#he has cool magic powers and he likes her and he helps her practice things and supports her

[reflection-s-of-stars]

One really subtle, fun thing about the locked tomb is how they talk about “generalist” necromancy.

Judith says in Cohort Intelligence Files that Abigail’s necromancy is “generalist,” though we later find out her real skill lies with spirits. No matter how true it is, this is one of a few things in CIF that paint Abigail as a less-than-stellar necromancer (another one is the idea that her political power is what sets her apart from the others).

So “generalist” necromancy is seen as less advanced than a specialization, like Harrow’s in bone or Ianthe’s in flesh.

You don’t see a ton of that in fantasy media. In A:TLA, normal benders like Katara, Toph and Zuko are far less powerful than Aang, because he can bend all four elements. In Aurora (my favorite ever webcomic that you should all read), Erin has more prestige than any other living mage because he can do every type of magic. The Owl House shows wild witches like Eda, who do multiple kinds of magic, to be outlaws and outcasts. I could go on.

The reason fantasy authors do this is because they want to present magic as a skill/ability, whether it’s inherent or learned. It’s like sports or an instrument: the more you practice, the more things you can do, and the more things you can do, the better you’re considered.

And that’s the big difference between these examples and the Locked Tomb: instead of a skill to learn, TLT presents necromancy as an academic field.

In academia, specialization (like a college major, or being a specific kind of doctor) is common and expected. You’re encouraged to dive deep into one area of expertise, rather than being a jack-of-all-trades. That’s what necromancy is.

“Yes, Pent is a ridiculously powerful political force and talks to ghosts on a regular basis, but she’s a generalist. Not like Ianthe, who’s good at flesh magic!”

It’s really subtle, but it adds to the tonal blend of sci-fi and fantasy that helps make TLT so cool.

[reveluving]

the bump in the night ; rick flag x reader

summary: someone made Mrs Flag cry, and her family is not having it.

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, shadow-magic f!reader, reverse comfort & humour!

a/n: this AU is based on this piece I made a while back, 'cause you already know I can't do this special without hubby Rick and the kids! hope you enjoy it & don’t forget to leave some sugar! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

» wanna know what I have in store this fall? come & check out my m.list for 'reve's quirky reverie 🕷️'!

'For now, they had a plan, hoping it could bring a smile to your face.' ;

Coming home to his daughter's hugs had become an everyday thing if Rick didn't have to work overtime, but if the flicker of sadness in her eyes was anything to go by, something had to have happened while he was away.

“Mrs Bedford was saying bad stuff to mama while we were at the park.” 

It was the same thing she told her brothers when they got home from school, and just like them, it was enough for Rick to get the whole picture.

Ah, Mrs Bedford. Or as the neighbourhood youngsters, children and teenagers alike, like to call her 'the modern witch of the road', and not in the cool way. Her husband was no better, always bugging you at any given opportunity. The worst part was Mrs Bedford always antagonized you for it, even if she knew you didn’t entertain her husband’s behaviour. It was also extremely hypocritical of her, considering she herself has tried to make her move on Rick. A lot. Only to be met with disappointment each time. 

Her children were just as bad, too, to put it lightly.

“What did she say?” It was the green light Irene needed before she explained what had happened to a T, courtesy of her father’s eagle eye. Unlike most days, it was just you and Irene visiting the park since your sons had football practice. 

The two of you were feeding the ducks when Mrs Bedford came up to you.

“You on your own?” Was the first thing she asked you before you questionably said ‘yes’, despite Irene being there too, and the little girl realized Mrs Bedford wouldn’t have gone off on a tangent about you and your ‘possibly tainted history’ if her father or brothers were around in the first place.

“I don’t know what you did but I can see it in your eyes, Flag. You’re no saint. You can fool the others with your little flower shop and your so-called angelic kids, but not me.”

Though Mrs Bedford knew nothing about your powers or your time in Belle Reve, instead, spewing hate out of jealousy and hatred for you for being the favourable neighbour, she wasn’t completely wrong. You have hurt people, you’ve even killed some, but they were for the greater good. Since your freedom from hell on earth, you’ve barely used your umbrakineses. It wasn’t until the birth of your children, to which all three of them gained your abilities did you realized you couldn’t run from who you really were—it wasn’t right nor fair to them.

Then, telling them your story as a criminal and how their dad was once your enemy was another thing. You weren’t sure what reaction you were expecting, but it was certainly not amazement and sparkles in their eyes. As they grew older, they began to make sense of how their parents somehow knew people like Aunt Harley, Uncle Robert and hell, even Nanaue.

And at that point in time, Mrs Bedford reminded you of Waller, turning you into submission as you could do nothing but listen to her make a mockery out of you for turning over a new leaf. Irene had to watch your face drop as the woman insulted you, and she knew she had to tell her family about it. 

Irene insisted that she was fine about heading home early, even if you tried to convince her otherwise. She wanted nothing more than to do something about that glazed look in your eyes.

As soon as you stepped foot into the living room, a tear rolled down your cheek. You couldn't help but apologize to her, to everyone if they were with you then. You weren’t entirely sure if it was because you seemed weak over a bunch of words or their fate of ending up with you as the wife and a mother of their family.

Irene shook her head, hugging you with her face in your tummy.

"You're not a mean person, mama. You're the nicest and coolest mama we could ever ask for, and we love you." 

It was simple, something you've heard of thousands of times in your lifetime, but you very much needed it today.

Ever the sweet girl, she accompanied you as you lay in your bed, telling you random stories about what she painted during art class or what she ate at lunch, anything but the time Mrs Bedford’s son, Kyle pushed her off the swing while his older brother, Blake laughed and praised him for doing so. You didn’t need to know that. 

Not yet.

You listened with a warm smile, embarrassed but nonetheless thankful for how observant she was of your feelings before eventually dozing off. 

Irene was careful yet quick to jump off the bed, running downstairs to shush Richie and Ethan as they returned home. 

The more she explained, the brighter their eyes unnaturally glowed. Richie was starting to look like their father as he crossed his arms, listening to her like a police officer, while Ethan seemed like he was already thinking of ways to counter the Bedford’s undignified acts.

Basically, the Bedfords were not the greatest people. Each and every one of them. 

Though they had a myriad of ideas, they weren’t sure how much their father would appreciate it, even if it was for your sake. Still, they thanked Irene for being there for you, promising that something would be done, no matter what it would be.

For now, they had a plan, hoping it could bring a smile to your face.

After an unexpected nap, you came down to find your kids huddled on the couch, whispering and hushing each other. Curious, you approached them.

Ethan was the first to notice you, offering you a grin before showing you what was in their hands, “Look, ma, I think we got it.” 

You leaned in to take a closer look, only for your breath to hitch at the sight of life on their palms. There, they showed you the differing mass of shadows they conjured, a tougher one you just taught them about a week ago. You have always loved this trick as a kid, and it only aided your sanity when you were by your lonesome in the penitentiary. In a way, you were replacing what life truly was by making your own, even if they were temporary because there was no telling when or if you’d ever be free. 

Yet, here they were, prompting joy and pride as they held the wispy animals of their choice; Richie with what seemed to be an adorable little puppy, Ethan creatively emulated a bioluminescent jellyfish and Irene…

Oh, Irene.

She scarcely remembered how much you loved making her laugh by conjuring butterflies when she was still very little if not for the twins confirming it. 

The butterfly was as small as her hand, but the wings were majestic, idly flapping before flying over to you, leaving cloudy black trails and landing on your outstretched finger. 

You stared at their creations ever so lovingly, already on the brink of tears. You were just as mad at yourself for doubting your worth, and your potential, just because of the things you had to do in the past, for the sake of the person you were now.

You embraced Irene in a tight hug before pulling your boys in as well. You sniffled, absolutely joyous and blessed to be surrounded by the most loving people. Nothing could deter you from this, not even as the shadow puppy yipped and chased the jellyfish and butterfly in excitement. Your cat, Tofu, must’ve heard the commotion, too, as she came from the kitchen to check, only to be frightened and jump on the couch with you as the puppy came running to her.

Rick finally arrived about two hours later, coming home to hear laughter before he saw Irene running across the room, followed by Tofu and the shadow puppy in tow. The jellyfish laid on Richie’s head like a nest whereas the butterfly decided to make Ethan’s shoulder its home as they hung out with you on the couch.

“Daddy!” Irene greeted him before running over to him. He didn’t question the questioning look she gave him just yet and instead, hoisted her up, laughing as Tofu and the puppy pawed at his bootlaces.

“What’s going on here?” He raised his brows, amused by what could be described as a fever dream of a sight.

“The kids learnt how to make little lives.” You giggled, allowing Rick to sit next to you as you scooted over.

“And I got a new hat,” Richie gestured to the jellyfish, who he has now dubbed as Jelly. As if it understood, Jelly immediately floated away, leaving Richie’s hair flattened, “Never mind.”

You shared a laugh as he deadpanned before you turned to Rick, “Was work okay?”

“Yeah, the usual. Decorated the place today, actually.” He took his phone out of his pocket, opening his gallery and showing you and the kids the spookily tacky decor that furnished his workplace.

“Did you really paint ‘dead inside, don’t open’ on the entrance door?” The twins gawked.

“Fitting, ain't it?” Rick joked, prompting smiles and chuckles from you once more before falling back on the couch, “But at least I’m off tomorrow, so I was thinking we could eat out for dinner.”

“Oh! We should head to Pop’s since they’re also offering their apple betty.” Ethan suggested.

“Well, I think that’s a good idea, so,” Richie trailed off, raising anticipation from the rest of you before jumping off the couch and running up the stairs. Ethan and Irene simultaneously gasped before the former took his sister out of Rick’s arms to chase their brother together. You and Rick could only watch with delight as Tofu and the shadow creatures followed them too.

“Everything okay?” He wanted to know, but he wouldn’t pry if you weren’t ready to tell him.

“Yeah,” You nodded, gazing down for a moment before continuing, “Something happened earlier but…”

“Richie! You better not lock the door or I swear to God!” Ethan’s voice rang out from upstairs, followed by Irene’s ‘language!’, and you couldn’t help but shake your head in amusement. 

“It’s all good now.” You reassured him. You knew you could’ve told him, but it wasn’t worth dwelling on. You had children to nurture and a husband to take on the world with.

“The Bedfords?” He guessed. If it wasn’t them, then it had to be Mr Walker.

“The Bedfords,” You confirmed with a tight smile, “I’m just more upset that Irene was there to hear it.”

You didn’t explain any further and Rick took it as a sign to drop it. If they were able to make you this upset, then it was best to ask the kids instead. 

“I’m sorry,” He pulled you to his chest, planting a slow and gentle kiss on your forehead. He rubbed your back, sighing at the very mention of that family. Rick loathed that they were influential enough to be one of the higher-ups of the school’s PTA, though he was confident that money was involved in it too. He hated that they were reasons why you’d come home ranting about how Mrs Bedford bugged you again, or when he had to make sure Mr Bedford knew he was making a promise and not an empty threat whenever it involved their kids and his, "You know I can talk to them." 

It would do no good, but it was worth trying. 

"No, you know how the Bedfords are. Don’t worry, okay? Not now,” You kissed the inside of his palm before pressing your lips against his, soft, sensual and safe. Rick moved forward, deepening the kiss as held the nape of your neck. You pulled away but not before nuzzling his nose, “We should be celebrating.”

He nodded, though he knew it would only linger in his mind for a while. Still, he adhered to your wishes, standing up before offering you his hand to get ready, “Right, right. Shall we?”

You snorted, placing your hand in his the way a princess would when a prince asks for a dance. Unexpectedly, he twirled you around, wrapping his arms around you he pulled you in, chest to chest. You playfully smacked him, though it did very little to wipe off the pleased look on his face as the two of you headed to your room. 

You and the boys were the first to head out to the front yard, chatting and evaluating the decors of the houses while waiting for Rick and Irene. 

“What happened today?” He asked his daughter quietly as they stood at the front door, helping with her shoes while she slid on a jacket. 

“Mrs Bedford was saying bad stuff to mama while we were at the park.” She whispered back, swinging her arms as she watched her father tie her shoelace, “Like, really mean stuff. No one was around except us so she was kinda loud, too.”

Rick fumed, clenching his jaw as he could already hear and picture whatever nonsense she loved to spit out. 

“Mama got kinda quiet when we came home, and then she started crying. About how she’s sorry she was a criminal and how we’re ‘stuck’ with her powers.” She added. If anything, she and the boys thought your abilities were the coolest thing to have ever happened to them. 

He shook his head—who wouldn't crack after being subjected to their ways for so long? He hummed, hiding the seething resentment by ruffling Irene's hair.

"Can you help me distract your mother while I talk to the boys for a bit?" She nodded diligently, skipping over to you before Rick called out to his sons, "Need some help, boys." 

They rushed over, glancing at you before Ethan spoke up first, "She told you?" 

"Yeah." Rick replied as he locked the door.

"Can't we do something about it?" Richie asked with a frown.

"You boys are not punching Blake again." Rick reminded them with a small smile. 

"You didn't seem to mind it," Ethan mirrored his father's amusement, "He was yelling at our teammate and encouraged his troll brother to push Irene off a swing." 

"I'm mad, too," Rick was more than mad, but he couldn't let his emotions run wild, "Look, we'll think of something, alright? For now, just make sure she's happy." 

That's all they ever wanted.

The drive to Pop's was a lively one, and so was the dinner itself. Though you knew you'd be thinking about Mrs Bedford's words every once in a while, the smiles and laughter of your family were already a welcoming distraction as it is. 

Midnight rolled around, and everyone had returned to their rooms with sore cheeks and a full stomach. You were the first to slip under the covers after a shower, hoping you wouldn't be too tired as you waited for Rick, though it didn't work.

By the time Rick got out of the bathroom, you were peacefully asleep, your face just a breath away from your husband's pillow as his scent soothed you like no other. 

Rick smiled to himself, changing into his PJs before sitting on your side of the bed. The dip roused you from your slumber just a little.

"Rick?" You murmured, fluttering your lashes tiredly.

"Forgot to get some water," He caressed your cheek before bending down to kiss it, "I'll be back." 

You mustered a closed-eye smile and before you knew it, you drifted off once again, lulled by the way he patted your back.

Once the coast was clear, he moved off the bed, silently slipping out and closing the door before heading over to the twins' room. He knocked on the door, just enough for them to hear before doing the same with Irene's door and headed downstairs.

Rick sat down at the dining table with a glass of cold water, arms crossed and lost in his own thoughts before hearing light footsteps approaching.

Richie, Ethan and Irene carefully pulled their chairs back before taking a seat, and just like that, the discussion began.

But it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere and at some point, they just started shit-talking.

"Man, I wish coach would just kick Blake out." Ethan groaned, his head falling back. 

"Tell me about it. He's shit at quarterback." Richie clicked his tongue.

"Boys." Rick warned them, partially because his youngest was listening.

"Sorry." They apologized but Irene didn't seem to mind.

"How about…" She chimed in, tapping her finger on her chin, "We scare them?" 

"Like…?" Richie cocked his head, hoping she'd say more than just that.

"I don't know, I just thought it'd be cool since it's Halloween and stuff. And, well, maybe we could use our powers, but I know mama and daddy wouldn't want that." She shrugged, pouting because she hadn't thought it far enough.

"It would be a miracle to scare them without using our powers in the first place," Richie sighed, looking over to his father, "What do you think, dad?" 

No reply.

"Dad?" Ethan followed suit as the three of them raised their brows.

“How far are you in your shadow puppet practice?” Rick asked out of the blue, staring ahead as though imagining whatever idea he had played out. 

“Uh, pretty far, I think? Ma taught us how to merge our shadows into one if we wanted to make a bigger animal.” Richie answered, earning affirmative nods from his siblings. 

“How big?” 

“Like, this big!” Irene opened her arms wide to let him know just how big of a monster they would be able to make if they wanted to. They haven’t, there was no reason to, but the more their father asked, the more it piqued their interest.

Rick thought it through for a moment. It has been a while since he has seen you make that one particular lifeform, but it was worth a shot. If it were able to render Waller speechless, then it’ll definitely make the Bedfords piss their pants. 

No actual attacks, and definitely no killings. But he’ll make sure they shudder at the mere thought of Halloween. Put the fear of God in them. They had it coming, too, stomping on other neighbours’ happiness for years just for the fun of it. 

He just had to play it safe. 

He slowly broke into a sinister smile.

“You three ever heard of a hellhound?”

˚ · . f i n . · ˚

» a/n: ahh hubby rick <3 ;; gorgeous rose divider by @firefly-graphics ♡

[obsidianstrawberrymilk]

A short list of things I would have changed in HoO

It takes place ten ish years after the end of PJO. Percy and Annabeth aren’t a part of the seven but instead appear as cool older mentors to help out the Lost Hero trio. They both have careers and live in New York and go to Sally’s house for dinner every weekend.

Caleo isn’t a thing. In fact, let’s not even mention Calypso. At most we mention she was freed after the last war as idk proof demigods have some power or something.

More than 1 Asian character. Give this one ADHD and dyslexia bc shocker Asian kids can be disabled as well.

