even get burnt. I’ve never heard of someone using magic like that.” And he blinked as he suddenly perked up, “You’re young too! We’re like each other! Doing cool new magic things that no one wanted us to do! Well, I mean, you want me to do it, but- That’s not the point!” 

Error actually leaned forward a bit so his elbows planted on his knees, and he squinted at the King. “I bet I’m older now too, that’d be really cool. What season is your birthday?” He’d not seen the King celebrate his birthday since he’d been there, but then again, the King was always busy, and Error didn’t pay attention much. 

The King seemed taken aback, but still spoke, “My birthday is in the spring, but-”

Error lit up at that, “Yes! I am older!” he exclaimed excitedly to himself. He’d never had anyone younger than him to hang around before! Granted, he’d met other kids at the academy, but they hadn’t liked him much. 

His grinning was cut a bit short when the King stammered from the seat across from him again. 

“Mage Error, I- I’m glad to see this news isn’t distressing you, but I please ask you to consider my next few words.” The King was watching him, and Error tried to tone down the smile gracing his face. “News of my… state is not being circulated just yet. Orchard is still recovering from centuries of mistreatment under my bloodline’s rule, and I am nowhere near to being able to restore the kingdom as I had planned. My goals will likely only bring more turmoil and frustration to the people, and while assassinations and other sabotage have rarely graced these halls, if word gets out of my newfound weakened form? This castle, this entire kingdom, could be thrown to chaos.” The King’s tone was very serious, and it sounded tired. “You, Error, are not officially my mage, but to prying eyes your studies here fill that same purpose. I was willing to take you in when I was sure I had the power to protect you, but I can’t provide that security any more.”

“Before I came here, I reviewed our contract. At the loss of my protection, you are welcome to request an indefinite leave of absence from the position, and I will have one of my knights accompany you anywhere you wish to go and ensure you arrive safely. I do not want to put you in danger due to my search for reform. You have no obligations to stay in this place nor risk your life for it.” The King’s voice was steady as he said it. “You do not have to give me an answer this moment, but I needed to inform you so that you have a full understanding of your options.” 

Error’s grin had faded about halfway through the King’s speech, and he could already feel the fuzzy numbness creeping up one of his legs as he tried to keep himself from lashing out. Dust had talked to him about that. His reactiveness. 

“King Nightmare, I’m not going anywhere.” he declared, crossing his arms with a huff. “That dumb contract you made me read also said I can stay as long as I want the position. And I want the position.” And the food, and the tower, and the courtyard, and the knights, and the King who listened to him talk about his explosives. “I don’t care if you’re short or have purple magic or whatever,” the King flinched at that, “ You’re still really smart and you have a bunch of really strong people you’re in charge of. Including me, by the way.” 

He was almost offended. He was strong! He was dangerous! The King had always praised him for ingenuity and sheer force of will placed behind each of his projects, and Error took pride in that. He was strong, and powerful, and he wanted to do fun experiments and help the King. Almost more now that he knew that the King was some twig of a monster. Now he didn’t have to worry about lame old people bossing him around. 

The King seemed to lean forward ever so slightly in the chair he was sat in, and Error didn’t shy away. If this was a battle of the wills, he wouldn’t be-

A sniffle. 

Error jolted when the King pulled his hands up to his skull and hastily dragged his sleeves against his sockets. Was he crying??

“Ah- Forgive me!” The King said in a small voice, “Emotional regulation, another damning loss from my sudden form alteration. I’ve been lucky I hadn’t embarrassed myself sooner.” He practically teased himself. 

Error let his body stop tensing, and he noticed the uncomfortable fuzzy feeling had fled in the aftermath of his bold declaration. If he’d had any doubts before that this King was actually as he said, this was the final sign. The King had never showed so much emotion before. 

“I think it’s fine. I get mad all the time and you never mind.” Error voiced, though he wasn’t sure how welcome it would be. 

At that the king laughed, and Error grinned to himself, looking away from the scene. He didn’t like it when people saw him cry. He understood that one all too well. 

A silence fell between them. Error wasn’t going anywhere, he’d made that abundantly clear. The King wouldn’t be sending him away, either. It went unsaid, but it was there in the agreement they’d made just hardly a year prior. The King never went back on his deals.

“Mage Error, I believe you wanted to show me something earlier. Now that it is dark, I believe I would be willing to have Horror accompany us out to the courtyard so I may observe.” 

Error glanced back to the King, and saw that he was looking up at the darkened ceiling. As though trying to predict when a string would lower down his newest creations. 

“Oh, actually I bet we can do it here. From the balcony, I mean. It goes up into the sky, so it shouldn’t hurt anything.” he said, his excitement gaining momentum once again. “I actually made test ones this time too, just to make sure!” 

Error swung backwards out of his hammock, and let the strings above him loosen to drop the item into his awaiting hands. 

The King rose from his seat, walking a bit strangely still, but nothing which bothered Error much. He was more interested in the curious face of his ruler as he approached Error near the balcony exit. Error wasn’t one to use his balcony often, he didn’t even have strings set up to pull the curtains aside, so he lifted one back so that the King could pass by, and he followed himself shortly after. 

The balcony was a thick one, reinforced underneath by large wooden and stone beams, the railing thick enough that one could sit along it like a high-stakes bench. Error did just that, pulling himself up so his feet dangled over the edge. The King remained back, hood pulled tight to his skull as the night winds attempted to tug it away from him. It took a few moments before he joined Error near to the edge, leaning on the balcony which was just ever so slightly too tall for him. His arms rested at chin-height and he seemed to be debating whether to rest his chin on them like an arm rest. 

Error watched from over his shoulder, and grinned to himself as he secured the little invention with his strings before holding it out for the King to see in the moonlight that illuminated the darkness. Them, the castle grounds below, the mountainside and the sprawling hills and valleys beyond. 

“I’ve seen people make these before with gun-powder, they always glowed red, though. So I infused some magic into the canister and the projectiles, and they should do something fun.” Error explained excitedly, pointing out different locations on the thing held in his strings. Long, slender, a mix between a crossbow and a cannon, but tiny. Only the length of his forearm. “Best thing, it should be quiet!” He’d noticed that some of the knights didn’t like when his explosions made loud noises, and a lot of guards came rushing the first few times he’d set off his creations. 

The King examined it for a few moments longer, before he nodded silently. 

Error snickered before he pulled it back into his grip and aimed it up and out. Away from the tower, where it should’ve been just over the large, round, open space in the center of the castle. High in the sky. 

He shifted, dragging his fingers along the surface, the long portion lighting up and flinging something from the end of the device. A little ball of pure white. Up, up, up.

It exploded. 

Error laughed in triumph as the night sky above the palace was set ablaze with a collection of little shimmering lights, like falling stars in all shades of blue and green and purple and white flying everywhere before going dark. His eyelights shot back to the King as he loaded the next round, and he was delighted to see that the single cyan eyelight was plastered on the smoky after-effect left by the burning magic. He desperately wanted to start telling the King all about how he’d done such a genius thing, but he found himself simply hefting the little device up once again and firing into the open darkness instead.

[jewishcissiekj]

my current Star Wars books rating for the 96 novels I've read so far. And Dark Disciple

idk if these are hot takes or if you can see anything but this is where I'm at

[dragonlands]

Hi new friend! I just saw in one of your post you mentioned that you read the tvd books!! That‘s super cool! Would you care to share one fun damon or defan fact from the books? Or headcanon, if you read em too long ago to remember facts!

We gotta make our own content in this fandom lol

Hi friend! Thank you for this question, I love getting asks. Also thinking about this kept me entertained trhough my day at work so a special thank you for that lmao! I read the seven original books for the first time over 10 years ago but I've been rereading now so 3,5 of them are bright and new in my mind so I'll concentrate on those!

TVD books fun facts:

• In the books vampires (if they drink human blood) can turn into animals. For example, Damon is often a crow, and he also turns into a black dog to fight Katherine, who is a white tiger in the scene

• Book Elena is definitely a Defan shipper. In book 3 she dies (temporarily) and her last wish is for Damon and Stefan to take care of each other

• Katherine is also a Defan shipper. It's basically canon she wanted polyamory and the only reason she faked her death was bc she thought her death would bring Stefan and Damon together

• For some reason I was convinced they're twins in the books but that's apparently not true. But they do only have 3 year age gap in the books.

• In the books they always competed with each other and weren't good friends, even pre-Katherine

• Damon always calls Stefan "little brother" instead of his name and Stefan considers this to be derogatory (I, on the other hand consider it affectionate)

• Book Damon doesn't kill that many people, he's still a grey area character but not a genuine serial killer like the show version (he almost never kills the humans he feeds on)

• Also even though book Damon is also a ladies man he doesn't have that many girlfriends during the course of the books (actually I don't remember anyone else than Elena and Bonnie and he never even really dates either of them)

• Damon and Stefan are from renaissance Italy, born 1487 & 1490. They both have black hair and dress mostly in black designer wear

• In the books there's a scene where Damon forces the sunlight ring on Stefan's finger (to protect him) so I consider them engaged now

Honestly I wish I could put some quotes bc some of them are fanfic level Defan BUT I'm not reading the books in english so I can't, but there's stuff where Stefan is literally said to put his face in really close to Damon's and be like "do you enjoy seeing klaus kill? does he let you watch?" which is so funny and sexual. I'd love to post more of these as I continue my reread, I remember as a teen liking the last 3 books most and there's more Damon content in them too if I remember correctly. FYI: the books aren't very good, but if you're desperate they do offer some good defan content, and they're kinda entertaining.

