#i didn't think they'd take it that far and actually make it WORSE SOMEHOW

[zorthania]

so i actually posted this comic yesterday on twitter and I um... don’t come at me after today’s episode please, i couldn’t have known.

[appleblueberry-pie]

OOOHHHH, OKAY HERE MY REQUEST FOR YANDERE MILE MORALES SCENARIO! I imagine him being the type of guy to break into the reader's locker and leave a CD(the song is probably cheesy like Radiohead-creep) while leaving a sticky note like “I really, really, like you. And I wanna get to know you more, can you meet at [insert abandoned building here] ❣️”~secret admirer (*cough* it's Miles *cough*) This freaks the reader out, cuz they've been dealing with this bs for 3 months and the authorities can't do shit, can I request the reader confronting their “secret admirer”? 🥺

N/A: I hope you heard me evilly laugh when I first read this. Boutta spill all of my delusions on this. Also i've never written worse luck than the reader had in this one.

Be Mine? Yes or No.

It's about ten minutes before first period begins and you've already spent five of them rereading the 20th love letter you've received over the course of a few months. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise as you continue to find more and more things to worry about in this letter. You'd think that this person would stop pestering you, but they really weren't. At all whatsoever. The same little sweet names they'd compliment you with. The same main idea they had in the previous note continuing into the next one. This has been happening over and over.

And it was so, so sweet when this fiasco first started. When you first opened your locker and it was placed so nicely in the center as if someone carefully placed it there. It was definitely spritzed with some kind of cologne, because no scent from someone just rubs off onto a letter like that. The beautiful envelope it was put in, the paper on the inside. The neat handwriting that was clearly practiced just to put some love onto the paper for you to hopefully absorb. And it worked the first three times, but it just kept getting weirder from there.

The way they wrote to you was extremely genuine, something that was hard to find in relationships nowadays. It really made you want to meet this person. They mixed in casual sweet names in Spanish into the writing in a way that wasn't hard for you to understand at all. They definitely had a crush on you. But then they began mentioning you in ways that seemed to make you borderline uncomfortable. Mentioning your beautiful hair, your eyes, your lips, the way you spoke, how you smelled. How they'd watch you and your friends in the park. Slipping in a few mentions of you walking to and from a corner store nobody in your school but you knew about.

They would write about how they could help you with specific classes that they knew you were struggling with. What foods they theorized you don't like(they were right), your type of man and how they fit that exact description, if not, more. How he knows he's the one you'd want and need. How the two of you are meant to be, he'd love you the way you need to be loved and he cant wait to actually meet you. How he'd bring you to the address of your favorite breakfast spot that no one should know about and he'd buy you that plate you always wanted to get that you couldn't afford. How he'd spoil you and-

All of this tension he built up on his own, which was all fueled by his own delusions, drew you to the conclusion that this nigga needed to be put in his place. You wanted a boyfriend. Not a fucking perverted stalker. Whoever this was, he was taking it too far, and was ultimately scaring you. It took you fifteen of these letters for you to realize that he wasn't actually slipping the letter into the locker between the cracks, but he was putting in the real code of your lock to properly unlock it. How he found it out, you have no idea. You didn't know what this guy was capable of and didn't know if he'd hurt you if you said no. But it had to be done somehow or he'd take shit too far and kidnap you or some crazy shit like that.

None of the school officials would help you because they're pieces of shit. Your friends tell you to bag him like dumbasses, and what the fuck are your parents gonna do? Yell at the dean and stand by your locker all day to wait for the guy?? You were all alone in this. So the most reasonable thing you came up with is to bluntly write to him to meet you after school at the park you and your friends go to often since he knows the spot already.

And quite literally the day after, you sat at the bench at the park after school, and he showed up.

You remember being so damn scared. What if he was big and burly and angry? What if he was one of the popular boys and would record the entire interaction? What if he follows you back home? What does he plan to do once you try to tell him off? You shouldn't have done this. The setting sun wasn't comforting you. The abandoned playground that usually was bustling with squealing kids was just making you more nervous. It was silent and cold today, but your mind just wouldn't shut up. Suddenly, the school uniform you wore wasn't as comfortable and you clutched your backpack closer to your body.

The wind blew gently on your bare knees and you heard someone call out your name. You flinched and felt your heart drop and turned to see the source of the voice, hoping for the worst. There was a boy sitting on a bench right next to yours. He was staring at you. It made you feel....unsettled and something else you couldn't put your finger on. To calm yourself, you listed his characteristics in his head. He was....reasonably attractive. Light brown eyes. Sculpted face. A light Spanish accent to his voice exactly how you'd imagine. Neat braids on his head. But something about his aura messed with you. He wasn't as good as he portrayed himself to be. You didn't want to speak and watched him stand from his spot to sit next to you on your bench. You clutched your bag to your chest as you watched him try to calmly approach you without making you too nervous.

With nervous eyes on him, he sits down next to you, letting a small smile grace his lips. "Hey, ma...how you doin'?" He sounded like he was trying to lure a scared dog into his arms. But it was awkward because he was trying to act normal with his dream girl and it was an actual human being and not a dog. "....fine." You respond. He scratches his nape and averted his eyes for a quick second. He really wanted to know why you wanted to talk to him. You gave no context within your letter, and it was a blessing, nonetheless. You actually responded to him. He predicted that he wouldn't get one for another good three weeks to two months almost. But this must be serious. He prepared himself for all possible scenarios that this could end up being.

"So....why'd you want to meet all of a sudden? It's getting late and I don't want you going home in the dark, you know?" You nod and take a deep breath, scared as fuck for how this could end. "Yeah.....so....I just wanted to tell you that I just- I don't want to be with you." It felt like you had to pull the words out of your throat for him to hear. You saw his face drop and decided to explain before he did anything else. "Like....I don't know you. I just realized that. You know so much about me and about my friends and the places I go to. I don't know a damn thing- Are you stalking me??" You turn to face him and stare into his wide eyes. He almost seemed as if he was caught doing some weird shit. And it was weird.

The silence started to make you angry when you realized he probably has been following you all this time. He shakes his head and sits up. "No...no, I haven't been stalking you at all, ma, I promise. I never want to make you uncomfortable, ever. Where are you getting that?" Oh, so now he's gaslighting you. If you brought all of his envelopes to this meeting, you would've dumped all of the evidence on his lap. You roll your eyes, grab your bag, and stand to leave. He stands at the same time as you when he sees you're trying to leave and stands in your way. "Wait, wait, wait, that's it? You not gon' give me a chance?" "A chance? Nigga, you lost your chance when you started being weird and fucking acting like you wasn't being weird this entire time!"

It was hard to get mad at you or reason with you. You were too pretty to get mad at even when you were nearly yelling in his face. And he had no logical reason to behave the way he was behaving, either. So, he might lose you unless he does something risky. And to risk your trust and love is something he doesn't want on the line.

You watch him watch you leave and he picks up his bag as well. The street lights turn on once it gets dark enough and Miles interrupts you walking away. "I'm not letting you walk home in the dark, Y/n." You flinch at his voice and growl a groan in fuming anger. An older lady passes the both of you and praises the mystery boy for being such a good gentleman and how 'there needs to be more of you out on these streets'. You almost slapped the fuck out of her for even hyping him up. He gives her a beautiful smile and tells her to get home safe, while walking you in the direction of your home.

He turns back to you and almost laughs at the face you're making. "I wonder how your mom would feel about you going home in the dark." "Mind yo fucking business." He happily leaves it there, continuing to walk with you down the street. Maybe this way, he can have more than one excuse to continue walking you home from now on. "Ion even know yo name." You mutter under your breath and Miles smiles at you. "My name is Miles. Great to finally meet you in person, Mami." You scoff and gladly let him scroll on his phone. You tried to speed ahead of him in hopes he'd stay at his slower pace, but he always caught up to you. You inwardly groan, knowing he'd probably make it to your door before you get rid of him.

"Glad to know the name of the person who's been stalking me. Now I can report you officially." You smirk at him and he gives one right back. "Just a name won't cut it, ma." "I got photos." "Where?" He hands you your phone back and you snatch it, realizing he was scrolling on your phone the whole time AND deleted your photo evidence. Before you can shove him into the street for a car to run him over, your mom bursts the door open and eyes the boy next to you. "Girl, you finally brought someone home with you." You didn't even realize you were on your street, better yet, your house. And your mom liked him already??

Your face dropped as you approached the front door. "No, no, no, it's not like that-" "What's your name, sweetie?" Miles steps up to the door and holds out his hand for her to shake, a beaming smile on his face. "My name is Miles Morales, ma'am." She shakes his hand before scrunching her eyebrows. " 'Morales'? You know Rio??" "That's my mamá, right there." Horrifying, how quickly a new relationship between the two bloomed right before your eyes as they continued to converse.

How are you going to get out of this? Your stalker is making great friends with your mom, no one can help because he deleted the evidence, and you would soon find out the next morning at school that your locker was clean of envelopes as well. Nothing was working in your favor and you realized that there was no way to escape. He included himself into your life so easily, when you wanted him out, out, out. You hated this shit, but he seemed to love it, sending you a look of appreciation as you both stepped into your abode.

Miles was so grateful for having you as a part of his life. The stars aligned and allowed you both a chance at beauty and growth. He wouldn't let this opportunity waste away like he had done many times in the past. You were his chance at redemption for all of the things he had done and the things that he planned to do later on. You were finally his.

[necrotic-nephilim]

Even if they’re similar ages Jason hanging around stephs house just being awkward yet casual but bc I’m Jason headed he would do something *nice* and Steph, the best, is like okay buuuut it doesn’t matter that you’re being kind to my mom while she’a obliterated (and Steph feels protective but also embarrassed of her but Jason was kind) because you’re still doing bad things and working for a bad guy. I’m just rolling around in it like the feeling of going to someone’s house and being left there with someone you don’t know who lives there

(based on this post) YES YES you get it, i think it makes it so fun! bc Steph's primary concern is her mother, and she's also almost sensitive about her living situation and who her father is. she'd be so stressed about a stranger around who could judge and scrutinize all the little details she can't control. especially bc, she's not going to trust *anyone* who works with or for her dad. while other ppl may see him as an almost dismissable threat, she's been up close and personal with all his crimes so she doesn't like when others diminish him. so for Jason viewing Cluemaster as a "lower villain" to compromise his morals for, is almost insulting to Steph. at first. she doesn't care about his sob story (even if she does deeply relate) or the logical reasoning he has for this. she's angry he's associating with her dad in the first place. and now she has to deal with him in her house constantly, "protecting" her as if she can't do so herself. (even more so, the humiliation that her dad felt the need to hire someone but didn't put enough effort into hiring someone *actually* dangerous, bc is she supposed to believe this scrawny teenage street kid is her new bodyguard? he's practically her age.) her whole life is cracked open for a stranger working for her dad. i think it could be a fun "enemies to lovers" sort of vibe, where it takes a good while of forced proximity before Steph really starts to understand Jason.

esp bc Jason rarely feels like explaining himself, he's closed off and doesn't think he owes strangers explanations for why he does what he does. i think it'd be fun if it would be a very slow, awkward relationship that has a deep foundation of mistrust and hatred for a while. neither of them enjoy this forced vulnerability and sure Jason's not doing the questionable stuff like punching cops or moving weapons now, but somehow this almost feels uncomfortably worse bc it's more personal. he actually has to exist around people he can't fight his way out of being around. he knows he's invading. it feels better morally but it's not something he's enjoying to any capacity, esp when he feels like Steph has her points in hating him. and everytime he's forced to actually protect her from real danger, it's that fun sort of cliche of "oh shit i care A Lot More about the idea of you getting hurt then i thought i did, wtf is up with that" and i think that's how they'd finally bond, through those shaky moments where their lives get threatened and Steph sees how far Jason will go to save her.