For that matter a properly disabled character. I have a deaf OC I would use if I rewrote the series.

Leo is aroace. His arc is about learning that his self worth doesn’t have to be tied to the people around him and his friends love and care about him and he doesn’t need romance to be complete. His flirting is overcompensation bc he doesn’t feel romantic or sexual attraction and is afraid he’ll be alone forever.

Drew and Piper become friends. Drew’s mean girl bullshit is outdated and boring and it would have been a lot cooler to see her icy exterior thaw and her help Piper with her charmspeck (explaining how Piper learned how to use it to begin with) and take on an older sister role

Neither Leo nor Piper become head councilors to their cabins because that’s dumb

Keep the chapter title style from PJO. It was so fun and one of the highlights of the series for me. The relatable nature of PJO in general was kinda lost in HoO and it’s a shame bc there was such a variety of characters for people to identify with there.

Give Reyna a girlfriend or at least a homoerotic friendship that can become an actual relationship in the next series or something

Frank is 14 and he and Hazel aren’t dating, they just have mutual baby crushes on one another.

For that matter what the fuck was ‘Frank is magically not fat due to Mars’s blessing’ bullshit? Frank is a fat character who stays fat but learns to be confident in himself and his body type.

Stop The Adultification of Hazel 2k23. Hazel is 13, she’s the youngest member of the seven and despite her trauma I think that should be obvious. I think emphasizing her relationship with Nico could be fun here - he’s in his 20s so him taking a more ‘that older sibling who toes the line between parent and sibling’ role here could be fun.

Also, I don’t want Hazel to have Hecate’s blessing or whatever. Between her being a magical horsegirl and the daughter of Pluto there’s already a lot of room to expand on her powers that was never used - I think doing more with her cursed jewels and metals powers and her learning the other aspects of her powers, like Shadow Travel, would be fun.

Instead I think having a daughter of Hecate as a part of the Seven would be cool, because we could still have a witchy character with mist manipulation and magic powers.

Give Jason an actual personality, please. Bro’s been a child solider practically since age 2 and has spent his whole life with the weight of other teenagers’ lives on his shoulders as praetor - give him perfectionism issues and anxiety. We’re told that he’s spent his whole life helping others compromise instead of being his own person - show that. Let his arc end with him deciding to try and live a mortal life and find out who he is beyond being a war general.

Show us that Octavian’s a piece of shit, don’t just tell us.

Leo and Piper are the ones who fall into Tartarus. Nothing romantic ever happens but we get heavy emphasis on their friendship and we get to see their grief over Leo’s mom and Piper’s grandfather respectively

Piper’s grandfather has died a few months ago and she cut her hair herself when her dad didn’t want to let her due to that (correct me if I’m wrong but it’s a tradition in Cherokee culture to cut your hair when a loved one dies, correct?), which is why it’s all uneven. A lot of her insecurities stem from going from growing up in rural Oklaholma (not in a reservation bc there aren’t any there) without much money to suddenly being catapulted into a millionaire Hollywood lifestyle and having everyone criticize everything about her and be really racist, all while her Dad drew farther away from both her and her grandfather. Her arc would be reconnecting with both her culture and Dad and learning to find who she is and her self worth again.

They defeat Gaea in a way that isn’t so anticlimactic and fucking stupid

[aidemint]

To Break A Habit | Routine Doesn’t Get You Kisses Like These

Summary: You kinda-actually find out he wasn’t joking about the spider stuff. Okay. But you’re totally cool about it. Totally.

Word Count: 5.1k

Pairing: Hobie Brown/GN!Reader

Notes: 5 minutes of screentime and i’ve already wrote more about this guy in a week than i usually write about anything in three months jesus christ

Masterpost | AO3 |  Part 1 | Part 3

“40081’s got this hoodoo shit goin’ on.” Hobie sighs as he makes his way down the main hall of Spider-HQ, recounting his mission discoveries from days prior. “Some sort of bad luck spell that’s making the world lose its plot.”

Gwen paces beside him, listening intently. “Sinister Six behind it?” she asks with a frown. “Or do you think it’s something else?”

“Not certain,” Hobie responds with a shrug. “But I’m close to catching the anomaly. Things should reset once it’s out of the fabric.”

“Hope it gets resolved soon.” Gwen sucks in a breath from between her teeth. “Miguel’s not looking too happy these days.”

Oddly enough, the mission so far had been almost deceptively easy—three days into the operation Hobie had already located and shut down a multitude of energy pockets emanating from certain parts of the city. A variant of Mysterio or Osborn was bound to show up soon, as the sites were likely siphoning vitality from the dimension. Now he just needed to gather intel about the effects of the magic while playing the waiting game. Luckily for him, he has a direct source.

“Relax Gwendy, it’ll be fine. I even got in touch with one of the locals for—” Hobie starts assuredly, turning to address his drummer, but pauses and swivels around when she’s noticeably no longer keeping up with his stride.

“You what?” Gwen stands frozen in the middle of the walkway, eyes blown as large as dinner plates with her mouth slightly ajar. She readjusts herself with a shake of her head, though her hands and shoulders remain raised and stiff. “Hobie, please tell me you’re not getting to know a civilian. ”

“Then I won’t tell you that I’m ‘getting to know’ a civilian.” A roll of his shoulder and he’s back walking, half-lidded eyes peering at Gwen when she inevitably joins again, bobbing and weaving through a downcurrent flow of Peter Parkers. “And I won’t tell you that it’s strictly for information about the mission.” A coy smile tugs the edges of Hobie’s lips upward. “Probably.”

Gwen looks just about ready to explode at the last quip. “You just told me— Oh my God, you know that, out of everything, is against protocol. Very against protocol,” she hisses, her voice lowering as her lip curls and she leans further into the privacy of only each others’ company. “What will you do when Miguel finds out?”

“You gotta live freely past the propaganda, Gwendy,” Hobie replies nonchalantly, patting a palm on her shoulder as a point of reassurance. “Just think about it.”

The best Gwen can offer him is a wary glance and a moment of hesitation, but he takes it with a grin anyhow. He’s certain she’ll eventually come around—the extent of their friendship isn’t something so miniscule that a few words of indoctrination would ever be enough to turn her.

It’s a nice notion to have, but he unfortunately doesn’t get much time to dwell on it—suddenly, his watch buzzes with an alert.

Hobie checks the device. “Someone’s ringing me, gotta bounce.” A few taps of an orange screen and a twist of a dial, then a portal opens up just shy of his left arm. “Been fun, Gwendy. Don’t blame me if I come back late.”

No matter how hard she rolls her eyes, Gwen can’t help but give into the smile that creeps onto her lips. “Stay safe, loser,” she responds, bumping her fist against his.

“Safe is practically my middle name.” With that, Hobie ducks into the gateway, and disappears.

How the fuck do you accuse someone of having spider powers without sounding like you’ve gone insane? Since morning you’ve been stuck in a cycle of decision-making for a seemingly hopeless situation. You thought the hard part was over after seeing the guy in the costume swing away on white silly string, but the mostly sleepless night and brainstorming the resolution to be had was another beast altogether. What doesn’t help much either is the fact your favorite pair of jeans are now stained to shit because an idiot thought it would be a good idea to trickshot a half-full Starbucks drink into a trashcan you were standing right next to.

Oh, New York, how it surprises you each day. You swear you’ve never had bad luck like this in your life—and now you’re twenty minutes late, punching in your timecard and hurrying to tie on an apron.

Even through your shift the anxiety doesn’t go away, despite how you try to ignore it. Nervous energy bleeds into your work, shaking hands spilling and dropping drinks; your preoccupied mind is nowhere near as focused as you need to be for the rush—you remake a drink three times in a row before being on the receiving end of a tired lecture from an angry customer.

“Something on your mind?” one of your coworkers ends up asking after most of the crowd has dissipated. “Or just tired?”

You’re on the verge of bursting into tears actually, but you manage to stifle it with a deep breath in. “A lot of both,” you mumble in response. You can’t tell her about Hobie, and it’d be too winding to describe the entirety of everything. She’s pretty good at giving looks of pity and she’s already shot you one following the complaining customer. Honestly another one is the last thing you want to deal with right now. “Maybe I should’ve just skipped work today.”

“Don’t worry, we all have bad days,” she offers with a consoling pat on the arm. “How about you just calm down for a bit and take your break? I’ll make you your favorite drink and get a bowl started for you.”

The gesture does ease your nerves, even if only by a little. You sigh, shoulders slumping, and give your coworker a grateful smile. Parting ways then, she returns to her station to honor her word and you make your way to the back to punch in the start of your break.

Exhaustion starts to seep in when you catch yourself staring blankly at the time card machine, watching the hands of the clock tick away second by second. There hasn’t been significant progress in terms of settling the whole “Hobie Brown is a superhero” dilemma, you realize, just a lot of pain and aching on your part. Maybe it’s time to put the matter to rest just for a brief half an hour—you’ll pick it up later. There isn’t even a guarantee Hobie will show up to the shop anyhow.

Yeah, you have time.

The chunk sound of the punch machine brings you back to your senses and you put away your slip before making your way back to the front of the house.

“Drink’s ready and bowl’s on the way. You can enjoy that while you wait,” your coworker chirps, sliding a cup to you when you emerge from the back. You’re just about to voice your thanks before she cuts in again, gesturing to a spot just beyond the counter. “Oh, and someone asked for you. He’s right over there.”

Your eye is already twitching before you even look. But you suppose you hate yourself and the world at this point, because you slowly turn to where her hand points regardless and find the one man you just made a pact with yourself to not think about.

Hobie greets you by name and gives you a friendly wave. Out of courtesy, you force yourself to return in, lips pressed together in a tight smile with the short extension of your hand.

“Heard it was your break,” he says, approaching the glass panel between the two of you. “Mind if I intrude?”

Yes! you scream internally. Yes I do mind very much!

“No, it’s alright,” you end up saying to him, staving off a growing impulse to whack yourself upside the head.

“Sick,” is all Hobie replies with before he retreats to a nearby table. “I’ll be waiting here—don’t rush yourself.”

It’s right about now that you’re wishing he wasn’t so nice and you didn’t like him so much so that this process of confrontation would go about smoother. Your gaze lingers on him and you bite in the inside of your cheek as you think about the validity of what you witnessed yesterday.

The option to not tell him and maintain your chances of still potentially becoming friends like normal exists. Dodging the awry reputation that comes with the manic conspiracy theorist persona is always good. You’ll get over it one day, right? Leave the suspicions behind and assume that the image was just a hallucination brought about by stress; convince yourself that Hobie Brown is just your average British punk-rocker.

But you can’t fight the feeling in your gut, how it burns, and suddenly you’re leaning over the counter, over the glass.

This is a bad idea. “Hobie,” you call in his direction.

He looks up. “Yeah?”

Shit, this is a bad idea. “I have something to tell you.”

“Wah’gawn?”

“It’s… I think it’s a matter best told in just our own company.” You look around apprehensively, a slight crease in your brow. “Mind going somewhere more private?”

Trying your best to ignore the suggestive look your coworker shoots at you from your peripheral, you beckon Hobie to come into the back. Walking through the kitchen, you usher him into the storage pantry and shut the door behind you when you join him.

“I’m guessing we’re not just here to kotch?” Hobie teases with the sideways tilt of his head.

“Unfortunately.” Your gaze lowers to the ground at the admission, fingers finding one another and squeezing. “Been thinking about something for a while.”

Hobie lets the change in the air stew until it thickens before responding. “Ready when you are.” His voice is softer, malleable, lost of all its previous playfulness and replaced with a certain kind of sincerity.

The slightest incline of your chin brings your stare back to him. You wish it served the simple purpose of just admiring the slopes and angles of his face, but your lips part and your curled hand trembles, and it all reminds you of the gnawing insecurity.

“I need you to tell me the truth.” You say it slowly, sincerely, keeping your voice as steady as you can despite the way your heart rate thunders. “Please.”

In your supplication, you aren’t certain how to appraise the extent of your desperation, but Hobie’s gaze does not leave yours. He nods wordlessly, a glint of something in his eye and it looks a lot like deference.

You take it as permission to continue. “When you brought up Parker”—you swallow thickly—“you were talking about something real, weren’t you?”

A beat of silence. There isn’t any external reaction from Hobie, standing as still as he had the moment he stopped in front of you, face lax and hands tucked away in his pockets.

“Ain’t got a Scooby-Doo what you’re talking about,” he says plainly, unfaltering in every word. Even then he doesn’t move, fortress-like in his disposition.

Perhaps he truly doesn’t know what you mean, you think. The chance is present, albeit slim, though present nonetheless—and how tightly you clutch this sliver of hope. But for a moment, in your hesitancy and under Hobie’s untelling stare, doubt creeps in—your palms grow clammy against the material of your pants, sweat assisting the glide of your fingers against one another. Your eyes search those of the man in front of you, wishing his look could change so you could find the courage to ground yourself.

What if you’re wrong? What if it’s all a fallacy, some trick of the light? New York is no stranger to oddities but even this seems too extreme. Coincidental talk of Spider-People leading to an impossible accusation. Fucking Spider-People don’t—shouldn’t—exist. The idea grows more absurd the longer you question it. Peter Parker got the short end of the stick, if there was even a long end in the first place, so what the hell are you doing?

But what if you’re right?

A breath rattles through you. “Hobie.” With a new waver in your voice and a tremble to your hands, you stand unsure of how your conviction bleeds through what you say but you try anyhow. “I know you’re gonna think I’m crazy, but I saw a masked man walking on the side of a building yesterday.” The admission comes quickly, riddled with cracks, but you’re entirely too focused on the followup to care. “After the conversation we had about Spider-People, after the whole thing about superheroes, tell me that it wasn’t you up there. Because I saw your— your fucking pins and I’ve never— God, I don’t even know! I’ve never seen something like this.”

Your fists clench, fingers digging crescent-shaped craters into the flesh of your palms. The marks bite, angry red and stinging—perhaps aching even more the absence of Hobie’s response, the seconds you give him to reply.

“Who are you?” Dry—your throat is so dry. Your voice can’t be anything above a whisper with how hoarse the question comes, flaking away with every shallow breath you take.

Silence blankets the both of you then, soundless space a limbo between comfort and unease. Unsure of what to do with it, what to make of the situation you stand in now, you let it hang listlessly, drawing upon an empty room and an even emptier conversation.

It takes a handful of moments for Hobie to even look like he’s processed all that you’ve said. Under your scrutiny, the smallest movement of his eye is the only discernible change to the testament. Whatever goes on inside his head is a complete mystery to you for the few minutes that elapse before he speaks.

Finally, he shifts in his stance. “You want me to just come out with it, yeah?” he asks, not sounding terribly happy, but not as nonplussed as you expected. He sighs when you nod slowly. “Alright. I’ll start from the top, then.”

He tells you his name is still in fact Hobie Brown, and he was bitten by a radioactive spider three years ago. Formerly a runway model, though not a role model, he’s been protecting the streets of his hometown against the PM. When he’s not playing shows, antagonizing fascists, or staging unpermitted political “action-slash-performance art pieces,” he’s out partying with his friends.

“And don’t call me a hero,” he ends with a frown. “Hate the label. Calling yourself a hero makes you a self-mythologizing, narcissistic autocrat.”

When he stops, you have both hands to your temples, pressing down hard. You can deal with his anti-authority spiel just fine—some part of you even agrees with the sentiment—but there is so much to unpack prior to the statement.

“So you— you have actual spider powers? Oh my God?” you sputter, eyes blown wide in an expression of surprise you’re sure looks exaggeratedly dreadful. “What even— that’s— what even are spider powers?”

“Dunno really.” Hobie gives a shrug. “Enhanced hearing, speed, vision, and sticking to walls are the main perks. Also links up to my—”

“Can you shoot webs out of your butt?” you blurt in a sudden horrible realization.

There’s a few seconds of tense silence before Hobie bursts into laughter, arms crossed around his torso to hold himself, shoulders bunched to his ears. The ring of his joy through the air lifts a weight from it and suddenly the atmosphere doesn’t feel as crushing as before.

Witnessing his state, it doesn’t take long for unease to fade away and for you to start softly chuckling with him.

“You’re so jokes,” Hobie cackles, a hand over his eyes as he leans back. A long, shuddering breath tears through him in his attempt to calm down. “But to answer your question, no I can’t shoot webs out of my arse.”

“Thank God,” you breathe, clutching your heart. “Wouldn’t have looked at you the same if you said you could.”

“I don’t think I can look at you the same after you just asked that.”

“Hey, in my defense it was just to get to know you better.”

“I’m sure that’s all it was.” Hobie gives you a pointed look, but is quick to smile after. “Speaking of which, I came in to ask you something as well.”

“Oh?” You blink. The sudden shift in conversation is unprecedented, taking you slightly by surprise, but suspicion is quick to replace your wonderment when you notice a change in Hobie’s features. A squint narrows your eyes. “What are you plotting?”

“Nothing, it’s just I have an excuse now that you know me better.” He pauses briefly, staring at you for a moment. “I wanted to ask if I could know you a little better.”

