#honestly i have no idea how to tag these characters they have the most convoluted name systems of all time

[electricpurrs]

here it is everybody, the long awaited sequel to my red vs blue furry designs, featuring characters i didnt draw the last time

this was just supposed to be an excuse to make some silly doodles, but i ended up putting a lot more thought and effort into it than i expected, and had a lot of fun in the process HAH

[skiimbii]

> the 'ship' of theseus theory

I'm sure people have already talked about this concept a million times over, and I won't be new to the party, but the name I came up with on a whim is funny. I needed to share it somehow. So, I'm here!

It's scribbled on a post-it note on my corkboard: if you change one core aspect of a character with every chapter that you write, at the end of the fic - is it still the same character? Or is it just a glorified OC? Is it still the same ship? Not a crazy premise, of course. But it's something that I find myself thinking about a lot when I read various AUs online. It can definitely be hard to write a good AU without changing a single aspect of a character - and honestly, it's usually necessary to change stuff because oftentimes backstories changing means that personal values change - but I feel like there's a moment where your 'ship' stops being the same thing you started out with. Just like the original paradox, I don't think it's possible to know when you've gone too far until you've already placed yourself firmly in "I've mischaracterized them! Gotta add #OOC to the tags" territory. However, this doesn't stop me from wanting to be able to pinpoint that moment. Is there a way to figure it out? Can there be a formula made, or is it something that you need to figure out on a case-by-case basis? What parts of this ship can you replace without changing who the ship is, fundamentally? It's a hard idea to figure out! I don't think there's a solution, really, but I like the brain workout it gives me.

You can make a very barebones solution to this problem, I've found, by watching the second Spiderverse movie. Specifically, I'm talking about 'canon events'; things that need to happen in order for Spiderman to become Spiderman. Thinking about a character and their personality as a chain of events instead of one giant incomprehensible web of traits can help make the ship easier to navigate. Peter Parker's uncle must die in order to create Spiderman; [insert character's name here] must do [insert event here] to become who they are in the present. Everything else that happens is merely additional. I'll reiterate, it's a very barebones way of fixing things. But if you're confused, or new to the writing game, or just not very good at figuring some of this shit out, it's not a bad starting point, I don't think. And, much like in the movie, you can break this rule, if you think you want to do your own thing. (I think I'm clever.)

This isn't just for individuals, of course. I didn't call it the ship of Theseus for no reason :). If you have a ship that has, for example, the very best dynamic - #rivals_to_lovers - and you change it to #childhood_friends_to_lovers, for an AU you've thought up ... how far can you take changing the genre before you've ended up with a completely different pair of characters? When an author understands how to change the dynamic and really toe that line, I find that those fics tend to be some of the best pieces of writing I've ever read. It's about being able to fix that ship to fit your needs in that moment; to make it a galleon or a schooner or a yacht or a battleship, without changing the name painted onto the hull. (I would give examples of fics that have done this beautifully, but unfortunately my ao3 subscriptions stay between me and god.) The ship doesn't even have to be people, in all actuality. This little thought experiment of mine extends to be as general as just the concept of AUs themselves. It does get a tad convoluted at that scale - I'm thinking about that joke about how the darkest franchises have the most fluffy fanart - but it's still a track that can be followed. When you change a setting, you don't just change what background you've dropped the characters on, but rather you've changed the very heart of the story itself. If you were born in a different planet, or country, or tax bracket, you wouldn't be who you've grown up to become. Same concept, even if they are fictional. (In that line of thinking, any #yume or #Xreader fics could play around with that idea. I think it would be fun to ask yourself how you would act differently if you were raised in a different universe. Imagine yourself as a ship!) I like to think about changing settings as a form of translation, specifically translating songs; sure, you can translate the lyrics directly from one language to another, completely literally, but that'll just end up sounding clunky. Talented translators know how to bend and shape the words and phrases into the next language to sound just as good as the original lyrics. Good authors can change the setting while still maintaining the character as the character. Change a pirate into a college student, but keep their sense of (perhaps criminal) adventure, or whatever your situation might be.

You can read all of this and completely disagree, it's all welcomed. I'm not trying to say that this is the only way to create good media, because it isn't. Art is subjective, and this is an idea that came to me while eating breakfast, so it has no horse in this race. But, if you're like me, and you want to make something that follows the rules of canon without needing to actually follow the rules of canon - maybe it will also help you, to think about it as a boat. Or maybe you're tired of the nautical references. My ship passes you in the night, and we're both good because we're still floating.

[the-kipsabian]

if u don't wanna do this many, that's ok, but 9 thru 19 :D

9. Your favourite "era" in Wrestling? honestly probably the early 2020 to mid 2021. i know thats very specific, but its also very much when they had to get more creative with it, and they could push the limits and do a lots of cool stuff that was different from the regular. im not a fan of really any specific era, everything has its goods or bads but i do like modern wrestling more in a sense that its more accessible and has generally better content imo

10. Best looking title belt? i dont really pay attention to belt designs... but the asia dream tag team titles from gatoh move are gorgeous honestly. must be one of my favorites

11. Worst looking title belt? personally i always hated the first aew womens belt. it looked like a cheap plastic toy in comparison to all the other titles

12. Best "Big Man" style wrestler? (Doesn't have to be a man) idk if i have a favorite big man honestly. was never really my type hmm. i mean. if it doesnt have to be a man, does jade cargill count? she is a big tall strong woman and i'd let her step on me. idk what big man means LMAO

13. Best "Little Man" style wrestler? (Doesn't have to be a man) since hes a high flyer angelico totally counts, right? hes tall but he has a very little man style. again, i have no idea what this actually means ajsndkjasnjk

14. Favourite feud? ..if you know me this answer is sssoooooo obvious but. kip sabian and orange cassidy. the mind games still go on. im eating this whole feud like my life depends on it. its so fucking good

15. Favourite faction? going by whats first in my head, united empire. i probably have others but yeah

16. Favourite authority figure? scott d'amore is the only one i respect tbh

17. Favourite style of Wrestling? (Technical, High Flying, Hardcore, Comedy, Spot Fest, Strong and so on) i dont know if i have a specific style i like the most, honestly. i adore a lot of them for different reasons and in phases, i guess like high flying and comedy will always be my favorites. tho ive been leaning a lot into having an interest in technical wrestling in the past year too, so theres that. but i just like a little bit of everything, im not very picky

18. Favourite gimmick? okay so theres. two answers to this. one you already know im sure lol. cause i goddamn fucking ADORE kip sabian. this man is a creative genius and tho they are heavily downplaying his character atm, knowing how its built and how its supposed to function is so fascinating to me and makes me love it cause its honestly very convoluted and not played straight whatsoever and its. so good. the best goddamn thing and i hate it when people are like "no thats stupid" just cause they dont get it like. theres for once a neat and interesting thing in wrestling and ppl complain cause its not something handholdy. sorry tangent anyways the other answer is the original monday night messiah seth rollins. god complex beyond belief my beloved

19. Favourite match type? royal rumble. forever and always

[daddyissuesducks]

Im not going to tag this on anything but I really do just need to breakdown for myself why I'm not enjoying this show at the point I'm at in it.

So my GF and I have been watching the vampire diaries because it's a show that means a lot to them and I genuinely did really enjoy it. Mostly because I found it genuinely well written and engaging. I liked the characters, I cared about their relationships, but I'm half way through season 4 and honestly these last few episodes have been such a massive downgrade in quality. The plot is so convoluted that I myself, a new viewer, am having to explain why the fuck anything that is happening on screen makes sense to my girlfriend who's a long time fan. And that's not on her. I absolutely understand why it's confusing as fuck because if you miss like 2 line of dialogue or don't remember a random legend told as back ground filler 6 episodes ago it makes literally no sense. I'm surviving on a meta writers instinct of hearing that legend and going "oh that guy's giving villian energy, that's gonna be the plot" and putting the pieces together through a writer's lense of what makes the most sense to write dramatically which isn't how you should be expecting an audience to view your show. It makes me historically very good at predicting twists which you shouldn't want your audience to be. The other plot of the love triangle was really really interesting for the first couple of episodes but since the sire twist has become almost unwatchable. I liked the love triangle this season because it was literally Elana at a transitional stage in her life choosing what kind of person she wanted to be. Each love interest represented a different kind of life she could live and she had to chose that. But now it is the literal opposite. But I can deal with bad plots as long as the characters are interesting and

Elana: has literally had all her agency removed by magic despite her drive and agency being what made her an interesting protagonist in the first place. She bucked the trend of a love triangle hinge in that she was active in her decisions. I felt like I had a really clear idea of her inner thoughts and motivations. But now she has literally had all her agency but her love for a man removed by the plot

Stephan: was interesting at the start of the season. I like when he shows his flaws and his stubborn resistance against letting Elana break his moral system to the point of nearly killing her was interesting. It showed a flaw. He was appealing because he respected her choices as a human but as a vampire, he can't because he is terrified she will end up like him. It's the issue with empathy and empathy one of his major traits as a vampire is going to be heightened and so is it's downsides. He is putting himself in her shoes but not realising that his own bias' effect how he believes she's going to behave. But then it turns out he's right and she should have just been able to do what he said but couldn't because plot, fundamentally less interesting. He is now serving the only purpose of sulking that she dared to sleep with the person she was obviously going to sleep with when they broke up. I get that her sleeping with his brother is bad but like, my guy you knew. You literally said you couldn't be with her because she had feeling for him. And I'm getting less vibes of "I'm mad my ex slept with my brother because it's my brother and feels shitty" and more "I'm mad Elana is having sex with anyone but me even though we broke up" which is very much not how he behaves. Idk, I fell of team Stephan with the bridge incident, the fact they ever dated after that point is honestly insane imo. I get he was a ripper at that point but given how that's a metaphor for addiction, I don't buy it. It is possible absolutely to love an addict and they deserve that love but you have to put boundaries down. If your alcoholic boyfriend threatens to kill you while drunk, makes you fully believe they're going to do it, before saying sorry lol I was never really going to, you fucking leave. Yes the alcohol made them do it but you get out and maybe try and make sure they're getting a different kind of help if you can when you do. I don't mind the plot having her date him again, people are complicated and so are emotions in relationships like that, but it should realise that when he did that he stopped being the good choice.

Daemon: honestly he's still fine but he's not allowed to do anything but pine over the siring and love triangle. He's not carrying enough plot for him to save it

Tyler: honestly bores me a little. I liked him when his plot was just him and Caroline but he leans way way too much on toxic masculity for me to be invested. I do not care about wolf pack power dynamics I'm sorry, I just don't. I don't feel the stakes. I just feel like half my time is spent watching people fight over their egos. Werewolves are an interesting concept but I get so turned off them by pack dynamic plots. It doesn't help that his actor is pretty terrible too

Tyler's wolf girl friend: performance is very flat imho

Ric: I love him but dead

Jenna: love her but dead

Carol: love her but dead

Bonnie's grandma: love her but dead

Anna: love her but dead

Lexi: love her but dead

Rose: love her but dead

Meredith: written out

Everyone on the council but the cop: dead

The sheriff: oink oink

Elijah: my blorbo but absent

Katherine: facinating but absent

Bonnie: relegated to literally just a macguffin. I hate this for her. In the Jenny Nicholson video she mentions this being a big problema ndnfor the first 3 seasons I didn't believe her but she was completely right and I hate it. Bonnie is a deeply interesting character with interesting relationships with the main cast but she's not even close with any of them anymore.

Caroline: I loved her so much but shes just mostly doing the dull love triangle plot and isn't getting to be anything beyond a bitchy best friend sterotype, which was what she started as an initial refution of

Matt: I do not care about him basically at all. Any affection I had for him was killed by him fucking kidnapping Elana and getting her killed.

Jeremy: I don't care as much about him as I do Elana but also a victim of a plot based removal of agency. This is a theme and I hate it

Shane: i just don't find him an engaging villian I'm sorry. I don't understand him enough to.

April: she's ok, I just don't feel like I know her enough beyond dead dad and sweet

Klaus: I do like him. But I like Klaus when he's not supposed to be intimidating me because he can't do it. If Klaus is acting like a charmer or a snot nosed kid ruler having a tantrum he works amazingly. If he is being treated like the big scary unpredictable villian I don't like him anywhere near as much.

Kol: annoying and boring. The worst original by like 10 miles

Rebekah: literally the only reason I'm still watching. She is my baby, she is my darling sweet cheese. She deserves all the love and attention in the world and she can kill, torture, and maim as much as she needs to get it. I'm glad she's undaggered so she can save this show.

[queenpiranhadon]

see I don’t normally do tag games because I’m lazy but I can’t help myself 😅

ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ

Okay so fanfic wise- I think it was around 2021 when I started, I wrote an MHA fic with ocs of my friends- but actual story wise, it was a really long and convoluted fantasy story with characters based off of my friends all the way in fifth grade. It had like 35k word and I just kind deleted it 😅

ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʟᴏɢɢɪɴɢ

I created my blog I think in September of last year (I’m not gonna check rn) after a ton of peer pressure from my friends lol. I posted my first fic on Wattpad I think- a Sebastian x reader from Stardew valley that I reuploaded onto here :)

ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇʀꜱ

I am currently at 491 as I post this- and that number is insane to me. I honestly think any number is insane to me because if thirty people came up to me and told me they thought I was cool, then I’d probably feel like Zendaya or something! But I seriously love every single one of my followers so much and the fact that so many people support me is what get me through the writers block 💪🏾

ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

I actually talk to a ton of my moots through dms! My irl friends when I'm bored, my online friends when I'm bored, and some of my moots and I talk through instagram because the dm system there is a lot easier :) Usually though, one of the main reasons I contact people is when I'm organizing writing events!

ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ

Personally, I have no problem getting likes, but I always get excited when I wake up to like 95 notes or something on to realize that they're a crap ton of likes for a ton of my stories (I should probably turn those off soon) but I think I, like many writers, prefer verbal conformation that they like my writing- replies, hilarious tags, EVERYTHING!!

ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛꜱ

My requests are open!! I just finished clearing them out a while ago so I have like two left- one I intend to finish in a few months and another I haven't figured out how to write yet. I love answering them and ideas from other people are a great way to expand on your writing skills and limits :)

ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ

There's no specific question being asked here, but I really do love to write. I think most of that stems from how I used to write a ton of stories through messaging my friend- we'd take turns sending paragraphs of a story and it turned out super cool! Eventually we moved it over to word documents and it was a great way of seeing different writing styles and building off of each other.

ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪ'ᴍ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏꜰ

I think the one I'm especially the most proud of is my Warrior series- which I just finished writing a while ago :) it's really the first fic I've ever written that I've successfully finished, and the amount of love I've gotten for it is overwhelming. I'm truly grateful for everything and that fic will always hold a special place in my heart <3

ᴛᴀɢꜱ: @cashmoneyyysstuff, @peachsuki, @azzo0, @slayfics, @doumadono

@seonne, @starieq, @2melamoo2, @angels-fantasy, @sweetienans

@tootiecakes234, @shelfthe-reader, @a-had-matter, @queenofapeacefuldawn, @loife1m

@rxsewqter, @sxturn-to-mxrs, @hiraethicalreverie, @fish-ofishial123, @moondust-on-the-hijabi

@iam1withthepeggy, @baguettes-and-biscuits, @thefantasybean, @book-girl4eva, @the-slowest-turtle

Behind the scenes of a Tumblr Writer - Tag Game

Hey there, I love behind the scenes and since this is something that's rarely talked about, let me start the chain... if you feel uncomfortable with a question, just skip it. You can add some if you want as well.

