#i already have so much trouble taking any of the stuff in this show seriously is. is it meant to be a joke or are you meant to like. cry

[dokyumms]

make it right

pairing: the8 x gn 14thmember!reader

genre: angst, fluff

word count: 1k

cw: arguments, making up, minghao is mean, the beach has nothing to do with the fic i just couldn't find any other pics.

a/n: another request finished! will begin writing a long fic soon... be scared... but enjoy this for now my kings even tho the end is kind of bad

it started off as an innocent, simple practice day.

sure, you were struggling a little, but you cut yourself some slack for being sick the day before.

"okay! let's cut it off here, good job everyone!" the choreographer announced with a quick reminder to hydrate and some other stuff that you tuned out. when he finished, everyone said their thank yous and started packing up. you too, began to gather all your belongings when someone tapped you on the shoulder.

turning around, you smiled to see that it was minghao.

"need something?" you asked, getting up and slinging your bag onto your shoulder.

"no, i just noticed you were having trouble on that dance break earlier. would you want to stay back a bit? i could help." he offered.

to be fully honest, you just wanted to go home; your body ached and you were still partially recovering from your fever. but on the other hand, you didn't want to seem lazy, so thinking it wouldn't take too long, you drop your bag on the floor.

"sure, a couple runs wouldn't hurt," you replied, walking toward the center of the room.

"you're not going yet?" chan asked as he made his way to the door.

you shook your head, "just need to fix the dance break, shouldn't take more than 20 minutes,"

he nodded, a little unsurely, but after seeing that minghao was there with you, he left.

however, those 20 minutes soon turned to 45.

you wiped your forehead with the back of your sleeve, catching your breath. "one more time?" you asked, though the exhaustion in your voice made it sound more like a plea than a suggestion.

minghao was already hitting 'play' on his phone, muttering, "if you can actually get it this time," under his breath.

you could barely hear him, but the comment made your stomach twist. you understood his frustration, everyone was getting this except you- and you were supposed to be one of the best dancers in the group. so, determined to get it right, you focused as the music started again, filling the empty space between you two.

but just as you felt the dance break begin, something was off. your timing, your footwork- something. and before you could fix it, minghao had already stopped.

"seriously?" he ran a hand through his hair, frustration seeping into his voice. "do i need to slow it down again? how are you still messing it up?"

the words stung more than they should've. you clenched your jaw, taking a slow breath. "i just need a second, okay? i'm trying."

"we've done this like ten times already, were you not paying attention to anything i said?"

"wow, thanks for the encouragement."

"the music video filming is coming up. if you mess up this much during it, we'll be there all day."

"you think i don't know that? maybe if you stopped nitpicking every little thing, i'd be able to focus."

"i'm 'nitpicking' because i care about this routine. unlike you, i actually want us to do well."

you were taken aback, going silent for a second.

"what? so you think just because i'm struggling means i don't care? why do you think i'm still here?"

minghao doesn't respond, so you kept going,

"i could've went home you know, i don't even need to be here at all! we both know that with maybe another day, i'd probably get it, but you said you'd help me, so i stayed and what do you do? forget it. i'm going home."

and with that, you packed up your things again and left, leaving minghao stunned.

you didn't think he'd show up to your shared apartment that night, probably crash with jun or something, but then you heard the door creak open.

keeping your eyes closed, you intently listened to minghao shuffle around, open a couple drawers, then leave.

huh, so he only came back for clothes? but then you heard another door close and rushing water only a minute later.

well, guess he was really deciding to stay over after that. you sighed, sitting up on the bed.

should you apologize so you both don't have to sleep angry? but you were definitely not apologizing for that. ugh, you hated trying to sleep next to a mad boyfriend, especially a mad minghao.

you considered just leaving the apartment and sleeping over at jeonghan's place, but you heard the shower turn off, so you plopped back into bed, shutting your eyes.

the door opened again, you tried your best to look like you were asleep, but you couldn't tell if it was working. you heard him sigh before saying, "i know you're awake,"

you don't even question how he know, "what about it?" you shot back, almost grimacing at your tone.

opening your eyes, you expected for minghao to shove you off the bed or ask you to move, but instead, an apology came from his mouth.