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

So again I'm going to hit this in a few parts because I think there's a few different things happening depending on the situation.

Plo's insistence that they will be found in the Malevolence arc is serving two purposes: he's presumably choosing to have faith in the Force which could be telling him to keep hope, AND he's saying what needs to be said to keep his men's spirits up. If they go into this fight believing it's hopeless anyway, then the chances are a LOT higher that they'll end up dead, whereas if they keep a little more faith in their chances of being found, it'll give them the best chance possible. He's also just trying to lift up the clones' self-esteem in GENERAL because they're mentioning that they're "expendable" which is why they have no hope in being rescued. It's not that they think the situation is completely unsalvagable, but that nobody would bother risking their lives to save a few clones when there's so many of them and they can be so easily replaced. What Plo is doing here isn't that far off from what Yoda does just the episode before with Thire, Jek, and Rys: he's affirming that he sees the clones as PEOPLE worthy of caring about and fighting for, not because they're tools he needs in the war but just because they're THEM. There is nothing else Plo can do in this situation aside from keeping them alive as long as possible, and the best way he can do that is to keep their hopes up and keep them fighting. So regardless of whether he personally believes their chances of discovery are high or not, their best chance is for Plo to convince the clones he believes they'll be found.

ANAKIN'S reaction is completely separate from that (unless you believe that Plo is sort-of listening to the Force which is telling him to keep up hope and that that's possibly coming from Anakin and Ahsoka's choices here). Anakin is basically just bending the rules here because he can tell Ahsoka cares about this. I don't personally believe Anakin would've ACTUALLY gone after Plo in this situation if Ahsoka hadn't been there and being so vocal about her feelings on the matter. I think Anakin likely would've recognized the situation as a pretty foregone conclusion and continued on in his own mission. Keep in mind that this isn't the first attack by the Malevolence and in the other situations, there were no survivors. There's no actual reason to believe Plo is alive this time and it's a LOT more logical to assume that he didn't make it. Ahsoka is being emotional because she's young and she cares about Plo and wants to abandon her own mission in order to go check on someone she cares about, which is something that could potentially have dire consequences in other areas.

What Anakin does is try to find a loophole of sorts that allows them to still complete their original mission while accomplishing this other task, too. And while this logic works out for him, it assumes that nothing is going to happen to his fleet on the way to their final destination while he's gone. He is, effectively, abandoning his entire battalion in order to go save ONE PERSON (because I don't for a SECOND believe he cares about the 104th, he only cares about Plo because that's who AHSOKA cares about). If the 501st had gotten attacked mid-route somehow or they'd had issues along the way, they were left without either Jedi General or Commander to help them out. Yes, Plo and his three men would've died, but losing an entire fleet (which would be in ADDITION to losing Plo's entire battalion) would be far worse in the long run.

And this is why Anakin keeps getting away with acting like this. He takes massive risks in the name of emotional attachments that COULD have dire consequences but he manages to just keep getting lucky, which he convinces himself means that he was RIGHT. But that's not how it works, it's not the same thing. And eventually, that kind of thinking is going to lead him down the wrong path and he won't get so lucky.

You can also look at this situation like the trolley problem. Ideally, they'd like to just stop the trolley before it gets to either line with people on it. But if they CAN'T stop the trolley in time (and they have no control over which line it goes to), and the trolley's now hit that line with one person on it, is it better to go check and see if that one person survived being hit or is it better to go get the other people off the trolley line so they DON'T get hit by a trolley at all? It's possible another trolley might never come down, it's possible that that one person is still alive and could survive if only they're attended to in time. But it's also just as possible that a second trolley might come down and hit those other people on the other track while you're off saving that one person who's already been hit.

Now let's look at Luminara on Geonosis during the factory explosion. Here we get a more direct comparison between how a REAL Jedi handles the possibility of losing someone they care about and how ANAKIN handles the possibility of losing someone he cares about. The main difference for me here is the way they ultimately end up treating EACH OTHER. There's zero evidence that Luminara WOULDN'T have supported Anakin's attempts at finding them, and in fact there's actually evidence to support that Luminara was ALSO trying to look for them when she knelt down on the ground to meditate (something Anakin, like most of the fandom, tends to misinterpret as Luminara dropping to her knees in grief). When Anakin sees what he THINKS is Luminara losing herself to emotion, he's completely capable of being compassionate and reaching out to comfort Luminara, but when she responds that she's actually okay and will deal with Barriss's death if it happens, his compassion EVAPORATES. Almost like it was never even there and wasn't truly compassion in the first place (it's not that selfless if it's only offered when she adheres to HIS idea of how to properly grieve). And he never gives her the benefit of the doubt after this, never tries to understand her perspective AT ALL. All he does is continue to provoke her and harass her and then when they DO find Barriss and Ahsoka, Anakin IMMEDIATELY chooses to throw Luminara under the bus and accuse her of not caring about her own padawan RIGHT IN FRONT OF BARRISS.

Luminara, by contrast, continuously reaches out to Anakin to offer HIM compassion. Even in the face of his being a complete and utter asshole, his anger and selfishness towards her, she recognizes that this is Anakin GRIEVING the possibility of having lost Ahsoka, and so she offers selfless comfort ANYWAY. Even as he lashes out at her, even as he rejects her comfort and advice, she keeps offering it. Because she's a TRUE Jedi while Anakin is only a Jedi in name and nowhere is that more obvious than in this super direct parallel.

And you can compare this later to the advice Plo gives Anakin about Ahsoka during the Padawan Lost arc where he says that all Anakin can do at this point is trust that he's given her enough training to find her own way home. When there's nothing Anakin can truly do to help, he just has to trust in Ahsoka and trust in the Force to guide her. He has to trust he's been a good enough teacher. And in both the Geonosis episode with Luminara and the Padawan Lost arc with Plo, Ahsoka DOES manage to save herself. Anakin isn't really the person who does anything to save Ahsoka on Geonosis because he has no idea where to even start looking and it's a large area to search and they don't have enough time to search everywhere. Ahsoka sends a signal that gets through to the others, though, and THAT'S what saves her. It's something Anakin taught her before, sure, but nothing Anakin is doing right now in this moment is helping and THAT'S what Luminara is trying to impress upon him. All they can do right now, just like Plo and his men with the Malevolence, is trust in the Force and WAIT. Luminara is keeping herself calm, focused, and centered because getting emotional isn't going to help Barriss. Anakin getting emotional certainly doesn't help Ahsoka.

This is also a lesson we see pop up in other areas, as well. We see Obi-Wan getting taught a similar lesson during AOTC where he has to just trust he's taught Anakin well enough that he can manage his own obstacles and fix his own mistakes on a solo mission. He has to let go of his worries and doubts enough to let Anakin go because that's just how growing up works. And while we as the audience know that there's absolutely good reason to worry about Anakin being able to handle a solo mission, the Jedi aren't wrong to advise Obi-Wan to give Anakin room to make his own mistakes so he can grow. Also, in the episode JUST PRIOR to the one with Luminara, Landing at Point Rain, we see Anakin dealing with the loss of a loved one in the RIGHT way. Obi-Wan's ship crashes and Anakin is stuck far away and they don't know if Obi-Wan is injured or even alive. But Anakin is also still with Ahsoka and their troops, trying to get to the original landing site. Anakin COULD run ahead and try to get to Obi-Wan's ship to help him, but he'd be abandoning everybody else in order to do so and there's tons of enemies between them and the landing site, so the chances that they'd make it without his help are slim at best. So when Ahsoka starts getting emotional about wanting to help Obi-Wan, Anakin has to be the one to teach her this and tell her that they can't just go running off when it means abandoning other people to die. All they can do is protect the people they have the ability to protect and trust that in the Force and in Obi-Wan's own abilities.

So it's not like Anakin doesn't KNOW how he's supposed to handle this situation. He literally does EXACTLY what Luminara does JUST THE LAST EPISODE and teaches this exact fucking lesson to his own Padawan like the day before. And yet, when he's losing it and someone else is having to remind him about it, he can't take his own advice. He forgets everything he's ever learned and instead becomes a complete asshole to someone who has done nothing to deserve it.

So the lesson here isn't that you should never do anything to try to help people that MIGHT be dead, it's about prioritizing and knowing what it is you CAN do in the situation. With Plo, Anakin and Ahsoka CAN go save Plo, sure, but it means making a concession somewhere else. They prioritize saving Plo over staying with their own battalion. Plo has to prioritize keeping his men alive which means he has to choose to be optimistic even in the face of low odds because all he CAN do is keep fighting to stay alive as long as possible. Anakin can't REALLY do anything for Ahsoka when the factory explodes because he just has too little information to act on and this drives him NUTS. AHSOKA can work on sending a signal to him, but all Anakin can do is WAIT and have faith that Ahsoka will find a way out. Anakin's not so good at the faith thing, though, just canonically. Anakin doesn't like letting go of that much control in his life (or the lives of people he cares about). Luminara, however, CAN let go of the need to have control over everything and is doing what little she CAN do, which is reaching out with the Force to see if she can sense where Barriss is and keeping herself calm and focused.

Anakin IS wrong both times. The fact that things work out for him both times doesn't make him right in either instance. Remember, the exact things that cause him to make the choices he does HERE are the same things he uses to convince himself it's okay to commit a genocide against the Jedi later in order to save Padme. It's the exact same reasoning, he just gets lucky these times and gets LESS lucky later.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

No pressure ifbyou arent taking writing requests, but i would love to see what you could do based off the song Battle Cries by The Amazing Devil

It gives me Skyward Sword vibes

Link stared at the loftwing feather held gingerly between his fingers.

The last few months had been... difficult. In some ways, they'd been more difficult than his actual journey to rescue Zelda and stop Demise. The pain of pushing his body past its breaking point, the anguish of never seeming to be enough, the heartache of always missing Zelda... they had amounted to such invisible wounds that he was still fighting the repercussions.

Somehow, that was worse. How was one supposed to move on when such a life altering event happened? How did one jolt out of the keep moving keep going don't ever stop or falter for a second and not just... collapse? How did one get back up after doing so?

The world continued to move ahead. His academy still had classes, though chatter of the Surface and its exploration was still a hot topic, even six months after the cloud barrier's disappearance.

The first month it had been acceptable, even understandable. Link had nearly died from his final fight, it had been one thing too many in a collection of wounds and exhaustion. Despite the healing affects of the life fruit he'd been given, he'd still slept for nearly a week upon his return to Skyloft. And after that, the headmaster had ensured he didn't have any kind of workload. Zelda had been at his side constantly, and the two had silently enjoyed each other's company, seemingly cut off from the rest of their people.

But that had been understandable. It had been a long journey. They would never be the same.

However, that didn't excuse this exhaustion lingering for so long. By the fourth month, Link was nearing a point of despair. It wasn't until Commander Eagus spoke to him candidly, told him of the affects on his mind after such an event (no one on Skyloft truly comprehended what had happened on the Surface, but some had put more pieces together than they probably should have). After all, Eagus had become commander when his own commanding officer had fallen in battle. Eagus hadn't fought as Link had, but he still understood to a small degree.

It had helped. To a point. Knowing that his mind needed time was good, that he wasn't just defective, but... it still didn't make it any easier to bear sometimes.

And that was only covering half of the issue. Eagus only spoke from a soldier's perspective. Link had seen more than battle. He'd watched his best and dearest friend become someone else entirely, he'd been told that their friendship was a carefully constructed plan, that he was a weapon as much as Fi had been.

He still hung around Zelda. She still hovered close to him. She'd said it herself, she was still his Zelda. But it... wasn't the same.

He tried not to think about it. After all, he did still love her. After all, she hadn't known any of the plan their entire lives.