Started writing: I wrote my first Harry Potter fanfic at age 10. Started posting around 15,16 years old. I'm now 31, so...

Started blogging: I started on a German fanfiction site around 2010/11 I think. Might have been earlier too, but back then I was mostly reading, no posting. I really started when I got into One Direction (very late, tbh)

Followers: Currently at 961, which is wild to me. I don't even know that many people IRL. I convince myself that half of them are bots tbh, so I don't freak out all the time.

Communication: The people I talk to regularly are: a few writers who answered after I constantly reblogged and commented on their works and a few people who commented and reblogged my work. Writing and blogging on here can be pretty lonely, depending on your personality and the time you're active (I'm from Europe and a lot of my followers seem to be living in Northern America, so there's the Timezone thing) ... And I found that the best way to strike a conversation is to reblog, comment, and to not be shy. I do wish I got more asks, though....

Likes: I actually filter them out. I have 793 original posts up at the moment. It doesn't give me anything to know how many likes a fic has other than to tell me which characters are liked more than others or maybe that one fic does especially well. My activity only shows me comments, asks, reblogs with tags, and answers to my own asks. I live for the tags and the comments.

Requests: I love talking to people about ideas. That's how I started the plotbunny game because I have so many ideas and so little time. And sometimes an idea just doesn't want to be written out fully. Requests are fun because YAY, I get some mail... but then I freak out because I don't really know how to write this NOW and then I freak out because it's been a week already, two weeks, wait, two months? I'd rather have suggestions where people tell me vague things like "I'd love to read something about this side character" or "Have you ever considered this character with a soulmate trope"? because then I don't have the feeling of failing the request when I write it a little bit differently.

Writing: I am a fast writer. I know that's one of my talents. I can churn out a oneshot of 1k words in less than an hour. People read slower than I write. That can suck sometimes because you've just posted this and you want to know what people are thinking but they're not as fast as you are. I do have a lot of ideas. I want to write constantly but my brain doesn't always want to. I am trying to respect that.

There are also certain things that I just feel wrong writing. I cannot write anything suggestive (I also don't like reading it) and everything past that gives me panic attacks. I can hardly write mean characters and jealousy feels so wrong to me that I cannot write it. I've also overdone it with the soulmark trope and now I feel like everything I write about it feels lifeless.

I write best in the mornings before going to work, but I don't have much time there. I don't need special music (but it helps), but I need to have at least some energy left and at best, no distractions. But I have been writing for over 20 years, so I will say experience helps a lot.

Tagging: @revasserium @shoulmate @lemurzsquad @screamin-abt-haikyuu @toomanygoldfish @satorisoup @emmyrosee @reverie-starlight @alienaiver and @writingsofanomnivore and everyone else who wants to join

[searchingwardrobes]

Ivory Runs Red: 5/6

First off, massive thanks to the @cssns​, my beta @demisexualemmaswan​, and my artist @cocohook38​. Cocohook created this amazing cover art, and she is working on something else too to go with this story. The rough sketch made my jaw drop, so I can’t wait for ya’ll to see it!

This part  is going to be a little long, but I need to address something that I got multiple comments about. Just bear with me; this is the only way I can think to clear things up. I was really surprised to see that some people were angry at David and Mary Margaret for not doing anything to find Emma and/or "allowing" her relationship with Neal. Others simply expressed things along the lines of "I hope you explain what David and Mary Margaret did about all this." The reason this reaction surprised me so much is because I thought it was clear that they HAD done something. Why would the Golds need to get rid of police files if the Swans never reported Emma missing? Why would issues of the newspaper be missing from the library if Emma's disappearance wasn't reported on? Obviously, David and Mary Margaret did something! As for Neal, they had no idea Emma was seeing him. If you'll recall, in a previous chapter, Emma told Killian she had to sneak out at night to meet Neal. So that wasn't Snowing's fault either. Also, how would any of these characters know what David and Mary Margaret did or didn't do for their daughter? This is almost a hundred years later, and Emma's memories are dulled from being a ghost for so long. The only way I could spell out clearly how Snowing handled their daughter's disappearance would be some sort of convoluted info-dump, and I didn't want to destroy the tone and mood of the story to do that. But just so everyone knows: Yes, Emma's parents were devastated. They did everything in their power to find her, never giving up hope (which is so in character for them!). They died still believing she was either still out there or that crimes against her had gone unpunished. It broke their hearts. The Golds spread rumors that Emma was some kind of slut who ran away with a guy, and the people of Storybrooke overall thought the Swans had gone crazy. So there it is, that's the back story that I just couldn't figure out how to fit in the story, lol.

I'm not mad at the questions, to be clear. I was just surprised by them. I guess I blame the show for ruining these two as parents the last couple of seasons. Maybe that's why everyone jumped on them so fast. I was also honestly worried that ya'll would be upset with me for not addressing the topic, hence this long explanation! No one was rude by any means, so don't go trying to defend me from nonexistent trolls, lol! My feelings have NOT been hurt. I simply wanted to address the questions that were asked and the misplaced anger toward Snowing. (Not anger towards me - but fictional characters!)

Okay, now that I've cleared all THAT up, let's get on with the next chapter, shall we? And I'll go ahead and warn you: this is gonna hurt . . .

Summary: When ebony flashes gold, blood runs cold. When ivory runs red, you’ll be dead. Killian Jones had heard the old rhyme his entire life. Every child did in Storybrooke, Maine. They heard it whispered in the dark at sleepovers as children; taunted as a challenge as teenagers. Killian never believed it was actually true. Until that fateful night …

Rated M for graphic depictions of violence, abusive relationships, and major character death (I mean, it’s a ghost story ya’ll, people are dead. BUT I promise, there is a happy ending. Trust me? *peeks from around a corner*)

Length: 6 chapters, complete, updated every Friday

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Also on Ao3

Tagging the usuals: @snowbellewells​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @kmomof4​ @xhookswenchx​ @let-it-raines​ @bethacaciakay​ @tiganasummertree​ @shireness-says​ @stahlop​ @scientificapricot​ @spartanguard​ @welllpthisishappening​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @thislassishooked​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @kday426​ @ekr032-blog-blog​ @lfh1226-linda​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @nikkiemms @optomisticgirl​ @profdanglaisstuff​ @ohmakemeahercules​ @carpedzem​ @branlovestowrite​ @superchocovian​ @hollyethecurious​ @vvbooklady1256​ @winterbaby89​ @delirious-latenight-laughs​ @jennjenn615​ @snidgetsafan​ @itsfabianadocarmo​ @lassluna​ @distant-rose​ @courtorderedcake​ @winterbythesea​ @thesschesthair​ @killian-whump​ @thisonesatellite​ @batana54​ @it-meant-something​ @xsajx​ @therooksshiningknight​ @gingerchangeling​​

Chapter Five: Run

“You’ve got to tell them what you saw - what you’ve learned,” Killian pleaded. 

Graham shook his head, his curly hair falling in his eyes as he stared at the slender hands he clasped in his. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw sported far more facial hair than it normally did, and Killian didn’t have to ask if he’d slept in the past forty-eight hours. 

“They won’t believe me.”

Killian’s jaw clenched in frustration. “But if I saw Emma, and you saw her, then maybe they’ll believe -”

“That Belle saw a ghost push Mike Gaston off the troll bridge? They’ll believe that? Really?” Graham let out a sarcastic, bitter laugh. “You really are just a naive kid if that’s what you're thinking.”

“But you’re a cop!”

“I’m still only nineteen! They’ll think we’re just over-imaginative teenagers.” Graham paused, reaching up with one hand to trace the curve of Belle’s cheek as she slept in her drug-induced prison. “That will land us in rooms just down the hall with our own IV full of an antipsychotic cocktail. How will I help her then?”

“You’ve fallen in love with her.” It wasn’t a question. 

Graham sighed. “How could I not? And how could he -” He broke off, his blue eyes flashing. “I’m not sorry he’s dead. If I’d been there and saw him hurt her -”

“Shh, I wouldn’t say things like that. Not here.”

Killian’s gaze fell to the bruises around Belle’s neck, and he didn’t blame Graham at all. It terrified him to think what could have happened if Emma hadn’t shown up.

“History repeats itself,” he murmured under his breath. 

*************************************************

Killian had scarcely arrived at the bridge when headlights blinded him. He turned away, blinking, stumbling, refusing to be stopped. 

“Emma! Emma!” he shouted. He tripped and dropped his flashlight. It broke as it hit the ground, rolling to the edge of the bridge. Now all he could see was ebony before him and radiant luminescence behind him. 

His palms scraped against the asphalt as Liam hauled him to his feet. His brother gripped his upper arms so tightly it was almost painful, and he gave him a brief shake. 

“You’ve got to stop this!”

Killian fought him. “I have to see her!”

Liam had always been broader than Killian with an unfair advantage in all their childhood tussles. Even now, Killian was no match for him as he lifted him bodily with one arm and hauled him over to his car. 

“You need help!” Liam literally tossed him into the backseat. 

“I’m not going home!” Killian tried to scramble out, but Liam just shoved him back inside. 

“Good, because I’m not taking you home.”

*******************************************************

“Why won’t you be straight with us, kid?”

Killian glared at the detective with a cynical sneer. The psychiatrist on the cop’s left frowned at Killian’s attitude. The choice of words was cruel considering he was in a literal straightjacket. His vision of the two men was obscured by the long strands of dark hair before his eyes. Haircuts were apparently seen as a luxury on the psych ward. 

“I’ve answered all your questions,” Killian finally told them wearily, “you just don’t like what I had to say.”

“Because we want the truth,” the psychiatrist, Dr. Archie Hopper, said gently. He was clearly playing the part of “good cop.” Or “good doctor.” Whatever.

“I told you the truth.”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

Killian snorted a laugh. “Tell that to Mike Gaston.”

The detective’s voice took on a harsh, warning tone. “Mike Gaston was the victim of murder.”

“The victim!” Killian cried, his voice snapping up. “What about the bruises he put on Belle? Or the fact that I nearly died when he tied me to that bridge!”

The detective’s lips curled up in a lewd sneer as he lit a cigarette. “If some horny teenager likes it a bit rough, that’s none of my business.”

Killian fought his bonds, his jaw clenching at the detective’s insinuation. He was as bad as Neal Gold, maybe worse. He had to be pushing fifty at least, and a pot belly strained at his button up shirt. His eyes widened as Killian raged.

“Bothers you though, I see.” He leaned forward. “Nobody blames you for wanting her, kid. Nobody blames you for being jealous. But murder? That’s a different story.”

“I told you I had nothing to do with that!”

The detective glanced at Dr. Hopper, and the soft spoken psychiatrist took over. “Killian, start at the beginning for us. What did Belle say when she called you that night?”

“I’m telling you, she didn’t call me, she didn’t come to my house. I saw her early that afternoon at the library. That was it. Then my brother got a phone call that there had been an accident, and we came to the hospital.”

“You and Belle were at the library together a lot,” Hopper said softly, “what did you two do there?”

Killian rolled his eyes. He hated the patronizing way the man asked the question. “We studied. Did our homework. We were friends.”

The detective snorted again, and Killian wanted to scream. “Drop the act, kid. You really expect us to believe that you spent all that time with her, all that time with a hot chick, and you never fucked her?”

Dr. Hopper recoiled at the foul language, and Killian thought his own jaw might actually break. 

“You’re just as much a misogynistic, narrow-minded, neanderthal as Mike Gaston.”

The detective grinned and slapped Dr. Hopper on the knee. “You were right, shrink, this kid’s smart.” He took another puff of his cigarette as he eyed Killian. “Smart enough to plan an elaborate murder with your knocked-up girlfriend?”

“That’s the most ridiculous - wait - did you say knocked up?”

“Hm,” the detective mused, leaning back in his chair and rubbing at his five o’clock shadow. “You didn’t know?”

Killian was horrified when a laugh slipped past his lips. Another bitter laugh followed, then another, until before he knew it, he was shaking with them. He was laughing hysterically while wearing a straightjacket. That thought made him laugh even more, and if he didn’t seem like a lunatic before, he sure as hell did now. 

“What the hell is so funny?” thundered the detective.

Killian’s laughter stopped abruptly and he leveled the man with an intense stare. “History repeating itself. That’s what’s so funny.”

A smile that he knew bordered on manic curled his lips. Yes, history had repeated itself, and this time, Emma Swan had won. 

************************************************************

They didn’t have enough to charge him, or Belle, or anyone else really with Gaston’s murder. It was officially declared an accident, and theoretically, Belle French and Killian Jones were free to move on. 

Killian wouldn’t say it was easy for Belle. She had severe trauma from that terrifying night, and she ended up losing the baby because of it. Nevertheless, she had Dr. Hopper’s patient help, her father’s support, and Graham’s unwavering devotion. Soon, though it would be a long time before she was truly healed, she was able to go home. 

Killian, on the other hand, didn’t really want to go home. For one, he, unlike Belle and Graham, refused to stop talking about Emma - refused to lie and say he made it up. He didn’t fault his friends for it; didn’t take it as a betrayal. He even understood their reasoning when they begged him to do the same and just play along, damn it. He simply couldn’t do it. Emma was too real, too precious. He knew her in a way they never would. He knew the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips. He wouldn’t - couldn’t - let that go.

The psych ward wasn’t so bad. The drugs numbed him to the point that he sailed on a sea of oblivion half the time. He’d stopped fighting, so there was no more straight jacket, no more bed straps. 

And she came to him. Sometimes the drugs meant he wasn’t lucid enough to really carry on a conversation. On those nights, she curled up next to him on the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheeks. She pressed kisses to his lips, and sometimes he could respond in kind. 

Other times, though admittedly rare, they would talk. About everything and nothing at all. One night, they talked about their dreams for later, after high school, and suddenly Emma began to weep. 

“I know,” he soothed, brushing her forehead with a kiss, “you fear you can never have that. But maybe we can figure it out. If we somehow get the truth out. About your murder -”

Emma silenced him with a finger to his lips. “That isn’t it, Killian. It’s you. I have no more tomorrows but you can.”

His brow furrowed, and she sighed and soothed the lines away with the pad of her thumb. 

“But not if you keep holding onto me.”

His arms instinctively pulled her closer. “I’ll never let you go.”

She sighed, and sadness filled her eyes. She slipped out of his embrace and rose from the bed. Her skin grew white, her gown floated in an ethereal way at her feet. He frowned and scrambled to a sitting position. 

“I have to say goodbye,” she told him. She said it with an edge of discovery in her voice. Her lips turned up in a soft smile even as a tear slipped down her cheek. 

He shook his head and tried to reach for her, to leave the bed, but he had just enough drugs in his system to make his movements sluggish and ineffectual. 

“I won’t let you see me again.”

“No, Emma, please! I love you!”

“And I love you. That’s why I have to do this.” 

She was already fading away. Killian made a fist and slammed it into his thigh. Tears stung his eyes. 