"i'm sorry, y/n. i really am. you were right, i was the one who offered to help, but i didn't and i'm sorry. i'll sleep on the couch, but i came here to apologize." he said, looking around the room as if he was a little kid apologizing to his mom.

you didn't respond, wondering if you should milk a little more from him. minghao would normally never apologize this early, being the stubborn guy he was. so when he turned around, you stopped him.

"wait- you mean it?" you asked. he nodded in response.

"okay, and?"

tilting his head, he tried to think of what else to say before sighing in defeat.

"and you're the best thing to happen to me, so i owe you dinner for the next week..."

"and?"

"you gotta be joking- and because i love you, i'll buy you that stupid $300 bag, now move so i can sleep,"

you complied, moving over so he can slip into bed. "you're impossible," he mumbled,

"and you're mean," you teased back. he chuckled lightly before wrapping himself around you. "i said i'm sorry," he whined.

"hmm, make it up to me?" you asked, puckering your lips at him. "no." he deadpanned, but after your face fell a little bit, he kissed you.

"no, don't make me buy you something else. we make the same salary, you know?"

"eh, you still get more gifts at fan signs than i do, but i'll let it slide." you replied, giving him another kiss before he nuzzled his head into your neck.

[awkwardsonicphotos]

I assume you're pretty bummed about the Lilo and Stitch remake being... how it is, then?

I've been a Sonic fan so long and have seen all the different takes on the world and characters. So I'm aware all writers have their own style and show certain aspects of Sonic's personality more than other traits, some write him more laid back and cool, others show his short temper or his quietness in the forefront, and others show his kindness and joking side. I've learned to not take that stuff seriously or let it ruin my enjoyment of some of that media. That's not to say the media itself doesn't deserve some criticism or that I think it's flawless. It's just the nature of having multiple hands on an IP as big as Sonic.

But I have never seen such blatant character and story assassination as this remake has done. spoiler rant incoming

IT WAS SO EASY DISNEY THIS WAS AN EASY WIN??? I know they already made so much money so they don't care. I was not looking forward to this remake at all. I at least thought it would be medicore I knew story changes would probably happen that it would not be a 1:1 movie. That's fine that's okay to have some story beat differences or scene changes as long as the heart and message of the film come through. But that ending is disgusting and insulting.

How does the freaking sonic movies do found family better than LILO AND STITCH?! The OG Lilo and Stitch probably was one of the first kids entertainment that brought the attention of found families and unconventional families to mainstream media. Why would you butcher Nani's character like that? Why is Jumba the villain? HE'S NOT EGGMAN HERE. That's NOT his character, Jumba actually cares and loves and takes pride in all his experiments they are basically his children. It's stupid to make him the villain or at least not be redeemed by learning from watching Stitch himself change.

Having Nani give up Lilo to CPS so she can go to college is just stupid and wrong. The original Nani wanted Lilo in her life so badly she did give up a ton of stuff for herself. Yeah I would have loved to see her finally pursue some things for herself but she was willing to temporarily put that aside because Lilo was more important and their relationship meant way more and as Nani told cobra bubbles in the movie, “I’m the only one who understands, if you take that away she won’t stand a chance.” She’s the only one who gets Lilo and what she’s going through. Lilo is also a troubled child and Nani is worried no one will understand that or give Lilo the patience and care she needs. she already lost her parents she wasn't ready to lose her sister too, she was willing to fight for Lilo, you don't feel that in the live action film. Lilo is already bullied by her peers. Before Stitch Nani was the only person on Lilo's side. I don't care Nani has a ring power/portal gun and can still see Lilo. That's not the same.