But it stung. It stung. Because now... if he had been chosen for this purpose, and if Zelda had been born in the right circumstances so as to befriend him... now what?

What was his purpose now that his journey was over? Now that Demise had been defeated?

Link had never really had much of a plan for his life, honestly. He'd daydreamed his time away, relaxing and just enjoying being with Zelda and his loftwing, enjoying sights and smells and warmth and comfort. He was in the knight's academy, so becoming a knight was obviously a goal, but he had never felt particularly motivated for major life goals. He wasn't much of a planner, certainly not that far ahead.

But now... all he could think about was the future. All he could think was now what?

He knew, though. He knew what to do next. Because six months was enough time to let himself float in this haze of existing and not existing. He also knew it probably wouldn't get entirely better. But life wasn't going to stop just because he had, and for once, that meant something to him.

Link carefully wove the feather shaft into the leather cords, tying it in its place. He'd added beads to the headdress already - his loftwing's contribution was the final touch.

Because yes, he was tired. And yes, he wasn't entirely sure if his mind would ever clear of the fog that had crushed it since his journey's end. But no matter how he felt, his perception of hte world didn't change how it was.

Zelda was still there for him. The Surface was vast, endless even, and so, so new and different. The Triforce needed protecting. Zelda had already made plans for a settlement, and, with Groose's help, was in the process of setting foundations, while Link cleared the area of threats. There was hope, there was new life and a future and things beyond Link's comprehension.

His loftwing purred, bumping his beak against Link's forehead.

Link chuckled, nuzzling into his companion's feathery cheek, melting into the softness of it. "Yeah, I know. Let's go for a flight and then I'll go to her."

Crimson chittered excitedly, moving quickly towards the edge and diving off the island. Link stood there a moment, alone, and then smiled, tucking the headdress into his pouch. He felt anxiety hold him hostage a moment, and then he broke free of it, running full speed to the island's end and leaping with every ounce of energy he had.

The air whipped and whooshed around him, slamming into him layer after layer as he crashed through the sky. His wounds and worries were left behind, and he yelled in excitement and joy, he screamed in defiance at everything that weighed him down.

At the end of the day, nothing could clip his wings. Not even himself. He refused to let it.

Putting his fingers to his mouth, Link whistled shrilly, and his loftwing immediately came. He could always rely on Crimson. He knew, in the end, he could also always rely on Zelda.

And that headdress, alongside a traditional dance, would be the start of a physical representation of that.

In the meantime, his mind and heart soared with his loftwing, and he laughed as he flew through the sky.

[captainsophiestark]

Always Be Prepared

Poe Dameron x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Star Wars

Day 21 Prompt: "Just in case this doesn't work."

Summary: Poe and his SO are supposed to be completing a simple, subtle reconnaissance mission, but a complication might make the 'subtle' part challenging.

Word Count: 1,073

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"This is... not good."

My boyfriend, Poe Dameron, and I stood shoulder to shoulder, tucked into our hiding spot as we watched First Order troops crawl all over the ship we were supposed to be escaping on. We'd come to this world on an intelligence gathering mission. Unfortunately for us, we apparently hadn't gone completely unnoticed.

Poe shrugged, nudging his shoulder against mine. "I don't know, it could be worse. We could've been in the ship when they swarmed it."

I huffed a laugh. "I guess that's true. So what do we do now?"

"Hmm. Did you see any other ships around here that we could take off with instead?"

"Not unless you count the ships the First Order came in on. And somehow I don't think we're gonna have much luck taking one of those."

"Then we need a distraction. Something big enough to draw them away from our ship, so big that we actually have half a shot at getting past those troopers."

Poe and I hummed in thought, each scanning our surroundings and staring off into space to try to get some inspiration. We'd spent enough time studying maps of this place and actually combing through it in the past few hours that if there was anything to be done, we should've been able to figure it out.

My eyes wandered over the door we'd just come from, leading to the heart of the building, including its power core.

A crazy, stupid, terrible idea hit me like lightning. I turned to Poe and found him staring back, the same spark of insanity I'd fallen in love with glimmering behind his eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked, a manic grin growing slowly on his face. I shook my head.

"I kind of hate to say this, but yeah, I think I am."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

A better, less dangerous idea, I thought, but didn't say it out loud. Poe and I had done and survived all kinds of crazy things in our time with the Resistance, both together and apart. If we'd made it this far, then odds were good that we'd keep making it. Right?

As one, we turned and headed in the opposite direction from our ship, back into the heart of the facility we'd stolen information from. With the discovery of our ship, security had surely been tightened, but we still made it to our target.

The building's energy core hummed before us like a giant glowing weak point. If someone were to blow it up, they'd certainly cause a distraction worthy of attention from a bunch of First Order stormtroopers.

"You know, I feel like it's concerning that we're so in sync about stuff like this," I said as Poe and I moved around the room, quickly identifying weak points where we could do the most damage with just a few charges.

"I think we should be more concerned about why you bring explosive charges with you every time we go on a mission."

I shrugged. "It's working out for us so far, isn't it? You never know when a fast and easy sabotage method might come in handy in our line of work."

"I... guess I can't argue with that," said Poe with a chuckle. We worked together to place the charges, then I hooked up a remote detonator while Poe watched the door. Once everything was set, I gave him a thumbs up and went to meet him by the door. We ducked and dodged through the ever-increasing security measures, thankfully, finally making it back to our hiding spot in front of our ship.

It seemed like another group or two of storm troopers had made their way over, and I knew it was only a matter of time until they started expanding their search radius. It wouldn't take them long to find Poe and I if we didn't do something soon.

"Alright, should we go for it?" I asked, holding the detonator up in question to Poe. Suddenly, this plan felt a lot riskier than before we'd actually been ready to implement it.

"Hold on, one more thing first."

With that, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. He kissed me, hard, and after a second's surprise I melted into him, kissing him back just as hard. After a few long, savored moments, Poe pulled away, leaving me a little breathless as I subconsciously trailed after him. He grinned.

"Just in case this doesn't work," he said by way of explanation. I just smiled and shook my head.

"Get ready to run to the ship and go like hell, Flyboy. Once I press this button, it's mostly on you to get us out of here. I'll watch our backs."

Poe winked at me, and I smiled back at him. I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself as best I could, then pushed the button on the detonator.

A moment later, an explosion rocked the building. All the stormtroopers in front of us dropped what they were doing to look up in shock, and as the chain reaction of the explosion continued, they started shouting and rushing towards the building to try to do something. As a result, our ship was left almost completely unguarded.

In perfect sync, Poe and I took off running. I let him get a bit ahead of me, then turned as I ran, ready to shoot at anyone who tried to stop our escape.

Lucky for us, the distraction had worked even better than planned. With a First Order facility literally going up in smoke, even the few people left on the other ships in the yard were too distracted to notice Poe and I taking off until it was basically too late to stop us.

Once we made it to Hyperspace headed back for Resistance HQ, I let myself relax all the way. I put a hand on Poe's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek, then flopped back in my seat to watch the stars streak by.

"Nice work," I sighed. "We should start giving classes on pulling off insane shit like that."

"I hate to break it to you, but we're not out of the woods yet, sweetheart."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"One of us still has to explain the mess we left behind us to General Organa."

"Not it!"

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

[msommers]

1, 3, 11, 14, 19 for riya, meredith and ellana?

ok so like. ignore the time it took me to get to these. i was in fact thinking of them constantly but the act of actually typing?? horrendous. // oc asks: roots edition

1. How many living parents does your OC have? If they're alive, where are they now and what's your OC's relationship with them? If they're dead, how did they die?

RIYA — two! both of Riya's parents are still living in the ancestral Clairmont estate back in Cumberland, thank goodness. Riya is the biggest daddy's girl known to Thedas, they've been nearly attached at the hip since she was born as she's Loren’s only daughter and youngest child. they had matching outfits, practically a language of their own with all of the in-jokes and references, and she felt safe talking to him about anything and everything. she's not nearly as close with her mother, but their relationship is still good. i think Riya sometimes perceives it as being a little worse than it is, but that's just because she's somebody who craves frequent displays that show how somebody feels about her. Priscilla sacrificed a whole new palatial estate to the Circle of Magi just so Riya could grow up in the comfort she was used to, never truly punished her for shunning her studies and responsibilities, and started pulling on every resource to protect her after the frame job. there's no doubt they love each other with all of their hearts, but Priscilla has trouble with vulnerability and emotional expression, and Riya struggles with the high standards/expectations from her. 

MEREDITH — first of all: you're sick and twisted for this. second: zero 💚 they were both casualties of Rendon Howe’s coup. i personally, me myself and i, believe Rendon would have been too much of a cowardly, slimy fuck to be face-to-face with any Cousland when it all kicked off, so i believe that Bryce suffered a fatal stab wound from one of Howe's stealthier soldiers and subsequently bled out in the larder before being found. as for Eleanor?? i'm having a tough time with this one and have been for the whole week it took me to finally get back here. as of right now, i'm fucking with the idea that Eleanor was able to wipe out a small group of the attackers before Rendon finally showed up with his own squad of goons, and she died from one of them stabbing her in the back after she'd gotten far too close to taking Rendon down in a rush attack. i simply find it hard to believe the woman who took down a warship at the age of fifteen would've laid down and died, or been unable to get at least one good strike at the man who filled her with such a powerful vengeance. clearly the fuck didn't die there, but i like to think he spent a good few months recovering from the wound Eleanor left him on her way out.

ELLANA — you'd think after all these years i would have her clan figured out but i kinda forgor 💀 i think her parents would be alive! given who Ellana is, i imagine her family (and clan overall) would hold similar values and they'd lead kinder lives that allow them more peace from outside dangers. i know she'd be a family focused woman so she would have a good relationship with both parents, perhaps closer with her mother just cuz. if i end up making a post in the next few days with a bunch of brand new dalish elves hot off the presses this is your fault (affectionate)

3. How did your OC feel the first time they left home? Why did they leave?

RIYA — answered here!

MEREDITH — first time she left home probably would've been joining her father on teyrn business to visit some bann or other, tagging along because of a young girl's curiosity. likely could have been the first trigger to her becoming interested in politics, bombarding Bryce with questions on the carriage ride to their destination and then somehow finding even more once they were there because she found the business so fascinating. it would have undoubtedly been exciting for her from the jump, and only gotten better the further along they went as she started to learn more and more about the people of the teyrnir and her father's responsibilities. 

ELLANA — her clan is one of the rare groups to engage in occasional trade with humans and i imagine this soft-hearted clown would've enjoyed taking part in those ventures, i'll count that as technically leaving home because i'm sure it was at least a week’s worth of time spent traveling out and engaging. she was eager to go! it would have meant a great deal to her that she was being entrusted to join the journey as a protector for those who were going along, and she wouldn't deny feeling a bit of a thrill at the idea of interacting with non-dalish for the first time. 

11. What was your OC scared of as a child? Are they still scared of that?

RIYA — answered here!

MEREDITH — Aldous doesn't strike me as the type of teacher to censor or lighten history for the sake of a young mind, which i'm sure Meredith would've been grateful for in her young adult years and onward, but as a child she was often worrying herself to sleeplessness over the dreadful—and sometimes downright evil—acts of humankind. the Orlesian occupation and subsequent war to regain Ferelden’s independence was filled with enough horror stories on its own to fuel her nightmares for years on end. this all probably contributes to her later development of paranoia tbh, but let's not examine that rn. i’d say around her origins era that she’s still holding onto those fears, but she has the added fun and lucky experience of getting to learn that her own countrymen are just as capable of their atrocities.