[dethkomic]

On Army of the Doomstar Day - And Remembering Jon Schnepp

Hey Goofballs. I didn't really have anything like this planned until the moment hit me, spontaneously. Today's a very special day, as Dethklok the live band gears up to go on tour, we've been blessed with not only a new Dethalbum, but a conclusion to the whole series. This being a momentous finale, over a decade in the making, I again wanted to take a minute to remember someone, just as I did last year..

Jon Schnepp was a guy you could pick out, even if it weren't for the fact that he was usually the tallest dude in any given crowd. He loved comics, music, good vegetarian food that didn't suck, and loved meeting his sweaty nerd fans. As a comic book artist myself, I had the rare privilege of meeting Jon on several occasions through the years at various comic conventions. We also kept in touch on social media, leaving likes and words of praise on each other's projects. Genuine to a fault, Jon was always the biggest fan of anything his friends were doing. He had impeccable comedic timing too. I'll never forget the message he sent me on Facebook when friends and I attended the first ever 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise:

"I want to go... :("

For as big a Metalocalypse fan as I've been through the years, Jon absolutely eclipsed me in all ways. He loved the show, loved talking about the show, loved discussing production and animation and the characters, whose likenesses he himself designed. One of my prized possessions is a comic book Jon signed and drew a Murderface on the inside frontispiece of. We all agreed that triangle-hair was the pinnacle of good character art.

When he died in 2018, I remember he was either going to be at, or had recently attended a convention in my former hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I remember letting him know I wasn't going to be able to make it, but promising to catch him on the next one. I never got the chance.

Jon Schnepp left behind a hole in the cartoon and comic industry that has yet to be filled to this day. But he also leaves a hell of a legacy. I've been in comics since the early 2000's and one thing I can guarantee you readers is that the rarest thing in the entertainment industry is this: Getting the ability to see a story through to its conclusion.

As artists, it's a sad fact that we don't always get to see what we create come full-circle. We're extra-super lucky still, to have that circle continue on after we're gone. Regardless of what you believe, I bet it would do Jon proud to know his work lives on, today. I bet he'd love the movie and it's wild animation and incredible art and music and story. I bet he'd be happy to have that closure. I know he'd love hearing how much we all enjoyed it, knowing the wild ride we all took to get here.

Jon, we miss you, man. Brendon, Tommy, writers, artists, animators, and any and all sweaty nerds reading this -- you did it. We the fans love you and we'll see you on the road. Hold your heads high. You carried the torch across that finish line.

We'll take it from here.

[vampirealpaca]

My thoughts on the pjo show (now that the season is over) (this is going to run long) Overall Rating: 8/10 :

Ok first of all, I actually LOVED the show and the cast is literally awesome; I do have some thoughts and feelings tho.

The GOOD :D

The visuals were eating ngl

THE CAST!!!! they literally were amazing cannot stress this enough

I think a lot of the changes were handled super well, especially Medusa (although I don't love all of the changes...see below in the next section lol)

I LOVED the set design for pretty much all of the scenes!!! Like the set & costuming was literally so good; sometimes it looked a little Volume-y but I think it's ok since they also clearly did a bunch of on-location stuff

Driving scene was literally so funny like no notes on that + the acting was On Point pretty much All of the Time.

I actually think they slayed with the special effects

Pretty accurate! (overall a waaaaaay better adaptation than the movies)

BLUE FOOD!!!!

More Sally content was awesome!! And I cannot stress this enough the ACTORS WERE SO GOOD in their roles!! Like I think they were the perfect choices ngl and I hope to see more of them in season 2 (if we get one, idk if its greenlit yet)

I also liked how they focused on Grover's character more (lowkey my fav now)

Genuinely had a great time watching the scenes from the books I've loved since Forever come to life onscreen!

The character dynamics were GIVING

Loved getting more info about Percy's backstory

The way they showed the Mist was honestly so cool!! This might be filed under Visuals but still...it was so cool

Fight choreo fluctuated, but I liked the Percy vs Luke fight (altho the scorpion erasure ;-;)

Again the chemistry with the actors like adkjhfdkjdfkjhdfjkhk I think the acting may have been my fav part honestly lol

All of the easter eggs for the fans!!

Rick's subtle rewriting of the story was sometimes very cool! (Like with the water grabbing Percy etc) --- you can definitely tell that he's thinking about how he'd change the story if he were to write it today

...HOWEVER i have gripes :(

THE LIGHTING WAS TOO DARK IN NIGHT SCENES!!!! HATE THAT TROPE WHY CANT I SEEEEEEEE (looking at u medusa scene)

I feel like they should've fallen into like…at least one trap without Knowing Everything about it. Like, I get the Medusa change and am pretty on board with it, but I feel like a few of the other changes weren't really necessary & messed with the stakes. A lot of the time it felt like I was watching them explain "Oh you're THIS person so you will do THIS so I will do THIS" instead of like...showing me.

Not enough blood (this is prob a Disney problem, not the show creators fault but like...cmon Disney...they have swords, let the children get More Injured...they are Fighting for their Lives)

Felt kinda...dryer than the books? idk how to explain it...like it felt like there wasn't the same Vibes in some parts if that makes sense, like they switched out a lot of funny moments (esp with how they changed Charon and the Crusty scenes lowkey im bitter)

the tone was definitely sometimes waaay different from the books (like it was way more serious I think, which is good sometimes and less good other times)

Idk if this is 100% true bc my last reread was a few months ago, but I think they separated the main trio more than in the book (?), it felt like they were duo-ed with diff members for a lot rather than building off of their main dynamic -- they had some trio moments but ig i just wanted more (again, I could be wrong on this one tho)

Lotus Casino not really being as Fun (the pumping lotus flowers in the air was a cool detail tho!)

It generally felt like they took a lot of the funny parts in favor of talking more about how messed up the gods are (which I liked sometimes!! but the kids are 12 let them have more funny moments too yaknow) (Rip the Died in the Bathtub line...gone but not forgotten)

I really didn't love the changes that made the story feel more Cliche and Basic (the ones that annoyed me were changing the entire DOA to just Some Standard Death Eater Looking Fellow & Annabeth's interactions with Cerebus being completely changed)

Mixed feelings on Gabe...I wanted him to be more evil at the beginning but I get why they changed it ig. Plus he was literally so funny when he (spoilers?) got murdered by opening someone else's mail. That's what happens when you commit a federal crime ig.

General Character Thoughts:

PERCY: Walker Scobell was such a good casting call... like you can tell he really cares about the books & getting the character right. Acting was on point, sass was on point (but I do wish he got to be sassy a bit More); Really gives off the energy of Percy Jackson and definitely was AMAZING in this role!

ANNABETH: She was spectacular in this role!! Leah got literally all of Annabeth down to a T --- her kindness, her pride, her wisdom, etc etc without resorting to any kind of "stock smart girl" vibe. She was literally SO GOOD! I loved seeing her talk about her dad, and the detail about her not having seen a movie is such a mood and so in-character lowkey. Leah really nailed Annabeth's dry humor and general vibe like dfajkhfdjhkfdhjk

GROVER: He was my favorite! Like, his acting was AMAZING fr!!! They brought a lot of newer things into his character that I think worked really well & it definitely strengthened his characterization --- he was also really funny & so sincere I just loved his portrayal of Grover!

HOWEVER I think some of the arcs are shakier since the characters didn't struggle as much, since they were figuring out a Lot of things

Overall, I took 2 points from the rating because the Spirit and Humor weren't fully there and I felt some of the changes made it feel less like the OG and more cliche (looking at u Charon). However, the great acting, pretty slay writing (except for the tone stuff), Vibes, and all the other stuff I think they did right pulled through to get it ranked a little higher lol. Plus, I liked it, even if I didn't like all of it.

No hate if u loved the show adaptation tho!! Feel free to disagree, these are just my thoughts lol. I really genuinely hope there's going to be a season 2, although I would like if they fix a few of these problems in that potential season (please...let me see what's happening in the dark scenes...please...)

[wastedwastelandme]

People I'd Like to Know Better

Tagged by @wind-and-cloud it's so exciting getting these!

Last Song: "Transcendental Cha Cha Cha" by Tom Cardy

Favorite Color: I locked in to purple when I was 10 and my loyalty has never strayed

Last Book: Just opened the first book of The Murderbot Diaries after getting all 7 for christmas and I am very excited. I have been hungry for a new sci-fi series for a while and it's already so fun

Last Movie: After close to 5 years of just kinda having other interesting stuff to do, the release of the 3rd movie finally gave me enough drive to watch Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). I was watching with an absolute zero amount of experience with any Sonic properties and all my knowledge of the movie itself was that Jim Carrey Robotnik has some homoerotic thing with a henchman and Ben Schwartz voices Sonic, and then I watched it and ohmygosh he's just a kid. He's just an incredibly sweet incredibly hyperactive lonely kid who just wants to have fun in his small Earth town and make friends with the humans. Then his human friends fully literally adopt him and now he's their alien hedgehog son and they went and got all his toys from his cave and surprised him with a full attic bedroom and they got him a race car bed!! There were of course a fair share of by the numbers Insert-Joke-Here movie moments, but also the rest of the time it was just having such genuine giddy fun with the whole thing that I can't help but be swept up in it (also people weren't kidding Henchman Stone was truly absurdly gone on his doctor)

Last Show: Speaking of things I'm only getting into years later, WOW Ranking of Kings is a good show. It really committed to how multi-faceted people are just from being people, that they will do absolutely heinous things and lasting harm will be done on purpose and by accident for pride and ambition and greed and grief and fear and duty and ignorance, for their future and for their families and for themselves, and these people will regret and love and laugh and show amazing strength and humility. That kindness and cruelty exist simultaneously but believing in their kindness should always be the desired path. That there is a reason behind every act and that reason can at least be understandable even when it is still unforgiveable or you find the reason lacking, and despite that forgiveness is one's greatest strength nonetheless. That people deserve empathy just from existing as people. And when you have nothing else, just someone believing in you can be enough. This is just such a rich story that banks on your initial familiarity with character tropes to then fill them out in such deliciously beautiful ways

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: My father fights a losing battle against his adult daughter's cravings for sugar

Relationship Status: Steadily single I'd say

Last Thing I Googled: "Can hang dry clothes be put in the dryer anyway?" because I don't want to ruin some new clothes but I'm also fundamentally lazy

Current Obsession: So when I say that I spent the entirety of 2024 watching all of Lupin the 3rd what that means is that every single one of the 366 days of 2024 had me watching one episode/movie/special/ova because when I looked up how long the whole thing was when adding every individual episode/movie/special/ova together there was currently 366 pieces of media, and I thought it would be a fun project to do one every day of the year. And not only did it indeed turn out to be quite a bit of fun but when you do that every day for a whole year the interest doesn't just go away 10 days later so I'm still right in it and probably will be for a while

Looking Forward to: I'm gonna be a bridesmaid for the first time in a family wedding this year, and there's potentially a plan for a trip to Japan at some point in the future too

Tagging (non-mandatory participation): @forcebook @tina-rocket @itmightrain @ellelalee @not-a-princess-but-a-queen @jackthesnacc

[ashflamethewaffleangel]

I've been browsing the WoJ website, as one does, and realized just how excited Mr. Author seems to write Mirror Mirror Marcone, and now I'm very excited for that book too.