ALSO YOU ARE IN HAWAII you can learn marine biology right there!!! WHY ARE YOU GOING TO CALIFORNIA??? Nani really just needed a support system that's why the aliens moving in took pressure off Nani so she could work. Having the friendly neighbor is fine but it kinda already offers a solution in the beginning of the movie. The neighbor could babysit and offer support. It takes away the stakes of Lilo and Nani situation right away. You could have the community come together at the end to offer support to Lilo and Nani and still have Nani keep custody of Lilo without sacrificing Nani's dreams. I don't know there's just so many ways to fix that ending and still have the Ohana message.

Stitch's arc is also greatly lacking without the ugly duckling scene or having him be honest with Lilo that he is an alien.

Lilo and Stitch means a lot to me, I had just turned 9 when the original film came out, I remember the trailers and I had never wanted to see a movie so badly. I have never felt that way for any other movie since. I knew nothing about that film but knew I had to see it. It inspired my art style as well, I love all the rounded shapes and character designs, the water color backgrounds. I have a very close friend who I consider a sister even though we aren't related, I have that movie to thank for that. Lilo and stitch has spin off media as well like the anime, manga, comics, Stitch and Ai but they at least honor the source material better than Disney's own remake. But also please don't harass people who do happen to like the remake or at least aspects of it. It's just not for me but if others can find enjoyment out of it good for them.

[jweekgoji]

more yandere d-16 !!!

Yandere!D-16/Reader [hcs]

tw: unhealthy obsession, possessiveness, overprotectiveness, jealousy, yandere themes word count: ~880 additional tags: gender-neutral reader, cogless!reader. a/n: I think other writers already made various posts about yandere!D but why not have 2 cakes?

D-16 is one of the individuals from the main 4 that you would never suspect of having an unhealthy obsession with you. I mean, look at him, a total sweetheart! He would never become a cruel and ruthless tyrant in the future, nuh-uh.

Just like Orion, if he sets his optics on someone, D-16 will make sure that no harm will be caused to you. He lacks some strength to stand up for himself at the beginning, but if someone he deeply adores needs his help, he lets himself forget about the protocols and rush in to help you.

Once he checks that you're okay, that is the moment he has to lecture you about your own safety. He has a little grumpy side, grumbling 'you shouldn't have disobeyed our supervisor!' when the bigger bot accused you of slacking off, but it is actually because he's concerned. The side of his face still hurts, too, after getting punched for sticking his nose into someone else's business.

Yandere D-16 is nothing like Megatron. Never, never expect him to be violent with you or with someone else. He is still innocent, in some way, uncorrupted from the yet-to-be realization of the truth.

Like I mention in the first sentence in the beginning paragraph, D-16 doesn't show any bright yandere traits. It somehow parallels with the style of his life and how he looks in the society of the lower class bots. The grayish paint job, the way he tries to stay out of trouble and follow the rules set by the higher-ups. Even when he's jealous or insecure, which is tied to the object of his obsession, he's not the mech to jump into the fight right away.

^ I think he'd rather stay silent and keep up with his responsibilities if he notices some other bot being a little too affectionate with you. He knows there's not much time for all the relationship stuff; therefore, it will be ridiculous to demand anything from you. It's even harder when you're a close friend of his, someone close enough to stay around but not enough to develop the feelings into something more.

Yandere!D-16 is overprotective with a tiny bit of jealousy. He wants to tell you how much he adores you. The way you lighten up his mood after the last incident Orion put him through, this just makes him all warm and happy inside. These feelings only motivate him to work even harder since he believes that in the future, in much better circumstances, it is the best time to finally confess. It might be a little insecure if you think about that, but probably just realistic, as he thinks.

^ The more time passes, the harder it gets to keep his own emotions in control. At one point, if you continue being a reckless cogless bot, causing trouble here and there, or maybe you're that weak-willed, that can't clearly tell 'no' to others (especially if they're all flirty and too nice with you!) he'd confront you about it, pressing in the corner.

^ How could you be so blind! Can't you see the obvious? You're so, so infuriating sometimes. It doesn't help that sometimes his own thoughts get darker. He never acts upon them, but even thinking about doing something violent towards someone who hurt you in any way...One day, he might snap and tell you everything he thinks about it. The question is, will you take him seriously?