ELLANA — i think she would have been fortunate enough to avoid any serious fears as a child, in part due to her innate bravery and another to her clan having a more gentle history compared to many others. perhaps a fear of heights, which she'd definitely gotten over by the time the inquisition came around (hi mage barrier + flinging self off a cliff to avoid finding a path combo <3) ((she wouldn't like. Literally do that but it's funny)). something super specific but i feel suits her as she's spent so long in the woods: a forest going silent. not something i think she'd have gotten over, and just the idea of it makes her feel on edge. like what the fuck do you mean all of the wildlife and even the wind has gone quiet because Something Is Coming, that’s always scary. 

14. Who was your OC's first love? How do they remember that person now?

RIYA — a noble boy that started training under her brother, Regulus, when she was in her teens. he was a young warrior-in-training with lofty aspirations of gaining glory through acts of altruism and heroics—basically he was a startup version of the heroes she'd grown up hearing stories of from her own family history and other various tales of daring, so naturally she had to pounce on that with all the finesse a 15-year old Riya possessed. it worked because she was pretty and heaped on all of the praises a young fighter would love to hear from a girl (not to mention there's a high chance they already knew each other from running in the same social circles), but it wouldn't have lasted very long. they had a good month or two of a fun and frivolous relationship, but Riya had gotten her first hook-up and that sparked her long-lasting habit of fooling around with a partner until she was abruptly ready to drop them and move on in search of another. she would have been adamant then and would still be now that just because their connection was brief, it doesn't mean her love for him wasn't real (it was a shallow thing entirely based off of her [unsurprisingly] getting horny about a young hero in the making but hey! still counts). i'd say she remembers him fondly because i don't imagine it ended in a Disastrous way. all she's got of him are good memories of early practices for her flirting skills, eagerly observing warrior training, and a judgment-free first sexual experience that probably gave them both a good confidence/happiness boost.

MEREDITH — if there's one thing about me it's that i'm gonna push my “Meredith and Gilmore were childhood sweethearts” agenda whenever i'm handed the opportunity, because i can't be convinced that it's not adorable as hell. a little lady and a young squire?? cuties. babies. must be protected. nothing too serious really but they were in their early teens and had grown up together, having that close bond made it easy to slip into crushes once they hit puberty. he fancied himself her protector and she found it incredibly romantic, as a young noble girly is wont to do. he also knew how to make her laugh, could tell when she was hiding irritation from others to be polite, and took her seriously (which we all know is monumental to a teen girl who has Ideas and Opinions). unfortunately, most of the time when Meredith allows herself the space to remember him, she thinks back to his promise that he would be at her side until she had all of Ferelden wrapped around her finger. makes it harder to face the fact that she’s taking those steps without him, even if she’s managed to find support in others. she’s fond of the times when she can think of him and focus only on his loyalty and courage, rather than the other Horrors which plague her even a decade on. we don’t talk about Fort Drakon <3

ELLANA — the Second of her clan, a girl named Mirisa. a severe case of puppy love that lasted quite a while on both sides. Ellana was practically born with a deep respect and awe for mages, so i imagine that contributed to her developing a crush and subsequently taking any excuse under the sun to be present for Mirisa’s practicing or training so that she could observe the magic. their favored way of wasting the time away and being together was going off to relax under the shade of some tree or other, Ellana with her head in Mirisa’s lap, content listening to the Second ramble on about all she was learning from the Keeper that week. most of the arcane talk went over her head (though she engaged with it as best she could), but her favorite topics were the various tidbits of history that she wasn't learning about in her own teachings. they're probably still friends by the time Ellana is sent to the Conclave tbh and she looks back at their little love affair as an adorable example of harmless, innocent romance. it brings a smile to her face recalling the little moments of sneaking chaste kisses when nobody was looking, or them giggling at nothing simply because they were giddy being near one another. 

19. What traditions or stories does your OC carry forward from their childhood to the rest of their life?

RIYA — answered here! 

MEREDITH — i’m sitting here trying to come up with a condensed list or something but it’s like. take one look at this woman and you know she’s carried and cataloged literally everything she’s ever been told or learned herself through her entire life. she has names of nobility and military figures memorized from wars and conflicts that haven’t mattered in who knows how long. she’s hoarded knowledge on ancient and abandoned Fereldan traditions just for fun. she can recite the entire timeline of the Cousland family back to its origin and give you cute little blurbs on most, if not all, of the family members. she’s a fucking nerd with an obsession to Know Things due to the assumption that knowledge is power enough to keep her safe and in control, she’s not letting anything slip the mind palace.

ELLANA — naturally she carries and maintains the vir tanadhal as both a dalish and a hunter, feeling more attuned to the vir bor'assan (bend but never break. "as the sapling bends, so must you. in yielding, find resilience; in pliancy, find strength.") out of the three. the vir banal'ras (aka dalish calling for a blood debt to be paid) wasn’t something she clung to very much as a kid but the memory of it came rushing back and became very important to her on a handful of occasions during her time as agent/inquisitor. she wasn’t as religious or spiritual as some of the others from her clan, but she still carried out the traditional ways of worship for the evanuris as any good dalish would.

[unsettlingcreature]

RIGHT OK SO thoughts. i have them.

MINRATHOUS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. MINRATHOUS!!!!

It's beautiful. I want to see more of Minrathous and Tevinter in general, I am SO excited for the environments and buildings and- (muffled screaming).

Also Minrathous? Do you know who else might be in Minrathous? 🥺🥺🥺 i'm sorry i just want to see dorian again. But also, I hope we'll see Maevaris too! So badly!

edit: actually, I realised what the started segment where you run through the city with demons Fucking Shit up reminds me of! The scene in Origins where you are running across the bridge to get to the beacon at the battle of Ostagar! Having to ignore the carnage around you as you push forwards because the end goal is ultimately more important...

I love that we get a background for our Rook that seems to actually come up outside of the rare dialogue option. And speaking of dialogue, I like that we're keeping the dialogue wheel with contextual icons! I'm not a massive fan of the UI but it's by no means bad.

As they walked through the streets of Minrathous, I was for some reason reminded of Assassin's Creed. But once combat began, I was reminded of Shadow of Mordor...? I think it was the switching between blade and bow.

I can already tell that the combat is not really my thing. I'll cope. I'll suffer through it. I will say that it looks very fluid and makes me hope that we'll get a similar flow of combat (for rogues at least) similar to DA2 (which I think has the best dual-wielding combat of the three games imo). I'll probably still pick a mage for my first playthrough but rogues are tempting me.

The warning lines for ranged attacks is... interesting! I've seen something similar in a few games and it'll definitely make dodging a lot easier to figure out timings, even if I personally hate dodge-heavy combat. Again, I'll cope.

The music... oh my god, it's beautiful. As they approached the ritual site, you could hear the same motifs that were present in the Tresspasser's soundtrack (specifically Dark Solas Theme) (I go feral whenever I hear those strings btw). Very excited by the music, even the song that was present for the countdown before it started was beautiful!

Some of the dialogue was a bit... quippy. It was way better than the character reveal though. For the most part, it felt fine but then now and then I'd pull a face at a cheesy line or the odd sentence that felt stilted to me.

I didn't realise Neve was an amputee! I love the stylised prosthetic. I definitely need to get around to reading the comics.

The new direction with demons is interesting. They seem to be going more wraith-like, with even the pride demon no longer have legs and just kind of floating. The fiery dog-like are what I assume are meant to be rage demons? I actually love them, far more than the weird blobby things we've seen in past games.

The facial expressions are very good. Definitely not having the same issue as ME:A. Honestly, the animation in general is brilliant. I enjoyed watching Rook dart about during combat and his movement was very fun.

Whenever the pride demon teleported away just as Rook went to strike, I kept thinking "nah that would piss me off so much".

Seeing Varric approach Solas, I was like haha wow, imagine if they killed off Varric really early on in the game. I don't think Bioware would but it did genuinely put me on edge for a moment. Destroying Bianca though... Nah, somehow that's worse. Where's he going to get another one? :(

Also, hi Venatori! You're still around after ten years? Fucking hell, you'd think they'd have given up considering Corypheus was dunked on over a decade ago. Learn to take the L.

Finally, that shout from Solas as the ritual was disrupted... I think it's the angriest I've heard him, at least put against how he was in Inquisition. Also are we going to talk about the purple eyes? I think I'd like to talk about the purple eyes. Solas could get it. WHAAAAAT WHO SAID THATTTTT, THAT'S WILDDDDDDD...

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 2:

Acting On Your Best Behaviour Ch 10:

Summary:

They'd seen it in their fellow orphans often enough to recognise the pattern and were now forced to admit, despite their hopes to the contrary, that Isidora had likely suffered similar side effects.

No… they'd always known she had. The Keeper had just wanted the power that Ranrok had, enough to convince themselves that they would be able to handle it better than that naive woman.

With the start of the Keeper’s sixth-year in Hogwarts, comes a whole slew of headache-inducing challenges from the most unexpected of places. Between insignificant pests throwing wrenches into their plans and tedious teenage drama, that the Keeper is entirely unprepared for, they wonder if they'll make it to their NEWTs without losing their sanity.

Or worse, Ominis or Sebastian.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warning: Descriptions of faecal matter!

Now that the drug addiction arc and its accompanying character and relationship growths are mostly settled. I'm going to start laying more groundwork and preparations, and throw in some time skipping to get to the next arc I've got planned xD

Also, I actually started rereading from the start of the series to refresh my memory and wow, it's gotten long enough that it's taking me, myself, days to read up to the latest chapter! By the time I'm done with this series, I'm probably going to be able to read the entire thing as though someone else wrote it. HUZZAH! =D

"So, what'd you get from those diaries?" The Keeper asked as the group settled down around their usual table at the Three Broomsticks.

Garreth shrugged. "Not that much, still making my way through them. So far, it just seems like they're some truly sad souls. I almost feel bad for them.

The Keeper raised their eyebrows, the madman actually read them!? Honestly, they were impressed by the Gryffindor's dedication to what seemed like his life’s purpose of pranking. "Is that so? Now I'm curious."

"Well, first off, this is apparently their second time taking seventh year, explains why they can even afford to stalk you so much." Garreth rolled his eyes.

"They failed their NEWTs? Considering their penmanship, I bet the professors simply couldn’t read their test papers." Amit snorted, before taking a drink from his mug.

"Probably would've been the case if they hadn't simply bailed on the week of the exams." Garreth sniggered as Amit sprayed his butterbeer across the table.

"They didn't show up!?" Natty exclaimed and it was unclear if the disgust on her face was from the now lubricated table or the idea of the bullies cowardly running away from their exams.

"Yup, apparently they weren't happy with the girls their parents had signed them marriage contracts with and did so as some form of protest." Garreth shook his head. "Honestly, I think it's kinda messed up that these purebloods don't get to pick who they marry. And somehow they're the superior ones."

"Can't say I have any sympathy for them, but it's rather understandable to not want to marry someone you don't love." Poppy glanced at the Keeper. "Especially if you already love someone else."

"I suppose their families don't approve of a pair of no name hillbilly twin girls." The Keeper hummed thoughtfully to themselves. "They aren't firstborn sons, right?"

"Yeah, they've both got older brothers, that's probably why they could get away with bargaining their Hogwarts career with their parents." Garreth rolled his eyes. "Pureblood politics are so weird."

"Politics…" Amit coughed to clear his throat and vanished away the butterbeer on the table before continuing. "I wonder if we can use any of this as blackmail."

The Keeper shook their head. "Probably not anything they'd dare to write."

"Oh!" Poppy's eyes lit up. "In that case, how about we make them share something they wouldn't write down?"

"What, like with a truth serum?" The Keeper raised an eyebrow sceptically. There was no way something like that existed, even in the-

"Veritaserum is a NEWT level potion though…" Amit frowned.

Seriously?

"Are you telling me that there's a potion that makes people tell the truth?" The Keeper asked incredulously.