Your lips purse in confusion at the phrase, forehead pinching. “But you already know me?” you ask, brow raised. “Don’t tell me you forgot everything already.”

“I didn’t,” Hobie reassures gently. “I was just thinking instead of talking over a counter we could do it over dinner? Maybe a movie, if you have the time?”

A beat passes and suddenly realization sets in, drawing all the air out of you. The smallest groan escapes you as you bury your face in your palms, the skin of your neck and cheeks burning hot. Every inch of you seems more sensitive in your mortification—were you always this close to Hobie, and was his cologne always that strong?

“I’m an idiot,” you whisper from between the gap in your hands. “God, I’m such an idiot.”

Hobie supplies a soft chuckle to ease your embarrassment. “You’re not. It came out pretty corny anyways.”

“I can’t believe I’m getting asked out by a guy with spider powers.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

You groan again, a tight breath pressed against your fingers. “You are so lucky you’re cute, Hobie Brown.”

It is as endearing as it is exasperating that you can practically hear how big his smile is. “You free tomorrow?”

“Anytime past five,” you reply softly, slowly inching your hands away from your face to peer at him. “Where should I meet you?”

Hobie’s grin tilts sideways at the query, a new sparkle of mischief brightening his eye. “I’ll come pick you up.”

Dates aren’t exactly a new concept to you—you’ve been on a handful, and they all go about the same. The first time, someone shows up with flowers or a small gift to start the evening right, then you’re whisked away for three hours to some place to hang around and have fun. It’s conventional, it’s safe—sometimes you enjoy the company more than the actual activity, leading to a second or third outing, but there’s nothing too special about the dance you do with routine.

Along this line of reasoning, Hobie crash-landing on your balcony with one of the most ridiculous offers of transportation isn’t exactly the way you imagined your date would start.

“You are not web-swinging me to Manhattan,” you tell him, still inside your apartment, arms crossed and shaking your head vigorously. “I don’t care what you have set up, I’m not gonna risk going splat on the damn concrete.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Hobie pushes playfully. “Promise I won’t drop you.”

You frown, brows furrowing and lips pursing as you glare at him. He returns the look as calm as ever, a slight smile edging the corners of his mouth and stance open in invitation. The way he holds himself has uncertainty creeping to you, forcing out your fervent disagreement in favor of consideration in a rather slick way of persuasion.

Perhaps you should’ve known you wouldn’t win, with the sheer difference in your demeanors. Your staredown continues for a couple of minutes before you sigh, breaking eye contact with a reluctant drop of your chin and a gentle moan of diffidence.

“Can I at least close my eyes?” you mumble, walking out and shutting the balcony door behind you.

“You can do whatever you want,” Hobie replies, sliding on his mask and gloves. “Just hold on tight.”

Stifling a breath when his arm wraps around the small of your back and under your thighs, you cling to his shoulders as he lifts you up and climbs on the railing.

“You ready?” His chest rumbles under your touch when he speaks, and you can only give a small nod in your position, heart pounding against your ribs and face buried deep in the nape of his neck.

Hobie laughs—a deep, warm sound—and then launches off your balcony.

There are no words to truly describe the feeling that swallows you while in freefall. Wind blasts past your ears in violent howls, gravity pulls your figure down but your insides up, and the only thing you have to ground yourself is the feel of Hobie as you clutch him with every bit of strength you possess. Adrenaline thrums through every vein, lighting your nerves on fire and prickling your skin with gooseflesh; even your energy to scream depletes into fueling the rush that floods your senses.

Upon the first pull up, Hobie’s web catching a surface to swing from, your gut lurches and a serrated gasp shudders through you. Your arms pull you impossibly closer to him, fingers clawing to dig deeper into the back of his vest.

“Easy now,” he chuckles, sounding miles away with how loud your heart beats in your ears. “I promised I wasn’t gonna drop you, didn’t I?”

“D-Doesn’t make it better,” you gasp, shivering now that the breeze whips against your back.

“Try to relax—we’ll be there soon.” Though he says it like it’s the easiest thing in the world, it proves contrary to the way his grip tightens around you with the next swing.

Despite how comforting the gesture is, you find that you can’t relax much while still flying through New York a hundred feet in the air.

After what seems like days of travel, Hobie finally lands on solid ground, giving you a moment to catch your breath before setting you down gently. His arms are threaded underneath yours as you try to balance on shaky legs, knees bent and feeling all too much like jelly for your own comfort.

“I feel like a newborn deer,” you sigh, voice trembling from the withdrawal of adrenaline. Jitters quiver your fingers, lightly chatter your teeth, and shake the thin chamber of your chest. “My God, how do you even get used to this?”

“Gotta learn to trust yourself,” Hobie hums smoothly. “First time’s always a tad tricky.”

You only nod, gaze now pinned to the ground as he gradually guides you forward, step by step, until you’re stable enough to slowly walk on your own. From there, the slightest incline of your head brings your attention to a small spread of food and flowers laid out nicely on a patterned blanket. A warmth comes to settle in your core at the sight, softening your eyes and easing the tenseness in your limbs—contentment reaches you and the stress gained from the ride here begins to fade, if only by a little.

“Hobie, this is so sweet,” you coo, pleasure lightening the tone of your voice.

His rings just as sweetly through the evening air. “Good to hear—would’ve been gutted if you didn’t like it.”

You laugh at the response, casting an affectionate glance at him that just grows fonder upon meeting his charming reciprocation. The bend of his brow, the part and curve of his lips, the crinkle of his eye—all of it has you transfixed for a generous moment, barely able to notice the way your navel aches with longing in your stupor.

The feeling persists throughout the evening, present in every winding conversation and instance of quiet shared between the two of you. It’s rather freeing to be unconstrained by the formalities usually held by the label of a first date and to sense such endearment for the whole of it. There is no talking to only talk—every sentiment has meaning, every word punctuated by some semblance of tenderness; there is no awkward atmosphere brought about by nervous tension—you rest comfortably, leaning back on your hands, as does Hobie, elbows on crossed legs, positioned towards you.

Hours pass by easily in the space, kissing the sky with hues of orange and gold and violet as they bid a teary farewell, trails of light following in the wake of their departure. Yawning clouds push to the east, unlined shapes dissipating with the fleeting luster. Soon, the New York city skyline is only a bleak, black horizon that cradles a half-yolked sun just shy of its surface.

Golden rays grace your skin, full and temperate and real. You’re just about to gush to Hobie about how this is your favorite time of the day when you’re stopped by the shallow movement of his arm.

He shifts to pick the carnation laid closest to your hand, snaps off the longer part of its stem, then tucks it delicately behind your ear. Wordlessly, he adjusts the petals, and grins when they seem to his liking.

You’re practically bursting at the seams when he retracts his hand, fingers ghosting the curve of your cheek on their path back. Heat rushes to your neck, white-hot on a quick shot up to heat every inch of your face. The sensation catches your breath, widens your eye, tucks the tip of your bottom lip between your teeth, and all you can do is sit and watch Hobie as he admires you.

There’s a look in his eye that you hope is reflected in yours, how beautiful he is. The warm vermillion hue of the sun hits his complexion and it’s like there’s nothing else in the world to behold but him.

Suddenly you find yourself reaching for the flowers on the blanket, clasping multiple in one hand and halving the stems with the other.

Leaning forward, palms stained with sap, you place the carnations in each of Hobie’s wicks, uncaring of the smell of chlorophyll or the tremble of your fingers. You only return to your seat and wipe your hands when you finish, the expanse of his head dotted in small blooms, all that’s left of the original bouquet messily cut stems and loose leaves.

A breathy laugh escapes you at the sight, light and happy and bright. “You are so pretty, Hobie,” you whisper, your heart swelling with adoration. “And I wanna kiss you so bad right now.”

He smiles. “I’m not going to stop you,” he says, then wraps his arms around you when you crush your lips to his.

You feel you must be drunk on something, but are entirely too far gone to care the slightest bit. Hobie is every bit as soft and warm as you imagined, his hold homely, his scent familiar. Breathing him in, bergamot, plum, and sandalwood filling your lungs, a dreamy sigh stutters out of your nose before you start to move.

The kiss takes on a steady rhythm then, perhaps the easiest thing you’ve had to follow. Each press of your lips against his finds just the right amount of resistance, the feel of his piercing snug as it nudges you in every shift. Your hands find purchase in cupping his face, fingertips smoothing the silver studs that line his ears and thumbs stroking his cheeks.

Hobie’s touch rests just shy of your waist, the bend of his elbows against your ribs, palms flat against your scapula. His chest rises and falls with every breath, a slight hitch in the motion when you crawl to his lap, sitting in the space between his legs.

The two of you share your own pocket of heaven for a minute longer, then with one last kiss, you part. As your eyes flutter open, Hobie slides a hand off your back to thumb your lip, swiping a finger across your bottom one.

You make a questioning noise but remain unmoving as he works, sliding his digit across sensitive skin.

“My lipstick got on you,” he explains when he finishes, showing you black makeup smeared on his thumb. “I liked the look of it, but didn’t know if you did.”

A gentle laugh spouts from you at his kindness. “I’m all for you giving me a makeover next time,” you say with a grin.

Hobie gives a small chuckle back, delight sparkling in his eye. “Good.”

The afterbuzz of the date still tingles the back of Hobie’s neck even hours later. It’s ten o’clock, the moon at highrise and not a single star in sight in the muddy violet pool that overhangs New York. He’s in the middle of a stakeout, monitoring an energy station reopened as bait for whatever, whoever, might come out in response. The task of fully focusing proves rather hard in the wake of remembering the warmth of you as you held him, the brush of your lips against his, and your small gasps of breath, but he tries anyhow.

Hobie’s just finished shaking off the image of your face in the light of dusk when his watch buzzes. He looks down with a frown, noting the peculiarity of receiving a call this late.

“Gwendy,” he greets, an orange hologram of Stacy appearing with the twist of a dial. “What are you ringing me for?”

“Hey Hobie,” she returns flatly, not providing much else before quickly casting her gaze askance.

From her projection, Hobie can gather that something seems off—Gwen’s stance is completely closed, arms crossed and feet together. What looks like nervousness twists her features, pinches her forehead, pulls her lips tight together. She’s never been good at hiding her emotions, but even this seems exaggerated.

Sobriety seeps into Hobie then, the high of hours ago eroding. “Something wrong?” he asks, voice dropping low.

Gwen pauses, hesitating. “Miguel wants you back at HQ,” is what comes from her after a few seconds. “Now.”

“What about the mission?”

“He just says to leave. There’s been some new intel. That’s all I know.” Gwen swallows thickly, her eyes flickering back to Hobie. “See you soon.”

“Alright, see ya.” The hologram blinks twice, then disappears. Hobie taps on his watch to open a portal back to Earth-928, dubiety sinking its teeth into his thoughts. Miguel was ever the autocrat, so he was never quite fond of the guy, but the way Gwen had come to him—with a fresh feeling that extended beyond terror etched in her expression—that doesn’t sit well. He doesn’t need a spider-sense to recognize that something is amiss.

Somehow, he can’t elude the feeling of dread that creeps to him when he’s swallowed by the vortex.

[atlasofthestaars]

Hello! Is it ok, if you do request's, can you do a Raiden x reader, the reader is a student at the Wu shi academy, she has powers, which are water control, she fight's and heal's with them and she is really kind. Also I love the 'New Era' story is so amazing, you are amazing! Keep up the good work!

NOTE: 

Yet again I am back at it again for requests. Slowly trying to get through them, sorry they take forever </3

Also I didn’t have too much of an idea for this??? So sorry if it’s a bit short haha I tried my best here but sorry if it's not the best!

A HELPING HAND [RAIDEN X READER]

To Raiden, lightning and water shouldn’t mix. And yet there was nothing more he wanted than to be by your side.

“Raiden. You’re staring. Again.” Kung Lao groaned, looking at his friend who was staring very, very obviously at you. A mixture of amusement and annoyance, mostly annoyance at this point, was on Kung Lao’s face. It wasn’t as if he was jealous or angry at his friend, far from it. He was really happy about the fact that his friend had finally found someone to like, or honestly at this point, love. 

He was just really, really fed up with how distracted his friend would get. Half of their conversations of late would be about you. Would you like this thing? Would you think he would be cool if he did this trick? And by the elder gods, don’t get Kung Lao started with how Raiden would act whenever you were in the same room. His eyes looked back and forth between his friend, who he swore had hearts in his eyes, and you.

You were sparring with another student, practicing using your water magic. Water would surround you in a protective shield before it lashed out to attack the other student. It would slash at the other student with striking speed before it would flow downwards and try to trip them up. The way the water was controlled was honestly pretty mesmerizing, but Raiden was more focused on you rather than the water.

“Really?” Raiden asked, snapping out of his daze. He blinked furiously as he shook his head, as if he were trying to shake off the grip you had on him. Obviously, it was not going well. His eyes shifted away from you in the most reluctant way ever as they landed on Kung Lao. His friend raised his eyebrow as he tilted his head. “Was I really?”

“Yeah. For like, the third time today.” Kung Lao pointed out, an exasperated look on his face. He looked up towards the sky to see the sun still blazing high in the sky. It wasn’t even noon yet. The razor hatted man crossed his arms as he squinted at his friend, trying to assess him. “Tell me, why don’t you just…tell her?” He inquired, as it was the most obvious solution in the world. Which it kind of was.

“I can’t just do that!” Raiden protested, looking over to his lifelong friend. An expression of shock was on his face, as if Kung Lao had just asked him to bury a body instead of asking out his crush. The look Kung Lao gave his friend was the very definition of exhaustion. This was one of the rare few times that Kung Lao was sending Raiden that look instead of the other way around.

“And why not?” He asked, his head tipping forward. His eyebrows raised as he bore his eyes into his hopeless friend. Raiden’s face flushed as he floundered to find a proper reason to give his friend. He looked up, to the right, then the left, and just anywhere but the accusing stare Kung Lao was giving him. He was almost tempted to look back at you, but then he realized that would only get him in more hot water. 

“Yeah, I gotta agree Thunder Lad, why don’t you?” Johnny cut into the conversation. The actor, with all the swagger of a man who has already been in plenty of relationships, strode up to the two. He tipped his glasses downwards to look at the Earthrealm champion eye to eye. A wide grin spread across his face. “It’s easy! Trust me.” He insisted with a wink.

“First off, you know I hate that nickname, Johnny.” Raiden pointed out, giving the actor a short lived glare. The American groaned, rolling his eyes as he pressed his glasses up. He grumbled something about how no one appreciates good names these days. Raiden and Kung Lao both ignored this sentiment, clearly disagreeing with it. “And I can’t do it. When I see her I just…” 

“Help but gawk until a fly flies into your mouth?” Kenshi added, strolling up to join the group. Raiden sighed at the utter betrayal. He thought out of all his friends, Kenshi would understand his plight. Especially since he also had Suchin. But then again, Raiden supposed, he actually had Suchin. “Raiden, I’m blind I can see that you are head over heels for her.” Kenshi pointed out, and Raiden felt his face heat up again.

“It’s not that obvious, is it?” Raiden inquired, tilting his head downwards to hide the color on his cheeks behind the brim of his hat. The collective silence from the group said more about the situation than they already did or could say. Miserably, the champion felt his cheeks heat up even more. He was Earthrealm’s champion, he had taken down plenty of seasoned warriors. And yet the biggest challenge for him was this crush.

“Twelve o’ clock.” Johnny called out followed with a short whistle, catching the attention of the group. Raiden lifted his head up, looking to try and see what the traitor of his friend had meant. Then, he froze. You were approaching. Raiden felt the breath get knocked out of his lungs as he saw your radiant smile. Are you sure you didn’t control the sun as well?

“Hey guys!” You greeted, walking right up to the quartet. Raiden was unable to keep himself from looking at the water drops that were left on your face as a result of your training. How prettily they framed your face and how they ran down your face until they…oh. The man had to pretend to cough to look down and conceal his face which had a blush on it.

A collective chorus of greetings was heard from the group. Both Kung Lao and Johnny glanced over to their friend who had stumbled on his greeting, a teasing look in their eyes. Kenshi would have that same look as well, but he was, well, blind. 

“Do you know where the towels are?” You inquired, eyes searching the group. You wiped the remnants of the water droplets away from your skin, flicking them away. “I wanted to bring my training partner some, since well, training with me can get someone soaked.” Raiden couldn’t help but admire how you were always thinking of someone. How could someone be so kind?

“We don’t.” Kung Lao quickly said, and your face fell a tiny bit. The champion of Earthrealm turned to give his friend a puzzled look. Certainly those three knew where the towels were, they’ve been here far too long to not know. But just as quickly, a wide grin appeared on the razor hatted man’s face as he gestured to Raiden. “Luckily for you, Raiden does!”

“Great!” You exclaimed. Raiden’s brain faltered for a moment, failing to realize the betrayal of his friend before it was far too late. With a push that was a little more aggressive than needed, Johnny pushed him towards you. As his brain finally caught up with the situation, he could only offer you an awkward smile. You didn’t seem to notice it, instead giving him another one of your lovely smiles in return. “Lead the way, Raiden!”

Raiden could listen to you saying his name all day.