^ At the same moment, his overprotective side wants to smack some sense into you. He can't keep his optics on both Orion and you now; give him some break! When he tells you to stop doing whatever the problem is, his jealous side also shows up. If only you could be his, all of that wouldn't happen. He'd keep you close to his side forever; he would make sure that no one will hurt you once you tell him that 'I love you too'.

Until then, he's content with just looking at you from far, far away. You might now even spare a glance at him during the whole day, and he would already be on cloud nine just because he saw you today. D's optics truly are the mirror of his spark. The way those big, bright orange optics widen the moment you walk past Orion and him, his friend is already having that knowing smirk. Oh yes, D-16 is so screwed.

Yandere!D-16 will idolize someone he loves so deeply. He just believes you're so...so perfect for him. It's like he is blessed by Primus himself every time he's in your presence. He can't explain why his spark beats faster every time you're in his sight, but Primes, help him! He's not even sure he deserves you at that point. Of course, you're both in lower class, but for him, it doesn't make sense at all. He can't do much as just a miner with no cog, but his loyalty, dedication and protection towards you are guaranteed. Good thing he's one of the strongest bots among the other miners; he's willing to be at your service any time of the day.

[scorpioriesling]

TikTok Thirst Traps

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Featuring: Rhysand, Cassian, Azriel, Lucien, Eris, & Tamlin

Warning(s): none

Summary: Nothing much, just the ACOTAR males as TikTok stereotypes / thirst traps.

SR’s Note: Guys I’m soooo sorry I swear I’m working on Invisible String and THTH — I have so much personal life stuff going on too and it’s been hard finding time to write! Anyways, here’s a little sum sum in the meantime for you all. <3

Tags: @mellowmusings @rcarbo1 @lilah-asteria @kitsunetori @velarisdusk (inbox me or comment if you'd like to be added!)

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Rhysand

major businessman / entrepreneur vibes for rhys’ thirst traps

a man in a suit is just… *chef’s kiss*

he has money and he knows it and does not care to show it on social media

his page is definitely a dark colored theme, most of his attire is black, and he comes across super professional

however

he knows what the ladies like

occasionally his car will make an appearance, or what he would deem “risqué” (ahem, the middle inspiration photo)

doesn’t care too much about comments… he actually finds that the women who frequently spam his page are a bit annoying more than anything

regardless, he would never say anything rude to anyone

keeps his pages mostly professional to avoid conflict in the workplace; but lets be honest, everyone in his office is down bad for this man, he’s not getting in any kind of trouble

genuinely couldn’t find just one that was a perfect fit for rhys, but his page comes very close if it were a bit darker themed and more luxurious / CEO-ish? is that a word? more suit content? you get the gist

Cassian

i almost feel like it’s a given that his tik tok thirst traps would be the “gym bro” / hot guy workout videos

a lot of these are simply him working out, not necessarily trying to get girls attention or anything but simply provide content for his fitness account

to take this a step further— when the girlies start commenting on his posts with emojis and such, he gets a little flustered. he wasn’t expecting this… he just lifts, that’s all

but, he can’t complain

his page is chaotic; videos of him lifting, flexing, what he eats to stay in shape, and even some videos of self reflection

it’s the comments like, “let me come to the gym with you!” or “you could lift me instead” etc that he turns into videos of how to get into working out / body building… not realizing the girlies just like to look at him. lol

he would respond to just about every comment with something kind or positive, even if it was sexual / silly in nature he’d find a way to make light of it

best example i could find would be this man

Azriel

i think we already know modern!az is a biker boy. there. i rest my case. that’s all.

i’m kidding

he thrives off the attention from booktok ladies; he doesn’t respond much, but he secretly reads every comment / mention / dm and takes every suggestion seriously when considering new content to create

yes, he films a few with a scream mask on

again, i rest my case

of course he has a darker themed page, lots of slow bass music on his videos and many videos of him riding at night

he’s always in a tight tee to show off his body that he’s spend years honing — and yes, he knows the girls love his arms too

not too much humor online from this guy. no full face reveal either.