"Ah, right, I suppose you wouldn't know since it's not very commonly spoken or written about." Poppy smiled wryly.

"If such a thing exists, why doesn't the ministry just use that on people like Rookwood and Harlow?" The Keeper's face scrunched up in bewilderment.

The table went silent.

"Well… there is an antidote and it's said that those with Occlumency can resist it…" Amit trailed off hesitantly.

The Keeper rolled their eyes. "It's the bloody Government, surely they can use a mixture of confounding spells, torture, and force feeding to convict anyone suspected of criminal activity and obviously not allow them to take an antidote. With enough evidence and compulsion, the truth would always surface. If the serum isn't enough, you could even forcibly extract their memories to back it up."

The group went silent again at the Keeper’s casual advocation of torture. Most of them weren't particularly surprised at the Keeper’s stance, considering the way they fought in battle. Garreth's eyes were the only ones wide with surprise, having never fought alongside the Keeper and seen their violent tendencies.

"I'm not sure that's very ethical…" Natty frowned in concern and disapproval.

The Keeper snorted. "I'd say it's more unethical to allow people to harm others over some vague concept of human rights. If the authorities had used Veritaserum on Harlow after we gave them that incriminating letter, Archie's father would still be alive."

Natty flinched and averted her eyes with a frown. The Keeper ignored it, this was a ridiculous point to be stuck on.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind trying to brew it." Garreth broke the awkward silence with a nervous smile and a shrug, clearly trying to move the conversation along. "But I don’t know the recipe and it's supposed to take a month to brew. Even if by some miracle, we get the ingredients, I can't be sure it'll work."

"I think it's worth a try." Poppy nodded. "I don’t think those boys deserve the right to keep secrets."

"We can help with gathering the needed materials and I'll help with the brewing." The Keeper nodded as well. A chance to learn how to brew a truth serum was certainly something they wouldn't pass up. Even if it failed, it was definitely worth the attempt.

"I'll see what books I can find on the subject." Amit offered. "Though with it being a controlled substance, chances are slim that we'll even find the recipe, so I'd keep my hopes low."

"I'll check the Restricted Section if you can't find anything." The Keeper waved a hand dismissively.

"You-" Amit's eyes widened, and he paused. "Why am I even surprised that you have a way to sneak into the Restricted Section."

The Keeper flashed him a small smirk, before turning to Natty, waiting for her response, prompting the rest to do the same.

Glancing around the table, Natty sighed. "Very well, but I have one condition, we'll plan the questions together and I'll do the interrogation. I don't want to violate them more than we need to. We mustn't sink to their level."

"Reasonable enough." The Keeper nodded amicably, it wasn’t like they intended to allow the bullies to be interrogated under Veritaserum anyway. Not while those idiots remained abreast of the Keeper’s own secrets.

"Wait, surely you can't be suggesting that we waste this opportunity!? We could have them tell us anything!" Garreth protested. "Think of the blackmail material or at the very least the pranks we could pull on them!"

Natty glared at her housemate while the Keeper snorted, they were amazed that that one hadn't ended up in Slytherin. Still, ethical conflicts aside, it was admittedly nice to have such a naïve group of friends.

"Hey, are you alright, Natty?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, Poppy."

"If what they said is still bothering you, don't worry too much about it. They mean well, they've just been through a lot. Can't have been easy having three villains after them the moment they entered the wizarding world."

"I know… that's the problem. I don’t agree with them, but I can’t say they were wrong…"

"Honestly, I've been thinking about it too."

"You have?"

"Yeah, and I think it's fine to disagree with them. It's having people like you, that prevents justice from becoming cruelty, and people like them judging evil, that protects everyone. That’s what I think at least."

"...I suppose."

"Chin up, we're definitely doing the right thing. They've been looking so much better since we started helping them last month!"

"...yeah, you're right. Hopefully we'll be able to finish this before the Yule holidays at the end of next month."

"Do you think they'll manage to make Veritaserum with Garreth?"

"They and Garreth are the two best potioneers in our year, and Amit is great at potion theory, so I'd say there's a good chance."

"I wonder how they managed to find the recipe in the Restricted Section…"

"Probably with Sallow's help. He's been caught in the Restricted Section so many times, I'm sure he literally just gave them the title and shelf."

"I'm still surprised he and Ominis didn't agree to work with us."

"..."

"When it turns yellow, stir nine times clockwise at medium heat." Amit read from the open tome laid out on the table, before adjusting the temperature of the fire.

The Keeper nodded, eyes narrowed in focus as they carefully moved the ladle at an even pace.

"Is the unicorn horn powder ready? I need at least a spoonful to add after the potion turns red." Amit asked as he returned to reading the next set of instructions on the tome carefully.

"Almost." Garreth replied as he carefully ground the last fragment of horn into a powder. "Bit surprised you knew where to get unicorn horn."

The Keeper shrugged as the potion began turning pink. "I explored the surrounding region a fair bit last year."

"I'm amazed you managed to pass your OWLs while adventuring and fighting Ranrok, Rookwood and Harlow." Amit shook his head as he carefully collected a spoonful of powder and began to add it to the red liquid. "Now, seven times anticlockwise. Garreth, you can start shredding the Dugbog tongue and I'll prepare the Stench of the Dead."

"Got it." Garreth nodded as he readied the chopping board. "Honestly, after your assistance acquiring Billywig Stings for my last endeavour, I was sure you'd join Sebastian and I, as a frequent guest of the illustrious Detention Chamber."

"Only if I were as sloppy as you two." The Keeper snorted, inwardly apologising to Sebastian as Garreth gasped in mock offence. After all, the last time Sebastian had gotten a detention, it had been to protect them.

The Keeper felt the corners of their lips attempt to curl upwards at the fond memory and quickly shook it off. This wasn't the time to be distracted by their feelings for Sebastian-

"Alright, we've got to add these at the same time when it turns blue." Amit moved to stand beside the cauldron with the disgusting smelling bottle and Garreth joined him with his own shredded tongue strips. "You'll need to wave your wand over the pot after they're in to finish the potion."

"Got it." The Keeper nodded, making the effort to keep their stirring constant as they monitored the potion.

"Aaaand…" Amit held his breath as the potion's bright purple gradually bled into a beautiful sky blue. "Now!"

The potion splashed slightly as the handfuls of ingredients plopped into the bubbling liquid. The moment they sank under the surface, the Keeper quickly waved their wand over the cauldron and the surface of the liquid glowed brightly before a cloud of steam burst from it.

The three jumped back in surprise and the Keeper irritably fanned the smoke away with a hand. When the air finally cleared, the contents of the cauldron were now a surprisingly clear and transparent fluid.

"...did we…" Amit murmured, staring at the pot. The disgusting odour of the Stench of the Dead was completely gone.

"We did it!" Garreth cheered, jumping with a fist in the air.

"Don't celebrate so soon, just because it looks correct doesn't mean its potency is desirable or that it actually performs the intended results." The Keeper chuckled at the Gryffindor's excitement.

"Heh heh, that just means we've got to test it!" Garreth grinned and Amit sighed.

"Indeed. The Yule break starts next week, so this weekend is our last chance." The Keeper took a set of vials out of their satchel. "How about you guys start putting the ingredients back while I pour the potion into these vials?"

"Sure, I remember where to put the remaining ingredients we lifted from Professor Sharp's store." Garreth grinned as he scooped the remaining items and dumped them into Amit's arms. "You can help keep a lookout."

"Why me-" Amit complained as Garreth dragged him out of the room by the sleeve.

The Keeper smirked as the two boys left, quickly ladling out the cauldron's contents into six vials which they placed into a blue box and shoved into their satchel. They then removed a brown box containing six identical vials of clear and odourless liquid, placing it on the counter.

With that settled, the Keeper went about cleaning the potion station until the two boys returned.

"Alright, so we're all in agreement on this list of questions?" Natty asked, holding up a parchment.

The Keeper nodded, not that it mattered. If everything went well, she wouldn't even get the chance to ask them.

"Then, let's get started." Garreth grinned widely as he held up the brown box for Natty and Poppy to take one vial each. "Good luck!"

The two girls quickly left the Three Broomsticks through the front door and the Keeper's eyes slid upwards towards the upper floors. Now, it was up to the girls and all they could do was wait for their signal.

Once outside, Natty and Poppy hurried up the snow covered stone steps and around to the other side of the Three Broomsticks. Reaching the side door that led back into the building, Natty lightly pushed the door open and stepped through it, finding themselves on the second floor.

Looking over the banister, Natty noted that the two bullies were on the first floor, leaning against the railings. The bullies' mugs sat on said railings beside their arms as they looked out over the table on the ground floor, where the group always sat with the Keeper, and all in all, doing a terrible job of appearing as though they weren't blatantly spying.

Quietly, she and Poppy made their way down the stairs, and around the bullies, to stand within view of the Keeper’s table behind the bullies. Once in position, Natty lifted her wand and whispered. "Lumos."

Spotting the light from the corner of their eye, the Keeper stood and began walking under the first-floor platform towards the fireplace. The bullies, predictably, left the front facing banister immediately to scamper to the other side of the first floor and looked downwards over those railings to keep the Keeper within their sight.

At the same time, Poppy and Natty quickly, and quietly, brisk walked over to the two abandoned mugs of butterbeer and dripped three drops of the contents of their vials into each, before quickly returning to their original spot. With their task done, Natty raised her lit wand again.

Spotting the second signal, the Keeper collected a handful of nuts from a bowl on the fireside counter and returned to their table casually.

The bullies again followed them, returning to their original spot, leaning on the railings overlooking the Keeper's table. Natty took a deep breath as she and Poppy watched the bullies pick up their mugs and take several gulps from them.

"Alright. Time to see if it worked." Natty breathed and Poppy gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder.

Mustering that Gryffindor courage that she was so proud of, Natty began to approach the bullies when one of them let out a loud groan of pain.

She stopped in surprise, when the other bully broke wind at an embarrassingly high volume, the sound lasting long enough to draw everyone’s attention to its uneven stutter.

One that sounded alarmingly wet, no less.

The nearby customers began to snigger as the two bullies faces paled and then began turning red.

Without a word, the two boys abruptly broke into a sprint, shuffling down the stairs as fast as their feet could carry them, with another loud and wet fart echoing in their wake. The sound came accompanied by the appearances of brown splotches and footprints left behind by the bullies’ shoes.

Garreth immediately burst into uproarious laughter, alongside several other customers, while Sirona shouted angrily at the two bullies as they rushed out of the establishment.

Giggling, Poppy began descending the stairs as well, taking care to avoid the reeking brown spatter on the wooden steps. Natty shook her head with a sigh before following, slipping around Sirona as the bar owner began to clean away the disgusting stains.

"Well, that went well." Poppy laughed lightly as she and Natty reseated themselves at the table.

"Well? I think that was fantastic! A perfect prank if I do say so myself, so worth the month-long brew!" Garreth shook with laughter.

The Keeper smirked. "I believe a wise man once said, he who hath smelt it hath dealt it."

"And if it was more than just gas, he will have felt it. In. His. Pants!" Garreth continued with an enormous grin, as he punctuated each of those last few words by jabbing a finger in the air.

Honestly, the Keeper was wondering if that grin stretching from ear to ear was hurting his face. It certainly looked like it should.

Natty sighed. "I won't deny that it ended up being a funny and unexpectedly suitable revenge, but I would have rathered it gone according to plan."

The Keeper shrugged. "At least it didn't kill them. In all honesty, if we had messed it up worse, it probably wouldn't have been funny."

Natty's face paled at the suggestion and Poppy shook her head. "Well, it would probably have been obvious if it had failed that badly, let's just be glad we got a good laugh for our troubles."

"Indeed, it was certainly worth the effort, and I am nonetheless glad to have learnt and attempted such a complex potion." Amit agreed with a smile.