Do you have any theories about how that will go? Will Marcone be a good guy? 👀 Omg what if he went from the army to law enforcement. Imagine what that man could do in SI. ⚰️

YOU HONOR ME WITH THIS QUESTION HOLY SHIT (so very genuine; you are my beloved Dresden Files mutual) but bear with me because this is gonna be a long post. I have toooo many thoughts. God I'm sorry. /jov

BUT GOD. YOU HAVE HIT THE QUESTION I REPEATEDLY THEORIZE WITH MY PARTNERS. OUUUGH. There are SO many ways this could go I am gonna be SO very real and I love every single one of them bc it keeps my brain shoomvin'!

But considering WOJ has mentioned that this particular universe is ours but gone to shit MUCH quicker due to one of Harry's earlier decisions "Mirror universe Harry is different by one choice. One. And everything else just follows after that." WHICH MEANS. WHICH MEANS EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME. UP TO THAT CHOICE. (I can't remember how early, so it could be a pre-books decision, or it could be a in-canon alternate decision) so Marcone depending on how early in the canon it is, I see a couple different options!!

NOW OBVIOUUUSLY. There are an ABSURDDDD Number of choices Harry coulda done EXTREEEEMELY DIFFERENT!!!! However. one that comes to mind-- at least if he's talking early series!! and from the sounds of it, he is, because he says everything goes to shit a lot fucking faster than our timeline-- is in Fool Moon.

Marcone gives Harry a choice in the Fool Moon garage; sign on and become an employee of his, or die by the people he's trying to protect Harry from. Marcone ALSO gives Harry the choice to stay off the case in Book 1.

What if Harry chose EITHER of these options? What if he stayed off the Victor Sells case? The entire series spiraled from there--- THAT'S THE REASON MARCONE CAME TO HIM FOR HELP IN BOOK 2!!! MARCONE, UPON NOT BEING ABLE TO GET HARRY'S HELP, RESORTED TO FBI AGENTS WHO BETRAY HIM AND TRIED TO FEED HIM TO A LOUP-GAROU. AND THEY WOULD'VE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT IF IT WEREN'T FOR EVERYONE ELSE (including Harry) STUCK IN THE PIT BELOW WITH HIM.

Now Jim has said he's very excited to write Marcone; so I imagine he's not fucking dead but. What if this series of events leads him to Nicodemus instead of Monoc? What if he becomes a knight of the Denarius THAT FUCKIN EARLY so he could better protect Chicago?; ESPCIALLY SINCE HARRY HASN'T KINDA LED HIM THROUGH TRIAL BY FIRE AND SAVED HIS ASS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS (as does Marcone vice versa).

But if Fool Moon has the changing point, then we've got a different route; Harry working for Marcone. That now begs the question of-- Would that have made everything gone to shit that much faster??????? Maybe !! As a consultant for Marcone? And telling him all the BULLSHIT that the White Council does? That the Red Court is doing? In his city?? Our evil Harry might be Marcone's enforcer-- as Mister Jimothy mentions, "If [Harry] was Lawful Evil I’m pretty sure he’d be Marcone’s enforcer."

Or might have been, at one point, in this particular universe. Either way, a very DELIGHTFUL choice of thought, but probably not where Mister Butcher is gonna take it.

Option 2; Marcone is FBI/Special Investigations -- LAW ENFORCEMENT TIME BABYYYYY!!! LAWFUL EVIL MAN STILL ON HIS LAWFUL ACT BUT THIS TIME IN THE MORE LITERAL SENSE! (/very jovial) I see this one happening if it's a complete Star Trek Mirror Mirror moment; he's still a powerhouse, he's still an ice-cold mf, but he's more of a deadly serious Fox Mulder, especially if the same event took place that made Marcone-- well-- Marcone! I'd see him being the same type of character, but more on the ground this time around; like he was in White Knight type beat; manpower and in-the-know folks taking down monsters to protect the citizens. Maybe he'll be giving our Harry a helping hand!! Especially if Harry is being framed for, you know, MURDER, as it's being told to us. Maybe we'll be having a soul-gaze, and because (I PRESUME) this universe's duo has already shared a soul-gaze it's a "Oh. Yeah no you're not lying. What. The fuck. Okay." OR, he's one of our main obstacles! BOTH ! AND!!!! Considering that Mister Butcher mentioned that we'll maybe be seeing something related to Marcone's capital n Name in this book... Definitely a possibility.

Option 3; He's literally just a guy! -- Less likely of the options? Yes. Still an interesting thought experiment? Also yes! This is ALSO based on this specific WOJ;

Q: I read the short story from Marcone’s point of view, “Even Hand,” and I noticed that John Marcone is not his real name. Is that going to be significant? Sure is if somebody tries to cast a spell at him using the name “John Marcone”! That’ll be a big deal. But we’ll have to see how that works out. Actually, the character that’s really interesting is the Mirror Mirror universe Marcone, and we’ll get to him in a few books.

Maybe! He's not John Marcone! Or, more accurately, he's the Marcone we see in Helen Beckitt's vision! Maybe he's still that charming motorcyclist who works for the mob! Probably VERY aware of word on the streets about Harry, and in Mirror Mirror, we'll see him go "huh. what the fuck." about our Harry! because THAT'S not the guy everyone dreads! This is a fucking goober! Powerful goober-- but tall, lanky ass, goober! Built his own paranet perhaps, due to the fact that Harry is not a "good" man in this universe.

I very honestly don't know, there's so many variations of these, ever so slight changes, and I am CHOMPING on my theorizing bit.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (The Hunger Games, Ch. 20)

(in which they easily fall into being a married couple)

"getting the broth into peeta takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, kissing" - this is so funny. threatening?!

it's like once they've started kissing, they can't stop. like it's an absentminded habit

katniss gets into the sleeping bag with peeta and it's "toasty warm" and she "snuggles down gratefully"

she acknowledges that by teaming up with him, she's made herself much more vulnerble but decides to trust the "instinct" that made her go looking for him even when she knew he was injured (i thought you said it was so the district 12 people weren't mad at you, katniss?)

"i woke up and you were gone... i was worried about you" peeta got his girl again and decided that's it, we can never be separated

peeta's capacity to flirt with/tease katniss while possibly dying is truly remarkable. his humour is really something special and so easy in such horrific times for them. never forget what the movies took from us

"he catches my hand and presses it against his lips. i remember my father doing this very thing to my mother and i wonder where peeta picked it up" - three things: one, peeta resembling her father again; two, peeta showing her love and she recognises it as love; three, her wondering where peeta got this from lol

as she lies to sleep, peeta brushes the hair off her forehead and this seems to be a specific thing they do for each other (my mind is brought to her doing it to hijacked peeta to help him sleep), but it starts right in this little cave, their little treasured intimacies. katniss notes that unlike the staged kisses/caresses they've had so far (how many of them were really staged though), that him doing this to her is natural and comforting and she doesn't want him to stop. she falls asleep as he does it.

peeta "brightening" when katniss returns even though he's miserable. he is so obsessed with her

so far katniss has been thinking peeta is acting with her but she chooses not to tell him a happy story involving gale because she thinks it won't go down well with him (or the audience) - so in some capacity she must sense that he is legit 'competition' for gale and that he doesn't like the idea of gale and her together.

the whole conversation about peeta saying he's gonna pay for himself since she's saved him and her asking him what he cost her again (a bit flirty maybe hm) and him saying a lot of trouble but that she'll get it all back. they're too much. flirting in a cave while all this (gestures to the games) is going on

him knowing when she's lying. which is interesting because at the end of the book when he finds out she was acting, he's caught off guard. and katniss isn't a good actress which leads me to believe whatever he's feeling from her is pretty damn genuine

the movies really took away so much of peeta's character traits. like boy is stubborn, he won't go down without a fight and they made him a damsel in distress and a weak one at that (think of the magic josh hutcherson could've worked with a better script)

"'what am i supposed to do? sit here and watch you die?' he must know that's not an option. that the audience would hate me. and frankly, i would hate myself too, if i didn't even try" - so here we have her going into a bloodbath alone just so she can try save him. she could win the games alone and no one would be mad at her for it all things considering but she cannot let him die. like she can't bring herself to even think of it

the whole bit where she feeds him the syrup berries and he realises and tried to spit them back up but she clamps her hand over his mouth to make him swallow. these two. "a stray berry stains his chin and i wipe it away" more casual intimacy

[crowcaws]

I've had some thoughts brewing ever since I finished NATLA, and watching Friendly Space Ninja's review of PJO really brought up a lot of feelings after sitting on it for a month so I'm going to try and articulate those thoughts here.