however, when he reveals his smile for the first time…

let’s say his followers just about loose their minds

there’s so many tik tok pages like this yall already know what im talking about… here’s an example in case you don’t

Lucien

at first, he didn’t follow trends or do any kind of thirst traps of any kind. he thought those were kind of dumb and mainly used the app to send funny videos to his friends

however

lucien is creative, and his outlet here is music

apparently being a sassy redhead wasn’t enough, so he started filming himself playing his guitar

shirtless… of course.

the jump in followers may have prompted him to continue filming such content… or maybe the types of comments he was getting to boost that ego of his HAHA

anyways, his vibe is more acoustic / beachy / peaceful and light, very beach boy vibes with him but he will dabble in the electric guitar all the same once he gets used to playing it

per mentioned previously, he used to not make many videos, but now that he does, he finds himself being very real on this app and a lot of times recording small snippets of his own songs and talking into the camera

he enjoys the comments that show he is clearly capable of snagging the attention of the ladies; however, he responds to a lot of the ones that pertain to his talent and are interested in more than just his pretty face <3

i like this example best, with a lighter / more beachy and acoustic aesthetic … this may be more accurate

Eris

i’m really hoping you guys understand what i’m going for with this one… eris cooks.

like, very handsome, very demure, very good looking, cooking alone, but also… he knows what he’s doing and likes to play with his food, so to speak.

walk with me here.

he knows that a man with expensive taste already gets the ladies going. but a man with expensive taste AND in the kitchen? sir-

he will show every skill he has. baking, cooking, mixology…

and of course, some implied skills as well

he reads his comments — especially the ones where the girlypops are horny on main. he doesn’t give af; he loves that shit. in fact, keep it coming

sensual music, low lighting, expensive clothes… he’s a man that gets it. he could get it. and he knows that.

i think his videos would be a combo of this page and this page if you can use your imagination

Tamlin

tamlin is a hot ass, gentlemanly, mothafuckin cowboy and i will die on that hill — don’t play with me

while some videos are very pg, very church-boy, very homegrown… there are also the shirtless, sweaty, pickup-truck ones

don’t lie. you know exactly what i’m talking about.

he is a built dude. he works all day in the sun, he’s very caring for his land and the animals that live on it, and when he realized the attention he got from filming himself doing simple things around the ranch…

boy oh boy.

it started with simple things — throwing hay bales, riding horseback, etc…

but then he read his comments. people wanted more. the pretty ladies on the tik tok wanted more.

so he yanked off his shirt and jumped on the trends.

did he particularly like it? no. he didn’t like filming himself walking around his oversized pickup in just his jeans and boots, the sun kissing his skin over the rim of his hat…

but what he did enjoy was the cuties in his DMs and all their sweet messages for him.

he was a countryman at heart, so naturally his page was filled with images of the great outdoors and him in it — though many of his comments went unanswered. he was a bit shy, as social media wasn’t something he liked to use regularly

nonetheless, he did enjoy reading positive feedback after a long hard day of work

his feed would look a lil like this or THIS

ﾟ:* ✧

[of-love-and-loyalty]

I was thinking of writing Author's Notes of some sort about every part as I publish them. Help understand a few things, a few choices in the story, why some stuff happens, why some reactions, etc. Kinda like a backstage insight on my thoughts process as I'm working on this AU

So, Author's Notes about Part 1!

First, you all have no idea how much I hesitated to publish that and start the story.

It's a Paw Patrol AU and we all know this show for being aimed to pre-school kids, sometimes they grow into school still watching it because it's a favorite. I didn't, I watched it for the first time already as a 29 years old.