“Be happy,” she told him, “for me.”

Then she was gone.

[apple-bottom-jeansx]

ask and you shall recieve! Here is reasons I have found that James and Cordelia might not get the Happily Ever After I so badly want for them (this may be very convoluted because my brain doesn't really see things as seperate ideas but instead everything is all connected like a web so I am sorry but I'll try my best to make it make sense)

The first time I got this idea was when in Chain of Gold CC constantly paralleled James and Cordelia to Layla and Majnun. these two characters are in love from childhood, but were prevented from being together (this sounds familiar). As adults they try to unite again, but die without ever succeeding. this is a worrisome parallel to me.

There is also this quote from Layla and Majnun “A thousand thorns his course delayed. No rest he found by day or night - Layla, forever, in his sight”. James' and Cordelia's relationship was doomed the moment Tatiana asked James to cut the briars at her manor. I never expanded on it but I also have this theory that James is also meant to represent Sleeping Beauty. Briar Rose (James) pricked her finger on a thorn and fell under a spell (that woudl be Grace and the bracelet). What's even more interesting is that thorns/briars kept kights from entering the castle to save her. So there are two parallels that both involve thorns keeping a couple frome each other, and CC went as far to make this happen literally in TLH as well. (the sleeping beauty theory i have not updated since chain of gold but i can share that if you all are interested).

There is also this quote from Catarina in TFTSA about James: "Fated to walk a difficult and painful path, to drink bitter water with sweet, to tread where there were thorns as well as flowers. No one could save him from that. People did try." I've already established that I think Grace represents thorns. Well I also think that Cordelia is meant to represent roses. Again, most of my evidence is from CHOG (I honestly just have been forgetting to look for it in CHOI). This entire time, if you see Grace as thorns and Cordelia as roses, James has been treading where there are both thorns and flowers. THEN Catarian says "no one could save him". Even if my interpretation of the quote is inncorrect, that part of the quote makes me sososo anxious. Catarina what does that mean???

(I talk about this quote and the next one here)

Then there is this quote from Great Expectations: “Estella, to the last hours of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil”. I'm assuming this is where CC got "The Last Hours" from. My concern with this quote is that James is Pip and Estella is Grace. I'm hoping this will just turn into James forgiving Grace for what she did and realizing that she had very little control. However, in GE, the story ends with Pip still in love with Estella and I am WORRIED.

The last piece I can find right now is how James is paralleled to Jesse James. I have not posted anything about this theory yet, but Jesse ends up betrayed and murdered by the last two members of his gang that he trusted. For the sake of all the Merry Thieves and all of us readers I hope that I am reading too much into this parallel

as always please let me know your thoughts!!

I’m tagging everyone who commented under my last post as well as everyone who said they wanted to be tagged in my theories @immortal-enemies @moony401 @angelharahel @anarmorofwords @queenlilith43 @icycoolslushie @gabtapia

[faithhforgottenland]

thank you for the tag, Blaize <3 (i dont really write fanfic anymore this is gonna be so dated)

How many works do you have on ao3 so far?

Right now i have 9 works, but i did orphan around 10-14 in the past month

What is your ao3 word count?

it's around 33k, very underwhelming, but the google drive fanfiction with all the fanfic i've ever written is around 76k and original work is maybe 20k

What fandoms do you write for?

Well, I used to write for sanders sides(dark times), but i have written predominantly good omens and merlin fanfic lately (never published any)

Top 5 fics by kudos:

I will not be participating in this as i haven't published anything in over a year and fics that are older than that are dead in my eyes

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I love responding to comments!! It was the reason i got into publishing my fics in the first place :) it's so nice to see people like your work so much they want to let you know

What's a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I never managed to finish any multi chaptered fics, unfortunately. When i was passionate about them, I physically could not write and then the inspiration flew out the window. They were always so long and convoluted as well. Either way, I was never a fan of incredibly angsty endings, I always wanted the characters to be happy. But a new oc story I began has an unhappy ending (pray to God I have the time to finish that one, I definitely have the ideas)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like I mentioned, I never really finished fics, but all my oneshots have happy endings :)

Do you get hate on your fics?

I haven't written or published enough to <3

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I can do very heavy makeouts with great enthusiasm. I draw the line when the clothes are beginning to disappear.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope, not a fan of writing them

Have you ever had a fic stolen?/Have you ever had a fic translated?

No :)

Have you ever cowritten a fic?

Attempted several times with @violets-and-books but we never managed to. The planning was very fun though, I remember

What's your all-time favourite ship?

Right now, the only ship that fills my mind is Aziracrow, but if you asked me five months ago, it would've been merthur, and so on. I bounce a lot between ships and fandoms and I leave them behind almost definitely when I lose interest. So, no all time favs

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Flower Crowns!! God, I miss writing that fic, it was so incredibly fun, I'm really sad I abandoned it. However, I physically cannot go back and write for it again :( (i have an oc idea with an extremely similar concept, so that can be my redemption)

What are your writing strengths?

Pining and kissing scenes. It's all I do and all I can do. I really like describing emotions as well, I think that might be my core strength and what people enjoy the most (by people i mean the two friends & my bf that I send my writing to for validation)

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and action scenes. Dialogue always comes out a bit wonky for me and it takes me so much trial and error to actually figure out the characters' voice and mannerisms and by the time I can confidently say I know how to write a character, I've lost interest in the fandom and/or ship. Action scenes are self explanatory

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I don't mind it, honestly, I think it can be fun when it makes sense for the story and the character :) Plus it helps that I am not from an English speaking country and can vaguely understand French (i've seen it used the most). When I'm reading, I would like to have footnotes of the translations though

First fandom you ever wrote for?

Harry Potter. It's still out there. Haunts me to this very day.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

Honestly, I'm very fond of 'he did (not) regret it', it's so bad, but it was the biggest leap in writing quality and romantic tension I had ever taken. I'm also fond of 'despair', it was me genuinely working through my experience with romantic attraction and i hold it dear to my heart. Actual favourite fic that I would gladly reread? There's a fun Merlin oneshot that I'm proud of, never had the courage to publish it though, so it doesn't count.

anyone who wants to do this, please feel free to, i am very politely asking <3

Thanks for the tag @sixofsol ! I've missed these kinda tag games, they're so fun to do!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 so far! (I published my first fic in Jan of this year oml)

2. What is your AO3 word count?

172,381! My goal is to get 200k written by new years day but October was a terrible month for writing so I'm 10k words behind schedule :(

3. What fandoms do you write for?

So far only six of crows. One day I want to branch out into rwrb or lokius but for now the wesper brainrot is way too strong

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Of Merchlings and Letters Home with 963

Of Lies and Rash Decisions with 839

I Wish You Meant It with 787

You got me wrapped around your finger (not that I'm complaining) with 600

Jesper Fahey Couldn't Sleep with 537

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I love responding to comments as they make my smile sm. Sometimes I'm too overwhelmed (in a good way) or busy to answer immediately but I do try my best!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Heh it definitely has to be Just You and Me Merchling. I had so much fun writing that one, hurt no comfort is my beloved.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhm, depends on how you want to look at it. Fic with the fluffiest ending? Probably Summer Days Drifting Away or Out Of The Blue. Fic where they finally found happiness after everything they'd been through? Flair For The Dramatics or Never Let Me Go. Fic where against all odds it worked out in the end? Of Lies and Rash Decisions.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully I haven't to my knowledge.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I dabble in some every now and then... it's always soft and either full of jesper being a simp or a pining idiot (or both) during it. Lost On The Shape Of You and The Longest Hour are my only published examples

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

The only crossover I've published was Never Let Me Go, if that even counts considering it was more of a Spiderverse AU then a Spiderverse crossover. I have a How To Train Your Dragon wesper au in the works, but it's still in the baby phase so I don't yet know how faithful to the og movie the storyline will play out. There will definitely be all the iconic scenes anyway.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah! Of Merchlings and Letters Home, Of Lies and Rash Decisions and Flair For The Dramatics have all been translated into French by the wonderful shippoutsy on ao3 and twitter. (Link to the translated fics in the titles) it is one of the highest honour someone can bestow to a fanfic writer in my opinion, alongside fanart and book binding. If I was only more fluent in my native language I'd offer to translate so many of my fave fics

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not yet, but I'd love to one day! @mezlymils squinting at you babe

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Wesper... who's surprised?? Nobody

15. What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

So far it's my Rose Tinted Glasses wip. Tooth rotting fluff is way too difficult for me to write and I am STRUGGLING.

There's also the omalh epilogue

16. What are your writing strengths?

Metaphors are my lover and descriptive imagery my best friend!! I love being able to metaphor the fuck out of everything and I defo think one of my strengths is setting the scene. There's also internal monologuing but I think that's my adhd jumping out there hehe

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely dialogue and small scenes that don't require much description, such as washing dishes or something else mundane but necessary to the scene. I don't feel like I'm a very humorous person so having dialogue that's natural and in character is something I can struggle with a LOT.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It's quiet jarring to me personally, really takes me out of the scene and forces me to disconnect from the fic, especially if its a language I don't know. A word or two is fine, but whole sentences don't work for me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I used to publish marauders fics on wattpad when I was 12...

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Of Lies and Rash Decisions my eldest child, Little Stolen Moments my middle child and Never Let Me Go my youngest child. Those fics are everything to me for so many reasons that I won't delve into here lest I bore you lmao

Tagging: @mezlymilsposts @crowpricorn @sunfl8wer @violets-and-books @littlelcvestory @thesacredlore ♡

[picnokinesis]

fic writer review

tagged by the wonderful @swinging-stars-from-satellites whoop!! Let’s go!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Fourteen! It was thirteen until yesterday, which appealed to me a lot, but I decided that posting pirate!thoschei was worth changing that number hahaha

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

394,102

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Technically five, because I’m not counting Avengers and MCU as two different fandoms hahaha. But they are: Doctor Who (2005), MCU, Stargate Universe, The Greatest Showman, and X-Men (comics) - the latter, though, wasn’t really for that fandom, because I was writing a TGS X-Men au hahaa

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Liminality , with 195 kudos - I am not surprised about this one, since it’s probably the most ‘readable’ of my fics, being a oneshot, not shippy, and also not being stupidly long haha!

Renegades in the Ring , with 144 kudos - I didn’t realise how much kudos this one got? I guess it helped that the fandom was very active when I first posted this. Alas, if only I had finished this one...I have a lot of nostalgia for the idea, but I don’t think I’ll ever return to it, simply because it would take about as much effort as campervan au is taking me right now. 

i need a place to hide (before the storm begins) , with 125 kudos - which I am genuinely SO happy about because ahh! This is my big project and to know that 125 people said ‘yes this is good’ is just...really really nice?? Especially when it’s such a niche, specific au.

Tropospheric Disturbance , with 125 kudos - honestly, I’m surprised this one has as many kudos as it does, since I regularly forget I even wrote it hah! It’s a weird one, because it’s not actually in my usual writing style, but I am very proud of it!

and they did live by watchfires , with 109 kudos - and I’m really really happy to see this one here, because I think this is probably the favourite thing of my own that I’ve written. 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

YES absolutely!! I love comments so much, and I really love to ramble about my stories because I almost always have a LOT of thoughts hahaha

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I mean, it’s probably a toss up between i need a place to hide (because I ended it on that twist/cliffhanger), Retrograde (which is another cliffhanger ending, leaving all the characters in a REALLY BAD situation), or maybe the new problem kid, you’ll taste all the salt in my lungs, because, uh, it basically ends with the Doctor saying ‘the person I was before this moment is dead’ HAHAHA. But, to be honest, I don’t know if I would call any of those endings VERY angsty? They’re more like ‘AHHH WHAT HAPPENS NEXT’ endings rather than angst. I don’t tend to write angsty endings because I love angst but I always prefer to end it on a hopeful note...otherwise it feels very unsatisfying for me to write, personally. 

7. Do you write crossovers?

Technically? I mean, I see Renegades as an au more than a crossover, because it’s merely set in the same universe as the X-Men comics, and the only crossover element is Nathaniel Essex being in it...and I never even wrote those scenes hahaha

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

Nah, people are wonderful!

9. Do you write smut?

Since I’m sex-repulsed, this is a hard no HAHA

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know!

11. Ever had a fic translated?

I have not

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Me and @sunshinedaysforever have a collab-wip graveyard in our dms HAHA - but I am actually working on cowriting a fic with some other wonderful folks at the moment! I am. Supposed to have my part finished by the 6th. Hm. 

13. All time fav ship?

Right now, it’s thoschei/spydoc, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s my all time favourite, because my favourite changes a lot. I do have a HUGE amount of love for Clintasha and Rush/Young though! 

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hmmmmm, there’s a few. I mean, at the moment, I feel like The Grandfather Paradox will NEVER get finished, but I like to think that if I’m still into Doctor Who enough when I finally finish campervan, I might take a crack at it? Grandfather Paradox is more solid atm than some of my other wips...(see: deathless, disarmed). Oh, I know which one I almost certainly won’t finish - this one I came up with waaay back before In the Wind, which is set between O55 and Telsa, which is about telepathy and not listening to warnings from the past, amongst other things.

15. Writing strengths?

I’ve been informed that I’m really good at character voices, and I also think that I’m quite good at expanding characters we see very little of and fleshing them out a lot more. I’ve had to do that a lot for campervan and it’s been really good fun!

16. Writing weaknesses?

I think I can get kinda tangled in the emotional plot lines sometimes, and it makes everything get convoluted and messy and hard to follow? Also I’m not very good at...taking a good metaphor and expanding it? If that makes sense. I’m also actually kind of terrible at subtle, clever foreshadowing because half the time I don’t know what’s happening HAHAHAHAH but sometimes I do manage it!! I’m trying to do it in campervan at the moment. Also I. Can’t write short things HAHA. My characters always think and talk a LOT and sometimes that’s good, sometimes not so much

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I’m actually doing it currently in part 5 of campervan, since Gabriela and Jamila both speak portuguese (and I’m learning portuguese!)

18. First fandom you wrote for?

On ao3? Stargate Universe. On the internet? The Avengers. Ever? Uh. I honestly don’t know. I made up ocs based on two unicorns in the aftercredits sequence of a My Little Pony VHS tape, does that count?

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

I mentioned it earlier, but I’m extremely proud of and emotionally attached to and they did live by watchfires

If anyone wants my ao3, it’s right over here!

And oh, who to tag!! No pressure, of course, but: @sunshinedaysforever @theplatinthehat @taardisblue @hetzi-art @krebkrebkreb @echo84 @theoreticalabsurdity @1-of-those-things @walker-lister @timelostdoctor and anyone else who wants to!

[the-phoenix-heart]

I posted 30,022 times in 2021

234 posts created (1%)

29788 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 127.3 posts.

I added 830 tags in 2021

#sorting hat chats - 344 posts

#sortinghatchats - 344 posts

#percy jackson - 31 posts

#pjo - 31 posts

#hp - 23 posts

#harry potter - 23 posts

#ask meme - 14 posts

#wandavision - 7 posts

#sortinghatshitpost - 7 posts

#beautiful - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i liked the idea that finn was the first one to really rebel and live and that poe was the first to show compassion to a st give them a name

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

You know who I’m most curious about in Wandavision? 