“Of course.” He said, nodding. He led you away, he tried his best to ignore the stares his friends were boring into him. He got the message very well enough, this was his moment to make his move. Raiden was glad he was the one leading, so he could be in front and you did not have to see how flustered he was around you. The Earthrealm champion didn't have more mortification than he already had. 

The hallway you two entered was safe from the judgemental eyes of his friends. It was quiet, the near silent creak of the floorboards under both of your feet interrupting the silence. For a moment, Raiden turned back just to make sure you were still following. Then, in the very next moment, his breath got caught as he saw the sight of you highlighted by the light filtering in through the windows.

How could someone look so beautiful?

“Thanks for showing me the way! I still get lost here sometimes, and I didn’t want to keep my training partner waiting.” You chirped, your tone bright as usual. Raiden’s mind immediately raced with the possibilities of what to say in response to you. Would a simple you’re welcome suffice? Or should he open up conversation so he could finally confess to you like his friends were always bugging him to do? 

Raiden’s heart raced at the simple thought of confession. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched that you could have feelings back, it wasn’t like he was a complete stranger to him. Far from it, in fact. The two of you were friends, at the very least. It had started that way, but then as Raiden talked more and more with you, the more and more he was captivated.

You were like the living embodiment of sunshine. You always knew how to cheer him up when he was down. You knew the right words to encourage him and keep his spirits. You were so you and Raiden adored it. It was honestly a miracle that you hadn’t pointed out the way he’s been acting around you lately, but then again he supposed it’s because you’re far too nice to do so.

Raiden, having been too caught up in his thoughts, cleared his throat as he realized he was staring right back at your expectant gaze. 

“Of course, anything for you.” He told you before he realized that he may have been a little too honest. “I saw you training, you’ve made such impressive improvements.” Raiden complimented quickly, trying to distract you from the little bit of truth he had let out. He quickly felt proud of himself at the change as he saw your eyes light up.

“You saw me?” You inquired, a look of excitement appeared on your face. Raiden mentally took a picture of it and locked it away in his heart. What he wouldn’t do to see you smiling like that for just him. “I’m glad you did! Do you have any tips for me?” You continued, walking a bit faster to match Raiden’s strides now.

“Well…” Raiden began to tell you some tips, feeling much more relaxed. Your drive to improve was admirable and something he shared, not to mention how it felt more natural to talk to you now about fighting rather than to fight his own feelings. 

When the both of you ended up at the closet, Raiden felt a hint of sadness over it. You two were having a lovely conversation. You gave a delighted hum as you opened the door, swinging it wide open. Thankfully for him, he dodged the far too enthusiastic door opening, saving himself from what would surely be a bruise.  He grabbed the door, holding it open for you.

“Hey, can you help me carry these?” You called out from inside the closet, your voice just the tiniest bit muffled. Raiden peeked in, seeing the huge stack of towels you held in your arms. The stack was so high it covered your face. With a nod that was perhaps too eager to someone who couldn’t even see it, he walked right into the closet. Anything to help you. “Thanks!”

“No problem.” Raiden replied, his hands brushing yours as he grabbed the stack. He couldn’t tell whether he had accidentally used his amulet or touching you was simply that electric. He was hoping it was the latter, so he didn’t accidentally shock you. The Earthrealm champion leaned to the side to send you his best smile, the apples of his cheeks just the tiniest bit pink. 

THUD!

Jumping at the sudden noise, Raiden let out a grunt as he, somehow, collided his head with a shelf. His hat fell to the ground behind him. For a man who had been trained in martial arts for most of his life, he found himself oddly clumsy around you. That probably didn’t help charm you. The man then noticed how much darker the room had gotten. Whirling around, he noticed the fact that the closet door was now closed. 

“Are you okay?” You asked, peering over to Raiden with another stack of towels in your arms. Raiden craned his head back, hoping that the little bump with the shelf didn’t leave an embarrassing mark. He felt his face grow warmer at the idea of it. 

“Yes!” He answered a little too quickly, nodding. He could practically hear his trio of friends groaning over how he was fumbling a little too often. “I was just surprised by the noise.” He explained. Shifting the towel stack, he raised a hand up to rub at the sore spot on his forehead. Maybe he hit the shelf a little harder than he expected. 

“Do you need me to heal you?” You asked, peering at the man as he continued to rub at the part of his forehead where he had collided with the shelf. Raiden’s heart fluttered at the concern you held for him, but he shook his head quickly.

“I’m good.” He told you, wincing as he rubbed his forehead just a tad too hard. “I can just ice it when we get out.” The champion stepped forward to grab the handle of the closet. He turned it, only to find resistance. A sudden stab of worry hit him as he attempted to turn the handle only to no avail. Ah. He forgot this closet had a nasty habit of jamming. Quickly, he tried turning it more to try and see if he could get it unstuck.

“Everything good?” You asked, stepping close to Raiden to see what was happening. He swallowed nervously, feeling you press close against him. It only made sense that you came close since it was dark in here, but did you really have to stand that close? He could feel your warmth as you leaned against him just the tiniest bit to look over. His hand squeezed the knob tightly.

“Yes, well no.” Raiden said, fumbling once more over his words. He looked towards you offering you the most reassuring smile he could. “I forgot this closet gets stuck sometimes.” He explained, jiggling the knob once more to showcase his point. “So it seems we’re stuck here.” He told you with a small sigh. 

“Ah, I guess my partner will just have to figure out a way to dry himself then.” You lamented, sighing as you put down the stack of towels back where you retrieved it from. You took the stack of towels from Raiden as well, putting it back where it had come from. “Come here, let me look at where you hit your head.”

Raiden complied, there was no point in avoiding it. Your touch was gentle, featherlight. It was as if a ghost had brushed his forehead, and he questioned if you even really touched him. Then, he winced as you pressed against his forehead.

“Yeah, that will definitely bruise.” You muttered, squinting at the area your fingers touched. Raiden couldn’t help but stare at you. Your look of concentration was simply captivating. Your narrowed eyes, your pursed lips,..Raiden had to avert his eyes for a moment to compose himself. His cheeks were far too warm, and if you were paying attention you’d even see the tips of his ears grow the tiniest bit red. “Here.”

With a wave of your hand, water was summoned. It wrapped around your hand pulsing a soft aquamarine. You lifted your hand to press it against Raiden’s forehead. No matter how many times he has watched or experienced your healing, it never fails to impress. A wave of calm washed over him, and his eyes fluttered shut.

He wasn’t sure if the healing or just being around you made him feel better.

“There!” You said, withdrawing your hand. The water disappeared and you clapped your hands together with a large grin. “Do you feel better?” You asked, peering at him with wide eyes that made his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t help but return your enthusiastic grin as he nodded. “Good!” 

You peered at him for a moment afterwards, and Raiden couldn’t help but question whether he did something wrong or not. Then he watched as you knelt to grab his hat before placing it delicately upon his head. You fixed it, making sure it fit just right.

“There we go.” You murmured, a satisfied look on your face. “I like your hat. It suits you.” You told him, tilting your head to look at him once more. Raiden felt butterflies flutter around in his stomach at the compliment. He never thought too much of his favorite hat and how it suited him, but now there was nothing more he wanted to do than just wear it for you. “Now let’s see if I can get the door unlocked!” You said, stepping past him. 

You hummed with delight as the door swung open easily. You turned around and gestured to it. 

“Guess I have the magic touch!” You let out a small laugh as you propped the door open with your foot. “Hand me the towels, would you?” You asked, and Raiden happily complied, still on cloud nine after your compliment. “Thanks!” You said, your arms now filled with the fluffy towels. You shifted contemplatively, glancing at the man before you beckoned him over. 

“What do you need?” Raiden asked, stepping close as your gaze shifted from the towels to him again. You grinned at him before you leaned close and pressed a featherlight kiss to his cheek. He stood there in shock, pink beginning to bloom across his face. He barely registered the words you said before you dashed off, a warmth on your face too.

“Let’s go have a date at Madam Bo’s sometime!”

“I thought you said you were above using Sento for that kind of stuff.” Johnny huffed as he crossed his arms, looking towards the blindswords man. Kenshi simply shrugged as he sheathed his magical sword, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“Yes, normally, but it was hard seeing him dance around his emotions like that. And I can’t even see.” Kenshi quipped as before he put his hand out. “Now pay up, she made the first move.” A groan arose from both Kung Lao and Johnny as they reluctantly handed over the money.

“This is basically robbery, we Shaolin live modestly!” Kung Lao complained.

“What are you guys doing here?” Raiden asked as he walked up to the group, the hints of pink still remaining on his cheeks. Immediately, he was bombarded with complaints of how he didn’t make the first move. “How do you guys know that?” He asked, his face filling with color once more. Unfortunately for the champion, his question was lost on deaf ears as the actor and his life long friend continued to berate him.

Not knowing what to do, Raiden looked around, only to spot you out of a window. It seemed that you saw him too, your grin growing wider as you waved at him. He waved back with a dazed look on his face, earning more complaints from the duo. You smiled as you blew him a kiss.

He was definitely looking forward to that dinner.

[howtodisappearcompletelyand]

kicking my legs like the focus of The Metaphor Of All This Is Most Important throughout things & that like nobody's powers are solely "what would be an epic power" rather than "what's the way someone's personality / tendencies / interests / strengths might be made into this Exceptional, Distinctive Thing That They Do that 'serves a purpose'" & like it's so neat the way the idea of Seeing The Future is made to work a certain way such that other characters & the plot can interact with it more readily than it all being inside bruno's head; that (at least in what we see, no issue with having the best of both worlds & hc'ing that he can have visions Only He sees / that occur spontaneously) not only can other people see them if present but the "you're seeing exactly what i am," i.e. he has to Look At It as this external visual phenomenon too & could miss something just by it being outside his field of vision lol....but also the way that of course this means like, Like Mirabel in all those ways they're so so similar & that's entirely relevant, he's also having to Observe & Interpret through his own perspective, from literal vantage point to personal interpretation of the info

(oh & also like emphatically that i interpret that his vision re: mirabel wasn't actually open ended or showing two Possibilities, it was just Different for being That jam packed lol & everything he ever sees Will happen, it was just like yes mirabel will be connected to the house being unbroken, breaking, whole again, yes mirabel will Embrace Her & it's abuela but also, & more immediately, isabela lol, had to be Both)

also it's so fun like The Sands Of Time being made into this way the visions Display for him (and just are very fun & dramatic. bruno's theatricality....his real gift is Acting Aheheh like screamm & that is so Good & what it says that nobody brought it up about him ever like iiii'm) & that even then beyond that there can be this plot point of mirabel able to Find A Vision b/c they Also form into tl;dr tablets made out of the magic affected sand which, in being a tl;dr are all the more Open Ended in Interpretation, which feels entirely relevant to Themes & everything lol....that there's all this Green Glowiness that's "ominous" but it's like nah that's just how it is? whaddaya gonna do? it's just green & glowy? (again relevant to themes like....what's the problem w/things about bruno's being disabled being associated with his Bad Vibes lol. it's just green. that's just how it is) & the design too to have Just His Irises glow is sooo good & cool & excellent it's all such a slay. & that everything Looks Neat while also like allowing for the way bruno's gift works to weave into the plot rather than like, oh he can just have one about whatever you want to see whenever, but the only way they're conveyed is what He Alone can directly see & interpret & tell you about himself....ugh just all super impressive

but actually what i was thinking of here was The Ritual to have visions....like first of all having there be that ritual & the Sand & the need for a Big Open Space helps Getting A Vision be a plot point more involved than "just find him & ask him" as the Sole requirement, without a reason to already bring another family member into it, already venture outside the walls Once (although idk like again the Metaphor of just operating "behind the scenes" in some hidden & unfancy way is more important than the Practical Details but like, i can imagine maybe Temporarily hiding away in the walls was something he even already did before disappearing; that maybe he'd kind of built up having Stuff hidden back there before he did too; that also maybe yeah sometimes he did sneak out of the walls or even out of the house entirely, but Maybe He Didn't, you can really get creative making things work. but also like seems like it'd be difficult to keep candles & matches on hand without sneaking out. But Also i don't think it's that important unless you Want to work that kind of question into a plotline) where was i in all this....The Ritual. it's also neat how Different it is, to have any kind of "extra" process & materials in using his gift. like that the one other similar case is julieta not being able to Heal With Food without the food, which presumably she always has a hand in making....that again the Metaphor matters, & the granular practical details Can matter to a story if you write it to be so lol, not really having to get into it in encanto's canon plot

anyway & it's very Magical in the way it works with the materials & ritual beforehand & like similarly to doing it in a Vision Cave & the hallway of Visuals that seem to include like "instructions" on how to do the ritual? i can remember it seems to show bruno with a flame in one Panel & with the green tablet in another, & there sure is the question of like "if he has to do this ritual to even use this gift, how did he figure out how to do it?" like & i'm inferring that one potential explanation to read into there is "see, the walls told him" like another thing to Observe & Interpret....& then i was really interested like Ah, & that bruno's gift in particular has this "extra" ritual attached to it, not even Just "oh i need sand to see visions" maybe similar to julieta needing ingredients & cooking tools lol, she doesn't seem to have anything Special beyond her involvement then that is like "okay, using my gift Now" or anything, while then of course that bruno has like Patterns / Rituals that he has to do before / in order to do [xyz], like that he apparently couldn't verbally respond to mirabel while doing that particular pattern of rituals / until after he was done with sections of them that allow him to Move Through That Space. & so My Interpretation becomes like, connecting the ritual to use his gift with whatever other rituals he created that could be considered ocd, like well makes a fuckton of sense with him being especially someone with Lack Of Control, his entire gift would make him aware of the inability to Control The Future, once he sees it It's Happening Babey even if there's nonzero self fulfilling aspect (though evidently it's never wholly / exclusively that), plus of course just like. argh. the parallels of people pushing the narrative like "you Can control xyz" when not getting what they want, bruno as the Messenger of undesired futures basically Caused them, bruno as the exister of disabled is Causing that, just do things right and Become As You Ought To Be....the direct & indirect & intended & unintended feedback over [umm this isn't what people like or want or value] making a feedback loop in fact lol of feeling all that pressure in having no control but internalizing that well i guess you Should, try harder, might be a theme in this story across the board but that ofc the noticeably disabled (& potentially queer) family member Family Weirdo ends up especially "the problem" & thus scapegoated, like mirabel

tangents out here....anyway so that's me then thinking about like, the idea like "what if bruno doesn't Need the ritual" like but what if that's considered in the same context as you would "bruno didn't Need to finish holding his breath & knocking before Responding To Mirabel as he moves along the wall hallway" like, what does that "need" mean there. if he'd be stuck / unable to move along that path without debilitating distress if he didn't do these rituals? why not say that then yeah he "needed" to do them. uno reverse like nobody "needs" to make him stop it, even in a "for his own good" sentiment like i wouldn't agree with that but also You wouldn't drop dead either then would you lol. maybe bruno can make spackle without Needing to be jorge but like, in what way is that really meaningful; if being (&/or acting as) hernando helps him secretly be helping fix casita, if having Weird Hobbies & Weird Rat Friends (shoutout to affinity with animals / being good at socializing with them even without that or acting being made your gift lol. more neurodivergerrrr things....) &c &c helps him live alone in mostly survival mode but also trying to thrive / enjoy things how he can, in what way is it important to be like oh he didn't Need to do this. or that even the idea he didn't "need" to leave like, you can Decide that b/c this isn't real lol but that If He Felt That He Did, boom there's enough of a problem right there, what does it matter if anyone else is like "well, surely you didn't" like

anyway so that is to say just applying the same idea to his gift ritual basically like, presumably even if someone else had the sand & big open space & did the ritual & Tried to see the future, they couldn't, only bruno can, with his Individual Idiosyncratic Gift. & it makes sense if like, bruno already being Othered even by 5 yrs old & in this sort of extra chaotic existence to a degree lol (& like what 5 yr old ever is experiencing a world of Being In Control in the first place) could have that tendency to create his own rules & rituals & patterns for Doing Things The Right Way to seek any further measure of control, makes sense if this would Manifest in his personalized gift involving a ritual. like how i imagine his Seeing The Future is tied to who he personally is too, being in a position / having the perspective to just Observe & Interpret & Express certain things in a way others aren't, same as mirabel was even without that being her gift, kind of a reverse on bruno being good with animals without that being his gift but it being antonio's (or arguably his real gift being acting, vs camilo perhaps having the theatrical / acting tendencies put into into his official Gift lol) like. that yeah maybe if the ingredients of sand + space + bruno were there, Theoretically he could deliberately have a vision, but like. that if the ritual is interpreted as like oh it's Just for focus, grounding, &c it's like hmm well could still say he Needs to do it & the vision Can't be done without it b/c it's like, how could Bruno do it if he Needs to be grounded & focused or w/e other mental effect (since ofc we can see other ppl's emotions can affect their gifts, in addition to the entire The Magic Depends On The Family Depends On Their Emotions / Relationships angle) but doesn't have / execute a ritual for that. To Me i am thinking of it in terms of how his other rituals would be framed as Disabling even if it's like, well, if they make him more Able to do [xyz] actually? at all, &/or without suffering or hurting that would be prohibitive going forward & ever doing it again? akin to like "ah bruno didn't Need to hop over cracks to cross that section of floor" like yeah he wouldn't have Instantly Died. yeah Someone Else would've just walked across with no particular method to it. but if Nobody Else is doing these visions, if it's not really very meaningful to be like "what can bruno Live Without while doing this"....if he merely(tm) needs the ritual for Grounding or what have you, & if this is equivalent to his being disabled & how rituals help him move through his life & do whatever other things, then like sure isn't it more relevant to say he Needs it vs "this means he Doesn't Really need it." i'm thinking of it in terms of like, in turn not Needing to whittle down his other rituals even if they're "weird," no Need to be like oh he Needs to give up his rats now / stop treating them like friends simply b/c he doesn't Need them, like, what is this binary lol. not out here in full everything life & death world, is another pertinent point....plus again like "that ritual is Depicted in that hallway" & also that like, does the sand becoming glass Need that fire? does it Need it b/c there Needs to be that ritual b/c this is bruno's gift & b/c bruno has these other rituals? sure.