Natty sighed but her eyes were less downtrodden this time, even managing a small smile. "You're right, we won't be defeated."

"Just because this plan didn't work out, doesn't mean we won't keep trying till we have a solution!" Garreth nodded, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

The Keeper snorted, they certainly were an optimistic bunch, but that wasn't a bad thing. Pessimistic mentalities were more deadly than most of their wizarding peers realised. If you'd already given up in your mind, no plan you concocted would succeed, and you would have lost the battle before it even began.

That was something they respected in Sebastian, his optimism, dedication, and determination to do the impossible regardless of how many people tried to stop him. Even Ominis, though withheld often by caution and anxiety, was not afraid to use whatever he had at his disposal to protect what he saw as his. A trait they too shared.

The Keeper was proud to have gathered so many people with the right life attitudes, not just as friends but in their partners too. They wouldn't let any of this effort be for naught. Neither this group's nor their partners'.

While they knew that not everyone would agree, the Keeper believed that the way to make up for deceiving their friends, was to make sure that they'd done it for a worthwhile reason.

That's why they sought Sebastian and Ominis' aid in preparing a very specific brew for the replica vials, with the express purpose of letting the Keeper steal the actual Veritaserum while still creating an effect that their friends would appreciate. The liquid in these fake vials was incredibly potent, causing a sudden and urgent need to use the bathroom, with only two drops.

Perhaps it was a bit overkill, it had been almost as difficult to create such a fake, as it was to brew the actual Veritaserum. They were beyond grateful to have had Ominis' skill in potion theory, and Sebastian’s resourceful creativity, for this craft.

Fortunately, it had gone surprisingly well, and the Keeper felt that their efforts had been worthwhile. Allowing them to look forward to testing the actual Veritaserum without too much guilt. A full dose was three drops, so if it worked, they'd have at least ten doses per vial for a grand total of sixty uses. A coil of glee and excitement roiled in their chest.

Excellent.

This wouldn't go to waste. Their friends and partners' efforts would become a firm foundation for what the Keeper would soon build.

“Now. What do we do with the rest of these then?” Garreth grinned as he held up the brown box full of diarrhoea-inducing transparent and odourless liquid.

The rest of the group paled.

Notes:

While I do understand that Veritaserum is not 100% reliable and that memories can be doctored, that doesn't change how incompetent the Ministry is in the Wizarding World.

At the end of Natty's questline, Nurse Blainey says "What sort of world are we in where children solve our problems?" And this is indeed an entirely horrifying realisation to come to when it involves your local law enforcement.

The letter we submitted to Officer Singer should have been more than enough to at least begin an investigation, the fact that it was not, is ludicrous.

In a way the Keeper’s argument on Veritaserum is the age-old "guilty until proven innocent" vs "innocent until proven guilty". Their reasons for vouching for "guilty until proven innocent" are (hopefully) obvious enough, considering their childhood, and accordingly, the Keeper very much ascribes to the Machiavellian philosophy "the ends justify the means".

Also, I'll remind everyone that the Keeper is still a 15 year old kid, and maturity does not equal experience and knowledge xD

Plus, they're mostly uninterested in politics, which is where a majority of the Ministry's incompetence stems from, as such, they don't see how the nuances of ethics and responsibility can be utterly suppressed by wealth and privilege.

Like the way Lucius Malfoy weaselled his way out of Azkaban despite being a Death Eater and even manipulated the Minister in Harry Potter.

[pqrachel]

FlipWitch Review

So I talk about games I've played a bunch on here. I just played a new metroidvania over the last week, FlipWitch: Forbidden Sex Hex, and it was such a strangely cool experience.

Because at first it was like just alright, like it didn't do anything great for a while, but everything in the game was up to a standard that was better than average for metroidvanias. Like I've played so many metroidvania demos that I just never get through because of how samey they all feel; but even though I wasn't initially hooked with this game, it stood out. And not just because of the hentai scenes, though that did help as I've never played hentai game even close to this level.

But as I played FlipWitch more and more, it kept getting better. There were plenty of QoL things that made sidequests and exploring fun. Like having your main upgrades be tied to sidequests was interesting and I don't think I've seen that done that way before. I wish some of the sidequests were like post-game, cuz I kept doing them because they were fun, but by the end of the game I felt really overpowered going into boss battles.

But speaking of, the boss battles are what MAKE a metroidvania and they were of varying quality. Some felt okay, some felt rushed or underdeveloped, but there were a few that were so freaking amazing and felt great. I wish there were more amazing boss battles cuz it's obvious the team is capable of creating them. (Like I'm being critical here but it's because I see the potential.) I really wished they focused on this more for all their bosses.

The soundtrack was great throughout the whole game, it's actually how I learned about the game in the first place. Like Phantasmal Phunk showed up on my YouTube recommended while I was listening to music and it's a freaking banger. That's the easily the best song, but somehow the rest of the soundtrack still surprised me with how good it was.

I kind of mentioned it, but I really wish there was some post-game content. Like extra story scenes for completing all the sidequests and discovering everything. Like I explored and did sidequests as I was playing and I felt like what was left didn't really have too much of an impact. If there was a lot left to discover after I beat the game it'd be even worse, like what would these upgrades be for if there's nothing else left to fight. Like it'd be so great if they had a bossrush mode where the bosses are balanced around you having all your gear and upgrades and you get to experience them again but at your true level. (They'd probably need to take away some of the healing because 11 heals at full upgrades is super OP as I discovered.) But I'd love that so much.

I saw in the dev updates, they were adding QoL stuff for a few months after release. And in January they were thinking about more updates, but so far nothing. Hopefully that means they're working on something a bit bigger for the game, but if not hopefully they're working on something else cuz I'm a fan now and want to see more.

But yeah TLDR: FlipWitch isn't just good for a hentai game, it's just actually really good.

[originemesis]

@chasingrainbcws xxx

For a moment... the briefest of beautiful interludes between his skimming of text and his abuse of the waiter, she thinks that he just might actually be taking the situation seriously after her heartfelt plea... --- she should have known better. Chicken alfredo or --- ugh. He was just trying to wear her down, as he had been for the past hour... as he had during every meeting they'd had over the past six months... but whatever fuming reaction he's prodding for with that characteristic gaslighting, he won't get it. She keeps her composure, pitch lips pursed to a flat line, her brow furrowed with an absolute lack of amusement. He reduced the souls that she reigned over, her people, to slaughter-fodder and job security. She can't help the comeback that slips from her forked-tongue as she leans back in her seat, arms folded under her breast and one leg crossed over the other. ❝ ... Fair point. I guess you have to make yourself useful to Heaven somehow. ❞

For a moment... the briefest of interludes between him condescending to her and singing his own praises --- she looks far too much like her Mother. The first course arrives and, as expected, he pays more attention to the empty carbs than the subject at hand. Despite his claim, she couldn't help but to wonder if this whole situation really was nothing but a fucking joke to him... but when his clawed gloves float the freshly edited proposal back into her line of sight... it isn't a joke. It's the furthest thing from it. There it is, in black and white... never shades of grey. Her frustration, disdain, pride... it all falls from her face like the marble of a weathered statue crumbling to dust. The color drains from her apple-blossom cheeks, her expression falling as her eyes read, and re-read those words over, and over --- as if that could change them. This... couldn't be happening. Severe population control of Hell ?! Preferred by the Council ?! No --- no, no ! How could they do this ?! Why were they giving Adam so much power ?! How could they sign off on something so brutal, so savage ?! She shouldn't be surprised at this point, but... ever the pure of heart, she had hoped... hoped that her plea might have been heard by someone up there, hoped that Emily may have been able to do something... All she had wanted to do was save her people... but all she'd done was make it worse. She sits there in dumbfounded dread and abject horror as the reality of the situation sets in. Her Father's words echo in her ears, grating and sharp like the teeth of a parasitic worm slowly devouring her motivation. Heaven didn't listen to me, and they sure won't listen to you, either ! ... Maybe he was right... maybe they wouldn't listen, with or without proof that this could work, and she knew that it could --- but... now what can she do ? Her choices have been limited to agreeing to let the Exorcists' armies spread their genocide into other rings, or simply kill all of the sinners in the Pride ring in one fell swoop ?! True terror tightens the knot in her stomach at the very thought: Angel Dust, Husk, Cherri Bomb, Niffty, Alastor --- Rosie, the cannibals... ! She couldn't just let them die like that ! And all the while as she's agonizing, he's stuffing his face with empty carbs and reveling in her misery. Who's the devil, here ?

This... was his plan all along. He'd just been stringing her along, toying with her as he sat on the ultimatum. He'd held all the control from the beginning, hadn't he ? And there was some hidden agenda he'd been holding in his back pocket. He was getting at something... backing her into a corner with impossible choices until the only one left was whatever he was about to propose. ❝ ... What do you want, Adam ? ❞

"That so~?"

If her little nip of a dig does anything, he doesn't show any indication of it...at first, anyway. Though by now, she's likely aware that he's not one to show all of his cards at once even if he pretends to just to exaggerate whatever rug pull he had in store later. When it came to going big or going home, he was the fattest cock in the room, after all. He'll give the cherub time to tumble on its ass on its way out while stirring the wine in his cup with a talon tip as the garish yellows of his eyes locate the tint of disdain in hers, and for a moment he could have sworn he was at dinner with his clown fucking ex wife. Well, if that indominable spirit was still kicking around her kid, it was surely watered down a degree with the push over that was her father. Not exactly the most appealing of combinations, he's not going to lie- but to step on and grind it under his heel might be cathartic.

An itch of a smirk is the only indication she gets that he heard her pop off, and after a bit more finger painting in his wine, he lifts his claws to lightly flick the wine over at her in droplets with a pope's poise in anointing brats with holy water. There's a degree of control with his aim in that it falls short of actually splashing her, the fermented drops painting the crystal table top with an array of mahogany droplets. And once his talon tips have been sufficiently dripped, he reaches over to tip the candlestick out of its holder so that it rolled the circumference of the table, flame catching the pinprick puddles of wine on fire as it went until there was a low wall of flames between them.

"And you have to make yourself useful to hell somehow. I'd say we're not so different ~ but hey, I'm not the one with the perma deaths of thousands riding on my shoulders, am I?" Well- that's the nicest way to hint she should shut her fucking mouth before a dick flies in it.

As the fire wall dwindles and she's met with the terms and conditions of the council that shone in gold lettering that one couldn't cross out as simply as she'd scribbled out his propositions and he hers, he basks in the partial panic and flailing of every drowning thought that she fails to hide and leans back comfortably in his chair once he feels the flutter of the cherub waiter returning with a notepad and pen.

"What do I want?" He mocks her with a flash of teeth that a quick swab of his tongue over cleans as if he'd finally found an appetizing solution to their negotiations. Letting the document drift down to the charred bits of table in front of her as if it were a menu itself for her to decide the fate of her realm instead of her dinner for the evening, he tilts his head towards the cherub as it hovers at the corner of his line of sight. "-looks like it's going to be the alfredo. Heavy handed on the parm. If you're not double fisting it, it's not heavy enough. And uh..." A swiveled gaze at the princess and a dismissive wave later, he adds. "One house special for my bitch, here."

Once the cherub has fluttered off again sporting the pink patches of face that accompanies being slapped in the face with carelessly returned menus, Adam rests his chin in the palm of his hand and gives his guest a disingenuous smile. "Come on ~ does it always have to be about me wanting something? Because from this angle, I'd get what I want even if I don't come to an agreement with you. So! Watcha got for me, girly? 'Cause right now, there's not a whole lot of solutions to your problem."