Ad man and Ad Lady. 

These are the same man and woman in each of the fake ads in Wandavision, but there’s one important detail that everyone is forgetting about with them. 

They have children.

There’s a big deal made about the fact that other than Billy and Tommy there are no other children in Westview, but there are children in the ads. 

And it’s not like these are fun and just for the audience, we’ve seen them pop up on the TVs at HQ, so what gives with them, and where are they? They probably aren’t in Westview proper, but they have to be somewhere nearby because the ads they’re in have to do with Wanda’s memory so what gives? And most of all why do they have kids when there are no other children? This show is too smart to make an effort not to show kids but then include them in the ads. 

And also, I gotta ask, why ads? Why are they forced to do ads?

I don’t have any answers, I just wanted to get it out there, and I can’t wait to see what’s done with them. 

55 notes • Posted 2021-02-06 15:49:06 GMT

#4

Sorting Hat Chats - Princess and the Frog

I’m hoping to finish this up in one night, mainly because I was talking about Disney villains with my mom and Dr. Facilier and he’s probably my favorite Disney villain. Anyway, here is an explanation of the system I’m using right here by @wisteria-lodge​.

PRINCESS TIANA has already been sorted before (probably by @sortinghatchats​) but I feel weird not sorting her. She’s a Snake Badger like they said, although I’m tacking onto that sorting a bit. Her primary is Burnt and so she has a Lion model. What sold me on her sorting is the scene where Dr. Facilier tries to tempt her into giving up the talisman. I’m a Lion primary, if he started saying that stuff to me, I probably would’ve taken him up on it. But Tiana is a Snake primary, and that scene is when she unburns, when she realizes that what she cares more about is love and her family and Naveen. Even when she first sees her restaurant made reality in the scene she immediately looks for Naveen in it.

As for her secondary, yeah Badger. She works herself to the bone. I honestly think she’s a little exploded until the end.

PRINCE NAVEEN is a Snake primary. He starts out immature and hedonistic but then he realizes all that matters is Tiana and his friends. His secondary was harder to piece out between Badger or Snake, but I’m gonna go with Snake. He’s lazy, but also he’s musical. I think he hands around in neutral most of the time.

And now we get to who I REALLY wanted to talk about: DR. FACILIER. There are LAYERS to Dr. Facilier that we don’t see much of in the movie but are there in the subtext, which I won’t get into much here. Anyway, he’s a Bird secondary. He performs a Snake secondary, but he’s all about his long convoluted plans. When he’s being interrogated by his “friends” he talks about how this all just minor mishap in a major operation and as soon as he whips up another spell it’ll all be good.

As for his primary, he’s a Lion. Partly by process of elimination, but mostly because he has dreams, and there not something he can easily put into words. He wants power and wealth and to “take over” New Orleans in some ambiguous sense. I think what he really wants is security, from his friends on the other side and society. But either way I’m reading Lion from him, partly because him being a Lion Bird would be why he fascinates me so.

So...

Princess Tiana - Burnt Snake primary that gets better, Lion model/Slightly Exploded Badger secondary that also gets better

Prince Naveen - Immature Snake primary that matures/Neutral Snake secondary

Dr. Facilier - Lion primary/Bird secondary, possibly exploded

See the full post

56 notes • Posted 2021-09-27 01:56:54 GMT

#3

Top 5 sexiest sortings? Sending it right back at you bc I need time to ponder my answer xDD

LMAOOOO This is what I deserve. We're going to go in ascending order so starting with number five, and of course we all know that all sortings are sexy blah blah blah let's get into it! (Sidenote I had a draft where I also did the unsexiest sortings but since everyone else is posting their sexiest sortings I jumped in)

5. Snake Bird - SNAKE PRIMARIES ARE SO SEXY GUYS I CAN”T EVEN. Fyi Snake Badgers are not on here because they’re more romantic and the Badger sec cancels out all the sexy lmao. But this is the villain sorting, what ISN’T sexy about that. You DON’T want a sexy independent slightly crazed maniac who is in some sorta lust for you with this intricate plan and all the details sorted out? Shut up yes you do.

4. Bird Snakes - Despite the fact that they are a rare breed, they are in fact sexy because of how well put together they are and their flexibility. They have contingencies, they are riding the waves. They’re confident in themselves (usually). They play the field and they look good while doing. They don’t actually have to look good but it is their vibes I’m talking about.

See the full post

68 notes • Posted 2021-06-09 10:58:09 GMT

#2

You know I am working on ranking all the Barbie protagonists from most to least favourite, so I am curious what are your top 5 Barbie protagonists?

Oh nice! let's do this!

5. Ro - Such a sweet girl, so caring and beautiful. If you don’t love her then you’re a monster. 

4. Genevieve - Above Ro because I remember adoring her as a child, but I haven't rewatched 12 dancing princesses yet so I can't properly say yes that she is a favorite. But considering how awesome she is, I think she's up there.

See the full post

77 notes • Posted 2021-09-07 17:46:53 GMT

#1

Sorting Hat Chats - The Weasleys

(It’s here!! It’s finally here!!)

Oh boy oh boy. So many of you have been waiting for this for SO long. But I’m finally doing it. All of the Weasleys...All of them (except for Rose and Hugo and Molly Jr and Fred Jr and-). 

I will be talking about Weasleys who have already been sorted and will link to the some of the original sorting posts, but not all of them.

And finally here is a description of the system I’m using right here by @wisteria-lodge​.

We’ll start with the oldest Weasley ARTHUR WEASLEY. Arthur Weasley is a pretty easy sort in my opinion. He’s very much the guy who goes with his gut and does things because he’s interested in them. He’s not very structured in his way of thinking though, so I say he’s a Lion primary. Some may argue because he likes muggles he’s a Badger primary, but I have to disagree. Arthur likes muggle OBJECTS and he while he likes muggles, he’s more interested in them as experiments, or as one might be interested in monkeys. They’re like humans but he just wants to know about their behaviors and how they use things (and considering he cant figure out a rubber duck he’s not doing a good job at it).

Speaking of him liking to know about behaviors and tools muggles use, that leads me to the point that Arthur is a Bird secondary. Also notice that when the Order talks about strategy he’s usually in these conversations heavily.

MOLLY WEASLEY was the hardest Weasley to sort in my opinion. Do I sort her as a Snake primary because she’s a loving mother? Do I sort her as a Lion primary because she’s forceful about her opinions and judgemental? Is she judgemental because she doesn’t want people encroaching on her family and screwing it over or is she judgemental because she makes snap decisions by her gut? Do I sort her as a Lion secondary because she’s a skilled duelist and yells half of her lines. Do I sort her as a Badger secondary because she’s constantly cleaning and knitting and mothering every character who comes her way? Is the Badger a model/performance? That’s four sorting options already.

Now to figure her out I first looked at the archetypes and immediately ruled out Snake Badger. Snake Badgers are more subtle and mild then her, even the fiercer ones. And by doing this it actually helped me to rule out Badger as a secondary option for her. While yes Molly spends a lot of time cleaning and working, her methods do not make her a Badger. Molly never goes for the soft ball approach, she sends howlers so she can yell at her kids, and always speaks the truth plainly and loudly. The Badger secondary we see is likely a model she built after she became a mother.

Her primary was the harder one to figure out, and boiled down to who is she more like Ron, or Ginny? What big moments define her in the series? And the surprising conclusion I came to is...she’s a Snake primary. Check it out: We know from some outside the book sources and kind of the books that Molly was not involved in the original war, whether this was because of her newborn children or a disinterest in fighting doesn’t matter. While Arthur seems in his element when they’re a war family, Molly clearly doesn’t like it but puts on a front because she believes it’s her duty. Plus, her big cause fighting moments are defending children from being involved in the war-but they’re all children that she views as hers. And what is Molly’s boggart? Her entire family dead. Plus, during that time Percy was gone she wasn’t bitter about it like Arthur and the rest of her family, she just desperately wanted him back.

BILL WEASLEY is in my opinion a Snake primary. A lot of what we see of Bill is him being loyal to his family and wife and also being nice to people. I will say I think he adopted a Lion primary model for the war. Unfortunately characters like Bill don’t get much press.

Bill’s secondary is clearer, he’s a Bird secondary. He worked as a curse breaker, which likely requires a lot of precision work and planning and observation skills. Plus he got good grades in school, was eligible for an exchange program, and is very smart in the books usually. Plus he’s sexy like a Snake Bird.

CHARLIE WEASLEY gets even LESS press then Bill, but from sources outside of the books and context clues I’ve manged to conclude his house and it is...surprising. I initially sorted Charlie as a Badger primary, but-BUT I think he’s actually a Bird primary. Now stay with me here, but Charlie left his family for a dragon preserve, and when looking at his age he either left right out of school or he graduated early so he could leave as soon as he could. That’s not Badger behavior. We might be able to justify it if he visited his family regularly but he DOESN’T. He visits in the fourth book but that’s the last we see of him till Bill’s wedding. When the going got tough and things got bad in England Bill returned to the family, but Charlie stayed with his dragons and only returned for the wedding and then to wreck shit with dragon fire. And it’s important to remember he’s the only one in the Weasley family who never married in canon.

And this even through my initial sorting of his secondary into question. Is he a Bird secondary or actually a Badger secondary, and I think he’s a Badger secondary. The main thing for me is he started working with dragons, an animal based job that seems to be mostly taking care of them, not studying them or anything. And Charlie oddly reminds me of Luna, another Bird Badger who worked with magical creatures. Plus, quidditch isn’t a skill I would expect from a Bird secondary, but it might be one I expect from Badger secondary (especially since he’s a seeker like Draco). And he didn’t really come in with a plan, he just came in dragons blazing (which could be a sign of a Lion secondary but he does not have the vibes).

PERCY WEASLEY is a Lawman Lion Bird (The Mycroft variety in fact-Order over Chaos usually). Everyone says Percy belongs in Slytherin and ironically the primary sorting I think fits it the best is Lion. Percy is temperamental, arrogant, anal, ambitious, and one of my favorite Weasleys. The thing with Percy is that while he does love his family and shows concern and love for them often, a lot of that is outweighed by his ambition and pettiness. While you can just chock Percy’s hatred of Dumbledore to being weak to the propaganda of the ministry (and that IS in fact a Lion trait) I think it was him following his gut seeing as his siblings have almost been killed under Dumbledore’s watch several times. And Percy really does care about things along with being ambitious and wanting power (CAULDRON THICKNESS IS IMPORTANT FUCK YOU). People have waxed poetic about Percy before and I won’t be able to do it as well as them so we’ll stop that there.

And against the argument of Bird primary Percy, a Bird primary would take in multiple arguments and would’ve thought about what his family said. Percy didn’t.

His Bird secondary isn’t hard to see. He is the study machine and is the planner (plus he has a sense of humor that we see a few times and I do think that’s a Bird trait). Him and Hermione are very similar in that sense.

My sorting of GEORGE and FRED WEASLEY was helped greatly by this essay posted to Tumblr by @bittyblueeyes​. Before, most of the thoughts I had about these two were speculation, but with this I got some numbers and confirmation. Fred is a Lion Snake while George is a Snake Bird. A dangerous combination, and frankly we’re lucky they didn’t become ministry employees because with them there they might’ve come up with something even crueler than dementors.

Let’s also get something out of the way, they model each others sortings in full. They’ve spent their whole life being lumped together and mistaken, that they’ve been able to completely mask as one another.

Anyway, Fred is a Lion Snake because he’s the one who really pushes to get stuff done and make money, and is the larger practical joker. He’s got the blend of cruelty that comes from being a Lion primary with a Snake secondary (and as added bonus this is James Potter’s sorting, who he shares a lot in common with). When it comes to his Lion primary it’s him being the more ambitious twin. When it comes to his Snake secondary it’s the fact that he’s more likely to do wordplay or pranks then George. But he also has the Snake secondary skittishness. I would also like to point out that Fred is the one to forgive Percy first, and I think that’s because he has a similar sorting (and similar Lion primary).

George meanwhile is the more family orientated one, and only family I should mention. He can be cruel to people who he doesn’t consider family. That’s why I sorted him as the Snake primary. As for the Bird secondary, while it would’ve worked to sort him as a Badger secondary, Bird makes more sense. He’s the one who refines all the plans, and tends to be the more quippy of the twins. Ironically this makes the Bird secondary the most common of the Weasleys despite the heavy Gryffindor culture they have. 

RON WEASLEY has been sorted before by @wisteria-lodge​ over here. And yeah she’s right. Double Lion Ron Weasley, with a burnt Lion primary who usually follows Harry’s morality because Harry is the chosen one, the-boy-who-lived, and his best friend. I don’t think I can put his sorting more perfectly than Wisteria so just read hers.

I’ve already sorted GINNY WEASLEY (which you can read right here) with help from @awinterrain​. But I will reiterate what I said about Ginny Being a Snake Lion. Also, honestly, I’m back tracking on what I said about Ginny having a burnt primary. She’s too...confident and okay with herself to be burnt. Her big moments in the series are usually centered around Harry thanks to JKR’s writing. Her moments are things that are very Snakey, dating around, flirting with Harry, just being herself, it’s kinda hard to explain.

And she’s a Lion secondary, her natural state is loud and honest, and her signature is spell is turning her boogers into bats to attack people it’s disgusting and violent and honestly, let her have it.

And while I could stop it there, I did want to talk a little about the Weasley family and their sortings. While the whole family is mostly varied in it’s sorting there is a heavy Lion culture in the family, not just with the primary but also with the secondary. Arthur provides the Lion primary and Molly provides that Lion secondary that has influenced their entire family. Pretty much all of the children if they don’t already have a Lion primary already can model it well (Charlie once again is the exception). And even though they don’t all have Lion secondaries, they all have the vibes of one, which I think is something of a performance they’ve inherited from Molly. When the going gets tough they try to act like Molly. I think it’s interesting to see how that interacts.

So...

Arthur Weasley - Lion primary/Bird secondary

Molly Weasley - Snake primary/Lion secondary, Badger performance or model

Bill Weasley - Snake primary, possible Lion model or performance/Bird secondary

Charlie Weasley - Bird primary/Badger secondary

See the full post

102 notes • Posted 2021-08-25 20:16:25 GMT

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[therosefrontier]

Author Self-Interview

tagged by: @pencilofawesomeness

Name: BlossomingRosebud

Fandoms: Where do I even start...I have written and published stuff before for Genshin Impact, My Hero Academia, Tower of God, Attack on Titan, Voltron: Legendary Defender, the Sonic the Hedgehog series (mostly in the era of yesteryear)...and yes, I’m listing off my AO3 list right now; I’ve also used the world of RWBY, the Warriors series (the books with the cats), and this one Vocaloid song (I really like doing crossovers like that). So yeah, those are some of the things I consider myself in the fandom for, either now or in the past. I’ve also written but not published things for Seven Deadly Sins, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Fairy Tail, among others. Oh yes, and Umbrella Academy is here too. Other fandoms would include the Heroic Legend of Arslan, The Promised Neverland, SpyxFamily, etc. Just some of the top things, there’s definitely more where that came from. 