all not to say like oh don't think anyone could/would/should play around w/the ideas of the parameters & Rules of his gift, or this interpretation, or anything else. just sure immediately thinking of it in terms of Rules & Rituals bruno has in any other aspects of his life & this also being easily seen as "ugh do you Have to do that (the person presumes No)" & that the "ideal" way of doing things would involve being Peak Normal. & the limits of how relevant it is to be like "oh [person] is only this way b/c of their experiences" like yeah many such cases, Zero cases of "wow, this person has had No experiences. thus they are their pure & ideal self", meanwhile like his ass autistic & queer & Theatrical & so on & this isn't going away, being a family Weirdo is just gonna be part of the way that he is. again thank god that yknow even as it's like, needing a bit of turnaround from mirabel being like "i too feel this is totally out of control so all i can do is try to shift this onto the preexisting scapegoat, it's bruno's vision" to being like oh shit it's bruno himself, & finding him bemusing & weird & like yeah don't think isolation (or ramped up survival mode) ever really makes anyone more of what is considered "normal," but doing what you gotta do, Need to do some might say, & to what Harm especially if not doing it would've hurt more? the Harm of "i'm gonna bully the shit out of them for it :(" not an acceptable answer lol

anyway love that afterwards like mirabel can still a whole 5 sec later be like yeah you're weird but obvi you're cool. & antonio not even being fazed by the [you're weird] part like rather than that This Is The Way That He Is. touching on it in the end like Jorge Is Here & everyone is thumbs up & smiling genuinely & going about their business like thank god lol we did not leave off on some kind of promise that bruno is Becoming More Normal / forcing him to in whatever ways, such as exerting pressure or shame or what have you, is underway....bit antithetical to [you see the consequences of how he was treated] if he has to Fix Himself to be accepted now lol versus everyone's Weirdness & Vulnerability Needing to be welcomed & protected rather than pushed away. & the necessary shift for him being like, same as how mirable Needed to meet bruno & talk to him & see what the family had already done to its last scapegoat & have that context to understand like, yeah, i'm doing this For Everyone, not just abuela or the miracle or me, which makes it more doable even (in addition to having this fellow scapegoat's understanding & full support, bruno being so Optimistic about mirabel's involvement) while bruno likewise is like oh i couldn't do this for Just Myself, but if i'm protecting my scapegoat niece i'm sprinting & tackling my mom b/c when it came to just me i was afraid of her rejection but when it came to acting on mirabel's behalf i'm raring to go & Taking It On & what a great little detail too that He didn't feel he Needed abuela's approval then. we've all been there (the scapegoating / Seeing The Worst / blame going so far it goes in the other direction. in my evil bitch era [angrily pressing buttons on the microwave] or being such a wretched sicko you'll tell off your mom & invite her to hate you 5ever so this kid doesn't experience that b/c like what else is new for you? if you'll be hated either way may as well consider other things in your agency, in for a dime in for a dollar, & so on)

just going on & on but like also Many Thoughts bruno is such a character what a gift. that the peak relevance of the crucial role of Scapegoat being the distillation of that "is it successfully a refuge / protection if vulnerability is rejected rather than actually made safer?" matter & being able to See problems others can't, See them ahead of time literally or more figuratively lol, be willing to Say them even when others don't wanna hear it, b/c they feel they're keeping their head above water even if you don't & are liable to thus point things out or rock the boat like Something's Wrong, Something Has To Be Done, Something Has To Change, in all the various ways that can be expressed....that it's like, so clear on Yeah disability (& queerness) means someone's probably all the less adequately supported, meaning they're seen as "a problem" / "a disruption" or w/e else, meaning they're scapegoated &/or ostracized, while ofc what would support them would improve things for everyone, even if also a change to theoretically benefit Just Them would be reason enough, but that's still in theory lol like more access / support / options is more of that For Any/Everyone....again that they don't "assure" us bruno will Become More Normal Now, that this Meeting & Mutual Understanding Of The Scapegoats is this fundamentally crucial turning point for Everything, certainly first & the most for those scapegoats themselves, Needing each other's support & understanding even if it's "ideally" seen as like ohh mirabel &/or bruno should've managed to figure out & resolve things All On Their Own. right back the ritual thing like, did they Need to?? they both Needed those changes / new info & contexts & motivations, & what does it matter to Want to whittle it down, No rituals, No support from others

& i'm just sooo. it's so great that bruno is so important & the movie holds you at gunpoint like no you Do gotta love him lol, you Need to. or that if you don't appreciate him / consider him important then you probably just don't really respond to the movie much lol given the Cruciality & the perspective of [the main character is being scapegoated as well & is very similar to bruno] like augh thinking of how even as mirabel like obviously as mirabel gives bruno a bit of a push & has that perspective & experiences to do so, it's not like "bruno is too much of a PUSSY but mirabel isn't & that's why bruno didn't break & reform the miracle" lol like. that They're The Same & just need each other still; mirabel was removing herself from the Family Goings On & even behind a wall during antonio's ceremony (& afterwards, Going Unnoticed & removing herself from things, before sort of "having a vision" (i'm presuming casita like was kind of putting on a show there just for mirabel to Convey Info to just her)) & couldn't emerge for her own sake, but only b/c antonio needed her while in the same place she was in & knowing she understands; so too can bruno emerge from hiding not for his own sake but uh oh mirabel's in the same position & needs & is asking for his help b/c she knows he understands. that, oh you know, in the end after mirabel's Best Efforts including full honesty direct confrontation failed, she too was like well i guess i gotta leave after only hurting my family....that even together they can only do so much, the family can't operate differently if the other members aren't like "oh shit yeah okay" & operate differently in turn, no real hypothetical Perfect Way To Do Things that will guarantee that others will do things differently either, relevant too to getting basic respect as a disabled person or anyone else Othered / made more vulnerable/unsupported

finally think i'm running a bit out of Writing These Words steam lol, truly my main point was "what does it mean to speculate he doesn't 'need' the ritual in the context of this disabled character & comparing it to his Other rituals" but there's so much to say like waugh what a movie & what a character fr like well also obviously i love him like utterly delighted. what especial addendums did i think of Just Now....oh for one thing like the autistic moment of like a few First Time Reactions having the same "wow rude / why would ou say that" response of bewilderment to "you're very sweaty" like Shut Up i immediately understand. it's not a nonsequitur, it's not an insult, it's matter of fact Relevant Info being shared, he's barely taller than mirabel & subsisting on little food & holding her up with one hand & if she's Very Sweaty, that is a pertinent problem re: holding her up lol, sure it's a bit Spontaneous to share this but so what. sue him. anyway that already watching it myself i was like oh he's autistic Of Course, & could break down some reasons but truly tl;dr b/c one understands them perfectly right off the bat lol / thee recognition....also theee genderrr in his surely personality & experience related Shrounded Style, god i wish that were me, i always wish it were me [not being seen at all], ever since i was a child i knew even if there was a house i theoretically belonged to i would want to move about secret passages undetected (true)

also it's kind of fun how much it's like hmm can't really gauge this super easily like queer Coding? b/c for one thing it's like, what is the supposed normative standard for what would be liably categorized "cishet man"....all around like, being a bit theatrical / emotionally expressive & such is just kind of an Across The Board thing to a degree, though certainly arguably ramped up for bruno. naturally the That's Probably Not Normative is him being unmarried / no kids when forty (& beyond, but like, the living in the walls a Would Be hindrance there. but idk maybe he had secret relationships. cinderellaing it out here, every night i have to leave & return somewhere with my rats) so you know. also like yeah he's queer b/c a) utter relevance to the Themes & his situation & b) he deserves it & c) we deserve it & d) why not. uh oh "bruno doesn't Need to be queer" lmaooo like what if it's just the way that he is. what if you could force people into doing the normative things but you don't Need to actually & it's better for everyone that you don't....

whew waugh & like great character to be able to Point To like tfw scapegoating, tfw outcast from a group such as a family (including if you left it b/c you thought / felt you Had To, perhaps b/c otherwise what unbearable) (what if it was "merely" "unbearable" for bruno to try to operate wholly without his rituals or rules Ever....), tfw the different ways Clearly A Disabled Character manifest, tfw the theatricality, tfw what a Range he has as a character, [withdrawn, avoidant, nervous] while also ["obtrusive," bold, spontaneous] Big Personality vs Big Trauma representation, hang on tfw not just the rats affinity but the coatis that immediately took to him too lol, tfw tfw aaahh just Scream at the like obviously deliberate "being the Weirdo involves this being a disabled family member" like argh & that this person is this Observer & Truth Teller & his experiences with that parallel to mirabel's role & experiences even as she can't literally see What Will Happen, even as bruno also still has to Observe & Interpret too rather than like having the revelation of The Correct Insight or anything. whew just like thank fuck too that the experience of this movie is is so emphatically like yes this is bruno & we will all be killing for him. for the autistic ocd Family Weirdo. where like how much does it matter if you go "bruno Must think of these roles as personas he Acts & not people he is" or "bruno Must be cishet & now that he's accepted he can get more Normal re: gender/sexuality as well as disability"....also the little possible clues ahead of time about True Things about bruno even before meeting him, seeing his silhouette being shorter than julieta & pepa's, probably not 7ft tall, that that family tree in casita has the like Heart design in the branches around the triplets, not like his sisters directly expressed that they Did/Do Not Love Him or anything lol but you know. oh also that there's just so direct an example of "bruno being disabled is completely relevant to how he & his gift are interpreted, though other aspects of him / his gift are relevant to how his being disabled is interpreted too" in that like he didn't do anything to Ruin pepa's wedding save have his intention & meaning not just completely misinterpreted but then the presumption of "b/c we don't understand what he meant it must have been Fucking With Us On Purpose" a la people like "why would anyone say anything like that" about his first dialogue being to inform mirabel she's very sweaty, I Don't Get It, so it must be that he's causing chaos / being insulting out of sicko / otherwise Wrong/Bad motivation. whereas like no i get it he's talking about issues re: him holding her up. Autistic autistic autistic, Decided what you meant & there's no chance to correct this & it's this huge deal & you were trying to do something completely different & like, supportive & considerate & nice & like augh kill me. many such cases of i think about it like ah yes extremely relate....& then it's just like such a surprise like oh what do you mean this funny little guy queer disabled outcast Weirdo is a crucial character who the material clearly utterly sympathizes with (not that it doesn't all the characters. also i like all the characters wheeee) but like You have to sympathize & understand too & everyone loves this little guy yaaaay. so bizarre like oh what do you mean the Relatable Fun Weirdo isn't a peripheral running joke of no importance if not dismissiveness / disdain???

again Whew & reminding myself "you can make other untagged long text posts" in case i even think of other things i want to throw down. many thoughts, never any one true comprehensive post of them all

[moonlightkitkat]

I’m about to start working on a Halloween ZoSaNami piece, and I was thinking about what types of monsters they’d be!

So obviously Nami is a weather witch, she can control the weather/manipulate it, although the grand line is odd because even though she can read the weather patterns with ease there’s no way for her to control it. She can redirect lightning and adjust wind currents to help them a bit, but mostly she has to conjure her own weather spells to help them. She has a broomstick but only uses it to escape bad situations. She’s not the best flyer, but she’s been practicing more and more on the Merry and Sunny so she’s gotten far better overtime! (Headcanon that Arlong commanded her to never fly, because it’s the one thing Fishman CANT do. So of course one of his “commanders” can’t fly. He even bound her magic with the tattoo (or a “bracelet”) to seal her magic so she had to rely solely on her skills as a thief, until Luffy came along.

Now that Nami’s a straw hat, she’s finally free of seal on her magic. She’s like a baby witch, but she’s a *prodigy.* she can read the weather as easily as she can breathe. Once Usopp builds her a wand, she’s able to use it as a medium to harness and cast her magic. At first she can only create small clouds and warm/cold breezes and small zaps of energy, but by the time she reaches Sabody, she can create actual clouds of rain and thunder and control their actions.

Ending up on the sky island was the best thing to happen to her. Surrounded by old weather wizards, she studied constantly, and now she can conjure just about any weather pattern, of any strength. Now that she’s back with the others, she has far too much fun making combo moves with the others, and showing off her skills with a broom. She was a natural as soon as the seal broke, but the old wizards worked hard to make her a broom as beautiful and powerful as she is, and it’s one of her dearest treasures.

I’ve seen so much art of Sanji as a werewolf/a dog, and I just think it suits him so well. Maybe he can’t control his forms like his family does which is why he was looked down upon by them. He can’t control his ears or his tail and they come out when he feels something too strongly. He has absolutely no control of his werewolf form and he’s so ashamed of it. Either that, or he doesn’t *have* a werewolf form. He has the traits of one, able to make his nails turn into sharp long claws, and he can have sharp canines, but other than that it’s just his fluffy ears and tail. He’s seen as a disgrace by his family because he can’t control his forms like they can, and he was chased out of the pack.

Sanji’s tail is usually out all the time whenever he’s around his crew. He’s just so happy and feels like he’s finally found his pack, which is why he’s so *protective* of it. He’s got a cool head except for when someone attacks or threatens those he feels most protective over, being Robin, Nami, Chopper, and Usopp. The others he *knows* can take care of themselves, and he knows that these four can too, but he just feels so protective of them.

He hated being a waiter on the Baratie because he felt ashamed whenever he got frustrated with guests and his ears and tail would pop out. He mainly stayed a sous chef becayse he was calm and happy working on food. His ears and tails never popped out, he was in his element. Neo that he’s a straw hat, he isn’t ashamed of his tail and ears being out. In fact, he lets them stay out, and his tail is almost always wagging (especially when he’s arguing and fighting with his beloved Marimo)

I think Zoro was a human, until his fight with Dracule Mihawk. As the name suggests, Mihawk is a vampire, an old one at that. When Zoro lost their fight, Mihawk didn’t just slice him open, he drained him of most of his blood, deciding that whether or not he survived would decide if he had the makings of a true swordsman and fighter. I don’t think he’d become a full Vampire right then and there, but maybe he notices that he isn’t hungry or thirsty anymore. He doesn’t sleep as much, barely needing to anymore. His canines are sharper, but not full Vampire canines. He’s stronger, but can’t control it quite yet, it’s like he can’t unlock his full potential.

Then he ends up on Mihawk’s island, and Mihawk (with Zoro’s permission, which I think took a WHILE for him to give) finally turned Zoro. Now Zoro had the strength and speed of a vampire. His teeth are sharp, and he has a thirst for blood, but I feel like he worked hard to get it under control, afraid he’d hurt his crewmates. In my AU, Vampires *can* go in the sun, and he doesn’t sleep in a coffin, though Nami always teases him about it. Nami and Sanji obviously offer for him to drink their blood once he tells them of his transformation, though it wasn’t like it wasn’t easy to guess. He’s incredible fast and strong, and his eyes went from being a warm dark brown to pitch black.

[ravenwitch45]

Could I request Stolas, blitzø, and Loona (separately) with a reader who was a witch when they were alive and still is in hell.

Having SO who was a witch and still is in Hell

Stolas

Oh okay then!

He's surprised but quite happy at this revelation.

He's also a mage, and while every demon can do magic to an extent, the actual techniques to learn most arts are coveted by certain circles. The only exception are overlords granted powers upon reincarnation. Either way Stolas barely ever sees let alone interacts with other magic users.

So upon discovering the fact you knew and practiced magic before death. He's immediately intriqued, asking all about it. Whether or not your powers were granted or there from birth, How they work, What you like to do with them and of course he loves seeing you use your powers.

After his curiosity has been sated a little, he... well we all know he loves to ramble on about his interests. And while with a bit of time it's easy to grasp the basics of botany, Magic is a lot more complicated, Blitz just kind of tunes it out even though he tries, and Octavia is just starting her magic training.

So he starts rambling on about it all to you, unintentionally of course but he subconciously just feels more comfortable about it with you. You notice it but don't mind, having had no one to discuss magic with either for a long time you welcome it, and start asking him about it actively and making sure to listen, which makes him happier then you could imagine.