It's very interesting this fixation on the "word of god" and its involvement making or breaking a screen adaptation, to the point where you get unwavering devotion when a creator is on board, and outright disdain when a creator isn't on board. Both are completely reactionary takes that are unhelpful, especially when adaptations can be, sometimes, excellent without their original creators involved, and awful (cough fantastic beasts cough) when they are involved.

Regardless of whether or not NATLA was bad (it wasn't, it was just fine) I love that people are going "HA I bet Netflix regret losing BRYKE!" as a sort of gotcha, as if Korra didn't prove like a decade ago that Bryke are not infallible screenwriters. As if those same people, when the show was first announced and Bryke were on board, didn't even think to consider that Bryke are just two of the writers that made a great show.

Because fandom has a problem where it doesn't actually care or consider if the original creators are a good fit or not, if their involvement will harm the adaptation or help it, or if their recent work is still up to scratch with their original work. Fandom just wants a security blanket in the form of a name on a credits list, to the point of almost cult-like devotion that makes or breaks their opinion of content before it's even released.

This devotion is how you end up with fans doing logical backflips when their perfect book accurate Percy Jackson adaptation that "Uncle Rick" promised is now changing a bunch of stuff for not very good reasons, and now they have to either do mental gymnastics to justify questionable choices or admit that Rick can be wrong.

Percy Jackson had Rick Riordan on board and that series, let's be honest here, was just fine too. It wasn't groundbreaking, it did not surpass the source material on most points (I say most because all that Sally content was inspired) and fell short in a lot of ways that have been outlined by critics more articulate than I. Some of that, I suspect, was due to Rick's fixation on this adaptation being the antithesis of the 2010 movies to the point where it feels like they refused to let the show be fun and colourful in parts where it should have been. His involvement, as a book author delving into screenwriting, cannot be proven to have been more beneficial than if he had simply consulted and set boundaries and left it at that.

And of course Joanne is a fuckwit. But even creatively, you can't tell me that the fantastic beasts movies were better for her meddling.

But back to PJO and NATLA: I genuinely feel like we got very similar end products with both shows. An underwhelming foray into live action adaptation that suffers from too few episodes and disappointing characterisation save for a few standout roles (In this case, Sally, and Zuko and Iroh), and some problems aside that each show varies on, but ultimately still delivers something entirely and completely watchable. Percy Jackson has at least a tiny bit better characterisation overall, but cannot hold a candle to the fight choreography and special effects in NATLA (partly because in PJO they had a bad habit of cutting away or writing out every time anyone was mean to do something heroic or actually fight.) And yet you cannot speak a bad word about PJO, but NATLA is torn to shreds.

Back to NATLA and the Bryke: Almost nobody, in this whole time from the NATLA announcement to airing, has made comment on the absence of Aaron Ehasz, who was not involved with Korra either. They were happy to celebrate when Bryke was involved, and mourn when they departed, but you should have been mourning Aaron this whole time, if anyone. Aaron wrote Tales from Ba Sing Se, if you weren't aware. Arguably the most memorable episode of the Last Airbender, so emotionally rich and captivating that even hearing the instrumentals of that song in NATLA brought me to tears.

So why wasn't Aaron's absence ever felt? Well, that is because the fans saw "original creators" in headlines and ran with it without question as a sure sign of victory (and then failure when Bryke departed). Because fandom doesn't really care WHOSE name is in the credits, fandom just wants that sense of security -- and it's a false sense of security, because Annabeth and Katara both still ended up gutted of their depth at the end of the day. The presence of Rick didn't save Annabeth any more than the absence of the ATLA writers doomed Katara.

[watchoutforthefanfics]

I could be your crush, crush, crush (part two) || Reddie (IT)

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Part 1

Inspiration: this post + Crush by Tessa Violet

Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak was built for a strict schedule and precision arrival. Of all the days to fuck up, he does it on his first official day of college. But upon running into an old friend, there just may be a positive to this shitty day after all.

TWs: explicit language, kissing, anxiety, and sex jokes.

[[A/N: You guys don't know how much I research to make Eddie's like 'fact' dialogue. Also, you guys just have to know that Stan and Bev were coaching Richie, so in spirit they are here lmao. Anyway. Enjoy :)) ]]

Eddie was maybe losing his mind.

Or well, he was kind of acting the same as he always does. But worse. A little worse. Okay, a lot worse.

"That one's nice," Ben spoke up -voice crinkly from the phone.

He was currently on call with some of his closest friends at this point. Ben, who he was acquaintances with in middle school and then befriended in high school, Mike, who stopped being homeschooled (always lived in Derry) until 11th grade, and Bill, who he'd known since kindergarten (actually was his crush then) and only really became actual friends in high school. They had all heard of Richie (Mike through stories). Bill had actually been close friends with him -kept in contact and had decidedly never fucking told Eddie. Which he was still fucking bitter about-

"Nice?!" Eddie nearly screeched, shaking the red shirt on the hanger, "-I don't want to look nice, Ben. I want to look... you know, good. Handsome, whatever the fuck."

"Wh-What's the d-difference?" Bill asked -somewhat genuinely.

"It's not-" Eddie huffed, coming up empty, "-I don't know, but there is one."

Mike interrupted then, passively, "No, he's right. There is a difference. What about one of your running shirts?"

"You want me to dress up into my fucking running clothes?" Eddie hissed out, hanging the shirt back up, "-Like it's nothing special? That's... I know it's casual, but fuck-"

"You're g-going to g-get icecream, Eddie," Bill emphasized, "-P-Plus, Richie w-went crazy f-for those f-fucking red sh-shorts in middle sch-school."

Eddie blinked (what), "Seriously? My gym shorts?"

"They w-weren't g-gym sh-shorts. They were f-fucking tiny as sh-shit," Bill corrected.

"Well," Eddie scrambled, listing, "-you're supposed to wear fucking... tight shit. To keep you cool, to improve circulation, to move freely-"

"We get it, Eddie," Mike laughed -effectively stopping Eddie in his tracks, "-That's actually very helpful, Bill. So, good call."

"How is that fucking helpful?" Eddie questioned, frustrated and flustered.

"We know what Richie likes now," Ben answered, smiling.

"Yeah," Bill commented, "-the more s-skin the better."

"Fuck you guys," Eddie hissed out, turning toward his closet and ruffling through shirts (primarily athletic or casual tanktops, by the way, for no particular reason), "-I'll just do this shit myself-"

He did not do it himself. And they did end up on shorts (which apparently all he had were tiny ones), and a loose tanktop -the kind that showed a little more than half of his sides. Eddie had ranted about bug bites and the more exposed skin meant more ways to get fucking lyme disease, but he still put it in the pile.

And then, he stared at the pile day after day. Day after Richie-filled day, actually.

They both were acting relatively normal. Well, maybe when their hands brushed together on walks, they wouldn't jump away anymore (still turned splotchy red but it was better), or when Richie wanted to carry Eddie's books, Eddie stopped fighting him on it. Or maybe after a few days, Richie showed up with a brand-new red backpack-

"Seriously?" Eddie laughed a little -eyeing it for a second.

"Yeah, I mean," Richie motioned to it, smiling -maybe a little nervously, "-You still like red, right?"

"I do," Eddie smiled at him, before slowly extending his hands forward to grab it, "-but you didn't have to do that. I was going to get one-"

"Eh," Richie shrugged, nonchalantly, "-I wanted to."

It should be noted, that after that day, Richie started fighting him to carry his backpack. Eddie fought him on that, for a multitude of reasons, but Richie always had a way of ending up with two different straps on his back. Eddie was frankly infuriated by his fucking... charisma, it drove him fucking insane. Everything about Richie Tozier drove him insane, so much so that he either wanted to smack his (frustratingly) handsome face or kiss the shit out of him.

Tragically, Eddie couldn't do the second option yet -even if he wanted it so bad it physically burned.

"Relax, Eddie," Bill piped up from yet another group call (his prepping one), "-it's j-just Richie."

"Well, yeah, but it's a date," Eddie exhaled a breath -fidgeting with his hair in the mirror (should he brush his teeth?).

"It's just a few extra things," Mike reasoned, definitely trying to calm him down, "-It's just like hanging out-"

"But you c-can make out now," Bill continued, casually.

Eddie's face burst into a fucking embarrassing shade of red, "Shut up, Bill. You're such an asshole."

"Wh-What?" Bill called out, "-You c-can, if you w-want. And I know you w-want to."

"Bill-" Eddie screeched -red burning his cheeks brighter.

"Look," Ben interrupted before it could get too far, "-Eddie, just remember that Richie likes you. So, you don't have to act any differently."

"Exactly," Mike agreed, "-so keep up the affectionate insults, or whatever the fuck you two have going on. Richie probably loves that shit."

"He d-does," Bill quickly confirmed.

"God," Eddie sighed out, pinching the bridge of his nose, "-you guys suck. Except for you, Ben, you're my favorite now."

"Hey, I've known you l-longer than-"

Bzzt, bzzt.

Eddie shot his phone back from his ear.

rich 💞

here

"Fuck," Eddie scrambled for a second, bringing his phone to his eat again, "-he's here-"

"Eddie, calm down," Mike insisted, voice ever-so-smooth (like it always was), "-You're already ready, just-"

"G-Go bat your eyes a-at him," Bill interrupted again -persistently, "-He'll c-cave so f-fucking quick."

"Shut up, Bill," Eddie hissed -shuffling through his bedroom a little like a chicken with his head cut off (he literally had everything already ready, just to be clear), "-I fucking-"

Knock, knock.