Where do you post: AO3. I have been in other places before that, like fanfiction.net and Wattpad....but that is an era come and gone and AO3′s a clear winner for me. Plus whatever I posted back then is probably pretty bad XD

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Angeli Quaeritus, if I’m ranking this by the AO3 kudos.

Most popular oneshot: We Promised We Would Be Together...which funny enough, has exactly the same amount of kudos as Angeli Quaeritus at the time of me writing this. I found it amusing that ol’ Angeli is also my longest continuous fic and this one’s about to surpass it at 4.8% of its size XD

Favorite story you’ve written so far: You...you ask me to pick my favorite child? Hard to say, but honestly, I might have to go with Vision Like a Faded Memory, which also happens to be my one true multi-chapter completed work (59k words). It was just...one of those things I got super into writing in the process of doing so, you know? Plus, completion makes the heart grow fonder lol. Besides that, A Day in the Life of Why Did I Take This Job was also a lot of fun to write and probably takes the place as my favorite short-story/two-shot, and Everything Good and Bright might have to be my favorite one-shot. That one just made me happy.

Fic you were nervous to post: Heh, if anything, probably also Vision like a Faded Memory, just because it was a mystery plot with sci-fi elements that weren’t immediately apparent. Doing a mystery, you have to make an ending that lives up to whatever expectations you build in the reader, and I guess I was afraid it would just...flop? Seem weird or just not that good? But, I’m still happy with it, I think. Didn’t receive many comments on the ending, but the ones I did get seemed to be happy with it, so...there’s that? Maybe some people thought it weird, but hey, as long as I can make a few people happy with my writing, I’m happy. 

How do you choose your titles: Huh...that depends. Some titles, like the ones for one-shots, are of the more wack and oddly-descriptive-of-some-particular-thing-as-well-as-oddly-long variety, like A Day in the Life or How Not to Expel the Restless Spirit Plaguing Your School as a Result of Your Biology Teacher, which I just find fun. For other fics, I guess my goal is to have it be something meaningful if I could come up with anything like that, something relevant to the theme and/or some motif from the fic. Like how Everything Good and Bright is a Snow Queen parody focusing on the “looking at the good things in life” aspect of the story, or how Not By Blood was meant to be found-family-oriented. My favorite approach would be the double meaning, though...like how Angeli Quaeritus (Latin for “Looking for Angels”, for reasons) is this human experimentation story about people in a way making their own “angels,” but it also features all these sad teenagers kind of lost in the world and thus in need of an “angel”, so to speak. Plus it’s a song reference. I make quotes to the song.

Do you outline: Oh yeah. At least, for the big stuff, anyways. A lot of my shorter stories have no outline, and also, I’m not much of a detailed play-by-play kind of outliner. I just like to get an idea of what’s going on, what I want to happen, what the character’s stories and histories are, what’s the big picture. The more convoluted the plot, the bigger the “outline” (or is it more of a planning document?). Plot points and chapters are a thing, but I also got factions and timelines and random but important details to keep up with. There’s also research to keep up with, too. So yeah, my first story to really outline like that was Angeli Quaeritus, but I’m happy to say that more over-complicated plot bunnies have bounced around in my brain since then...

Complete: Not that many, if I’m just looking at AO3. Again, Vision Like a Faded Memory is the main one. I have several one-shots out there too, but if I were just to count the fics that are over 10k words, the others would be... How Not to Expel the Restless Spirit Plaguing Your School as a Result of Your Biology Teacher,  A Day in the Life of Why Did I Take This Job, and Tower to Celestia.

Do you accept prompts: Yeah, sure thing! I haven’t ever done that before or anything, but I’d be open. I might not accept every prompt necessarily, but I’d consider them.

Upcoming story you’re most excited to write about: That’ll definitely have to be the next installments to my Haven’t Seen the Best of Me series, where A Day in the Life and How to Expel the Restless Spirit come from. I have so many notes on that one XD I’d so love to see it really come to fruition

Stories you’re most excited to read: Ooh, yes, well, just looking at my AO3 subscriptions I’m most excited about, that’d have to be Fairy Dance of Death by Catsy, the Poisoned Dreams Continuity by StrangeDiamond, Homuncular Nature by otaku553, Coagulated Chalk by SleepDeprivedFemale, Our Hearts Are Made of Stars by Ruinous, Your Crush is My Love Rival by cathelerein and InkuEko and...The Harbinger’s Apprentice by Cosmoddino (accidentally fell behind but I’m reading it right now). There’s other good works on the list too, but these are probably my nearest and dearest at the moment

tagging @resident-normal-person! If ya wanna...

[randomoranges]

the majority of the first part of this fic is based on a real thing that happened to me and my students yesterday

i applaud their ease at which all of this happened.

The Kids are All Right

 “M Édouard, est-ce que tu veux jouer avec nous?”

 It’s Friday afternoon and the first nice day of the week. The weather has been miserable, but luckily, he didn’t have to deal with indoor recess this time around. The group finishes in English class and he’s quite honestly killing time before he can leave them with their English teacher. He could have planned something exciting and fun, or ploughed on with another lesson, but he’s exhausted and doesn’t want to fight them. They’ve been – more rambunctious than usual these past two weeks and he’s been snappier with them than usual. He wonders if it’s the new seating arrangement or the coming of spring, but he’s counting down the days to the end of the school year and murmuring it like a mantra to himself on various occasions throughout the day.

 Still. Moments like these bring the smallest of smiles to his face.

 He likes to watch the kids play during recess, when he’s not aimlessly walking, and daydreaming about any other job he could have taken that wouldn’t be so taxing. This afternoon is one of those occasions. Most of the boys are on one end of the playground, playing a rather intense game of soccer, while the majority of the girls have been playing some invented game with a jump rope. The others are spread around; some are playing pear ball, others are sitting in clusters, but it’s nice to see that all the kids are hanging out with another kid and that no one is alone.

 He figures he can play with the girls this time around.

 Every now and again, he plays with the kids – when they ask him to, obviously and it’s a free bonding moment with them. He’s played some intense soccer and basket ball games, has played every version of tag and other such games, has learned to be decent at pear ball and he’s even been known to play hopscotch and jump rope. The kids love it. He also loves it.

 He nods and his student excitedly yells out “M Édouard va jouer!” which is greeted by loud cheers by the other girls. He gets a quick run through of the game; the person in the middle makes the jump rope go round, the others are gathered in a circle around it and they need to jump when the rope gets close to them. If the rope touches them, they need to tell a truth about themselves. Easy enough, really. He’s encountered multiple versions of this same game over the years.

 He offers to be the spinner, since the student who’d been doing it before had been struggling with the rope and the kids are delighted to let him have a go about it.

 The girls show no mercy when one of them gets touched by the rope and the questions they ask are harmless in nature; do you have a crush on anyone, what’s the most embarrassing thing you ever did, which of your siblings is your favourite, and so on. He politely reminds them that they’re not obliged to answer a question if they feel uncomfortable, and overall, everyone seems to have fun.

 On the fifth or sixth turn, the rope stops at a different student and the other girls flock around her chanting “Vé-ri-té! Vé-ri-té!” He joins them in, clapping his hands to the rhythm of the words and finally she gets them to stop as she thinks up of a truth to tell them, or be placed at the mercy of the counsel of questions.

 Finally, she graces them all with her truth, as the others wait with baited breaths, “Chuis bi,” She says easy as all else and the rest of the girls roll their eyes, laugh, and groan, complaining about how they all already knew.

 He’s – surprised by this. By the ease of the way she’s said her truth, but also by how not a big deal it seemed to be. He wonders, briefly, if it has anything to do with the talk he’s had with them earlier that week – about gender and sexual identities and such. Still, he marvels at the situation and it takes him a moment to recover, thinking of his own childhood and how long it had taken him to come to terms with his own sexuality. The fear he’d had. The anxiety it had produced. (And the relief, afterwards, when his parents hadn’t booted him out of their home.)  

 “Merci de nous avoir partager ça,” He says, because even if his fifth graders might not understand the full scope of it, he still wants them to feel that he accepts them as they are. He reminds them that they don’t have to share everything with him – or the others, but that if they do, he appreciates it and that he is someone they can come to and trust.

 Then, within the same breath, before they can start the game again, another one of the girls admits to being bi as well. Again, the rest of the girls react much of the same way; they laugh, they say they already knew, and they move on and it flummoxes him. He thinks back to being eleven himself and never in his wildest dreams would he have felt such ease in admitting something.

 Edward briefly wonders if maybe, just maybe, it has to do with the fact that they are girls and not boys. He knows it’s not the best way to think about it, but he feels that girls might have it just a little bit easier – with each other and their friend circle, whereas the boys – especially his boys this year, are still very much immature and very centered on the idea of being a Real Man (whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.)

 Or maybe these students are just more open and more aware of themselves. It’s a better thought to have. He knows the discourse has changed, even if it isn’t perfect. There are now queer characters in media and literature that were very much absent in his day and age. Celebrities – young celebrities just a little older than his kids are using social media platforms to talk of their own experiences and doing their own coming outs and maybe that’s also helped make these terms less loaded.

 There has to be some good out of it, after all. It can’t all be about cyber bullying and fraud.

 Still, he makes it a point to remind them that they don’t have to “come out” to everyone just because and that it’s okay if they don’t want to tell people. They don’t own it to no one. They nod along and humour him and he wants to sit them down and tell them that no, he’s serious and that sometimes it’s not this easy. He should know. But – maybe it is this easy for them. Maybe it has become this easy for the new generation despite what he still hears on the news. Maybe, thanks to the new generation, different orientations will finally no longer be some big taboo and the world can be a better place.

 Maybe he’s still dreaming, but – it’s a nice hope to have. If anything, he can hope and appreciate that these two students seem to be very comfortable with themselves and for that, he’s happy. If they can have an easy ride of it, why the hell not.

 He leaves it at that and the game runs its course for a while longer, until recess comes to its end.

 “M Édouard, dites-nous une vérité!” One of the girls asks as they line up to go back inside. He laughs and stalls for a moment. Some part of him wants to share as well – tell them through his truth that they are not alone and that he’s gay. It would be easy, really, and he’d be an ally to them, or something – he’s not sure, but he likes that it’s not some convoluted over-thought process like most of all the other times he’s come out in his life. Thinking back to how casual the others were with their friends telling them, he figures they wouldn’t turn on him. They’d be surprised, probably, but – it’d be fine – he hopes.

 He opens his mouth to say it – to casually let them know that he’s gay, but then the words falter and die at the back of his throat; shrivel up as bile forms instead. He chokes over them and that same old fear creeps back in. He sighs, frustrated with himself. It’s not that the kids need to know, but part of him yearns to share and to show them that it’s okay to be like this – that they can lead successful lives while being themselves. Yet, even if these students would be okay with it, he fears they’d share the news and spread it – that it would then reach the ears of someone else, who would tell their parents, who would get upset, who would tell the school and ultimately, that he’d get fired and dragged through the mud.

 He doesn’t have the energy for that. Not now. And the fear ices his veins and suddenly, the pleasant mood from before is gone.

 The kids look at him, waiting for an answer.

 “Quand j’étais jeune, j’voulais être un astronaute.”

 It’s not a lie, but it feels like he’s just done them a great disservice. They don’t realise it and some other kid pipes up saying they too wanted to be an astronaut when they were seven, while another rattles off the name of a few astronauts they know. The moment passes, the kids move on to the next thing as they file back in and Edward breathes a little easier, even though the disappointment weighs him down. This could have been a great teaching moment and he’d let it slip through his fingers.

 He trickles in after them and tries not to over think it too much. After all, hadn’t he just reminded his students that they don’t have to tell other people about their sexual orientation if they didn’t want to? The same should apply to him, even if...

 Instead, he focuses on the fact that two of his students felt comfortable telling him, even if maybe they were only kidding and even if they went back on it at some later point. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that they didn’t feel the need to keep this truth about themselves hidden. That they felt zero shame and malaise sharing. That their friends welcomed them. If anything, it was refreshing to see. Hopeful at its fullest. It’s good to know that maybe the discourse has changed, after all and maybe, with time, he’ll come to terms with his own fears as well. He’s got to keep hope, if not for himself, but for them and maybe, with time, he can learn something from them along the way.

 (There will come a time, later, a few years down the road, during the last leg of his career. The context will be similar; recess, a Friday afternoon and the girls will be playing some other iteration of a truth game. They’ll ask him to play and he’ll agree, for a lack of something better to do and a never-ending need to bond with his kids in whichever way they want him to.

 It’ll be great fun. The kids will share truths about themselves that’ll range from heartfelt to funny and he’ll appreciate every single one of them. Eventually, as the kids are often known to do, they’ll turn on him and ask for a truth in return. Eventually, he’ll abdicate and confess to his own.

 “Je suis gai,” He’ll tell them, easy and simple as that, with a teasing grin to his face. They’ll roll his eyes at him, complaining all the while that they already know and that they want something new – a real truth. He’ll get them to settle and they’ll wait patiently, thirsting for a new truth about their teacher, “M Étienne et moi on est ensemble,” He’ll tell them next, laughing as they groan because it’s old news. They’ve known for ages – some since first grade. It’s the oldest news in the whole of the school. Hell, some have known since before since they had older siblings who brought the news home even before that.

 But Edward will laugh, pick up the game from where it left off and resume it. He’ll share the truth because it is one of his favourites. He’ll share it because, finally, after so long, he feels comfortable doing so. But mostly, he’ll share it for the kids. To let them know. To remind them, really, that it is okay to be this way and that even when they have doubts and even if it sometimes feels as though they have no one cheering for them, they’ll always have him.)

 FIN

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: Catch a Falling Star

Relationship: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Tags: Mentioned Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Crushes, loss of friendship, Balcony Trope, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, ml salt, Mentioned Juleka Couffaine, Naive Adrien Agreste, Lila Rossi salt, Crying, Revelations, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Hugs

Summary: Adrien has been worried about Marinette, as she slowly walls herself off at school. He decides to pay her a visit as Chat to find out what's wrong, and learns more than he's bargained for. Set the night before the events of the s3 episode Ladybug. Spoilers for that and Kwamibuster.

Notes: This was my first Miraculous Ladybug fic, written back in October. Might be a bit derivative but I couldn’t get it out of my head. The song “Catch a Falling Star” was stuck in my head while writing and had an impact on the fic. I don't normally write in third person present tense, but I kept lapsing into it and gave up.

AO3 link

Part of the Catch a Falling Star series

-------

Chat is always a bit torn on how he feels on nights he patrols alone. On the one hand, he is bereft of Ladybug. On the other, it gives him time to visit a certain bakers’ daughter for talking and treats—which he desperately needs given he is burning off far more calories than he is taking in; model diets are awful. He likes their discussions, how open she is with him as Chat rather than Adrien.

Tonight, though, he’s a little worried, which is another reason he's stopping by. Adrien has noticed Marinette isn’t her bubbly self lately. She seems to go through the day almost slouched, too subdued. The warmth she usually shares with the world is just… gone. It had slowly leeched away.

She’s curled on a lawn chaise, wrapped in a blanket with her head against her knees when he lands. And when she looks up at the sound, he realizes she’s crying. Not just a little, either, her face red, eyes puffy, their light dull.

“Princess...?”