One thing he really likes to do with you after discovering it, is mix his magic with yours. It's a very intimate, and powerful technique if used agressivley, generally only done with romantic partners and other learned loved ones. He had never done it, considering... you know but when he does it with you, he just melts.

The spell gives a glimpse of the other person's thoughts and feelings, and being able to literally feel all the love you have for him just makes him a blushing mess in your arms.

He loves you so much.

Blitzo

Oh another Magical Hottie? He's down.

He's familiar with magic of course, i mean his other partner as well as his daughter know magic and he himself has learned a bit from using Stolas's grimoire so he's far from weirded out, surprised of course, but cool with it.

But unlike Stolas, he knows nothing about the complexities, so his questions are a lot more wild guesses? He honestly thought you might have been a sinner who got magic due to ruthlessness like The Vs or Al to which he ain't upset at the idea. He would be impressed if that was true.

Also he of course asks what you can do in bed with it, and no he doesn't mean a card trick.

Depending on how you were treated in life, he'll have some buisness to take care of.

Honestly just watches you in awe if he ever sees you kill with it, probably would run up to you and kiss you after it's over, whispering sweet nothings into your ear and calling you a beautiful badass

He runs on like one braincell most of the time so he might ask for a bit of help with stuff, like if he misplaces one of his horse figures or something, you honestly saying you should just teach him these spells but you never do, he just likes seeing you do it.

He is always impresed by every bit of magic you use, mnot matter how much he sees it.

Had to apoligize profusely when you glared at him for buying a pointy hat, assuming you'd like it, though you both laughed it off

Overall he doesn't care too much, he think it's cool and might make fun but cares more on how you treat him and his loved ones, and if that comes with some magic he's good with that.

Loona

Oh she is interested, in every part.

Her favorite top has a pentagram on it, this girl loves magic. And while officially she's just a receptionist, she's generally the one who handles the grimoire plus she knows how to disguise herself so she's a bit of a mage herself.

While she is very curious about how being a witch is, she's someone who understands how it is to be treated diffrently when you don't want to so she'll generally let you talk when you feel like it.

Eventually will ask for help with some magic stuff if she feels like it's needed. Like asking for help on memorizing spells, and asking her step dad or sister feels daunting to her.

Will totally get you witchy fashion from Stylish Occult if you like that stuff.

One time asks if familars are a real thing, getting the response that she is kinda your familar, a deep and intended to be life long bond a witch has with someone special and she just becomes a blushing mess from that.

She likes it a lot, and is very happy to learn about that side of you, but overall loves you as before

(Sorry for the few here, I've never done Loona before.)

Okay there you go! Sorry this took so long, my birthday happened and I got distracted by a lot of stuff, but I finally finished it! And I'll get to more soon enough!

[otakusapien]

I just got mouth surgery so I did what anyone would do- watch the entirety of Mermaid Magic on Netflix while half zonked on hydrocodone. Review incoming (no major spoilers)

Synopsis: Three mermaids set out to save their kingdom and get stranded on the surface. They're taken in by two teens who vow to help the mermaids save their kingdom and defeat an evil ghost pirate. Also there's a merpuppy. He is the most useful character in the show.

The first episode starts out solid. We get introduced to the important players and get a sense for them right away. L to R, there's Nerissa (serious but loving bodyguard), Merlinda (free-spirited warrior princess), and Sasha (influencer).

Does every kid's show now have to have an influencer character? It is a nice change of pace we don't have the cliche of magical creatures freaking out over human technology. I also like that they have what I think is an artificial sky with their civilization mostly on land, making mermaids in this world amphibians.

They're trying to stop the McGuffin pearls from being stolen by the ghost pirate Barbarossa and the mysterious sea witch

Barbarossa is such a captain Barbosa rip off they barely try to hide it. There's even a scene where he transitions from flesh face to skeleton face to intimidate someone. They're both serviceable if unoriginal villains. At least he has a flaming sword.

We get a lot of cool fight scenes with these guys because the mermaids ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO FIGHT. Seriously, some of this fight choreography is SO GOOD.

Merlinda has been warrior training in secret with Nerissa for years. Her dad is overprotective since her mom "disappeared," so right off the bat we get fun chase scenes and an excuse to show off their powers.

Did I mention the mermaids have powers? Yeah, every mermaid gets their own ocean-based super power. Nerissa (above) has electricity, Merlinda is hydrokinetic, and Sasha can camouflage herself and others to be nearly invisible. She also has bubbles, but it's not used nearly as much and is kinda meh? I guess she needed a combat power so they gave the bubbly girl bubbles?

I don't mean to hate on Sasha, she's just a type I've seen too many times before. But she is one of the few supporting characters who kind of gets development, and she's proactive enough she's not boring. She also brings the merpuppy.

(No joke, the merpuppy saves their butts or moves the plot forward multiple times. They'd be lost without him. His name is Beau Junior.)

They didn't even need to give her a combat power because they're all proficient with tridents. Each mermaid has a magic ring they can use to summon a trident and active their magical girl sequence

I absolutely love their warrior outfits. They're unique to each person in style, not just color, the colors they do have go well together, even their fin shapes are based on different fish. It's nice when you know it's not just copy and pasted with new paint. My favorite thing is that the transformations make their hairstyles more battle ready. And when they're on land, they all get PANTS! I've never seen a transformation sequence be so practical, I love it T-T

This show is also a marketing dream, because you get five doll modes right off the bat. Let's use Nerissa again because I love her and her outfits are the best

They have mer-casual, mer-warrior, human, and both mer-outfits have land and sea modes. The marketability almost makes up for how ungoogleable the title and characters are.

Enough about marketing, back to the show.

The human leads are twins Tyler and Celia, descendants of John Silver who basically run their father's marine rescue

Tyler is a true himbo. He's goofy and not the brightest, but without being irresponsible or negligent, which is usually how these kind of male characters are written. Tyler is blond and male, so of course he's a love interest.

Celia is a budding eco-warrior, but social awkwardness holds her back until Sasha steps in to help her. I'd argue Celia has more chemistry with Sasha than Tyler has with Merlinda.

It's nice the humans stay involved with the mermaid quests the whole time. Even when they're underwater, they use technology to keep up and stay relevant.

I wasn't gonna talk about individual episodes, but guys, I GOTTA talk about the bank episode.

~~~~BANK EPISODE DIVERSION~~~~

So episode 6 starts out with the marine rescue about to be bulldozed with several people inside because the bank foreclosed on their house. They play it off as the dad missing dozens of phone calls and emails, but they show the daughter going through the bills. Surely this is something they would have sent in writing? They were not given in-person or written notice, these guys just showed up to bulldoze the house without checking if it was occupied because the bank owns it now. Why would the bank immediately demolish it instead of auctioning a beachfront property? Who knows!

Instead of doing the normal human thing and calling their boss about how all they can do is get paid to sit on their butts while bureaucracy happens, the demolition guys continue to swing a wrecking ball at the house. Even after they see the house is filled with several minors, they shrug and go, "That's a you problem" and start forward to RUN THEM OVER. Yes, even the children. This is a thing normal humans would do.

The mermaid sabotage the wrecking equipment to buy them time to do a fundraiser. They advertise only to kids at their high school with very lame social media posts, and it's never stated HOW they're doing the fundraising? They're just. Throwing a party at their house with a donation jar on a table. Okay.

It's not even a good party. They're acting like things are going great, but the animation budget won't let it be more than sparse groups of kids refusing to dance to terrible music. They couldn't even play the theme song? Or the transformation music, that music is great if you ignore the forced rap verse! When the party inevitable gets attacked by monsters, they act like it's such a big loss, but the donation jar looks like it has $20 tops. Because that's what happens when you only invite high schoolers with no jobs.

(Come to think of it, they have a token rich friend. Did Fred not chip in? Does his dad not give him money? His mean girl sister was there. She has a crush on Tyler, why wouldn't she get Daddy to drop 10k on them to buy his love? Maybe then Tracy would have a reason to exist)

Anyway, they find random treasure and save the house, the end.

But this episode made me wonder how tf these kids can afford multiple underwater jet skis and diving equipment when they're apparently so broke. The dad is bad with money, so it kind of makes sense he would splurge on things they can't afford and slack on bills, but this never came up before. It's like the writers created the episode to answer a question no one had.

~~~~End Bank Episode Diversion~~~~

I lied.

The Bank Episode is a good example of a major flaw with the show: None of the supporting cast gets development.

We get moments that seem like it would be that way, like 16 year old Celia sorting through the bills while their father is flippant to the point of losing their house. Normally this would be a chance for Celia or Tyler to talk about how they've basically had to raise themselves, or show anger towards their dad. Give them some depth and maybe a bonding moment with another character, even easily wrap up the family conflict?

Instead we get slapstick and 2 minutes of what adults think tween tiktoks look like.

Merlinda is the main character, and she does get a lot of attention and development. She is such a well written lead for this kind of show. On top the the McGuffin plot, Merlinda has a subplot about finding out what happened to her mom that's much more tied into her emotional arc. We really see her grow in a way that's satisfying for what few episodes we got.

Too bad no one else got subplots!

They don't get subplots, they get love interests.

I'd honestly have been super cool with this! It's made to sell dolls, I can get behind them pairing people off like mashing Barbies together! But we don't even get that. We get hints that people like each other, but then they barely even talk?

Fred likes Celia (who's Fred? Don't worry about it. The show forgets he's their friend half the time), Celia might like Fred, but has an implied crush on a jock. Tracy is mean and likes Tyler, that's all she gets. Another jock has a crush on Nerissa, and I can get behind them because he fell for her when she judo flipped him

Honestly, same.

He's nice to her, she's indifferent, it otherwise goes nowhere. None of these relationships contribute anything. Most of them are barely there enough to be worth writing in. The girls go to high school, but then they never utilize the setting past one episode. They may as well have made it summer vacation. The reason it exists is purely an excuse to meet love interests.

(Notice Sasha is the only one without a love interest set up and she's the one that gets development. It's like they replaced character writing for two sentences of bad flirting)

Let's do something the show never does and make time for Fred. Fred is supposedly one of their best friends, but they only go to him when they need something for the plot. He and his mean girl sister Tracy don't get to be relevant until the last episode. Their DAD is the one with a subplot. We don't even get to see Fred's relationship with his dad before the resolution, that's how little care they gave Fred. I can tell you exactly 3 things about him: He's a tech genius, he has a crush on Celia, and he has a rich dad. These are all things we learn within seconds of meeting him, and we learn virtually nothing after that (Tracy's existence doesn't count as she's barely a character).

Celia gets some development, but it's subtle. It's not bad, it just feels like it's not much considering how little everyone else got. You'd think there'd be space for it.

The only other teen characters who arguably had story arcs were Merlinda's love interests. Tyler's was mostly as a love interest. Supporting Merlinda, teaching her about the surface, relating to her losing her mom, falling for her then struggling with the idea she'll inevitably return to the sea. He may have also become more responsible? Again, codine binge watch, cut me some slack.

But wait, I said love interests PLURAL? Well lucky day, now I finally get to talk about Alex!

Alex is best boy and I will hear no ill will against him. Alex is the token merman, and a late addition to the team.

He starts off as a friendly guard Nerissa jokes about being Merlinda's boyfriend (which she denies), but once they go to the surface and meet Tyler, I assumed he was a fakeout love interest who would remain a distant friend. So glad to be wrong!

Blaming himself for letting Merlinda put herself in danger when that's the literal opposite of his job, he comes up with a way to get past the horde of sea monsters between them and the surface to make sure she and the girls are okay. The gang comes across him injured, and he joins the household.

We haven't seen Alex and Merlinda truly interact until this point and their chemistry is so natural?

Don't get me wrong, Tyler and Merlinda do an adorable job as the couple just getting to know each other, especially when they're making jokes, but I was surprised how believable she and Alex were as two people who have known each other for years. He and Tyler have a macho pissing contest so annoying I had to stop the episode, but it doesn't last too long before they're bros.

Honestly, Alex is how Fred should have been written. Not in the story or design, just the fact all the girls are so happy to see him you can clearly tell they're friends who love each other and have known him a long time. He feels connected despite his absence.

Alex's arc is about his role as a guard, trying to redeem himself and assuage his guilt, but also trusting Merlinda enough to continue the mission instead of bringing her home like her dad wanted.

Tyler seems like the clear endgame given how much more screentime they've gotten, but their chemistry is kind of meh imo. (I am admittedly biased bc I don't like blonds. At least he has brown eyes.) When I liked them most was Tyler making a stupid joke and Merlinda immediately playing along, but we don't see much of that past episode 4.

The way they express how painful he finds the idea of her leaving is conveyed so well through the animation rather than dialogue, I really feel his pain. But it doesn't feel earned.

Keeping this as spoiler free as possible, the plotlines for the season wrapped up in a way that was overall satisfying. The villain's goal seemed vague and fairly cliche, but serviceable. The secondary villain was equally cliche, but much more of a threat, and set up to do more in the long term.

I'd be satisfied with Merlinda's story if they ended at season 1, but everyone else's stories are so obviously incomplete. Even if it gets a season 2 (which it should), what it really needed was more time. It's another victim of the netflix season, giving them 10 episodes to drop at once when they should have had 20 episodes spread over several weeks. By this point, though, that's to be expected, and they should have planned accordingly.

As much as the supporting characters' writing annoyed me, it was overall a really enjoyable show, with a great lead, good character design, and delightful fight scenes. Definitely keeping an eye out for season 2. Pop a few ibuprofen and enjoy!

[shadowqueenjude]

Lucien x Nesta friendship drabble

Nesta introduces Lucien to her chosen family! @sonics-atelier I wrote it :)) Nesta surveyed the Autumn Court male coolly. She could see the similarities between his face and Eris’s. Her sister had not overstated his cruel beauty. Since she was now married to his brother, and he was in turn mated to Elain…she supposed she would have to get to know him now. That didn’t mean she was going to make it easy on him. She let pure dismissal freeze over her stare as she looked him over. Lucien Vanserra did not balk from her stare. A ghost of a smirk flitted across his face as she continued to stare him down. “Are you admiring my metal eye, or just contemplating killing me, Nesta Archeron?” Nesta couldn’t help the small smile that spread over her face. There were few who could tolerate her spiciness. Cassian had been unable to; he had loved her spiciness, sure, but only when it was directed at others. Not him. But both Lucien and Eris loved it. It must be those Autumn court genes.

“I was just wondering…” She gestured to that eye. “I forgot who made that for you. Or did you make it yourself?”

Lucien laughed. “By the Cauldron, no. I have a very dear friend in the Dawn Court who specializes in this sort of thing. She herself has a metal arm, you know.” Nesta straightened. “What is her name?”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

“Just for a friend,” Nesta said evasively. Lucien snorted. “You’re going to have to give me more than that horseshit if you want me to reveal her name.”

“What’s the big deal?” Nesta snapped.

“I don’t know you,” Lucien said simply. “I’d like to know why you want to know. You’re married to a brother I haven’t had a proper relationship with in centuries and possess incredible powers in the Dread Trove and that death magic you got going. Forgive me for being cautious.”

Nesta sighed. She wanted to argue further, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. “Fine. One of my friends, Emerie, is an Illyrian. The Illyrians have a barbaric practice of cutting their women’s wings. So… I was wondering if this friend of yours could possibly make her metal wings.”

Lucien gaped. “Are you fucking kidding me? How is such a practice still occurring after all this time? Hasn’t that stupid Inner Circle done anything about it?”

“Apparently not,” Nesta said. “But about the wings…”

“This seems within her ballpark. Why don’t I take all of you to see her? Nuan will be able to judge better than me.”

Nesta nodded. “Let me talk to Gwyn and Emerie and get back to you.”

Later that day, Gwyn and Emerie arrived in tow with Nesta. “Do you really think she’ll be able to make the wings?” Gwyn asked. Her teal eyes were as large as saucers and filled with hope. Emerie was taut as a bowstring by her side, not daring to voice the hopes in her mind. Lucien only smiled gently at Gwyn. “Nuan hasn’t failed yet.” As if in emphasis, Lucien’s metal eye whirred to focus more fully on Gwyn. Emerie jumped away, cussing, but Gwyn grinned. “That is so cool.”

Lucien smirked. “It gave me the ability to see things that nobody else can see. So, in a way, losing my eye was a blessing.”

“How did you lose it?” Nesta asked.

Lucien turned to her. “You probably know that Prythian was ruled by that tyrant Amarantha for fifty years.” Nesta nodded. “Well, I told her to go back to the shit-hole she crawled out of. So, she clawed out my eye.” Emerie’s jaw dropped, and Gwyn murmured noises in awe. Nesta raised her brows, impressed against her will. “That’s exceptionally brave of you.”

Lucien shrugged. “I don’t respond well to threats or tyrants.” Flame sizzled in his brown eye. Nesta smiled. “Neither do I.” Lucien laughed. “I figured as much when you made a death promise to the King of Hybern.”

Nesta smiled at Lucien. She didn’t know him well, but she had already decided she liked the male.

“I’m not sure I can winnow all three of you,” Lucien said. “You should probably bring my brother, Nesta.” Nesta nodded and came to get him.