"Eds?" Richie called.

"Fuck," Eddie muttered, "-I have to go guys. He's at the door."

"Good luck, Eddie!" Ben called, and then, Eddie promptly hung up.

Eddie took a deep breath in and then out, patting his pockets (wallet, phone, and keys). He fidgeted with his hair again-

"Are you dead in there?" Richie laughed, but there was something off (maybe nerves), "-Do I need to bust in? Criminal minds finding the suspect style? Because honestly, I might be able to-"

"If you put a hand on my door," Eddie bit back, making his way to the door, "-you're paying my rent for a month."

He could hear Richie laugh, and something in Eddie relaxed -smiling a little.

It's just Richie.

Eddie swung the door open and was met with one Richie Tozier. The Richie Tozier. The one he doodled the name of in the margins of his notebooks with a big heart around it (and then dramatically scribbled out with every inch of anger he could, but still). And that Richie Tozier was shooting up like a beanstalk with all knobby knees, too long limbs, and his Dad's old button-ups. And somehow, Eddie still like he so much that he felt like he physically was constantly vibrating from it.

But now, Richie Tozier was tall, and his limbs weren't long in comparison to his body (which wasn't as bony around the edges anymore), and his hair was long, and he actually somehow used the button-ups properly. But, at his very core, was still the same Richie Tozier that Eddie Kaspbrak wanted to ask him to the 8th grade formal.

He skimmed along his outfit: a white graphic tee with Smokey the Bear on it (the words 'only you can prevent wildfires' in a rainbow of colors) and a pair of green cargo pants that were supposed to look big but still somehow fit him. Eddie wanted to bite his own head off because of how endearing he found his stupid fucking t-shirts.

"Hi," Eddie offered, bouncing on his heel a little (nervous energy bubbling through his body).

He watched Richie's eyes flutter down his own outfit (and he did notice a hitch on his legs, fuck you, Bill) -which made him want to burst into fucking flames.

"Hi," Richie repeated, smiling -fingers fidgeting with each other (Eddie recognized it as nerves near immediately), "-You look... um, you look nice. Wait, fuck, that sounds-"

Eddie's lips quirked into a smile.

"-I mean, you do look nice. But that's just... It's fucking boring, and you're like... Wow, ya know? So, more than nice. Good. You look good. Cute. Hot? I don't-"

Eddie laughed, and it shot Richie out of his rant again -eyes looking at him like a moth to a flame (what the fuck), "You look good too, dipshit."

Richie smiled and let his eyes fall to the ground for a second (Eddie wanted to kiss him so bad that he flexed his hands), before looking back up, "Thanks, Eds."

Eddie took a second, maybe waiting for Richie to make the move. All he did was blink at him.

Eddie shook his head and laughed a little, taking Richie's hand -fluidly, and dragging him away, "Let's go, moron."

(He missed Richie blinking owlishly at their hands and stumbling after him like a puppy. But, it did, in fact, happen.)

And then, they were out on the sidewalk.

"Where did you say it was?" Eddie asked.

Silence.

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows, pulling off into the entrance of some shop, and turning back to Richie, "Rich? What's-"

Richie was staring at their hands, unabashedly. His face blossomed a red that was so bright that Eddie thought, for a second, he should be concerned. He tugged at their hands once, and watched Richie's face flicker back into motion -eyes shooting up to Eddie's.

Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"That's so fucking embarrassing," Richie echoed out, and Eddie felt his body physically burn with the fact that he could just pull him forward and kiss the shit out of him -right there.

"It's cute as shit," Eddie clarified, pink flaring up his cheeks, "-don't worry about it."

Before Richie could say anything about it, and it looked like he was going to, Eddie followed up.

"Where is the icecream place?"

Richie laughed a little, "Are you seriously going to call me cute and then just brush over that shit?"

"I'm just fucking complimenting my date," Eddie pointed out, still a little flustered (because Richie always worked him up that way), "-That's completely normal."

"Your date, right," Richie blinked a few times, "-But like, cute? Me? Seriously?"

Eddie turned to fully face him now, "What? It's fucking cute, it just is, asshole. Why would that be weird?"

"I just-" Richie held his arms up like he was being puppeteer -showing himself off (and Eddie was definitely looking), "-I'm a fucking nerd, not... I'm not..."

Eddie took a second, before understanding, "What? Attractive?"

"I mean," Richie laughed, nervously, "-yeah."

Eddie blinked. Broad shoulders, big hands, strong nose, good jaw-

"Are you serious?" He finally said, genuinely confused.

"Um," Richie repeated, less certain now -eyes flicking all over Eddie's face (trying to read him) "-yes."

Eddie huffed out a breath, defensive somehow, "You are so fucking stupid."

"Jeez, man," Richie let out a shocked laugh, "-let a man have fucking insecurities-"

"You're so hot that it makes me want to rip my hair out, dickweed," Eddie interrupted -sharply.

Richie blinked once, squeaking out, "What?"

"Plus," Eddie pointed out, "-I liked you in middle school when you were wearing your big as fuck Dad's hand-me-downs. Ugly hand-me-downs. Anything is an upgrade."

Richie laughed a little, "That is a good point. You're just, um... like so fucking... perfect. So, I'm like-"

Perfect. His mind went blank. What the fuck-

"-kinda in disbelief, I guess."

Eddie blinked, repeating -blankly, "Perfect?"

Richie pursed his lips, before hesitantly continuing, "Yeah, you're like... angelic, Eds. I dunno if this is weird to say but you're like... beautiful. To me, I guess."

Eddie blinked again. Jesus Christ-

They hadn't even gotten icecream yet, they haven't even gotten icecream yet, they haven't even gotten icecream yet-

"Let's go," Eddie spoke, turning in his place.

"Wait," Richie tried to pull back, but Eddie was one stubborn, fast-moving fucker, "-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Shut up," Eddie spun back around -suddenly, "-don't fucking apologize."

Richie blinked, wide eyes behind his lens, "So... it was good?"

"Great," Eddie confirmed, letting his eyes linger on his face for a second (kiss him, kiss him, kiss him-), "-Let's actually go on a fucking date, okay?"

"Okay," Richie swallowed, but still diligently seemed to straighten.

"Now," Eddie leveled again, frustrated, "-can you, please, tell me where the fuck it is?"

Richie laughed, and did so.

The rest of the walk was... almost weird. But also not at all. Well, except for the fact that every second Eddie was reminded of the fact that he wanted to kiss Richie so badly that it physically hurt-

Felt it as Richie nonchalantly ordered for him (he remembered?) -toppings and all. Felt it as he fought to pay, won, and said "You can get it next time, deal?". Felt it as he pocketed a couple of extra napkins, casually. Felt it as he, with ease, wrapped one around Eddie's cone because "You hate it getting on your hands". Felt it as he guided Eddie to a table, and took the chair more in the sun -even though Eddie was wearing literal shorts. Felt it as Richie took some of the napkins and tried to wipe off the table as much as he could like it was the most normal thing in the world (and then gave Eddie the rest). Felt it as he finally settled in and gave Eddie his entire attention like he'd never wanted to look away. Felt it as he held out his hand for the cherry, because he knew Eddie didn't like them-

God.

"So," Richie suggestively raised his eyebrows, "-you come here often?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, and said flatly, "You're such an idiot."

They passed a moment in silence.

"Honest question," Richie started, eating some of his icecream, "-This will be embarrassing if you didn't, but... Did you have like a counsel of friends to pick up your outfit?"

Eddie paused, pressing his lips into a thin line, "Maybe. Did you?"

Richie grinned, tilting his head slightly, "Maybe."

"I'm actually friends with Ben and Bill now," Eddie added, adjusting his hold on the cone.

"Shit, really?" Richie asked, before furrowing his eyebrows, "-Wait, Billy has my number-"

"Yeah, I know," Eddie huffed out, "-I'm still pissed at him."

Richie laughed, eyes fell to his icecream. Thinking for a moment.

"Would you have..." Richie started, turning his attention back to Eddie -eyes open with a genuine sort of curiosity, "-Would you have reached out?"

"Of course," Eddie spoke -unhesitantly, "-You're the best friend I've ever had. Would you not... want me to?"

"No, what-" Richie shook his head, "-I would've called you like the day after we moved. I did. Actually."

Eddie paused, "Really?"

"Yeah," Richie picked at the wrapper on his cone, repeating, "-of course."

"My Mom never let me use the phone," Eddie explained, maybe a little guiltily, "-and I really never had a cell."

"I figured," Richie smiled, bittersweet and Eddie felt an ache in his chest.

Eddie paused for a second, "I'm sorry."

"Don't, Eds-" Richie grabbed his wrist, and Eddie's mind hummed, "-It wasn't your fault. And honestly, I'm just happy to have you back now."

Eddie smiled, and Richie seemed happy with that -dropping his wrist (the way his brain craved more was fucking embarrassing).

"Kinda fucked that he didn't give me your number though," Richie remarked.

Eddie laughed, "Fucking exactly. He's such an asshole."

And then, he caught something.

On Richie's lip, there was a teeny smudge of chocolate. And you know, it would probably be the first of many, but something made Eddie want to fix it. (Maybe because it was Eddie Kaspbrak and he hated shit like that, or maybe because it was drawing unnecessary attention to his lips, which Eddie couldn't handle.)

"You-" Eddie motioned to the left side of his face, "-You've got something."

"Shit, really?" Richie moved to wipe, and completely missed it.

"No," Eddie frowned, motioning again, "-up."

Richie moved way too far up.

Eddie rolled his eyes, "Let me just fucking-"

He stood up, and moved his chair to beside Richie, and pulled one of the napkins out of his pocket. On instinct, he started wiping away at the chocolate -completely focused.

(Missing the way Richie's eyes widened at how close he was getting. Naturally.)