By the time I started developing this story, I was convinced that I probably looked at this show and at the characters very differently than the intended audience (both kids and their parents who usually let the kid watch and not often will join them/their interests). I see and imagine them more seriously, with more dangerous situations, and I apply a bunch of realistic stuff to their logic which makes it feel more real to me. Even if we're going about sentient talking dogs with jobs and insane gadgets, driving their own adapted vehicles around, led by a ten years old boy with no known family. My brain screamed at me to make it make sense, to figure out the rules in that universe that would make it believable lol

It's been a wild trip to mix the fantasy with the realistic and make them work together. This first part was really hard to get down in a way I was satisfied, but then I got afraid if I had gone too far.

I needed to show how bad things are for Rocky there. Puppies rarely survive on the streets here where I live. They need to compete for food with adult dogs and any stray will fight for their food; not to mention the usual dangers of people attacking them, preventing them from going through their trash (with reason, ofc), cars, etc.

So it fell within reason that Rocky ended up being attacked by a group of strays. Some adult strays gang up in small groups for better chances at keeping a territory of their interest.

And I wanted to show he nearly died at that. It was that dangerous, that painful. I was really nervous about the comic page too; while I never had trouble with seeing blood/wounds, others might find it too much. I even had a friend take a look to help me decide on the amount of blood in the scene, I'm a perfectionist artist and it drives me to draw things in as much details as possible - hence why I was terrified if I had gone too far.

But it was really important to show what exactly happened, which then shapes how Rocky is going to grow up. At that time, he doesn't trust people, he doesn't trust other dogs, no one helps him. He's always shooed off, kicked out, cussed at, attacked. No one would care if he'd die. People would find his body and just bag it with the trash, as is the harsh reality for so many stray dogs and roadkills out there.

And then Zuma came around. Zuma saved him, Zuma cared about him. And Zuma is younger than him, he's about to have it even worse. Rocky knows that while he himself still has a small chance, if left alone, Zuma will surely die really soon.

So Rocky decides to return the "favor" by helping him out on the streets. They're both in danger, but together they might have a slightly better chance. It's what the big dogs do, they gang up together to keep alive.

This first part was really insanely hard for me to write and draw, my thoughts were everywhere, I may or may not have cried a few times while working on it and had to pause a lot due to that, but now I'm glad I started the story and was brave to start posting it.

Fun fact, the Discord server I'm in wanted to jump me for all this angst already at the beginning LMAO but it was necessary 😂 it's all part of the ploooooooot hahaha

[celorangeine]

hello everywan... here is more info about bennie and yuudai that I need to talk about before I DIE

I've never explained why Bennie got expelled from bullworth.... so to put it simply, Bennie has a massive case of fear of missing out and is a huge people pleaser 😎. half of the things he does is based on that; getting along with the jocks, getting into fights when he really doesn't like fighting, getting into trouble simply cause he was invited to (he does nawt think of the consequences) and that's why he was expelled in the first place. I'm not creative enough to think of what trouble Bennie and his friends at the time were up to (😢) but it was big enough for him alone to get expelled (since he was already known to be a troublemaker) but not the other guys 😎. now Bennie seriously dislikes some of the jocks and secretly accuses them of doing this in purpose because of how salty he is over the fact that only he gets expelled and not his friends. but then again, the jocks barely talked about Bennie when he got expelled so. was it really that personal .

him being a people pleaser is also the cause of his. loud personality . because if the only thing you show is happiness then what is there to hate him for? erm. there's a lot and Bennie knows but he does not want to think about it because he can't think of any other solution. for the most part it comes from how he grew up in his home in the first place; show any displeasure you get BEAT UP! it also leads to this bitchy side of his where he discreetly insults the people he hates while talking about them while being all smiley and stuff. just like a mean girl. he doesn't hate people easily though teehe

this is the lore that you'd probably get from his dialogues or something. also Bennie likes glocks because he likes classics. thank you very much

now for Yuudai.... as I have mentioned before, he hasn't seen any of his other relatives except for his dad, and he isn't even that close to him and they barely talk despite being in the same house because of his dad being a severe workaholic. Yuudai never learned how to make friends and the only ways he knew how to is by either forcing them by death threats (that's how he acquired his old gang) or letting himself be dragged into a friendship... which is what happened with him and the greasers when he got into bullworth. Yuudai didn't mind much because they actually seem like they have things in common with him