Lucien was left alone in the room with Emerie and Gwyn. “Who cut off your wings?” Lucien asked. Ok, maybe not the best icebreaker, but they’d asked about his eye so it was only fair. Emerie grimaced. “My father.”

Lucien swore, low and vicious. “Asshole father. I can relate.”

Emerie scoffed. “Wonder what it’s like to have decent parents?”

“Beats me,” Lucien said. He turned to Gwyn. “Do you know?”

Gwyn shrugged. “I barely remember mine.”

“That’s a step up from being traumatized by them, I suppose,” Lucien said, and the three of them laughed.  Nesta returned to the room with her husband in tow. “Lucien, can you take Gwyn and Emerie?” “Yes,” Lucien said. He avoided speaking to his brother. “Hold on tight, my ladies,” Lucien said softly to Nesta’s friends. Gwyn was positively beaming at him, and Emerie was little better. Nesta wasn’t sure if she should be glad the two of them were so comfortable in another male’s presence, or irritated that they’d fallen for the Vanserra charm so quickly. Not like she could talk, though. Eris had a shit-eating grin on his face as Nesta faced him. “Looks like my brother might just steal your friends away from you.” “That would only make me as friendless as you, Eris.”

Eris chuckled. “Why do I need friends when I have you, Nesta Archeron?”

Nesta blushed as Eris winnowed them away.

The dawn court was exquisite. The colors in the sky were so soft and comforting, like honey. It wasn’t quite as beautiful as the Autumn Court, but it had its own charm. It was a little chilly, and Lucien was about to offer Nesta his cloak when Eris beat him to the punch. He shrugged, offering his cloak to Gwyn instead, who gladly took it. He led the way to the metal workshop he had frequented countless times to hang out with his good friend. Nuan squealed in delight when she saw him, running over to hug him. “Lulu! I missed you!!”

Nesta turned to Lucien incredulously. “Lulu?”

Lucien rolled his eyes. “She earned the right to call me that after she made my eye.”

Nesta and Eris wore identical smirks on their faces, and Lucien was about to roast the shit out of them when Nuan spoke again. “Are we here for the Illyrian?”

Emerie stiffened ever so slightly. “I stopped being Illyrian the moment my father cut my wings. I am a Valkyrie.”

“As you say,” Nuan said.

“Yes, Nuan. We were wondering if you would be able to make prosthetic wings for her.”

Nuan inspected the shredded wings. “This has been cut highly unevenly,” Nuan said. “I may have to cut a little bit more off to make it more even. Under a faerie drug, of course, so she wouldn’t feel anything.”

Nesta said, “Emerie? Are you ok with that?”

Emerie was staring at Nuan. “If I let you do that, would you be able to make wings for me? Would I be able to fly again?”

“You would need to relearn how to fly, of course, but yes, I can perfectly make usable wings for you.” Silent tears poured down Emerie’s face, and Nesta and Gwyn moved to embrace her. Lucien’s heart strained at the camaraderie, the easy acceptance and understanding. Something he had had himself, once upon a time. He shut down the thought.

“How much would it cost?”

“Seventy faerie bits, but for my favorite customer, I’ll give you a 15-bit discount,” Nuan said, swatting his arm playfully. Lucien grinned. “You honor me, my lady. And how long will it take to make?”

Nuan thought. “I was actually halfway into a wing project, which I think I can perfectly mold to fit her wingspan. Overall, probably a day?”

Lucien turned to his companions. “Are you all fine with staying?”

Nesta arched a brow at Lucien. “And do you have a place where we can stay?”

Lucien gasped in mock horror. “Of course I do! What sort of male do you take me for, Lady Death?”

“Certainly one with a death wish, foxy.”

“I’m perfectly happy to stay if everybody else is,” Eris said. “It’s not like I had anything specific going on today.”

“Same,” Emerie said. Gwyn nodded in agreement. “Then come with me, everyone.” “Are you ready?” Nuan asked Emerie. The jagged edges of her ruined wings had been evened out so that Nuan could attach her new microfiber wings. “They’re not quite bat wings,” Nuan admitted. “They’re closer to Peregryn wings, but that just means they’re softer and more flexible. And more colorful, if you’d like.”

Emerie’s eyes widened. “You mean I can make them whatever color I want?” “Of course.” Emerie grinned at her companions. “How cool would it be if I had purple wings?”

“It would match your friendship bracelet,” Nesta said.

Lucien snorted. “You guys have friendship bracelets? And you were making fun of my friend’s nickname for me.” Nesta grinned at Lucien. “Yes we have friendship bracelets, and we are not ashamed, foxy.”

Lucien shrugged. “If you say so.”

Later, Nuan carefully approached Emerie with the purple wings. “Hold still,” she commanded. The wings were very complicated, with many interlocking pieces, but finally Nuan got them on.

“Flap,” she ordered. Emerie obeyed and was stunned to feel the wings obey her. Nesta and Gwyn were squealing in the background, Eris’s hand squeezing Nesta’s tightly. Emerie sobbed over and over again, thanking Nuan for the gift, and Nuan hugged her. “It’s no better than you deserve, Emerie.”

Later, when Emerie, Gwyn, and Eris had all left, Nesta and Lucien were left alone together.

“You’re not bad, for a Fae male,” Nesta said. Lucien laughed and shook his head. “A glowing recommendation. I’m going to tape that to my wall. Nesta Archeron said, and I quote, ‘you’re not bad.’” Nesta smiled. “You must be very well-connected, if you know a tinkerer like Nuan.”

Lucien shrugged. “As the youngest of seven sons, I wasn’t particularly needed or wanted. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was able to study for longer than my father allowed my brothers before shoving them out the door to rule over some territory within our lands, and I could train for as long as I liked, since no one believed I’d be dumb enough to kill my way up the long list of heirs. And when I grew bored with studying and fighting … I learned what I could of the land from its people. Learned about the people, too.” “That sounds far more High Lord-like than people like Beron or Rhysand ever will be.”

Lucien let Nesta see all the power simmering in his veins. “That’s why my brothers tried their very best to break and kill me.” Nesta smiled. “Perhaps you could take over the Spring Court from Tamlin. Or rule over Hybern. There’s a power gap there, isn’t there?”

Lucien nodded. “I don’t know you very well, but I can’t think of anyone more suited to rule,” Nesta said. Frank. Honest. “You’re not so bad yourself, Nesta Archeron.” They may not be friends just yet, but there was a budding relationship there. It hadn’t taken long for both to grow to respect the other immensely.

[all-about-kyu]

Summary: n/a Pairing: n/a (background of Yungi, and ot8 x bunny!reader) Tropes: hybrid au, dragon au Genre: n/a Rating: PG Warnings: n/a Word Count: n/a Note: CTASF masterlist Note 2: shout out to @sanjoongie for building this absolutely phenomenal universe with me <3

𝕳𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖏𝖔𝖔𝖓𝖌

Time manipulation

He can’t do it for extended amounts of time but can for a few hours or so

It takes a toll on him but it is very helpful when he wants to get some extra work done

It’s also just nice to freeze time to catch up on sleep or spends some extra time with the thunder 

He likes to pause time for moments like they do in book and movies

He’s reclusive (affectionately) but he absolutely is a hopeless romantic for those kinds of things at the end of the day 

𝕾𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖍𝖜𝖆

Whhheeeeewwww our icy boy 

He can freeze/cool anything instantly 

Which can get really fun really quick

But he also can’t always control those icy shards from showing if he’s not in the best mood

If someone in the thunder is sick he’s always right there with a nice cold glass of water ready to give

Often helps cool San off by conjuring some ice and placing his hand where San will feel it

𝖄𝖚𝖓𝖍𝖔

Shadow manipulation

He’s so precious about it

He uses his shadows to cover Hop’s eyes during a scary or gory scene in a movie that he knows she won’t be able to stomach

Or if Mingi isn’t around to bend the light, he’ll create a sort of shade to block a bit (or all) of the light if it’s shining in someones eyes

He and Mingi work together on the light-shadow things since they’re two sides of the same coin (he wouldn’t have it any other way)

𝕾𝖆𝖓

Fire to Seonghwa’s ice

It’s not just fire though it’s also heat

Which can also be fun since it incorporates a lot of different things

He does have a bad habit of letting smoky tendrils or burn marks showing when he’s not in the best mood either

Before hops came along he was the only one who could get Seonghwa out of his icy moods

Sometimes he burns his food at restaurants to get a free meal (which is hilarious cause he's living more than comfortably and doesn't need free food)

𝖄𝖊𝖔𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖌

Mineral manipulation

It’s actually very helpful in his line of work

Something small is missing in the decor? He’ll just conjure up a few stones!

Also very helpful for Hop’s jewelry shop if she’s in a pinch (she won’t let him just make them all for her)

If he knows the mineralogical makeup of the stone (he has a cheat sheet on his phone), then he can make it!

He knows some better than others though

𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖎

Light manipulation

He’s a sunny person as it is, but his light manipulation is very helpful to those around him.

Him manipulating light and Yunho manipulating shadows was like a gift from whatever higher power there is

They’re literally inseparable (especially with them being boyfriends)

He often bends the light in his lecture hall and office so it’s not blinding his students or himself as he teaches 

He’s also very handy when there’s a power outage and they need to see!

He can just conjure some up at any point he needs

𝖂𝖔𝖔𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌

Electricity 

With Wooyoung’s personality, electricity just makes sense

He has a little quirk with accidentally sending small electrical pulses into electronics

He’s broken a few speakers at the dance studio like that…

But it also helps him in the process!

If something’s stubborn, he’ll shock it, and sometimes it’ll fix itself from that.

He does accidentally strike people with small lightning bolts when he’s mad at them though (and he shocks Yeosang for fun sometimes)

𝕵𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖍𝖔

Flora/ plants

We’ve already seen a bit of this in Liquid Gold, but he can create any flora he can think of

There are some plants that are considered “wives’ tales” like the mentioned ‘pregnancy prevention whatever flower’ 

Others are more practical, like interior decorations cooking herbs or healing elixirs 

He also just likes the coziness that his magical element brings with it

He’s made several different vital things for the thunder (mostly that tea for hops) 

He likes to make teas for the thunder based on what flora he associates with them and stores them in little satchels in the kitchen with each person’s name on it (he has threatened to make Wooyoung poison ivy tea before)

COPYRIGHT STARLITMARK & SANJOONGIE 2023© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED — reposting/modifying any fic or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations are not permitted. 

Networks: @cultofdionysusnet @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @sanjoongie @jaehunnyy @ericssmile @anyamaris @almondmilkeu @shinestarhwaa @northerngalaxystar-blog

[ansbobcar]

My thoughts on the mashle stage play becuz I'm sad I didn't record the whole thing

Only thing I didn't record but I did watch once was the Abel vs Mash part so I think I'm okay enough.

So, overall it was fun. Reminds me of how much fun I had while watching one of the mha stage plays (think the 3rd).

I love the details they added in this medium:

1. Mash NEVER sings showing just how unmagic he is (really looking forward to what the Divine Visionaries will sound like) it reminded me of Shrek and why the Shrek musical felt weird when I watched it. Like everybody sings and dances—except for Mash which really shows just how out of place he is. It makes you focus on the other characters too ngl.

2. Mash's muscles wearing creampuffs for headgear AND having nametags was just *chef's kiss*. I found it extra funny and they really help emphasise the absurdity of Mash's physical powers AND have their own personalities? They're like Mash's minions—the Duello moment where they score a bunch of goals—iconic.

3. Just the stagehands/prop ppl in general working with the projector to make the magic—magic itself in reality was extra cool. Like Abyss' Secondth Spell set up was kinda wild as if his own magic wasn't with the people waving around arrow flags. Using fabric for Wirth's Mud stuff. HECK THEY ONLY HAD 3 PARTISAN PROPS AND STILL MADE IT LOOK COOL.

Alright, so any highlights?

Let me go in order if I can.

The first door prop was wild. I think they used magnets in order to make it work. Pls use it againnnn in the next stage play.

The way Lemon and Love are the only two who use the rewind function is really funny, becuz Lemon's is for her introduction solo song and also semi-glosses over what happened during the entrance exam just like the rest of it was in song while also establishing her delulu love for Mash, honestly she's so real for it. Meanwhile, Love's isn't a musical number and is just the one where she explains how they got duped a coin. The use of practical magic tricks is really cool (I think they used one for the coin itself, those flipping blinds things to make the illusion of a diff object yk.)

The Magia Lupus choir-y ensemble songs were prolly one of my favourites, although I think it's just becuz I really liked Love Cute's presence as a whole since they only focused on Love, Wirth, Abyss and Abel as like the lead singers and Shuen is nowhere in sight? (I forgot if he was Magia Lupus in the first place) alongside the Finn-Lemon duet about like "ganbare Mash" (istg they made FinnMash so much more possible with this one song) and they're like definitely bestie coded 100%.

Anything with Mash's muscles is super funny too.

Lance's solos are emo, Dot had such a main character entrance but I dunno how to feel about the fact he doesn't tuck in his shirt (for context: the tea and the grades) but the fact I can't tell when his actor changes his fucking wig for the Ira Kreuz reveal is crazy.

RAYNE'S ENTRANCE GUYS. Bro has like my favourite musical solo entrance out of all of them. AND HE ALSO DANCES. HE FUCKING DANCES GUYS. KPOP IDOL RAYNE IS SO CLOSE TO BEING REALITY GUYS. They triple killed me in less than 10 minutes for that one.

Also the way they manage to put on the puppet masks without ruining the pacing makes me lose my mind becuz like... HOW???

I forgot to mention Wahlberg but honestly, him and Regro weren't my favourite favourite parts—I think it's becuz they have a lot of exposition dumps and more of a comedy out of the plot element since him and the cop interact with the audience quite a bit—oh but the acting that Regro does to make it look like he's squeezing from the neck makes you as the audience feel and believe his pain (when tehre isn't any). Like it was convincing. Plus they were funny during the entrance exam, they were dancing too.

Also Wahlberg pulled off the flash-paper thing. It was cool. I'm hoping for the thirds magic they make it look really cool in the next stage play.

The best part I looked forward too... was the Shu Cream Funk dance the main 5 did. They also made the others do it on the 2nd and 3rd time. Including Rayne. I recorded this in low-res. It was great.

Overall, highly entertaining. I think considering how they had to cut down 4 hours down to 2 hours with song, choreo (fight and dance numbers) they were pretty successful. I just think as someone who cannot understand japanese that the first 20 minutes was really REAAALLLY plot dump exposition a bit like the funny stuff from Ep 2 and Ep 3 with the entrance exam doesn't exist.

But they made up for it enough.

There's a lot that I skipped like the bullying thing and Bamboo guy. I don't remember his name but that's kinda covered with the rest. I'm really wondering how they're gonna pull off the next arc... I forgot who they cast...

[cjbolan]

Just finished watching Disney’s Percy Jackson. SOOOO much better than the movie!!!!….

1) CGI is kept to a merciful minimum, with plenty of cool practical effects and set design.

2) The few CGI scenes looks pretty realistic, one of the rare cases where barely-visible CGI actually makes the story better. Adds a layer of extra mystery. The Minotaur scene gave major Jurassic Park vibes.

3) The Camp Half Blood cabins are god-tier set design. Each one has a bold unique look , on the inside and outside. It reminded me of the different magical rooms from Encanto. You could easily tell just by looking which god each Cabin represents, without being told. 

4) There’s a much greater sense of danger when the monsters look more real (again thanks to minimal CGI) and the kids in danger are much younger than the 17 year olds in the movie.

5) Percy’s godly abilities being much more ambiguous helps strengthen the author’s intended neurodivergence allegory. Is Percy really a demigod? Or is Percy just seeing things? And unlike the movie, we see his godly powers long BEFORE finding out he’s half god. Which means just like Percy, we’re also wondering what the heck is going on.

6) HUMOR. I actually laughed out loud. Especially during Episode 2.

7) Sally Jackson is a badass with a personality !!! Unlike movie Sally who sounds like she’s just reading her lines all in one take, Sally shows so much real emotion in every little tone and action. She’s not going through the motions, nor is she overacting. When she says she understands and cares about her son, she SHOWS that. Also a major badass in how she not only stood up to Gabe, but also helped defeat the Minotaur. Movie Sally’s “sacrifice” was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This Sally truly sacrificed herself , by deliberately putting herself in danger as it’s the only way to keep her son alive. (Seriously this is how I want Mary Penelope Windsnap to be played too).

7) None of that rushed contrived enemies-to-lovers BS between Percy and Annabeth. This show cleverly subverts the trope. While Percy dislikes Annabeth, Annabeth likes and helps Percy but only for her own selfish reasons.

8) Gabe is a much more subtle asshole. He’s still an asshole, but no immediate threat to Percy or Sally so it’s easy to see why Sally stayed married to him. In the books she married him to keep Percy safe, but that’s hard to believe in the movie version when Gabe gets physical with Percy.