"There," Eddie sat back, putting the napkin on the table. And then, reconnecting their eyes.

Richie was staring at him.

"What?" Eddie questioned, eyebrows furrowing and hand going to wipe at his own mouth, "-Do I have some on my face?"

Richie's eyes flicked to his hand (his lips) -following the motion, and then back up to Eddie's eyes in a quick flash.

Oh.

Eddie blinked a few times, and felt red bleed up into his cheeks, "Oh."

"You don't-" Richie started, suddenly nervously rambling, "-We don't have to, um... If you're not comfortable, I just... You got really fucking close to my mouth and I-"

Eddie watched his mouth move around the words.

"-I just, I got the fucking idea. And it might have been a stupid idea, actually. If you don't want-"

God.

Eddie nearly jumped forward, pushing their lips together. Richie's mouth clicked against his at the force, and the words were snatched right out of his chest ('hmph' bubbling out of his lips). It was only a second before Richie realized what was happening, and carefully started to react -one hand traveling to hold Eddie's shoulder. And the other-

Wait.

"Shit-" Richie cursed, snapping back and Eddie's eyes caught on the growing stain of icecream on his shirt -arms thrown up as if to not get it anywhere else.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," Eddie frowned, pulling out some napkins and hastily patting the stain on his shirt.

"Eddie, baby, relax," Richie laughed, and Eddie's eyes shot to his (baby, baby, baby), "-it's just a shirt."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have-" Eddie scrambled, fully pulling back.

"Yeah, no," Richie grinned, moving to tug Eddie's chair closer, "-There's no shouldn't. You should have, and actually, we should do it again-"

Eddie laughed, before feeling something drip onto his leg. Wait.

His eyes shot to his -which was currently fallen over onto the table and halfway melted under the hot sun, "Shit."

Richie laughed, and Eddie turned to him again, "Yeah, maybe we both got a little fucking distracted."

"Yeah," Eddie eyed the two messes, "-maybe."

"You know," Richie started, "-I personally think they're both lost causes, and I mean... it can't get any worse, so-"

Eddie furrowed his eyebrows.

"-maybe we could be distracted again. Before we clean up, of course-"

He burst into laughter, then. Letting it sink into his skin, fuck. Richie fucking Tozier.

He opened his eyes, and leaned forward -barely a breath away (Richie's eyes followed him), "Just a little."

"Yeah," Richie hummed, distracted, "-just a little, yeah."

It wasn't just a little.

But, you know what? Eddie Kaspbrak didn't really give a fuck. He was finally kissing Richie Tozier.

That was more important anyway.

[aurik-kal-durin]

My final Hilda episode ranking for all seasons, plus the movie.

S Tier: Most of these should be self-explanatory. The standouts I feel I must explain are The Nightmare Spirit, The Windmill, and The Yule Lads.

The Nightmare Spirit is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series because it introduces the Marra, and has some absolutely spellbinding folklore behind it, as well as some great character development for Hilda and David. I couldn't NOT put it in S tier.

The Windmill and The Yule Lads I feel are two of the more underrated episodes; the former is a superb David centric episode where he ends up being the unlikely hero, and the latter just has some really good folklore behind, and is a unique take on the Christmas special. It also has a very sweet moment between Hilda and David at the end, which makes it even better in my book.

A Tier: These episodes are not as good as S tier, but are still brimming with charm, and thus are a joy to watch. Whether they have some fascinating folklore behind them, some good character development, or some just some funny or otherwise iconic moments (like David standing up to the Marra, or telling off Frida) these episodes are just as infinitely rewatchable as S tier most of the time.

These episodes formed the backbone of the series and kept me watching from beginning to end. They form a key element that is missing from most other cartoons, and made the difference between keeping me entertained... and feeling like the series was being padded out with unnecessary filler, as has been the case with the majority of shows I've watched in the last 15 years.

B Tier: This is more of a matter of personal preference, but episodes in this tier I just found were a bit of a chore to get through.

The Black Hound, I felt, was a lackluster ending to an otherwise amazing first season.

The Draugen wasn't bad, but I always found it to be pretty "meh" compared to the episodes I have in higher tiers.

C Tier: The House in the Woods was just kind of a boring episode, and I have mixed feelings about The Mountain King. My biggest issue with the movie is with Trylla, the mother troll, her warped justification for kidnapping Hilda, and the fact that she almost got Johanna KILLED while hiding the truth from Hilda. Sorry, but I cannot overlook that.

D Tier: Episodes in this tier all had something that held them back, but weren't so bad that I had a hard time watching them from start to finish.

The Troll Circle was a bland and meandering opening to the second season, and it introduced us to Ahlberg, who was at his most annoying in that episode.

The Beast of Cauldron Island had a lot of things I didn't like, such as the continuation of Frida's awful character arc for Season 2, and David being reduced to a useless coward yet again.

Strange Frequencies made all of the characters unlikeable and OOC while focusing too much on the nisse, when it should've focused on Hilda's dad.

F Tier: These are the few episodes in all of Hilda that I consider to be genuinely bad to the point where they're unwatchable.

The Witch kickstarts Frida's awful character arc for Season 2, dumbs down Hilda to make Frida look smarter, strips the Librarian of her mystique from Season 1, and introduces some unlikable and annoying new characters in the form of the Committee of Three.

The Eternal Warriors uses all of it's runtime to make fun of David, reducing him to a useless coward, and giving us some really cringe-inducing scenes when he becomes fearless.

The Jorts Incident is the single worst episode of the entire series, wasting the potential of the tide mice on a forgettable side character and a lazy Ghostbusters homage... while also reducing David to a useless coward yet again!

The Giantslayer is a pointless time travel side quest that portrays the giants as victims even as they're carelessly stepping on people's houses and ruining their entire lives.

[jewishvitya]

Content warning: a picture of Nazi propaganda

Okay, so, I had a couple of replies from someone who seems genuine. These are all points either I or other people made before, but I'll try to collect them in a way that makes sense.

I'm not going to reiterate the list of antisemitic issues in the goblins narratively, I did that twice, here and here. I'm going to talk about why it's antisemitic despite this being a fantasy race with traits that commonly go together. I hope you'll forgive me if I'll repeat or quote things I said in other posts. I'll also use examples I've seen given by other Jews, like I did with theineffableshe (from tiktok) before. So, credit to her.

Fantasy and SciFi are speculative fiction. They take us out of our own world and our own familiar reality to allow us to explore ourselves. All stories we tell are stories about people. We only understand our own minds. You can't imagine a color that you never saw, you can't create a reality that isn't grounded in human experience.

That's why very often the struggles and the traits of a fantasy race are pulled from the real world. Either the real struggles of real people (with some exaggeration or magical/futuristic elements), or the caricaturized traits that were applied to a real group of people.

This is not inherently bad. This is just how stories work. All stories are derivative - they all pull from the stories we told before.

Here is what you said:

If you seriously connect jews with generic greedy goblin characters with huge noses that work in banks, then it honestly sounds to me like YOU are the one being filled up with these prejudices.

But here's what I need you to understand: we don't think we look like the goblins. We don't relate the goblins to ourselves. We relate the goblins to how we were portrayed in the past, to demonize us.

Goblins in other pieces of media can look very different. Because those are fictional, they can be made to look like anything. And they look like antisemitic caricatures.

To illustrate, here's a comparison between the game and Nazi propaganda.

The first picture is from theineffableshe. She traced some of these from stills of the game, and some of these from antisemitic Nazi propaganda.

I know which is which - because I've seen all of the originals. But if you never saw them before, do you think everyone would be able to tell which ones are from HL and which ones are 1930's propaganda?

And the two on top? One of them is the trophy you get for killing Ranrok, the main antagonist of the game. The other, is again, antisemitic propaganda.

Just a reminder that I'm not blaming Rowling of writing intentional antisemitic caricatures into her books. This is more complicated than that, and that complexity is what this post is about.

I showed in two posts the narrative similarities between the goblins and antisemitic propaganda. Here, I showed a bit of the visual similarities.

It's the collection of all the traits that creates the problem.

And you understand this. I felt encouraged when I saw you say:

This discovery honestly makes me feel uncomfy. Sure, it's just a generic animal horn, which isn't solely special to jews, but it kind of does start piling up.

Which is exactly the point. You get it. I just want you to see that it's still true if you disregard the horn.

You also said this:

Most greedy characters are portrayed ugly, which oftentimes includes large noses. And greedy people working in banks isn't a huge jump.

Greedy characters being ugly, ugly characters having large noses and greedy people working in banks are all stereotypes that are portrayed in media fairly often- How exactly is this case in particular offensive?

So. I'll start by saying again that the original books had no problem with the goblin's noses. They weren't even described. The antisemitism was in the other traits. But in these messages from you, there are a couple of issues: what we consider ugly, and equating beauty with goodness. For that, I'll get into the issue of the noses.

Beauty is cultural. I have a Chinese friend and we had long conversations about it, because it's something that fascinates me. The beauty standards around them are very different from those around me. We spoke about how it influences art and fashion and make up. You can see similar things throughout history. What we consider beautiful or ugly is not neutral.

I'm not talking about personal taste right now. I'm not saying "if you have certain preferences, you're a bad person and there's something wrong with you." I'm saying that culturally, some beauty standards come from racism. Others come from classism and prejudice towards poor people. Others, from ableism and prejudice towards sick and disabled people.

That's why the idea of ugliness being tied to evil is not neutral. People in reality treat beautiful people better. They're more likely to be assumed kind, to be assumed innocent if accused of crimes. It comes from a concept of purity, an assumption that moral corruption will be visible on you.