Chat is too shocked to move. He’s never seen her like this, or anywhere close to this. She has always been so strong, someone who carries everyone around her when they need a hand. He hadn’t thought she could break like this.

Marinette wipes at her eyes with a sleeve and attempts a smile that’s barely a shade of her usual brightness. Even that fades too quickly.

“I’m s-sorry, Chat… I…” She’s silent for a moment, her lower lip quivering. “I’m not g-good company tonight.”

The despair in her voice unfreezes him, and he quickly settles beside her.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” He settles an arm around her, pulling her close.

She lets out a hiccuping sob, hiding her face against her knees again. “I c-can’t do it anymore. I can’t k-keep being strong.”

Chat rubs her back in slow circles, hoping to soothe her. “What happened?”

Marinette shakes her head. “I d-don’t want to b-bother you with stupid collège drama, kitty.”

Collège drama, meaning something at school. What has Adrien missed? He tries to think of how he might get her to share, then remembers her genius as the adorable Mouse Miraculous holder.

“It’s hurting Multimouse. Superhero business.”

She peers up at him, not looking too impressed. “Former. Remember? I messed that up, too.”

“But you were amazing, and you deserve better than what’s making you cry.” Chat’s brain takes a moment to catch up with her sentence. “What do you mean, ‘too’? Don’t people call you their everyday Ladybug?”

“Not anymore.” It’s barely a whisper. “I’m jealous, petty, and a bully.”

Chat cups her cheek gently, careful with his claws, tilting her face until she’s looking at him. “You? Never.”

She avoids his gaze.

“Princess, if I hadn’t seen you as Multimouse, I’d be convinced you were my Lady!”

Marinette actually huffs at that. “Not likely. I’m just boring old Marinette.”

“You are anything but boring.”

She just shrugs, despondent. It’s as though all the fight has gone out of her. She’s gone from Marinette to a marionette, and he has to find out why.

“Who made you feel this way?” Chat wants to yeet whoever it was into the next decade.

A ghost of determination crosses her face, and she leans away. “It’s not important, kitty. It’s not like it’s an Akuma.”

Chat leans with her. “But you could be Akumatized. And honestly, Princess, that’s terrifying. I think you could beat Ladybug and me--you’re creative and smart enough to. And I don’t want to fight you.”

“I’ve fought them off,” she murmurs.

His jaw drops. “You’ve… They’ve come for you?”

Aside from himself, Marinette is the only one in their class who hadn’t been Akumatized. He expected her to laugh at the idea, but… he’s absolutely serious about the idea being terrifying.

She pulls her limbs around her tighter, making herself smaller. “A few times.”

Few meant more than once, more than twice. He draws in a sharp breath, horrified. “Princess…”

“They go away if you remember you’re not helpless.” She looks up at him suddenly, her eyes wide. “Ladybug told me.”

“I don’t want them coming for you at all,” Chat tells her firmly.

Marinette looks away again. “I’m sorry. I’m not as good as you think I am, Chat.”

He pulls her closer as she starts crying again. “You are, but you’re also human. M’Lady is also human, and I’m sure she’s had the same thing.”

Chat immediately hopes she won’t ask if he’s faced it, but what she does say is worse.

“It’s… getting harder to remember I’m not alone. That there are options. I d-don’t know if I can keep—” She breaks off with a sob. “It’s t-too much.”

It might not be the best move, pulling her in his lap and letting her sob against his chest. It might be inappropriate. But if he was as upset as her, he would want the contact, so he risks it, murmuring soft nonsense to her until her sobs turn to soft tears again. It reminds him of holding Ladybug, the few times she’s ever been upset, and he doesn’t want to think about that—he so wished Marinette was her.

“Tell me?” he asks softly. “Letting it out to a friendly ear can help sometimes.”

Chat can feel in her body language when she relents, and he waits for her to gather her thoughts.

“I’m really not a good person,” she starts, and he has to stop himself from interrupting. “A while back, a new girl came to school, and was getting really friendly with someone… someone I liked. I followed them, because I really was jealous.”

Marinette is too kind to give him Lila’s name, but of course he knows it anyway. She sniffles, leaning her head against Chat’s chest, and he winds up learning how his father’s book disappeared—Lila had stolen it and thrown it in the trash—and Marinette had fished it out and even taken the blame when returning it to his father. She had even seen Ladybug confront the liar.

He hadn’t known she had done that for him, or that she had seen Ladybug yell at Lila for lying. Chat rubs her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell him the truth?”

Marinette snorts. “That convoluted mess? He probably wouldn’t’ve believed me, and then A— that boy would be stuck at home instead of in school. He’s stuck like that enough already.” She shakes her head. “I just wanted him to be happy.”

He learns she knows about Lila’s Volpina Akumazation—and that she heard it happened again on Heroes Day. And her relief at the girl’s disappearance, even if it meant occasionally she Skyped and lied about where she was.

When Marinette falls silent, Chat pulls away slightly. “Princess?”

She curls in on herself again. “When she came back, she pretended to have disabilities. So Nino—another friend—gave her his seat at the front. But then he took my seat, and so everyone changed seats. But I guess no one wanted to sit next to me, no one cared where I’d want to sit. I wound up in the back. Away from my friends. Like I wasn’t important.”

Her voice is steadily getting softer, and Chat’s glad for his enhanced hearing. She tells him of the class turning on her when she asked why she was in the back, like she doubted Lila’s disability, her best friend accusing her of jealousy over a boy. He had the uncomfortable feeling it was over him—his civilian self, at least—regardless of what she had said at the wax museum.

Adrien doesn’t know what to do with that information. He adores Marinette; if not for Ladybug, he knows he would return her crush.

And then she tells him about being threatened in the bathroom. Chat stiffens—she didn’t tell him that before. He recalls his words to her at school, and knows now how wrong they were.

“That’s when I saw the Akuma, and I fought it off, and she became Chameleon.”

She falls silent again, and Chat feels he needs to say something. “So this is that Lila Rossi girl who keeps getting Akumatized.”

Marinette nods. “I don’t know why the Akuma would go after her—she wasn’t upset. She had me where she wanted me. But A— that boy I liked… he said I shouldn’t say anything about her lies anymore. That I should just let her lies reveal her eventually. Otherwise she might get Akumatized.”

“But what about you?” slips from his mouth before he can stop himself. He feels like a heel for giving her that advice without knowing the whole story.

Her lips twist in the sort of bitter smile that he’s used to seeing on Chloé. Not on her. It’s wrong on her.

“That’s what I wondered. I stopped saying anything, though. Because I’m an idiot and I liked him and I thought he had my back. But I wasn’t going to pretend to be friends with her or to believe her. I wind up lying enough—I’m not going to be an accessory to her lies.”

Chat blinks. Is that what he’s been doing? Being Lila’s accessory. “Are you angry with him?”

Marinette seems startled by the question and frowns. He can tell she’s weighing how she feels, considering carefully before she answers.

“I want to be,” she whispers. “It’d be easy. But he’s… naïve about how to deal with bullies. They don’t go away if you ignore them. They just get worse. But how would he know? He’s been homeschooled most his life and his only friend was Chloé Bourgeois, and she’s Queen Bully. And it took me years to stand up to her, so he… I guess he’s kind of the doormat I used to be.”

She falls silent again, and Chat waits for her to continue, considering her words as he does. She’s not wrong—he doesn’t know how to stand up to bullies. He’s only just learned to stand up to Chloé. A little, anyway. The “doormat” comment hurts, though, more than he expected.

“I can tell Lila makes him uncomfortable, touching and hanging on him like she does. Like he’s a possession. His smile is fake when that happens, but he doesn’t stop her.”

“He’s a boy, though. Aren’t guys supposed to like girls touching them?” Chat asks.

Marinette frowns up at him. “Kitty, it’s sexual harassment, any gender. Unwanted touching is actually sexual assault, too, even if it’s a girl doing it to a boy.”

She’s worried about him, he realizes. More than that, he’s never thought he has other options beyond grin and bear it with Lila and other girls. He’s never been told that’s not normal or acceptable behavior. He really is naïve.

Chat is also well aware that he pulled Marinette in his lap without asking. He shifts away from her a bit. “Is this okay, Princess? I didn’t ask, and—”

“Oh, kitty!” Marinette flushes and interrupts him. “You— I mean, you’re not— This isn’t—” She takes a deep breath. “You’re trying to comfort me, as a friend. Not trying to possess me. It’s not… not, um, sexual.”

Chat can feel his face heating, and knows he’s blushing himself.

“There’s a difference. I don’t think he knows that he can say no. He’s so sheltered, Chat. And I can barely talk to him so it’s not like I can help.” She sighs. “And Lila would make it a big thing if I did and I’d look like the bad guy again. I can’t help him when I can’t even help myself.”

Chat winces. He’s been completely unaware of her isolation, and he has no excuse for that. “Does he know that’s happening?”

Marinette shrugs. “I thought he had my back, that all that mattered was that we knew. But Lila started telling lies about me, making me look petty and heartless and cruel, and he hasn’t said anything. My best friend thinks I’m unreasonable and mean because I don’t want to be around Lila. I barely see my friends outside of school anymore.”

Chat is unprepared when her tears start again.

“So I guess she followed through on her threat. Maybe they weren’t really friends in the first place. Maybe they were just using me. Or they only want me when they need me. And only if I’m doing what they want. Only when I’m positive.”

He hugs her close, not sure what to say. He can’t understand why the class would treat her like this; Marinette has bent over backwards for them, always working to help. All Lila’s done is give them pretty stories.

“I wonder if he was ever a friend, or if he was just being polite.”

Chat goes still, horrified that he’s given her that impression as Adrien. But he’s never realized how much self-doubt she has; she hides it from everyone, and no wonder given what’s been happening. And he hasn’t stood up for her. He’s failed her.

“Maybe he thinks I’m annoying and mean and p-petty, too.” A sob breaks through, but she forces herself to keep going. “Maybe I never really saw him at all, just thought his smiles at me were real because I was infatuated with him. M-maybe he thinks I deserve this. Maybe I do.”

“You don’t deserve any of it.” Chat can’t stop the growl in his voice, and he takes a few breaths to calm himself. He’s made her feel this way, and he hates that. “Princess, you deserve so much better.”

She hugs him tightly, sobbing, and he holds her, resolving to change. To work to protect her. To be the friend she deserves but apparently doesn’t have. He let everyone abandon his everyday Ladybug, and now she’s full of self-doubt, a fallen star, because Adrien is inept.

Chat runs his clawed fingers through her hair, something he himself loves, something that comforts him, gently pulling loose the bands that keep it in pigtails, brushing through it. It takes a while, but she slowly calms. The way she’s relaxed against him, she’s close to sleep, but there’s more he wants to ask.

“Have you told your parents all this, Princess?” He’s limited in power, but he imagines her mom on the warpath could get things done.

Marinette shakes her head. “If things get worse, I might ask about… changing schools. Starting fresh.”

The idea chills him—school without Marinette, the very first friend he’d made on his own. He’d already felt the loss with her pulling away and into herself, staying distant and losing her shine. It’s what led to him coming here as Chat.

“You shouldn’t have to do that, Princess.” He realizes his hands have stopped, and he moves them closer to her scalp, brushing the skin.

“I know. But… it’s an option. Something that means I’m not helpless.” Her voice is a sleepy murmur. “Helps me against Akuma, maybe.”

He doesn’t like it, not at all, but it’s better than her being helpless to Hawkmoth. He never imagined she would be at risk of being Akumatized, but maybe he’d placed her on the same pedestal as he had Ladybug.

“What if you talked to that boy you like? Maybe he can help.”

She shakes her head, sinking more deeply against him. It occurs to him that their position together is almost… intimate. But he’s her friend, comforting her. Nothing more.

“I can’t… If he doesn’t believe me, I don’t think I could handle it.”

He wishes he could reassure her, but it runs the risk of revealing his identity. “I could talk to him? Make him see sense? Help him see you?”

“Kitty, don’t worry about it. It’s not worth it.” She sighs again as his hand grazes her ear and moves to the nape of her neck. “I don’t think I feel that way about him anymore. I wasn’t really healthy about it, anyway. I obsessed, I guess. I needed to stop. Maybe this was a wake up call. I’ve had a lot of time to think these past few weeks.”

She’s given up, he realizes. On him—or his civilian self, anyway. He doesn’t expect the tightness in his chest, the sense of loss that creeps through his body like the remnants of waves on a beach. Chat knows he should feel guilty that he’s cheated on his feelings for Ladybug, but he doesn’t. Rather, he’s amazed at the revelation that it’s possible to love more than one person like that at once.

Marinette is nearly asleep in his arms, and though he wants to keep holding her, she’s moved on. It isn’t fair to her for him to cling now just because he’s had a revelation.

“Let’s get you to bed, Princess. Wouldn’t want you to catch cold.”

He picks her up like the princess he sees her as, smiling as she loops her arms around his neck. He’s careful descending into her room, but once he’s fully in, he can’t move.

The pictures that once covered her walls are gone. All the ones of their friends, all the ones of him. The only two remaining are one picture of him in the pigeon hat, and another of him and Juleka modeling her designs. Replacing the rest are sketches of future designs. There’s nothing of Alya or Nino anymore.

“Kitty?”

“Just noticed you redecorated.”

He walks the few feet to her platform bed, gently easing her into it and pulling her sheets and blankets over her.

She manages a sleepy smile. “Treats on the desk under me. Take them.”

“I will.”

“Chat… Thank you. Talking did help.”

He reaches forward, burying his fingers in her hair again. She looks so different with it down.

“I’m glad,” he says finally. “Sweet dreams, Princess.”

He takes the plate of treats up with him, shutting the trapdoor behind him. Even after the treats are eaten, he finds himself still on her roof, engrossed in his thoughts. Only the distant chime of church bells indicating the late hour rouses him from his reverie, the tolls chasing him home.

Plagg is unusually quiet when he detransforms, letting him think uninterrupted.

He’ll change his behavior, starting tomorrow. Adrien will become the ally and friend she deserves. Not because it might rekindle anything—he doesn’t deserve it—but because he should have been one the whole time.

He doesn’t know it’s too late, that Lila’s plans will culminate in the morning with Marinette’s expulsion. That all he’ll be able to do is damage control after letting the liar’s claws dig into the school unchallenged for so long.

All he can do is try to help Marinette shine again, and never let her fade away.

[bunnylouisegrimes]

Episode 9 Review (The Future: What Does It Hold?)

Tagging @coldsoba per request

This episode was a headache for me. I was anticipating it, and although it wasn’t entirely bad and it wasn’t the worst, I think this episode highlights all the bad aspects of this season and brings them together. It brings some of the good that this season brought out together as well, but it’s evident to me now that we’re reaching the end so far that the bad is outweighing the good. This episode has me worried about the future of the series, and angry overall. I’m concerned that if this series does continue and has a season 3, it won’t be good, and it will turn into a shit show like The Walking Dead did (they want a season 3, although, based on the low ratings and low viewership, AMC might cancel, no one truly knows yet, especially if BBC and all that other stuff helps boost it).

Before I start this review, I’d like to say right here and now: this is a pretty critical analysis, and possibly has a bunch of unpopular opinions, but I’m saying it anyways. I’m mad, I’m annoyed, and I’m ticked. Last week’s episode ticked me off, this... Oh, man... just know I’m cool if you disagree with me, but I’m hoping by the end you all understand why I feel this way.