[the-firebird69]

That Doesn't Compute | The Phantom Menace (Episode I) | StarWars.com

The robots don't do very well of trump and they do worse than these. These are bja robots and I usually they're a lot worse and slow and they don't have normal mannerisms. We have to use robots to produce products no we still have a lot of people working. And there are cities still open around 25 people keep saying they're closing and they're banging out tons of stuff and the ship out a ton of stuff and they're doing it for their people and the considered heroes for holding the fort how we do have a couple areas where there's nobody and we're running a couple pilot plants with robots did you send in to try and find us and your annoying the s*** out of your own people so yeah they might be involved and they're making plans and they send out and they try and get stuff going out there and they're making facilities to build things in and they're using robots. And they keep putting up there's robot factories and stuff but it has nothing to do with this they're trying to do it on the perimeter so I can put them everywhere and take over and it's not working but we have several plants that are prototypes and we want to build stuff that's not that simple to show that we can do it and people will be after our technology because they're robots suck right now and we think that they come in and somehow figured out how we're having people do it it's not exactly all us and they say you train the robot that's one of our things and the robot is able to understand stuff to a degree because of the program it's not a mess so try and get the program and they don't really but they go around and they look for others and they actually know how to use it which is very weird you thought they'd know by now but really suck. So we're going to start some pilot factories and they will be making kit car parts for the VW conversion to Porsche 911 and it's awesome and we might start our own kit car line of a brand new kit car and based on the matchbox and that's kind of interest it's kind of what our son is like and people make fun of us but it works and it's terrifyingly effective. It kind of looks like a muscle car I'm really enthused this is a great idea and we need to do it and they're going to want to try and force it and the max too we'll try and have it happen and we're going to put up some examples but really this is the robot and it looks like that they've been talking to us somehow cuz they don't really suck

Thor Freya

Are robots suck very badly I always do they're horrible they don't do anything like this they kind of walk around and they look mean and stuff and you can walk amongst them push them over and they don't do anything and people plant bombs in them without even getting scratched I've had enough of this s*** our robots are very stupid. In this AI should argue with you all damn day long it's so damn dumb and Trump's robots are hell on Earth they're so freaking dumb. I need you to shut off he's encountered a Terminator and his brothers and the damn thing ran them down but now he's messed up the whole police station and we know about it okay I got to tell you something I never thought you could run that fast but I did see him jumping and I mentioned it that he was jumping really far and the guys didn't want to hear it and you pissed me off and pushed me out of the house I said I wonder if it has to do with them jumping incidents and I heard them saying no I see we're going like he was going pretty far like 15 ft and I was going further and they said why I said I don't know we have a good time so they stop laughing and they said I wonder if it's true so call me I apologize and I said he's jumping 30 feet without much effort and you don't know what you're dealing with and we are having a good time breaking trees and he's breaking ones are kind of real. And I checked and some of them were not that rotted and then they said this is good news so they went to look at the video and they tried to find it and they found a few and we're astounded and said it's like some sort of super person came through and they were motivated too to do robots and we want this plants ours suck okay.

Bja

We have a plant up with robots in it and they look kind of Porsche like and it looks like someone copies them and makes a ton of them in New York City and they copy what they look like we took yours and change the body and it's to look human but I swear it looks just like them and it's eerie and it works and it's starting to do a lot of stuff and they're saying it's them and they're such a weird people but we're making this kit with robots and father and mother are tickle pink they can't believe this idea you can't tell them how it came about instead of squeeze it in my accident. They're saying I'm sorry we are for the misspelling but you fixed it we're going to move on but we are going to come in here and fix this place eventually what put a nightmare

Frank Castle hardcastle

We had better print a lot of people want to see this

Duke nukem Blockbuster

Olympus yeah Trump's going nuts and didn't get your message but someone's going to reprogram the robots from below that would be the Giants and the saying there's probably Dave's and he's going nuts because it happened the first time in the revolutionary war and these guys are probably running this plan to do that and to capture him and his stuff because of Saturn everybody's moving now

[flowercrowncrip]

I want to talk about trans healthcare in England, and how it's particularly fucked if you're disabled. I think TERFS and their "think of the poor disabled girls" retorique around trans men have a lot to do with this. My ongoing top surgery saga is a pretty good example of what it's like being a disabled person seeking surgery.

My first top surgery was cancelled 4 days before it was due to happen in 2017. It was cancelled purely because I use a wheelchair. They were totally fine with me using crutches and having conditions that actually impact surgery, but using a wheelchair for a different condition was a step too far. My specialists (experts in my condition) didn't see a medical problem with me having top surgery, but my GIC doctor, (who saw the word wheelchair and googled my new condition for all of ten minutes) panicked.

I fought that clinic for three years. It got silly. Here are some real things a qualified GIC doctor told me:

"maybe you're not trans, and you're just sad you can't walk" (I became totally unable to walk age 18, and transitioned when I was 15... I'll let you do the maths)

The Daily Mail will write mean things about us they find out we let you, a poor disabled little girl trans man, have surgery (because apparently right wing newspapers are the definitive authority on trans healthcare /s)

Although my diagnosed mental health problems weren't an issue for them before I started using a wheelchair, simply being a wheelchair user and wanting top surgery was a symptom of a mental health problem so severe it alone disqualified me from surgery. This was because:

being okay with the truly microscopic chance surgery would make my disability worse is apparently "irrational", and shows a disregard for personal safety (it doesn't)

I, a person with experience of both, said that for me crushing dysphoria is a worse experience than getting round in a chair with wheels on it. And having different priorities than the ones my cis, abled doctor expected was somehow "alexithymia" because if I don't know that using a wheelchair is the worst thing that can happen short of dying, I must be totally unable to recognise my emotions (clearly bullshit).

You, a twenty one year old adult, need to bring your parents to your appointments so we can explain to them how unreasonable you're being. (Suspiciously close to TERF arguments about the age of capacity)

In the end I caused a massive schism in my GIC. The psychologists agreed that wanting top surgery while being disabled isn't a mental illness, that I had clear capacity to consent, understood the risks and benefits and that ultimately if I said I needed surgery, I should have it. The medical doctors (the ones that sign the referral) disagreed on every point. It got heated between them towards the end.

The head psychologist realised I was never going to get surgery if I stayed with that GIC, and that would obviously fuck up my mental health, so she wrote a letter to literally every GIC in England asking if they'd take me as a patient. Only one (out of like 7) agreed to take my case.

So I'm now with a new GIC. They're so far way better than the last one, but the bar is low. They re-referred me for surgery pretty much straight away, trusting that I obviously had a better insight into how my disability and my transness affect me than anyone else.

Unfortunately the surgeon they referred me to turned me down (for genuine reasons this time). Basically in the time wasted arguing with my GIC I developed a few new conditions that will actually have an impact on surgery and we've agreed that when I have surgery there has to be an intensive care bed available just in case. (To be clear, this was not the case when my first surgery was cancelled or for the majority of the fight with my previous GIC). Now I'm being referred (referral number three) to one of only two hospitals in the country that do top surgery have access to an intensive care bed

So despite having a date for my top surgery in 2017, I'm still waiting on it because doctors are transphobic, misogynistic and ableist with awful consequences.

[thursdaygrl]

To think the questioning wouldn't be coming would be not only naïve on Jordan's part, but it'd be genuinely delusional. Still, they were so freaked out about seeing their parents sooner than expected that it took them aback when Marie asked the reasonable question of what on earth had just happened. "I didn't know they were going to be here yet. Obviously." They said, curt in response as they swallowed, trying to process everything and struggling to manage it. Their brows furrowed, a breath moving in and out of them slowly as they lifted their gaze. "It's not like I have big debriefs with them. We don't... have real conversations, okay? And I try to keep them minimal, if we have them at all." Hell, Jordan couldn't even remember the last time they'd spoken on the phone for longer than five minutes. They became far more boring, talking about practice, promising that they were going to beat out the rest of their peers for whatever role or spot was up for grabs. They told them what they wanted to hear and in return they didn't take real interest in them. To make it worse, they liked to make a show of loving their child, of being so close to them, but even just the fact that they refused to acknowledge the two sides of Jordan showed the kind of parents they were. Somehow they'd been expecting Marie to take more notice of that, but now it made sense. She had every right to be upset that they'd neglected to tell them about the fact that they were dancing with an entirely different person. "Fuck." They muttered softly, stepping closer to her. "Moreau, if I had fucking told them that I got paired up with a freshman when it happened they would have stormed the fucking campus and tried some insane shit. So I put it off. It doesn't mean anything." They argued. "Don't take it that way, okay? We have practice and we really can't afford to fight about nothing right now." Nevermind that Jordan hadn't actually apologised or taken ownership of their actions, but they were still working on that whole not making conflict worse thing... and apparently not doing great at it.

There was a part of Marie that’d been nervous about what Jordan’s parents already thought of her. Perhaps they’d told them about those early days dancing together, when they couldn’t seem to stop arguing and finding ways to get the other to snap; perhaps they’d mentioned how green she was and how she spent hours trying to perfect turns she was supposed to learn on her second year because she wouldn’t risk looking like she didn’t deserve to be there; or worse, perhaps they’d revealed fears about their partnership or about their chances once performing together that they'd yet to share with her. Those doubts about how much they could know and what they’d think crumbled as soon as Jordan’s father called her their son’s girlfriend; there were so many things wrong with that sentence that she couldn’t even begin to unpack it. At least not while Mr. and Mrs. Li looked at her like she was some sort of answer to their prayers. “Yes, we’re not dating,” she added, uncomfortable once Jordan informed them of her actual role in their life. Though that was all the help she provided, because as soon as Evangeline’s name came into the conversation, she decided to take a step to the side, at least metaphorically, and let them get that one. And all the other ones in the process, too. 

“So... what was that?” The interrogation abandoned her as soon as the door closed, her body still a little tense from trying to seem cool and collected while she was totally lost. Their parents had been sweet to her, even as they faced surprise and what she could only assume was a twinge of disappointment. “They had no idea about me. And I know you’re all mysterious and a top student or whatever you like to project, but that’s too cryptic, even for you.” Marie pointed it out unnecessarily because it had to be evident. She was hesitant to wonder why, though, because maybe she’d really hate to know the answer. It felt like she was intruding; Jordan had never brought up their parents in any of their conversations. In fact, if she really thought about it, they spent a good amount of time talking about little nothings, and these big, important things loomed over them with an out-of-limit sign hanging from them. “Were you gonna wait and see if Evangeline managed to pull off some movie-like recovery at the last minute? Jesus, we dance together every day; didn’t that sound like something important for you to mention?”

[choibinn3]

GET IT TOGETHER, JUNGWON!!

[ four. O_o Yang Jungwonnie ]

series masterlist

⋆·˚ ༘ * in which jungwon had meant for that love letter to go to yeri, and not you—her bff. for some reason though, he finds that with each moment he spends together with you he's closer and closer to forgetting all about that damn letter.

luv note - chloe moriondo

WRITTEN PORTION. 1.9k words

btw remember that second hand embarrassment tag?? yeahh....

ps. this is bad, very, very bad and cheesy so be warned (its meant to be, but youll still feel pain lol)

—

student council room.

Jungwon could feel his hands clamming up, but he instead urged himself to just swallow down his nerves. For the past week he thought the biggest worry he had was his parents and Student Council work.

Not potentially losing friendships and breaking your heart.

"Jungwon? Are you still there?" your voice asked. It was slightly muffled by the door, but still distinct. "I had to tell Hyuka to go back without me."

You, he remembered. He had to fix this. He had known you since you were both in kindergarten, incidentally somehow being in the same classes up until High School. Still, he didn't know you though.

You were closer than acquaintances, maybe a little less than friends, and definitely not more than people with mutual friends. With everything that had been happening since the Student Council election, he had assumed he'd get closer to you naturally. It just never happened though, but he enjoyed your company when he could.