And it wasn't invented by white supremacists, but it aligns with their ideology. White supremacists put on a pedestal traits they consider better and purer. And traits that don't fall into that idea of racial purity, were the ones seen as ugly. If marginalized people's traits are considered ugly, and ugliness is equated with immorality - marginalized people are seen as immoral.

Exaggerating the phenotypical traits of a marginalized group to dehumanize it, is common. It's how racist (and transphobic, etc) caricatures are created. In terms of phenotype, Jewish people can belong to any race. There is no one way a Jewish person looks. But Jewish people tend to marry other Jewish people, so sometimes we don't completely look like the non-Jewish populations where we live. This was the case for Ashkenazi Jews in Europe. We were more likely to be shorter, to have darker and curlier hair, darker eyes, and there's much more. The "Jewish nose" is part of that.

European Jews were not considered white, they were racialized, and being racialized meant being subhuman. So the traits that the Nazis associated with us were demonized.

"They're shown as ugly, and that includes a big nose" is not a neutral thing. It has a very heavy history of white supremacy and antisemitism.

When you ask "it's a well established trope, so how is this case in particular offensive?" you assume every other case is harmless. I'm not accusing every single creator who made hooked-nosed villains of antisemitism. I'm saying that the pattern has pretty bad origins.

These traits that you listed commonly go together - but why? Most real rich people who hoard money don't fit that collection of descriptions. So where did this come from?

We pull narrative tools from the stories told to us, and we do that without always thinking about how those tropes interact with the real world. The idea of greedy bankers has been tied to the demonization of Jewish people for a very long time.

Rowling wanted to write a bank, and she wanted to make it magical, and she reverse-engineered her fantasy bankers from there. But when she did that, she did write an antisemitic fantasy race.

Goblins are portrayed in many different ways in folklore and in media. Goblin is originally a term used for a collection of creatures that have different traits, not all of them associated with love of treasure. They can be tricksters, but not necessarily bloodthirsty. And since it's such a varied mythology, there's no reason for them to look like this. There's no reason for them to be only loyal to each other. To either not care about human lives or enjoy the idea of humans getting hurt - which we see in the books.

She pulled more from antisemitic stories than she pulled from real folklore. And it was enough of a problem that antisemitic producers were able to pick up where she left off and make it as bad as they did.

So you're exactly right. It's how it piles up. I just hope you can see that the issue goes very deep.

[magicaii]

Hello, if you don't mind, can I ask, who are your top favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....Thanks if you want to answer....

Thanks for the ask! I have some ships that I’ve liked for years, as well as ones I’m currently really interested in, so I can talk about both I guess?

So in terms of ones that have secured a place in my heart, I would instantly think of meronia (mello and near from death note). It took me a rewatch of death note to warm up to them, and it's honestly hard to describe why I like it so much (look through my meronia tag I guess, I've been trying for years lol) but I'm a big fan of both slow burn and rivals to lovers and couldn't get the headcanon of Near having a one-sided love for Mello that persists years after his death out of my head. I like the way they work so well together on an intellectual level and the way they would both challenge and protect each other, and the grief and emptiness Near likely felt in the wake of his death not only resonates with me a lot but is also an interesting thing to dissect. They hardly had a real relationship with each other, and yet, Near must feel his vacancy all the same. I think I mourn the dynamic they could've had with each other had Mello come to accept Near as he is, and wonder what would've happened if they made up (the potential is unimaginable). I also think it's a fun challenge to imagine how Mello might ever reciprocate his feelings, since it's not very believable to me most of the time.

I've really liked oldrivalshipping (green and blue from pokemon special manga) for years but it's a ship I find hard to justify. They don't have a lot of interactions and a lot of fans consider them like a joke pairing? My appreciation of them is mainly based on the potential dynamic between them, taking into account them as individuals. Amongst their peers, Green and Blue are the more jaded, hyperindividualistic, "mature" characters, but while Green (guy) is upfront about it, Blue (girl) hides it very well. I think it's interesting to imagine what could happen if they got closer and how Green would handle Blue's capricious temperament, since I imagine Blue would have a hard time faking it in front of Green (he has a zero bullshit tolerance). In canon, Green has also shown signs that he genuinely cares about and values Blue as a comrade and person, so I don't think it's a stretch to imagine them at least becoming better friends and eventually coming to a deeper understanding with each other. I just think they'd have good chemistry.

I used to be like, really obsessed with dabihawks (dabi and hawks from bnha). As in, my real life friends were hearing about this shit. I don't think I'm quite as enamoured with them compared to before, and they haven't interacted in what, four years? So it's died down a lot, but I can still understand why I was so insane over them. They have really intersting parallels in terms of story, themes, character arcs, and aesthetics. The biggest sell on dabihawks for me is the ideological struggle between the two characters. It's not even so much about the romance, but: what would you do if someone important to you had the polar opposite view on morality to you? What if they fundamentally disagreed with how to handle the biggest issues in your life? They are so completely different in every way, it's definitely no wonder they're enemies, but what if they were not made enemies by the plot, what if they weren't the designated hero and villain? Would they still grow to hate each other because of their inability to see eye to eye? In essence, their conflict goes much deeper than a villain vs hero story, and that's very interesting to me. As for newer pairings:

This is so embarrassing, but, haikaveh (alhaitham and kaveh from genshin impact). This is a super popular pairing so I'm sure I don't need to explain why I like it, but again, it's the combination of slow burn and rivals to lovers. More specifically, I'm obsessed with the idea of someone caring about another person so much that they pay attention to and work around their flaws just to silently help them out as much as possible. Unlike a lot of the fandom, however, I don't headcanon them as currently dating. They have a ton of issues to work out and if they started dating in current canon it would not go well for them. Kaveh is unable to even entertain the idea that Alhaitham genuinely cares for and looks out for him, since he has firmly decided that Alhaitham is a heartless, self-centered egoist. For all his intelligence he has absolutely no clue that Alhaitham likes him beyond an 'intellectual equal' or 'house maid'. Alhaitham, on the other hand, has considerable communication issues and his inability to be kind is part of why Kaveh so stubbornly holds onto this view of him. I think their philosophical struggle is also a worthwhile point of contention since they are both obviously flawed (Kaveh is destroying himself, and Alhaitham is sabotaging the most important relationship in his life).

Gladnis (gladio and ignis from final fantasy 15) really took me by surprise. They seem to have a very deep and mature understanding between each other, and both take their lifelong duty very seriously, albeit in different ways. They've always been on the same side, but don't always seem to agree on the best course of action to take (think about the way they both treat Noctis). This is probably the best time to mention that I really enjoy relationships that hapharzardly border between platonic and romantic in nature. When you're a lot more than friends with someone, but you don't know exactly how to describe your feelings for them. Maybe you don't have time for love, maybe there's something more important at stake. Maybe you just can't bear the idea of having something so painful to lose. Whatever it is, those feelings remain undissected. That's pretty much how I see gladnis. I think the potential for something more is there if you squint, but it's a subtle romance. They already mean a lot to each other and are comfortable with their friendship, and I think their journey has brought them so much grief that they would ultimately seek reprieve elsewhere, just for some sense of normalcy. It's very tragic to me. I'm perfectly fine with a platonic reading of them too!

Lastly, I DO want to mention bkdk (bakugo and midoriya from bnha)... I was the biggest skeptic of them in seasons 1-3. But especially with all the ways Bakugo has developed in the last manga arc and the way he has come to truly understand Midoriya's importance in his life is very satisfying and feels well earned. I personally view bkdk as being most likely one-sided on Bakugo's part (that could potentially develop into mutual feelings when they're a bit older), and while theyre truly learning how to get along, I think they both have personal issues to work on, so if anything, it would be best for these feelings to be explored more when they're adults? I'm also a fan of the platonic interpretation of bkdk though, and I'm not really ride or die with them.

I'm sorry this ended up being so long!! I'm a yapper at heart, so I kept it to six ships hahaha. There are other pairings I like a lot such as sasunaru (naruto), kakaobi (naruto), nejilee (naruto), braime (asoiaf/game of thrones), kirimina (bnha), spinneraki (bnha). I enjoy answering these asks so ppl don't be afraid if you're curious <3

[gale-force-storm]

I, R, W xxx

Oooh, good ones! Ok,

I: How many fandoms have you written in? Do you have a favorite? Oh gosh, several lol. Looks like I've posted in 7 on AO3. A handful of very old BBC Sherlock fics from back in high school (like, originally posted on ffn old lol), several podcasts over the years (Welcome to Night Vale, The Penumbra Podcast, Wolf 359, Eos 10, and The Magnus Archives), and now BG3 of course 💕 I wouldn't call any of them my favorite, per se. I know it's super cheesy, but they've all been special to me in their own ways, and have generally been what I needed at that point in my life.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing? That's tough! I've always read a lot, so it's hard to pick out just a few. I'm not sure I'd call it an influence, but Douglas Adams's writing was a big "ah-ha" moment for me of just what was possible with words and descriptions. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's works (Good Omens has been a favorite since high school), have such stunning character writing and voice, and that's definitely had an impact as well. And ngl, I read a lot of cheesy romance novels in high school and undergrad which I think shows through in my romance and smut writing lol. As for fanfic writers, I've been genuinely blessed to always seem to end up in fandom circles with shockingly talented writers. I seriously don't know how I keep getting so lucky. To list them all and explain the impact they've had on me would take a short book on its own. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't be the writer I am today, and wouldn't still be growing like I am, if it weren't for all the amazing, talented people I've met through fandom ❤

W: What's your favorite pairing to write? Favorite pairing to read? *Looks at my blog* Well, for the current fandom I think the answer is self-evident lol. Seriously though, I am currently really enjoying reading and writing Gale/Tav fics. Despite how long I've been active in fandom, this is the first time I've ever done anything with OCs, and been in a space so welcoming to and enthusiastic about them, so it's been a really cool and exciting new experience for me! More broadly speaking, I love any pairing that's two imperfect people doing their best and learning and growing together. I want relationships in fiction to feel real and relatable, with all the joys and pitfalls that come with that

Thanks for the ask! 💖

[lunalillyhbhb]

Lea's home

Chapter 5

It's a pleasant Saturday, a gentle breeze brushes past my face. I wake up late with no intention of over exerting myself today, not in the slightest.