Now, don’t get me wrong: like most episodes of this show from this season, despite entire scenes and plot points being bad, it has great moments to enjoy. Did this episode contain lots of action and intensity? Hell yes, and I liked that. Did it stay true to the book ending so far? In a few ways, yes. Pretty much all the ways it didn’t due to the changes they made that were already questionable were the things I didn’t like, which leads me to this: Do I like the direction the story is going, based on what we know and have so far? Hell no. Of course, we don’t know 100% the direction it’s going until next week’s episode, but right now, I’m very on the fence.

Because there is a lot of bad I’m going to discuss, let’s get the good out of the way.

Lou and Vic in the beginning, as per usual, are sweet and I love them. Tabitha and Lou’s interaction was sweet as well. Seeing Charlie frightened and shook was oddly cute, but also funny. And Wayne and Charlie’s interaction... I’m sorry, it was just adorable. I like the idea of Maggie and Vic going to Christmasland together, that was a good choice (although now... I’m uncertain).

To begin the negativity, we’ll start with Charlie and the house scene. I like Charlie confronting his own fears, it’s a very interesting concept. I find it kinda stupid and confusing Charlie wouldn’t know this house exists in his own mind, I mean, it is a part of his own mind, even if it was in the back of it. Why would he not know? Despite that, we’re gonna move onto the meat and potatoes. Now, Cassie’s POV, based on how she was presented in the show (which I still hate, btw, and I am greatly annoyed with how she is not the abuser she was in the book, but I’ve discussed this already a million times), makes sense. We get why she’s pissed, she should be, although I don’t think she understands that her ex-husband had all of this shit happen to him as far as creating Christmasland and becoming a vampire and all that by having a mental snap. It all happened due to his mental pressure. He didn’t have full control (if any control!) over that entire situation. It happened, his life depended on souls and energy from that moment on, and he had to make do with the shitty end of the stick being presented to him. Christmasland is both good and bad, and vampirism is both good and bad, and Charlie has to try to make do with what he can to give himself and his daughter happiness, and focus on the positives. Cassie could’ve maybe given him at least that credit, but she makes it out like, “You’ve brought her happiness in presents and candy, not making her a woman.” Uh... Cassie? Charlie and Millie became vampires out of his control. All this shit happened, how the hell could he reverse all of it? Is there anyway he could? It’s not even explained if he can, but the writers ignore this fact and make it out to be like, “Look, he’s so evil!” Writers, is there anyway he could change these things, even if he wanted to? “Well, no, not exactly, but look, he’s still evil!” So... you’re not even allowing him to have an opportunity to change, and then when he’s stuck in the situation and making the best out of it, even if it isn’t 100% the best way... he’s still super heinous and evil? “Yes!” Okay... whatever... see this is another reason why it annoys me how they’re writing Charlie as “the worst person in the world,” when really, he isn’t. He’s not an angel, but he is not as evil as this show wants to present. Pretty much all of Cassie’s criticisms are valid, but she could’ve at least given Charlie some credit. Nope! But the thing that really bothered me in the back of my mind was how much better this scene would’ve been had they actually written his backstory properly. I kept thinking how much better it would’ve been if an abusive Cassie comes back to haunt Charlie and taunt him, degrading him, and mocking him, how much more sense it would’ve made. And if Millie pointed these things out to him, it might’ve changed his mind some (he would think, “oh, even my daughter kinda agrees with the abuser”). It works here with the way they portrayed her, despite the point I mentioned about Charlie making the best of shit falling flat on Cassie’s end, but it would’ve been 1000% better if they made her an abuser and she scared Charlie, then Millie brings up similar points and Charlie’s POV starts to change a bit.

(Plus, I’d like to add that by doing that, you’re setting potential up for a Charlie redemption arch, and he wouldn’t have to die, Vic and Maggie wouldn’t have to die, and season 3 has interesting potential, and you still have your main characters that we enjoy).

On the topic of this scene, here is a take a friend of mine gathered from it that I definitely can see as well: The point they were trying to make in this scene is that Charlie is a coward. This is their interpretation of Cassie being ‘abusive,’ they didn't leave it out (her being angry at him) like we thought they would. They wanted to give her a concrete reason to hate him so much and call him out for his bad deeds. Also, this house, which was hidden away at the back of his mind, is a mesh of Charlie's fears and his guilt. Based on his facial expressions and his mannerisms, and how he forcefully held Millie, this was all out of fear and guilt for what he did to them that first time and how The Wraith pretty much consumes you. She's literally trying to tell his stupid ass that they can never leave, otherwise, they'll turn to static, which they will. Millie can't go anywhere because she's stuck there and Charlie knows because he was selfish, he robbed her of her future without intending to. Charlie is highkey a yandere, even for his own kid, but it makes sense because he's never really had anything, Also, as to why he’s sort of controlling in a sense: he's driven by fear and also anger if you think about it. Christmasland is how he projects and saving other children because he had a rough and traumatic childhood, he has some serious mental health issues. This I see 100% presented here too, which is a good aspect coming out of this scene. This season does show us a really vulnerable Charlie as they explore his past and give him a breaking point, which we like! But we both definitely agreed that they wanted to make Charlie more of a dick than needed throughout this whole season. Maybe these writers really wanted more drama, especially Manx family drama, through Charlie acting worse? Not so sure. Either way, it gets on my nerves, and it’s almost inconsistent with the narrative they want to spin. They keep going back and forth with “Charlie’s so sad” (which, I would agree, he is, but they even mess that up and somehow still make him look worse) and “Omg he is the worst person ever.” I hope I’ve explained myself well enough in this area, it’s a very complicated and convoluted topic that has me conflicted and annoyed myself.

I think most importantly, the thing that annoys me about all of this Manx family drama the most is: How tf are they gonna “live normal lives” and “escape?” Millie grabbing onto the ornament prevents her from disappearing, which really doesn’t make sense. I’m sure they’ll clarify it next episode, but how is she gonna become a woman and live a normal life? For Christ’s sake, Charlie can barely understand the modern world as an adult man! You think a kid like her is gonna truly enjoy it or understand it? I have my doubts on this and how they’ll write all of that. Plus, she’s a vampire! If she returns human and all the other kids do when their ornaments break, and this is something that confuses me even in the book... where will they go? Oh yeah, they’ll somehow find normal lives! Honestly, it would make more sense to have them move onto the afterlife. Are they gonna keep them human and alive to make them the stars of the show? That possible concept of, “Oh, the kids are gonna be the stars of the show now!” No, writers... just no. Nobody is gonna care about that. Again, it’s a possibility, and it’s a possibility I’m not thrilled by personally. I don’t want them to be the stars. They can be awesome supporting characters, but not the main focus. Idk man, I’m just saying right now, I’m not so sure how this whole concept is gonna work and I fear how they’re going to write it.

Next up: Wayne’s shitty behavior. Wayne is acting like a really big asshole, and it’s getting on my nerves. “He’s now a vampire!” I hear someone say. “Of course he’s acting this way!” Yes, but the reason why it’s especially annoying is because Vic keeps trying and trying to get the point across to him, and it’s all for nothing. We know Vic’s opinions and her heartfelt feelings for her son, and she ends up having to repeat herself when she might as well be taking to the wall. What’s the point? Filler? We already know Vic’s determination is strong. In the book, how Wayne was acting was better. He held onto himself, but he also didn’t, but Vic’s words managed to get across to him quite a few times throughout his journey. This would’ve been much better on screen, but the writer’s were like, “HA HA NOPE!” The scene that really angered me: what was the point of Vic making her speech (which was really nice btw) only for Wayne to not listen... you’d think that’d be the scene where he changes, but the writers decided to turn it into a shock value filler moment (similar to Chris’s death, which, btw, all this nonsense is making his death for near nothing). And, let’s not forget my question from last week.. where is Craig in all of this? Hmmm... guess he decided to take a vacation from helping his biological son, because he’s just gone! Why?! What was the point?! He better at least appear next week, but even then... too late now, buster! Probably should’ve been here earlier! I mean, for real, what was the point of Craig’s character at this point? What a waste of potential...

The worst part imo from this entire episode: Okay, so the writers make Charlie an even worse villain, even giving him those subtle sadistic undertones even as Vic is trying to talk to Wayne (alright, I get it, there’s that element to “saving” Wayne that’s vengeful when it comes to Charlie, but it’s honestly just too much darkness; it’s almost out of character, especially when it’s in a scene like this. I get it, he likes the idea of getting revenge on Vic, but does he have to be THIS dark? That laugh he gave was funny, yes, and I couldn’t help myself but laugh just because of how stupid it sounded, but looking at the reason why he laughed... if anything, he would’ve stood there with a smug smile and say something like, “I told you he loves me more.” They make him way too dark and it really takes away from the fact he is a villain with moral code, but these writers have seemingly forgotten that with the exception of the one scene in episode 7 where he condemns Bing’s rape. Of course, the rapist might be getting a redemption arch anyways, not Charlie, but uh... moving on from all that past shit!). Yeah, as I was saying, they make Charlie darker. Okay, let’s forget my opinions on that for a moment: the characters have the opportunity to make him, this super evil and irredeemable villain, weak to the point he couldn’t get up at all... But Maggie stops him from being in this state? WHAT?! That shit is very out of character for her, and it’s very out of character for Vic to just stop! Vic would’ve persisted, and if the roles were reversed, Charlie would’ve persisted. That’s the thing about them both: they are persistent and protective about their kids. Why did Vic need to stop? “We need to find your son!” MAGGIE! You’ve both tried multiple times already! Focus on Charlie when you have the chance! How stupid are you two?! And better yet: Why would Vic drop the weapon?! She would’ve grabbed it!!!! What the hell is this shit?! I can’t even express how stupid this is... I get you can’t exactly kill him, but you could make absolute certain he would be subdued and unable to even have the chance to get up and grab his weapon. But nope! They need to attempt for the thousandth time to save Wayne in the exact same way, when it has shown not to work. You’d think they’d at least attempt to think of something else, even if their options are limited, but nah, we’re gonna do something very out of character instead... why?

Things aren’t looking too good for Maggie, so I have to ask: is Maggie gonna die? And if so, that is beyond fucking stupid. They set up the potential for a plot with Tabs and Mags for the third season. I didn’t pick up that they officially broke up, rather just separated for now, and... for what?! If she’s seriously gonna die, I’m gonna be extremely pissed. That wasted potential and insult to her character would be so fucking stupid. Yes, she dies in the book (in a different fashion, and it’s probably not that great how she goes there either), but look at all they’ve done for her character, especially giving her a girlfriend, a character that’s become even more important. Her death would be questionably more insulting here for sure!

Overall, while there were things I liked about this episode, I am majorly disappointed and concerned for the future of the series. I’m afraid it will take directions that are not good, and if it does continue, I am afraid it will be a living dead show of sorts. I think the only true way this show can carry on and be good is if all our main most important characters (Vic, Maggie, Charlie, Lou, Wayne, and Tabs) are all alive. Now, Vic and Charlie might be the only exception to this, just because they both do die in the book, and although even that is rough and not the best, it is expectant and I think this show can still be good with Maggie, Lou, Tabitha, and Linda taking care of Wayne (I’m not gonna go into the potential with Millie in this scenario because that’s a rocky topic lol). But if this show follows the path of TWD, where we have a whole new cast of characters you’re not really gonna care about and all the old cast you got to know and love is just gone... that’ll be the cherry on top of this shit sundae. I am excited for the concept of exploring the world of other Strong Creatives, as many rumors speculate the next season will contain, but if the show that explored the world of zombies failed by getting rid of pretty much their whole old cast... what about this show? They’ve already messed up quite a few things I don’t like this season I’ve discussed before, and if they go the route of doing anything that can get worse... I can’t describe how disappointing it would be. Not saying things have to be perfect or my way all the way, but it has to be generally good and enjoyable for everyone. Growing attached to a cast of characters only to erase many of them and focus on a new one is not a way that is good and enjoyable for everyone. AMC: This happened with TWD; for the love of God, don’t let it happen with NOS4A2.

As I said in my last review: let’s hope next week is better, and AMC, for the second time in a row, doesn’t deliver a disappointment of a show.

[crow-writes-stuff]

Reprieve

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Izumi Kyouka & Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu & Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), possible Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) Characters: Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Izumi Kyouka (Bungou Stray Dogs), Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs) Additional Tags: Chuuya joins the ADA, Chuuya is basically a big brother for Kyouka, Protective Izumi Kyouka, in a cute way, Protective Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Stressed Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs), Nakahara Chuuya Needs a Hug (Bungou Stray Dogs), Nakahara Chuuya gets a hug, from Kyouka, Future Armed Detective Agency Member Nakahara Chuuya, Caring Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs), Chuuya-Typical Swearing, Light Angst Series: Part 2 of Affirmation Summary:

Chuuya is awaiting the decision of the ADA's president. At least Kyouka is happy to see him.

Sequel to Death Sentence

Ao3

Everyone is staring at him. Chuuya has to force every muscle in his body to stay still, do not fidget. He wants to tell them all to stop looking at him. He can't.

Dazai left him with the rest of the Armed Detective Agency to talk with the president in private. Chuuya feels like he's been thrown to the wolves. And he can't fucking do anything about it! He can't tell them to fuck off, he can't threaten them. Because for some fucking reason, Dazai thinks he should join them.

Someone moves. Chuuya doesn't react. It costs him almost everything, but he doesn't move.

"Chuuya-san." Kyouka. It's Kyouka who moved, standing now in front of him. Chuuya relaxes. He can deal with Kyouka. She's one of his. Not in the sense of belonging to the Port Mafia (or not anymore). She is one of his just like the Akutagawa siblings are. People to take care of.

She looks so serious. "Are you alright, Chuuya-san?" He smiles at her. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." She nods and lowers her eyes. She's fidgeting with her phone. "Really, it's okay," Chuuya adds. "What about you? How are you doing?"

He's still painfully aware of all the eyes watching him. But he can focus on Kyouka. Even if it's just to distract them both.

There is a moment of more fidgeting before Kyouka looks up. "I like it here." Chuuya nods. He understands what she's trying to say. "That's good to hear."

Kyouka suddenly dashes forward, wrapping her arms around him. Chuuya has to take a step back in surprise, before hugging her in return. He isn't sure what this is about, but he's not going to push her away.

Before she can explain, the door to the president's office opens. Because, of course, it does. Chuuya wonders if Dazai planned this timing. He couldn't have, right? It's Dazai. Of course, he could.

Kyouka scrambles to let go of him but doesn't move farther away. Chuuya finds himself silently grateful for at least one person not being horribly suspicious of him. Not that he can blame anyone. He'd be doing the exact same thing in their place.

He straightens his back and turns to look at the president. Dazai is standing right behind him, with an easy smile on his face. That's a good sign, Chuuya supposes.

It's also Dazai who speaks first: "Kyouka-chan, I have a question for you since you're already here." Kyouka visibly stiffens, and Chuuya has the urge to tell Dazai off. She shouldn't be pulled into this. Dazai continues undisturbed: "If you had to choose right now, between Chuuya and me, who would you want to stay?" This time, Chuuya can't hold back. "Dazai," he warns lowly. But Kyouka surprises him. She pushes her chin out and looks at Dazai defiantly. "Chuuya-san."