Will definitely stay tuned for more episodes.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

I would love to read something about Fiachra from "I'm Sending a Raven" if you have the chance!

so i don't think i really want to write an actual fic set in isar, so i hope you'll be happy with this list of ideas i’ve had about him:

fiachra was delayed when it came to speech. there was no perceived medical reason why; he just...didn't talk. keyleth and korrin came up with a kind of sign language pidgin that worked until he was ready to start talking shortly before he turned four, at which point he was speaking at what would be considered developmentally appropriate for his age.

keyleth had a very hard time leaving him for long stretches of time when he was a baby, esp when she had to leave zephrah, so alma helped her rig up a backpack for him, and he joined her for all kinds of meetings and diplomatic missions.

fiachra and vesper were basically raised as siblings. keyleth brought him to whitestone as often as she could, and the cousins would have sleepovers in one place or the other more weekends than not. he has his own rooms in castle whitestone, but vesper liked coming to zephrah more bc the druids would grow them an elaborate treehouse of vines to play in.

the ravens of zephrah were fiachra’s unofficial babysitting squad. he never went anywhere alone, and they helped him get inti all sorts of mischief—tho they also snitched on him if things got too dangerous, flying off and screeching to alert others if he needed help.

he absolutely inherited his dad’s sneaky nature and his love of pranks. keyleth’s nerves were perpetually fried during his preteen years, bc he was always popping out at her or rigging things up to spook her.

mom’s height and eyes + dad’s cheekbones and shit-eating grin = absolute heartbreaker (also bisexual disaster)

fiachra took pretty quickly to druidic magic, particularly loving tending to and working with plants. growing up, he’d always admired the tempest blades, and he worried that if he didn’t practice more martial abilities, he wouldn’t be able to join, until his grandpa reminded him that his mom was one of the most powerful fighters alive, and then he decided to devote himself to his druidic crafts while focusing on his martial capabilities while using them.

derrig became something of a father figure to fiachra, bc that man collected stray sons like pokémon. will was also like an older brother to him, and fiachra grew up thinking he was so cool and wanting to be just like him.

in this timeline, otohan’s attack on zephrah was actually targeted at him. keyleth was supposed to be away, but due to a last-minute scheduling change, she was in zephrah, so she was able to save her son from being slaughtered, so vax didn’t have to come. keyleth was beyond livid when her son nearly died, so she was extra incensed when she came to crash the malleus key.

fiachra was not allowed to go to the first incursion at the malleus key, and he was pissed. when his mom came back inches from death, he wanted to take off and kill ludinus all by himself. he needed to be physically restrained in order to keep him from doing something insanely stupid.

[moistvonlipwig]

can i do the same thing to you i did to sssammich and upend all the -corps on your desk or is that too greedy 🥴

looping in @yourlocalegotisticalqueerishere since it's easier to do these all in one post ! alphabetical order for funsies under the cut:

agentcorp - no...idk what to say really except the vibes are off for me. sorry chyler </3 i know you wanted to kiss katie so bad. i think alex and lena have similarities & differences (just like every character does with every other character lol) but i personally feel like their specific similarities & differences would cause them to either enable each other's worst aspects or to butt heads constantly. just my onion i know many people disagree and that's fine. also the triple hit of alex trying to nuke lena and justifying it by twisting all her previous good deeds to make them sound bad, lying about it to her face while asking for her help, and then not advocating for her to get her memories back and even encouraging kara to deceive her once again all in quick succession in s5 -- all of which got swept under the rug in s6 -- really soured me on the friendship s4 had built up between them. so i'm not even really a fan of their friendship. tragique :(

braincorp - they are my brotp <333 i don't ship them romantically at all but actually their relationship is probably my favorite relationship on the show period. it helps that they are my 2 fave characters lol but also they are so smart and so bitchy together and i love them <333 brainy is so ride or die for lena even when she gives him literally the worst advice anyone has ever given anyone else in the history of the world and lena feels safe with brainy to express how she really feels and they are kindred spirits. also the parallel to the comics dynamic between brainiac & lex luthor [which should've made it to the show!!! where was the original brainiac???] is poetic. braincorp 4 life !!!

dreamcorp - again i don't ship them at all but it's so bonkers that developing this relationship wasn't more of a priority for the writers. little sisters with asshole siblings who blame themselves for their mother's deaths (and also have magic powers i guess thanks s6 🥴)...the scenes write themselves! or so you would think. i liked that they had some rapport in s6 but also ngl it cracked me up in 6x07 when nia called lena "family" i was like girl this is your first onscreen conversation ever 😭 you are colleagues at best...oh well. i like the idea of them becoming found family though. i don't see the superfriends as a found family (they are actually this cool thing called 'friends' instead) but nia & lena specifically i think could come to lean on each other in a sisterly way.

guardiancorp - so as i've mentioned part of what really piqued my interest in guardiancorp was the reveal that james had 16 scars from lex yet he was able to look past that to see lena for who she was not just as lex's little sister. james as clark's best friend and lena as lex's sister are kind of inherently tied together by the superman/lex drama and i'm interested in how they can work through that to love each other anyway. one thing i find interesting about them is that they are deeply different in ways that could set them at odds -- lena is a luthor, james is team super; lena is a white woman, james is a black man; lena is morally flexible, james is much more morally steadfast/rigid -- yet they are able to find solidarity and common ground with each other despite those things and have each other's backs. a lot of people like to point to the scene where lena & james are completely out of sync at game night as evidence that they were never really right for each other, but the thing i always remember is that lena wanted to practice with him afterwards. she wanted to put in the work. that's actually very romantic to me. another thing i like is how protective they are of each other; morgan edge might call james lena's bodyguard and james might take a bullet for her and dangle morgan edge off a building for her but lena is also HIS bodyguard who would make deals with the DA for him and poison her mother for him. they're each other's guardians. also they are capable of being so powerful and bitchy together like when they went to confront morgan edge in 3x09 that was sooo funny and iconic. i do wish the show built them up better and let us see their friendship properly develop in 3a instead of having them flirt in a couple scenes and then not interact for 4 episodes and then have kara & sam hamfistedly tell us they have chemistry. if i were writing season 3 i would give them a slower build and probably not have them kiss until the balcony scene in 3x17. but oh well. if wishes were horses i would have lots of horses. i wouldn't even know what to do with all those horses. so it's a good thing wishes aren't horses, if you think about it.

kellycorp / goldencorp (that's the name i just came up with now that i am advocating for) - i quite like this idea because it's a kelly ship i can actually get invested in. hooray <3 i think kelly would be good for lena and, crucially, i think lena would be good for kelly. they both are more 'outsiders' to the superfriends than the other members are, as evinced by the two of them being the last to know supergirl's identity, and i think they could bond over that. i could see kelly feeling comfortable being displeased/angry with lena in a way she maybe doesn't with the other superfriends, while also holding space for lena's emotions in a way Certain Other People Who Shall Remain Nameless aren't always very good at. and i could also see lena really enjoying spoiling kelly with her wealth and kelly being kind of into it. also the fact that the showrunners seemed weirdly allergic to putting azie and katie into scenes together, meanwhile azie and katie were supposedly constantly flirting on set and working overtime to try and sneak goldencorp crumbs into the background, suggests to me that their chemistry was so palpable and powerful that TPTB were scared of letting them loose lest the fandom descend even further into ship wars. ...ok that last part is just a silly little conspiracy theory that i made up so please don't repeat it as fact or even as plausible speculation but also why Did the showrunners keep them apart so much 🤔 makes you think !

mirrorcorp [mirrorverse iris/lena aka a ship i invented] - so if you've never seen the flash you are probably thinking: who is mirrorverse iris??? i'm so glad you asked. mirrorverse iris is a clone of iris from the mirror realm which is NOT an 'evil universe' a la star trek, it is instead a world literally inside mirrors. mirrorverse iris was essentially created by mirror monarch (don't ask) for the purpose of infiltrating the normal world. she spends an arc impersonating the real iris and is similar in some ways but is also angrier, more ruthless, and more impulsive. in her last episode she figures out that she wants to be her own person and live life on her own terms not mirror monarch's and she defies mirror monarch during a fight with barry and then she dies. don't like that she died i wish she'd stuck around she was an epic character. but anyway this arc takes place in season 6b of the flash which you guessed it coincides with season 5b of supergirl. so my pitch is that instead of teaming up with lex to continue project nonsense lena goes on a sojourn to central city and meets mirrorverse iris who is impersonating real iris and undergoing an existential crisis/crisis of conscience. and the two bond and become friends. and then mirrorverse iris doesn't die and she and lena have to figure out who they want to be for themselves not just for the people who created them or tried to mold them in their image. and then they kiss about it idk just saying it could be good!

nationalcitydistrictattorneycorp - i mean. you've seen the scene. possibly the most sexually charged scene in the entire show. unclear to me why both actresses decided to play it that way but ok queens !

peggycorp - not my thing but i respect the warriors 👍

reigncorp - sam is imo the best & healthiest friend lena could ask for -- actually the best & healthiest friend anyone on this show could ask for -- but i don't really think their relationship is improved or made more interesting by them dating. i do think they have hooked up in the past and they decided they were better off as friends.

rojascorp - i'm not a rojascorp shipper actually but i believe in their beliefs...andrea and lena definitely dated, i see them as exes who still have affection for each other & sexual tension, i'm just not interested in the idea of them getting back together. if anything i actually worry that andrea might be too deferential to lena? i think she sees herself as deeply indebted to lena and -- whether you're looking at the pre-crisis more interesting timeline where she directly has blood on her hands or the post-crisis less interesting timeline where she tried to kill supergirl & accidentally put william in the line of fire -- i think she has a lot of guilt and she views lena as a moral authority in contrast to her morally 'tarnished' view of herself. which is interesting & juicy because most characters don't view lena that way. but i don't know that it's a great dynamic for a romance.

spheercorp - jack is sweet and rahul kohli is pretty. here endeth my thoughts on spheercorp. ...ok i guess i can say a little more which is that like rojascorp i prefer them as exes/bffs to them getting back together. i also will say that, while i think jack's death contributed to a disturbing trend on the show of killing off south asian characters, i do actually rather like it as a character beat for lena. i enjoy seeing him pop up in fics but in the show itself i think him dying is kind of a better story. sorry jacky :(

supercorp - i mean i think the premise alone is kind of epic and awesome. a super and a luthor but they're in love. like that's just plain cool. plus think of the awkward family dinners! i am always here for ships that will generate awkward family dinners. i also think they have a lot of great comedy scenes together which is always a plus to me shipping-wise, i like ships with a comedic bent. but there's also a lot of juicy drama/tragedy/gay divorce with them too which is also good of course. as a big fan of dramatic irony i like the secret/reveal as a storytelling device i just wish they handled it better post-5x01 (i think 4x22 and 5x01 actually kind of nailed it ngl). i like that they both used each other's kryptonite on the other person and yet they were able to forgive that and love the other person anyway. i mean the actual in-show process of forgiveness was wack but the idea is spicy. and i like that, as kara herself (clunkily) put it in the finale, they really do challenge each other and push each other to be better. as i've mentioned before theirs is a relationship where actions have consequences and where every scene they have matters and affects later scenes, which is unlike.....well, most relationships on the show, frankly. i also tend to think their scenes are just generally better-written and have more subtext (and i'm not just talking about the gay kind) and interesting things going on in them than most of the rest of the show's scenes. for all my many gripes about how s5 & s6 handled their fallout and then kind of just papered over it with platitudes, i still think their relationship is one of the best parts of the show and it's still the major thing that keeps me on the hook.

[the-misfit-star]

𝙲𝚛𝚔 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛(𝚝𝚘𝚑)

《Summary》: Basically the reader acts and has the same power of the collector from toh.

○Reader is Gendernutral

○Characters are Pure vanilla cookie,Licorice cookie, Strawberry and Strawberry crepe cookie, and lastly cherry cookie

○This story is strictly platonic because reader is a minor ( the collector is a minor too people)

○ Hope you enjoy:)

○ Part two here

🍓𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙚🧇

●Huh, so you're an immortal deity who looks and acts like a child but your magic is extremely powerful? COOL!

●You guys probably cause so much chaos in the Vanilla Kingdom because of how similar you're personalities are.

●They think you're games are fun.

●I can just Imagine you showing off your powers to Crepe (probably doing magic tricks )and them being absolutely fascinated by it.

●FRIENDSHIP BRACLETS

●You might even tell them stories about your life and how other cookies used you for your powers and trapped you for being to dangerous.

●They don't really get why you got trapped . I mean how unfair is that? Being locked away for being a child?! How stupid those cookies are.

●Crepe cookie shows you their waffle bots! They think that you're so cool so obviously they show you what they've been working on. Since yk they don't have real friends :p

●"Y/N cookie you are the most fun ever! I wonder if there are other cookies like you."

●"No cookie on earth bread is as cool as me! Well maybe you could be a close second place."

🍒ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕖💣

●If you thought that you and Strawberry crepe cookie were chaotic than you definitely thought wrong.

●You and her (and her friends) pull pranks and tricks on the other cookies for gits and shiggles definitely.

●You explode things with her too. You use your powers to make giant explosions that make the ground shake, and the cookies tremble at the sudden shaking of the ground.

●When you do tell her you were locked away for you being to powerful she is definitely upset at that. I mean you're so fun! How could you possibly be a danger? (Don't take that literally)

●"WOW Y/N cookie that explosion was amazing! I sure the whole of earth bread was shaking! Do it again!"

●"Okay Cherry cookie!"

🌻𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞🍦

● He's like a father figure to you. He teaches you right from wrong, how to help cookies in need to with your powers, yk stuff like that

●Instead of treating you like a threat, he actually treats you like a child, he treats you like a decent cookie being.

●He would honestly love playing games with you.

●When you first meet him you thought he was boring and you kinda make a few jokes about him being an old uncle.

●Not surprisingly, when you told him about your past and being treated like a threat he hugged you. He probably said something like "Oh my dear child, I am incredibly sorry that happened to you."

●He protects you from Dark entrances cookie and the other members of Cookies Of Darkness so they don't manipulate you into using your magic for evil.

●Dark rasin cookie and the others of the Pure vanilla Kingdom didn't trust you at first but after P.V cookie said you weren't dangerous they started to warm up to to.

●you unironically call him uncle Pure Vanilla .

●"Hey uncle Pure Vanilla cookie , is this right?"

●"Yes Y/N cookie, it is very right."

💀𝕃𝕚𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕖💀

●When Dark Entrances cookie announced that there would be a new addition to the Cookies Of Darkness he was beyond confused when he saw the new member was a child.

●You find it funny when he throws a tantrum over a mission going wrong, or when one tiny detail of his plan goes wrong.

●You and Poision Mushroom mock him together, you definitely mock him with Poision Mushroom cookie.

●But holy shit - when he sees what your magic is capable of he's ashamed to admit it makes him nervous.

●Seriously, a cookie as young as yourself is capable of magic like THAT? You have to had practice for thousands of years to be that powerful- wait what? You actually ARE thousands of years old ??

●Honestly how can a cookie as old as you be so immature?

●You think of him as a cranky older brother figure who constantly tells you what you can and can't do.

●He sees now why Dark Entrances cookie chose you to join The Cookies Of Darkness ,because you are an agent of pure chaos .

●When he hears about your past he does at least try to act a bit nicer to you.

●"Y/N COOKIE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CLOAK!?

●"I fixed it duh! It was so dull before! But now it looks much better after I added a pop of color to it. Don't you like it?"

●"NO! I DO NOT LIKE IT!"

🍓ꜱᴛʀᴀᴡʙᴇʀʀʏ ᴄᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ🍓

●You two are polar polar opposites.

●A shy, quiet, and introverted cookie like her and a loud, playful, extroverted cookie like yourself. It is a mystery how you two even meet in the first place

●She and friends found you lost and wandering around the forest, so they offered to let you join if you were lost.

●The very first thing she noticed about you was your ecstatic personality. You were just a pure ball of energy (and probably sugar.)

●When walking with them you were talking about your life events and random child things.

●I broke her heart when she heard what happened to you and all the pain you must have inside. Spoiler alert you weren't all that upset about it.

●But she was clearly blinded by your child-like clothes and personality because your powers did not match at all.

●You were pretty sure everyone was shocked when they saw just how powerful (and old) you are.

●You like teasing her about how quiet and shy she is and how much she blushes and hides in her hood when you make one of those comments .

●She kinda likes playing games with you and seeing you so happy. But when she says she needs a break from playing all day it's gets boring. I mean besides her and her friends you don't really have anyone else.

●Also has to teach you right from wrong.

●Just like strawberry crepe you guys got friendship braclets. Specifically the braclets that when put together say 'best friends'

●You talk to her about what it would be like if you had your own kingdom and subjects to rule over.

●"In My kingdom it's illegal to be sad unless absolutely mandatory. I don't like it when little cookies are sad. It makes me upset :("

●"U-uh Y/N cookie , doesn't it seem kind of cruel to forbid cookies to , you know , be sad?" "I mean I get sad all the time. Would you ban me from being upset?"

● "I said unless it's mandatory. And yes, I would never allow you to be sad in my kingdom. If you're not sad you're always happy! Which means everyone is constantly in a good mood!

●"I don't think that's how that works. . ."

●"Oh right I forgot to mention! If a cookie breaks the rules they get executed. :)"

●"They get what!?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~☆Fin☆~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

《Part two coming soon》