I don't have classes on Saturdays and the head maid has given me the day off. I intend to use every second of it to rest. God knows every fibre of my body could use it, given how frequently I've been pushing my heart of late. Most days it's Lea who pushes it, sometimes Mirin when she's feeling extra sweet, and on special occasions Mrs. Nicole would relish it. Almost every other day seems like gym training. I'm not complaining though, I just really want to rest for now.

The afternoon passes by lazily. I live by myself in a small apartment, equipped with a simple kitchen/dining room, a small hall room and a loft above for sleeping and studying.

I lay on my bed with my books and steth sprawled across, passively going through my notes for an upcoming CVS exam. The evening rolls around. I get tired and decide to treat myself to a small power nap.

I sleep for what feels like barely a minute. All of a sudden I wake up to my clock displaying 5:00 PM. Oh no, I'm late for work! The head maid is gonna kill me!

I quickly make myself presentable and run to Lea's home, heart pounding from the sudden overexcitation. I barely reach on time and get changed and begin my chores. I see Lea at home. Strange. She's usually never back home this early. She looks upset. Maybe I'll cheer her up later with her steth, I decide. She sees me from the corner of her eyes and whips to head to look at me, now looking even more upset. She motions to her room and angrily stomps inside, asking me to follow her in. I want to ease her thoughts but not in the middle of my work, that'd be too risky!

No I can't be like this. Lea is a very important person to my heart, if I can't risk this much for her then I'd be ashamed of myself.

I put aside my chores and step inside her room quietly, carefully closing the door behind so no one hears, and lock it. I turn around and am met with a weird surprise: Lea and Mirin looking ready to have a go at the other, standing in opposite corners of the room. Just what happened here? Did Mirin not do her chores well? I really can't think of any other reason. Lea points to her sofa directing me to sit there. I sense she is very impatient and close to exploding any moment now, and I don't want to be in the receiving end of that. I quickly plop down and sit in silence, watching my two heartbeat muses staring at each other.

Lea finally breaks the silence, looking directly at me like she's about to cry, "Was my heart not enough for you? What did I do wrong, was it my fault?"

I am genuinely confused now. "What do you mean Lea?". Mirin decides to join in, saying "Of course you weren't good enough. That's why she chose me! She chose me over you, why can't you just get over it??"

Mirin??? What's gotten over her? Does she want to get fired??

"Mirin, sweetie, pipe down a bit. Lea, explain to me what's going on? Help me understand!"

Lea slams her palm into her chest and cries "MY heart! I thought my heart was all you wanted and needed. But turns out I'm wrong, you're pampering Mirin's heart as well? Why? What more do you want me to do? You could've asked me anything and you KNOW I would've done everything in my power to give it to you, why go to HER???"

Ooh. I get the situation now. Lea and Mirin are jealous of each other.

Oh no, what do I do? I never thought it would play out like this, what should I do, what do I say? I want to hug Lea and cup her face, I want to stroke Mirin's head and tell her to calm down.

Mirin decides to become a smartass and throws oil in the fire- "You don't understand, you can never compare to my heart! Stop trying!!"

The sweet voice is no where to be found, Mirin now acting like a spoilt brat. Lea marches towards Mirin, grabs her hand and pushes it to her apex hard. "Feel that? My heart is 10 times stronger than yours! You can't even begin to compare!" As she says this, Mirin and I see her hand jumping with such amplitude I get jealous I'm not in Miri's place.

Mirin's face shifts and from previous experience I know she's amazed by it. But then she abruptly switches up, grabbing Lea's hand and pushing it into her small breast. I see Lea's hand jump slightly but quickly, pattering away to Mirin's pulsating heart. A few seconds of silence passes and I see Lea and Mirin pay close attention to each other. Lea starts getting agitated as apparent by her increasingly stronger heartbeat heaves and looks resolutely in Mirin's eyes.

"I know her heart the best, let her decide instead, right here, right now, between us both." And without waiting for Mirin to reply she marches up to me, grabs my head and smashes it into her pounding breast. I immediately close my eyes, letting the sound of her majestic heart thud deeply and fast in my ear, and I know it is beating for me. Before I can lose myself entirely, Mirin huffs and joins me on the sofa on my other side, leans into my other ear and arches her back, pushing her heart directly into my head.

My head fills with the cacophony of hearts, each thudding away uniquely, fighting against each other. I feel their hearts beating strongly against my face. I lose myself entirely, my mind fogging up and lip biting down, trying not to moan. My heart instantly starts pulsating so strongly, as if someone injected epinephrine into my veins. I am unable to think straight, and I know from the way my chest is rocking back and forth that my pump is begging to be touched, to be held. Lea and Mirin see my left breast vibrating more than before, and they are entranced by it. Lea reaches for my apex, and grabs my whole boob in her one hand, squeezing it firmly. The euphoric feeling of my heart fills Lea up and she grabs Mirin's hand as well, pushing it into my PMI, sharing in my rhythm. It's almost like in this moment both are working together, almost like they forgot this was a competition. I feel my pussy becoming increasingly warmer by the second, and my nipples pleading to be released from my shirt. Sensing my need, both my muses work in unison and unbutton my top, unhook my bra and throw it aside, and pull my skirt up to reveal my damp underwear.

Lea starts attacking my apex, digging her fingers into my chest as if trying to dig out my thumping vessel. Mirin focuses her efforts on my nipples, pinching and flicking it. They both start breathing harder and fast, my pants becoming mixed with their moans.

Suddenly we three hear a knock on the door and our eyes whip open in unison. I hear Lea and Miri's hearts thud with fear and anticipation, and their thudding is defeaning me.

The door opens and in walks the sexy Mrs. Nicole. She enters the room and closes the door behind her, locking it. Wait, I thought I had locked it earlier?

All 3 of us look anxiously at Mrs. Nicole, who's foxy eyes have narrowed into thin slits behind her glasses, her face a stern expression, turning me on even more. With her large tantalizing breasts visibly bobbing, she breaths in deeply and sighs out.

She walks slowly to me- "How dirty, what kind of shameful madness is this..... and how dare you do this without me?" her voice drops low and with quickness in her fingers her blouse and bra are off, her breasts out in the open. Lea and Mirin's heart kick up even more, and they watch Mrs. Nicole as they continue to play with my apex and nipples.

Mrs. Nicole bends down to my level, takes my hands to hers on either side, and aligns her nipples to mine and leans forward, initially rubbing the tips of our erect sensitive nipples against each other. I suck in a deep breath and whimper, shuddering breaths leaving my mouth in between haggard moans. My torso quivers and I'm finding it hard to hold my position.

Mrs. Nicole leans further in and now I can feel her heart hammering directly above my sternum, forcing my heart back into it's cage, trying to dominate me.

I am now a small prey being cornered by 3 beasts, all hungrily staring me down, hunting me, ready to eat me.

"You've been wet down there a while now, haven't you? Let me help you with that." Mrs. Nicole breathes huskily, she releases one of my hands and slips into my underwear, wet and dripping with pleasure. My heartbeat is felt in my pussy and my clit is so sensitive. Mrs. Nicole starts rubbing the lips slowly, coating her fingers through and through. My heart bangs hard and my chest starts hurting. I feel Lea also slip her finger into me, her other hand into herself. I can feel Mrs. Nicole and Lea inside me, both rubbing all my pleasure spots. Mirin joins in, her fingers finding their way into my slippery wet lips and into herself, her tongue hanging out like a dog panting after a run. My chest burns and tightens, my heart no longer making sense, as if someone stabbed epi directly into my cardiac muscle. I am being eaten alive by these carnal monsters and I am enjoying every second of this euphoric sensation. Mrs. Nicole brings her lips to mine and kisses me with a fiery passion, pushing her tongue down my throat, her breasts heaving heavily on me, nipples still furiously rubbing against each other. Mirin gets jealous and leans over and kisses Lea above my head and I feel all our hearts skip messily and sloppily. All four of us are a sweating mess, bodies tangled with each other. A wave of orgasm rolls over all of us, our hearts finally joined as a symphony of music in my ears and on my chest, haggard panting and heat filling the air:

Lea with her strong heart, thudding forcefully like a machine gun in my ears and moaning as she feels her heartbeat pounding in her wet mounds;

Mirin with her heart beating fast and deep like a caged butterfly, struggling to break free from its confines and her high pitched moaning;

Mrs. Nicole, her large breasts directly on mine, merging our bodies as one, her heart beating steadily with a deep bass as the mature strong woman she is, her low pitched moans sultry and erotic.

My heart gives out and starts beating erratically all over the place. I feel my sternum bounce and it hurts so bad. I feel the hot release of pure desire over and over again, all of us coming in unison.

I am sooo so close to reaching my climax, when I am suddenly pulled away from it all and my breath knocked out of me. Everything vanishes in a split second and I am surrounded in darkness.

In a moment of desperation I reach my hand out and-

My eyes open. Directly above me I see a familiar ceiling. The bed underneath me is wet and drenched in my sweat, my pants are soaked through and my breathing is staggered and short. My heart, as if still in the moment, continues beating painfully fast and irregular.

I quickly grab my steth and finish by myself on the bed.

It was all a dream.

The sensation of 4 heartbeats, simultaneously coming together..... it still lingers in my ears and body. This dream will consume my thoughts for a while, mourning the loss of what could've been.

And here I thought I wouldn't over exert myself today.