Yuudai pretty much hates the fact that his dad had to move to the US, mostly because he hates change and also because now he's unfamiliar with everything....he can't act like he owns the place like how he usually does because no one takes him seriously here . intimidating people - and by relation, having people do stuff for him - is a big part of his ego and now that it's ruined, Yuudai wants nothing more than to go back to his country where everyone's scared of him and no one wants to get close to him 😢 Yuudai doesn't really care if he was perceived badly, never will because he's actually comfortable with that fact. it's just that the problem is, Yuudai doesn't do anything to try and bring his old reputation back now that he's in bullworth. it's out of laziness

he also is shocked by how open the students in Bullworth are... especially the preps. he's really passionate in insulting them it's awesome

[strqyr]

Also do you ever think about the legal processes of the Academies? Bc i do. All the damn time. "The Academies let students die or get injured all the time and get away with it!" Where??? Did we forget the safety measures put everywhere to prevent that from happening?? Did we miss the fact that there's an entire process where if something DOES go wrong (either during a training mission or even outside of the Academy), those in charge (i.e. Ozpin) have to make sure what happened doesn't happen again (like interviewing the students) otherwise they can get in real trouble and held responsible?? Or the fact that there's no legal waiver prior to joining the Academies, so it's safe to assume you can sue them if something does happen?

Oh wait, these are all easily missable details held in side books or are subtle and easy to pass over while watching the show (like Ozpin lying, saying the students WILL die and that they won't intervene, vs the cameras all around the Emerald Forest and Glynda suggesting they intervene bc of Jaune iirc. Shocking, the liar lied /sar). I guess I can't blame people for missing these things bc most ppl aren't nearly as autistic as I am about this show.

Oh also, like,, when talking about the Academies supposedly being really dangerous and letting students die. If this were a real issue I feel like it would've been addressed by now? Cinder absolutely would've brought it up in v3 (it'd be ooc for her NOT to), and while Hazel's story revolved around Gretchens death, it's not painted as a common issue that's happened to a lot of people (which would've been an interesting plot, if they went that way), just that Gretchen's death was highly unusual and a tragic accident (based on how it was handled). Like. It happens but it's absolutely not common!! And it's surprising it doesn't happen MORE considering the world RWBY takes place in (magical Australia with magical Florida men. Hell of a place. Wdym you have giant desert crabs more dangerous than Grimm and a desert hot enough to turn sweat to steam and wdym Remnant humans are able to just. Casually shrug this shit off?? This deserves its own post it's actually insane).

Just. Gestures vaguely. It's something I think about all the time and it drives me bonkers when people get this stuff wrong. I think it stems from the belief that Ozpin is bad and he made the Academies so the Academies must be cartoonishly corrupt even when it makes no sense, not for the world or the characters involved (seriously, Oz would NEVER allow students to regularly die on his watch, based on how guilty and responsible he felt over Gretchen's death). I just. Aughugghdg gnawing on drywall.

Sorry for rambling about fictional laws in your inbox, it might happen again

tbh i think this is a perfect example how much simple words—no matter how truthful or not—take higher precedence in peoples' minds than anything else, no matter how much proof there is against the very same words. and if that proof also requires you to stop and think about it rather than just having plain words delivered to your eyes or ears, well. . .

it's a lot easier and quicker to directly quote ozpin than it is to pile all the proof that proves otherwise—especially when that proof is hidden in side material, which not everyone has access to in the same capacity as the show itself. if the show had had something like, either ozpin or glynda sending a message to some unnamed hunters to be on the stand-by during the initiation, or even something as simple as on a later date showcasing the cameras used during the initiation also having a taser that can be used against grimm, that'd already make a huge difference.

but when all you've got is "do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." and "you will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." it's like. well. what can you do lol.