Yeri on the other hand, he was connected with. Being both Student Council President and Vice President meant they worked together often, and he found himself being drawn to her sweetness. He enjoyed their dynamic and their current friendship.

The way they worked complemented each other, and she always found a way to make him smile—it seemed as though her kindness and generosity knew no bounds. Plus, she related to him in a way none of his other friends did.

Late, after class and after hours, they'd both talk casually while doing paperwork. Jungwon's parents were hardheaded and stubborn people, wanting the best for him and yet stressing him out. They were the whole reason he ran for President in the first place.

He couldn't find it in himself to hate them though.

Yeri was the same, and she supported him throughout all the difficult times he went through because of them. She was soft, so level headed, fiercely loyal, and unbelievably pretty.

They had been partners and friends for a little over a month, and Jungwon was sure he wanted to at least try with her. It was young, new and unfurling feelings, it was something he wanted to find out.

Your energetic personality was charming, but that was all it was. It didn't strike his heart in any particular way. Jungwon was almost 100% sure there was no way Yeri would ever date him after this, but he needed to prioritize your feelings currently.

He just hoped Yeri and him could still be friends afterwards though—because being a liar was the one thing Jungwon wasn't.

"Yeah," he called out, "still here. You can just come back in now."

He watched as you nervously peeled back the sliding door of the clubroom, inching inside to peer at him. You walked closer to stand in front of him, and Jungwon smiled in hopes of easing your anxiousness.

You threw one back, although a bit hesitantly. "Jungwon," you started, twiddling with your fingers. He simply watched—wanting to at least let you talk a bit. Crushing your feelings now would be nothing but brutal. "Honestly, I was really surprised with the letter. Do you... remember back in 3rd grade?"

"No? I'm sorry, I'm not good with memories from Elementary School," the doe-eyed boy replied. He was telling the truth, grade school felt like ages ago and he just hasn't had the time to reminisce on childhood memories.

You held your hands up in a defensive manner. "That's fine! Um, you like... Uhh, how do I say this..." You made gestures with your figures, hoping to convey it to him in one way or another. God, this was dumb.

Jungwon observed silently as you laughed at your own stuttering. Endearing, came to mind. That was cute.

In the Council Room and in class, you were always particularly enthusiastic and excitable. Seeing you bashful was a very different side of you for the black-haired boy.

"I sent you my own love letter once. Like, a long, long time ago, and you sort of rejected me? I think."

"You think?" The boy held back a laugh, but quickly composed himself. He wasn't laughing maliciously, just... how could you be unsure of such a thing? "I'm sorry, but I still don't remember."

"Yeah, that's fine!" You nodded, embarrassed from his almost-chuckle. You did not want to seem like an idiot in front of him today. "Actually, I don't remember much either, but you didn't reply to it."

Jungwon gazed at your brows furrowed from trying to think of more words to say, and suddenly he felt a tonne of guilt fall onto him. His expression grew solemn.

Quick, get it over with, before this would get any worse.

"Look, YN—"

He had to shut his mouth almost immediately.

"What I'm trying to say is—!" You took a deep breath. "I've liked you since then! Since years, and years ago," you finally blurted, closing your eyes as to not see his reaction.

"You're the only one I've ever felt this way towards. I thought once I grew up this warmth would just... go away, but it hasn't and I don't think it will. I was honestly going to just swallow it all down hoping I'd get over it before we graduate, but I couldn't. My feelings were overflowing—I just found myself finding more things about I liked about you instead."

Your goal today was to not embarrass yourself, but to hastily tell him you liked him too before sprinting away. It seemed as though nothing was going to plan so far, for neither of you, actually.

Jungwon was left unable to speak from your surprising declaration. You took that as a sign to continue. Whatever happened next was something for future you to panic over.

"I like your dimples, that smile you make when you're passing by strangers in the hallway, and the way your hair falls when you comb through it. You're admirable in everything you do, truly. The way you help underclassmen, the way you always make sure to assist teachers during your free periods, and how you never seem to complain or get frustrated when we make mistakes."

You had nurtured your feelings for what felt like forever. Even when you were technically rejected back then, and even now. At first, you thought that he would be a passing crush from when you were a kid—but he wasn't. He grew into his own so much so that you found yourself admiring his leadership, compassion and thoughtfulness with each day you watched him.

"I like how mature you are, how you still find the time to care for your friends even with Student Council work, the natural way you light up any room you walk into, how I could honestly hear your voice talk for hours on end, how even though we haven't spoken much you still remember my favorite color from when I told you during introductions, I'm rambling gahh, just—all of it! I like all of it, everything about you!"

Everyday of harboring your secret affections for the boy consisted of soft glances during his speeches, wishes to be able to encase his hand within yours to interlock your fingers under the table during meetings, and wantings to be more than what you were to him. It was alright for a while, but it had started to become painful.

All crushes are painful, you told yourself in 5th grade, watching him start to receive confessions from your classmates.

"—I like you! I've liked you since the 3rd grade, and so I accept! I really, really want to be with you Yang Jungwon. Please take care of me!"

They were all painful, but you were given the chance to make yours not. To make your feelings real and acknowledged, to bare yourself in front of him like a vivisection—and you were taking it. Even when you were practically trembling from the embarrassment.

Jungwon was stilled from the shock. Heeseung had already told him of your long held feelings, but hearing it from your mouth while you had your eyes shut tight made him flustered.

How were you able to do that so shamelessly? To be so vulnerable and weak in front of someone? He had to write a whole letter, albeit a bit poorly, and somehow you were able to say it all.

He's received confessions before, felt those kind of feelings, but he wouldn't have been able to yell out those sort of things ever—no matter how strong his feelings were. You were dangerously bold, he thought.

Bold enough to send a bright heat to overtake his cheeks.

You looked up finally after mustering enough courage from his lack of speaking, only to find yourself blinking at a red-faced Jungwon. Oh my God, he's blushing...! YOU did that.

The both of you stood there for a while, thinking the same thought of what is even happening? Is this real, or have I just been in a daze for the past few days? Jungwon's eyes were comically wide and his mouth was gaping, but he couldn't find it in himself to close it.

The thought made you gain confidence all of a sudden, finding the opportunity to do something you had always wanted to do. Quickly and stealthily, you went onto your tippy toes—

and kissed him on the cheek.

Jungwon felt your lips on the smooth expanse of his skin, and smelt your scent from the intimate proximity. It was a chaste gesture, almost no where close to his lips at all, but he heard his heart beating against his ribcage nonetheless. It thrummed in his ears like a drum, and he wanted to whisper for it to stop.

For it to not be swayed so easily.

It was the innocence of such a thing that got to him. Not once had Jungwon held hands, kissed, or even confessed to someone up until now. Of course, you suddenly getting so close and pecking him with your hands balled up would send his heart into a flurry.

The usually put together Student Council President in front of you let out a strangled noise from the back of his throat, the tips of his ears and face becoming rosier. His throat was closing up, God, why was his throat closing up? Not now, please. He couldn't even remember what he was meant to be saying.

You smiled at him, happy to be rendering him to such a state. It was one of the most impulsive things you've done up to date, but you couldn't find yourself regretting it.

This was what those coming of age dramas on TV were describing—it was the start of one of those cheesy, really bad High School romances. Fervent, mushy, uncertain, but so tender it made your heart ache for hours even after watching.

As you retreated slowly, he caught a glimpse of your bright eyes, downcast lashes, and—holy shit you were so close. He could see the particular way you curled your lips.

He had to hold his breath.

Jungwon watched as your expression morphed into one of slight mischievousness, and an inkling of something softer, before you dashed out the sliding doors—

"Wait!

The sudden motion made him gain his words back, but you were already through the hallways with your hand on your bag.

—leaving him with nothing but the memory and the patter of your footsteps. So fast, so much speed, were you in track? The past few seconds were nothing but a blur of confusion and feelings he didn't want felt.

What just... What just happened?

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TLDR (but whyy :( pls read it); jungwon goes to do take backsies on his confession, u kiss his cheek, he goes coocoo bananas!!!

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i wanted to emphasize how new his feelings for yeri :] if u could guess what this could mean. alsoooo... did u notice how fast this went ? i intended it to be rushed and "in the moment" like it was in the scene hehe

[lobotomy-maybe-bestie]

anyway hi so the triplets and the cool colour sisters mirror each other

pepa mirrors isabela: "so much hides behind my smile" "what could i do if i just knew it didn't need to be perfect, it just needed to be? and they'd let me be? " "a little just won't do" "i wanna feel the shiver of something new, i'm so sick of pretty, i want something true, don't you?" "how far can i rise, through the roof, to the skies, let's go!" "what can you do when you are deeply, madly, truly in the moment?" "making waves, changing minds" "what else can i do? (show 'em what you can do) what else can i do? (there's nothing you can't do)"

pepa mirrors isabela, but instead of perfection, the focus is on repression. pepa is basically told to smile and keep any emotion that is not peaceful and quiet away. plus her feelings are literally always on show, she can't quietly be angry in a corner bc her anger would manifest in thunder. imagine being five years old and being mad at something, throwing a tantrum because that's what five year olds DO and then your mother tells you that if you don't calm down you'll destroy all the crops in the village and then we won't have anything to eat. imagine you're really really furious and when you calm down and go outside you see someone's house has collapsed because of you. teenage pepa must have REALLY repressed all of her emotions. and then imagine her, for the first time, actually letting go and leaning into what she's truly feeling, learning that she can do so much, control the direction of her outbursts so much BETTER when she just lets her emotions sweep her off her feet (i imagine she can probably make the wind strong enough to make her and her siblings fly around)

julieta mirrors luisa: "i don't ask how hard the work is" "under the surface i'm pretty sure i'm worthless if i can't be of service" "a flaw or a crack, a straw in the stack that breaks the camel's back, what breaks the camel's back?" "give it to your sister, your sister's older" "who am i if i can't carry it all, if i falter?" "under the surface i hide my nerves and it worsens, i worry something is gonna hurt us " "under the surface i think about my purpose, can i somehow preserve this? " "give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt and see if she can handle every family burden" "who am i if i don't have what it takes? no cracks, no breaks, no mistakes, no pressure"

julieta mirrors luisa, not in literal strength but in composure and availability. julieta has to be there when someone gets hurt. she can't take a day off or decide to not cook or bake anything for a while, she HAS to do all this work bc if she didn't it would be selfish because people would be suffering longer than they need to when she could instantly stop their pain. she's in a terrible situation morally speaking. also i feel like there is a lot of pressure on her to be "the oldest" because she's the most mature even though they're all the same age and she just had to grow up the fastest. she isn't allowed to do anything for herself because she's so busy helping everyone else and everyone relies so much on her. (also i like thinking about her yelling at her siblings only for them to give her a BIG hug when they realise what she's going through)

bruno mirrors mirabel: "don't be upset or mad at all, don't feel regret or sad at all" "hey, i'm still a part of the family madrigal " "i will stand on the side as you shine" "i can't take another night up in my room, waiting on a miracle" "i can't heal what's broken, can't control the morning rain or a hurricane, can't keep down the unspoken, invisible pain" "always walking alone" "open your eyes, open your eyes" "someone please just let me know where do i go?" "i would heal what's broken, show this family something new" "am i too late for a miracle?"

bruno mirrors mirabel. yes he has a gift but he feels like he's useless, like he just makes everything worse. the way his power works in the movie means what he sees will 100% happen and he hates not being able to fix or change anything like his siblings, he's the odd one, the black sheep of the family and he's probably really desperately hoping that he'll be good for SOMETHING at some point, that he can actually use his gift for something that HELPS his family (imagine him at like ~15 years old after another bad vision that the town blames him for when it comes true, storming to his room after his mother told him if he can't figure out how to use his gift in a helpful way it was wasted on him)