Chuuya looks at her, amazed. There are some murmurs behind them, but he ignores them. Dazai just keeps smiling. "Thank you." Kyouka nods stiffly and moves minimally closer to Chuuya. He's going to have to ask her how Dazai's been treating her. Chuuya is not above kicking Dazai's ass, even now.

"Nakahara-kun," the president finally speaks. The room goes absolutely silent. Chuuya can feel his own muscles grow rigid as he looks at the man. To be perfectly honest, he has no idea what to expect. His previous interactions with the man didn't exactly paint Chuuya in the best light. He would not blame him for just sending him away right now. If it wasn't for Dazai, Chuuya wouldn't even have tried talking to anyone here. "Dazai has made the proposition of you joining the Armed Detective Agency. I am going to be honest: I was and still am sceptical."

No shit. Chuuya glances over to Dazai. He's still smiling. Alright then.

"However," the president continues, "Dazai has made several good points." It's Dazai, he could argue for almost anything, and most people would start believing him. But Chuuya doesn't think the president that foolish.

"I have agreed to let you stay for now." Chuuya stares at him. "With a few conditions." Of course. "You will stay with Dazai at all times until we have determined if you truly are suitable to join us. You will follow any orders you are given by the Agency members. And, though I hope this is a given, you will refrain from killing anyone."

That... That's it?

Chuuya blinks. "Okay," he says because he has no idea what else to do. Dazai grins at him. Kyouka's hand finds his, and he looks down at her to find her smiling as well. The president nods at him and turns to leave.

"Uh, thanks," Chuuya adds lamely. Dazai's grin turns amused, and Chuuya glares at him. The president nods again and returns to his office, the door closing behind him.

Chuuya continues staring at it until he feels a tuck on his hand. Kyouka is looking at him, worry written all over her face. "Chuuya-san, do you need to sit down?" "I don't know," he answers honestly. This day is so far removed from anything he had expected to happen. He has no idea what he's supposed to do or how to feel.

Dazai appears next to him, puts a hand on his back, grounding him. Chuuya looks at him. "What the hell did you say to him?" he finally chokes out. Dazai's smile turns soft, and something twists inside Chuuya. "Just the truth." Chuuya's eyes widen, and Dazai is quick to add: "Nothing too personal, of course." They both know exactly what he's referring to, and Chuuya finds himself surprisingly grateful. Grateful for Dazai. Not a thought he expected today either.

"Alright," a voice interrupts. "Dazai, care to explain what is going on here?" It's Dazai's new partner. Kunikida, if Chuuya remembers correctly. He looks justifiably pissed off. Though more at Dazai than Chuuya, to his surprise.

Dazai grins at him. "Isn't it obvious?" This causes Kunikida to start yelling at Dazai that, no, it is not, explain, dammit. Chuuya feels a weird kinship with the man. It is undeniable that he has been working with Dazai for a while. Dazai sighs in that infuriating way of his, only it's not directed at Chuuya. "Fine, fine. Short version: Mori wanted to get rid of Chuuya, preferably by him dying. Chuuya said no and left, and I suggested he join the Agency. And the president agreed to let him stay, as you just witnessed. It's really not that complicated, Kunikida." The man is fuming at this point.

Kyouka pulls gently on Chuuya's hand. She leads them to a small couch and sits down, Chuuya following. Dazai is still being yelled at. He clearly doesn't care in the slightest, only causing Kunikida to shout even louder. It's awfully familiar.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Agency, clearly used to this sort of thing, move closer towards Chuuya and Kyouka. The tiger boy, Atsushi, Chuuya reminds himself, is the first to speak up: "So, uh, welcome to the Agency, I suppose." He clearly tries to sound cheerful, but his nervousness is painfully apparent. "He hasn't really joined yet," interjects the detective. Edogawa Ranpo. Chuuya is not particularly fond of him. For obvious reasons. "But he's staying, so we should all be nice to him!" That's the farm boy, Kenji. Chuuya likes him. They didn't get to seriously fight but what he saw was impressive. Also, the kid's too genuine to dislike.

Dazai grins at him from where he's still getting yelled at. The bastard knows Chuuya has a soft spot for children. Speaking of children, Kyouka is silently glaring at Ranpo. Chuuya almost laughs. Instead, he just squeezes her hand slightly. She still hasn't let go of him. She blushes and looks away.

The doctor, who up to this point has been silently watching, steps forward. "I'm just going to say this once: If you hurt anyone in the Agency, I will personally rip you piece to piece, skin you alive and then do it all over again." Chuuya nods at her. "Good." This seems to take not only her by surprise. Chuuya shrugs. "What? I wouldn't trust me either if I was in your place. It could all just be a trick, as far as you know." "Is it?" The detective looks at him. "What?" "Is it a trick?" Chuuya looks back, just as intently. "Not as far as I'm aware." "What's that supposed to mean?" The doctor glares at him, but the detective nods. Chuuya is self-aware enough to know he's intellectually not on par with Mori. This could all be part of some kind of convoluted plan. He doubts it, be he can't discard the possibility. The detective understands. And so does Dazai, he's sure.

"Well, Dazai's going to keep an eye on him, so I'm honestly not too worried," says a new voice. "I'm Tanizaki Junchirou, by the way." Chuuya nods. The one with the illusion ability. "And this is my sister Naomi." The girl clinging to his arm smiles adoringly before turning a far colder look towards Chuuya. She's clearly not impressed. He can live with that.

Finally, after having yelled enough at an uncaring Dazai, Kunikida also stalks over. He stabs a finger towards Chuuya. "I will also keep an eye on you, and if you do anything suspicious, I will not hesitate to end your life." Chuuya is honestly a bit surprised by all of their confidence that they could hurt him so easily. That said, they do have Dazai on their side. And as much as he hates to admit it, the detective also successfully tricked him before. So, Chuuya nods. "Got it."

Somehow, now that everyone that wanted got their threats out, the atmosphere seems to relax. Dazai joins them finally and lets himself fall down on the couch next to Chuuya. He throws one arm around his shoulder and grins at him. "Welcome to the Armed Detective Agency, Chuuya."

[olicitytropes]

Olicity Tropetastic Awards: Felicity Smoak

The show might be about Oliver’s journey, but we wouldn’t have Arrow without Felicity. We laughed with her, we cried with her, we grew with her, and we swooned over Oliver with her. Surely, she’s one of the most relatable and popular characters on TV. But for many of us, she became a friend. 

This one’s for the hacker, the badass, the love of Oliver Queen’s life. Here’s to the ICONIC Felicity Megan Smoak!

@blondeeoneexox’s recs:

Green Arrow Exposed - @allimariexf

The Oliver Queen publicity tour gets an unscripted guest appearance.

**Award: Most Badass, Standing By Her Man Felicity**

Felicity’s Party Raver Hangover Supreme Cure - @felicityollies

The story of how Felicity got her industrial piercing as told by Felicity to her very curious husband.

**Award: Most Carefree Felicity That I Wish We Would Have Gotten More Of In The Show**

Mother’s Day - @felicityollies

Felicity’s first Mother’s Day with William.

**Award: Sweetest, Most Honestly Beautiful William/Felicity Scene That Needs To Be An Additional Scene**

Hotel Vegas - @it-was-a-red-heeler

Heartbreak sends Felicity home to her mother for a vacation that just might change her life forever.

**Award: Most Amazing Use of Felicity Being The Strong Woman She Is!**

@allimariexf’s recs:

Jade - LoudVoice

When a mission requires it, Felicity offers to infiltrate a strip club as a dancer. Oliver and Diggle are hesitant. What they don't know is that Felicity has been taking pole-dancing classes for years.

**Award: Best “Felicity Smoak is a woman of many hidden talents” story**

maybe all this is the party (maybe we just do it violently) - unicornstore

The collar could have exploded. If the night had gone any differently, she would be a mangled corpse in a body bag. She wouldn’t have been the first on Nelson’s kill list, hardly anything more than someone else who got in his way. / a tag for 1.15 (dodger). oliver drives felicity home and she comes to terms with some of the events of the night.

**Award: Best “Felicity Smoak was a hero from the beginning” and other things that cannot be captured in a single phrase so just read it NOW! story**

ain't it fun - magneticwave

Working for Oliver Queen can be mostly summed up as a series of lessons for Felicity on how to keep her cool in situations she is completely unequipped to handle. Thanks for nothing, MIT.

Or, Felicity’s first year on Team Arrow.

**Award: Best Year-in-the-Life on Team Arrow from Felicity’s POV (Year 1) aka another amazing Felicity story that defies description!!**

ghosts and echoes of you (everywhere we go) - @alexiablackbriar13

Everywhere she turned, she could see Oliver. His reflection, his ghost - his memory. It was painful. It was suffocating. Mia was the only reason she didn’t break down most days.

**Award: Most Devastating Single-Mom Felicity story**

@memcjo’s recs:

Uptown Girl - @hope-for-olicity

Felicity Smoak is not your average debutante, but going to the Debutante Ball turns out to be one of the most important decisions of her life. The story of an uptown girl meeting a downtown boy - who happens to be in a rock band.

**Award: Best Use of Felicity and Oliver Taking Control of Their Lives and Living Happily Ever After!**

We Build Then We Break - @smoaking-greenarrow

The aftermath of the limo shooting; one month later, Felicity has to decide if she is going to let what happened change her. Oliver and Curtis both help her realize the kind of person that she is.

**Award: Best Use of Swoon Worthy Oliver Queen Being There for the Love of His Life**

The Butler Did It - @quiveringbunny

Felicity Smoak is trying to be the best CEO she can, but it can be a struggle to establish her role with outsiders. So, attending an out of town conference looks to be a real challenge without a bit of help and encouragement from the man who loves her.

**Award: Best Use of Sexy Olicity Having Fun, Smutty Smut**

Times Like These - anthfan

A man from Felicity's past she never thought she'd see again suddenly appears in Starling City, bringing with him memories she'd rather keep forgotten, and a new threat.

**Award: Best Use of Scary, Edge of Your Seat Olicity Storytelling**

gray henley’s and fluffy purple socks - @alexiablackbriar13

Felicity and Oliver have taken to sharing their clothes recently since discovering she’s pregnant.

Well - it’s not really sharing. It’s very one-sided and originating from Felicity, and it’s more stealing than anything else.

**Award: Cutest, Sweetest, Most Adorable Felicity Story**

Long Way Down - Abbie

Scant weeks after the takedown of Slade Wilson, Felicity is abducted from her bed in the middle of the night. She comes to in a stark white cell to be faced with the inexplicably alive Tommy Merlyn, but breathing isn’t the only thing he’s doing that he shouldn’t be.

**Award: BEST~ HOLY SHIT~THIS FIC IS SOOO INTENSE AWARD**

@smoaking-greenarrow’s recs:

Open Heart and Lithe Tongue (Speak and We Are Undone) - RosieTwiggs

In all of Felicity's experience, among all of her partners, not one had ever gone down on her, even those times when she’d worked up the courage to outright ask.

**Award: Sexiest ‘Oliver Giving Felicity What She Wants’ Award**

DONE. - @imusuallyobsessed

Felicity only said yes to ARGUS protection because she thought it would keep William safe. But Diaz found them anyway. Now? The only one who can protect William is her. She's done playing games.

**Award: Best Fed-Up Felicity**

Will You Remember Me - @jesileighs, @latinasmoak

After being attacked by a metahuman with the power to steal memories, Felicity learns that a lot can happen in six years. Even things that she once believed to be unthinkable.

**Award: The Amnesia Trope To End All Amnesia Tropes**

Burning Soufflés - @allimariexf 

Felicity really needs to have a talk with Oliver. Which they will really, definitely do just as soon as she stops being kidnapped.

**Award: The ‘This Pregnancy Reveal is Now My Canon Pregnancy Reveal’ Award**

@tangled23works’ recs:

Is it Fair, or is it Fate? - @smoaking-greenarrow

We are the best parts of each other. 

She’d said it and she’d meant it, which unfortunately meant that she’d just lost the best part of herself.

**Award: Most Hopeful And Determined Felicity**

Begin Again - jennfics

Felicity has a coffee date, potentially, and Iris West Allen is the best friend a girl could have. A coffee shop meet/cute in the making.

**Award: The Funniest And Cutest Nervous!Felicity Fic**

While You Were Sleeping - Loulou26

Felicity Smoak, an IT expert at Queen Consolidated, has a little bit of a crush on her boss, Tommy Merlyn. The problem? He doesn't know she exists. After she saves his life, Felicity is mistaken for his fiancee as he lies in a coma. Suddenly thrown into the welcoming arms of the man's family - The Queens, Felicity soon finds herself falling in love with his brother, Oliver. But when Tommy awakens, Felicity also finds herself in the worst predicament of her life.

**Award: Best Adorable, Awkward And Funny Felicity Stealing Oliver’s Heart**

Mind on Fire - Nerdy_Xicana

An accidental discovery leads Felicity Smoak to come face to face with Yao Fei Gulong. Deciding to take a chance on a man who proves with one conversation he can be trusted she signs on to work with Sagittarius International. A private security company that did so much more than act like hired mercenaries. She would soon come to find out they had a very real purpose that they kept very well hidden.

After 4 years of working to leave her past behind her, Felicity finds herself surrounded by people who show her what she can no longer avoid- human interaction. One person in particular is the handsome Oliver Queen.

Oliver has spent the last year and a half avoiding romantic entanglements. Choosing to focus on his work and their missions, the last thing he expected was developing feelings for the beautiful analyst that fell into his hands.

Her mission is clear, but it soon becomes convoluted when she finally admits to feeling something for the brooding blue-eyed mercenary. He needs to keep her at arm's length, but everything in him pulls her closer. Can they come together, when everything is trying to pull them apart?

**Award: Most Badass, Strong And Sexy Felicity Smoak AU**

@it-was-a-red-heeler’s recs:

Right Girl - @smoaking-greenarrow

Felicity meets Oliver after she transfers to Starling Academy, a high school she never wanted to step foot in.

** Award: Best Teenage Oliver Queen Being a Badass For the Woman He Loves**

Asclepius - CharlotteCordelier

**Award: (And I mean this in all seriousness) “This Should’ve Been The Show”**

@msbeccieboo’s recs:

BREAK - BookofLife

Felicity shut down the second earthquake machine (because of course she left the Foundry to do it because wasting time leading an old fashioned detective through a series of complicated do-hickeys was Oliver's ridiculous idea, not hers), but being alone in the Glades at night, during a catastrophe, wasn't the safest thing to have happen.

Sometimes you suffer for doing the right thing.

**Award: Best Felicity-Ignores-Oliver-And-Goes-Off-To-Be-A-Hero-Anyway Moment**

A Woman’s Guide to Vigilantism - jules_ink

After five years of hell, fear, and poor decisions, of becoming a weapon, Felicity Smoak returns home to her family intending to finally make things right—only to find that there are some things you cannot run from. Like love. And mortal enemies. And your mother’s loud voice.

**Award: Best Role-Reversal Fic Featuring BAMF Vigilante Felicity*