and like it wouldn't make any sense for them to not intervene and just let new students die on their first day like. the world presumably needs hunters and it's not very good practice if you allow those willing to learn and train to become one to die before they even get properly started. like i feel like any headmaster who was losing even just one first-year student every year during initiation would get kicked out pretty quickly. i mean, who would actually accept that? even as a civilian i'd be like, hey, those people want to actually do the pretty important job, why aren't you keeping them alive while at school so they can actually do that, ya know?

it's one thing to accept the fact that hunters die during a job; it's another thing to find it acceptable when they're still in school training, and to treat the latter as a norm is the same as treating the populace of remnant as idiots with no regard to human lives.

but there's definitely bias at play, too. while i am of the mind that the academies—or more like the system they're part of—needs changing ( namely the whole "the combat schools start training kids at age 13" part ), there's definitely some of that "character bad so their every action is bad, too" mentality running around too.

which i'm not too surprised about. i've seen it a lot with people criticizing ironwood's actions like. . . ya can't really say that ironwood having two seats at atlas council is bad while also saying that he was wrong to report everything directly to the rest of vale's council and not just ozpin, just bc it got ozpin into a hot water. like that just doesn't compute, and i feel like the same applies to a lot of discussion around ozpin and the academies, as well.

sure, there are things to criticize about ozpin's methods—like yeah sending scouts first is smart, but those scouts being first-year students who shouldn't be in that area in the first place bc special treatment for secret war reasons and stuff? not that smart, send pros pls—, but that doesn't mean you need to throw the baby away with the bath water.

i hope this makes any sense lmao i feel like i lost the plot multiple times writing this and trying to get back on track 😭

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

looking forward to these..😊

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Hi. I am stuck in LAX for the next three hours if people want to send me a bunch of short asks? Like short. I think I can accomplish stuff. Anyway.... Here's to surviving that.

---

60 for 🔼 :

---

Another sigh. 

“You’re not going to love this,” she warns.

Eddie just waits. Medical news isn’t usually a thing one measures in terms of love. He really doesn’t know what she’s getting at.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispers finally. 

Eddie’s jaw drops. Kind of cartoonishly, he will admit. Probably not the best response.

Shannon raises her eyebrows and gives a wry little smile. Like, see? I told you so. 

“Seriously?” He asks.

“No, I’m in a joking mood.”

Oof. Fair.

“How far along?” He asks.

“Eight weeks,” she whispers.

“Eight?” He gapes. 

She nods. 

“You had no idea?” 

“Nope,” she sighs. “Apparently I had some insanely timed spotting, so… I didn’t think…”

“Um, that’s… That’s like…” Eddie thinks back to January. “Probably, like, that night, right?”

Shannon nods. “Mhm.”

“So we don’t know whose baby…” Eddie realizes. 

“We do not,” Shannon confirms. 

Wow. Shit. 

Shit. 

His brain’s natural reaction to this news is perhaps the least appropriate thing he could muster in this moment. He starts to laugh. 

Shannon glares at him. 

“What about this situation is even remotely funny?” 

“The whole thing,” he replies, eyes stinging. “Holy shit.”

“Great. Glad you’re entertained.”

“No, listen,” Eddie says, taking a deep breath. “Shan, I was going to say we should do it.”

Her eyes widen. “You were?”

Eddie nods. “Yeah. You and Buck both want it. I think… I think Jane would love having a sibling close in age.”

Shannon grins. “She would. She loves Jee so much.”

---

60 for ☣️ :

---

They get up and head to the door.

Maddie is in this now. There’s no going back. 

▪️▪️▪️

Two hours later, the world has changed yet again. Buck is having trouble keeping up. He feels like a helpless passenger. 

Maddie greets Ravi like the two of them had ever been particularly close. She hugs him. Cups his cheeks and cries at the sight of him. Buck thinks everyone understands it’s less because Maddie had ever had any sort of connection to Ravi, and more because of what he represents. Hope. Possibility. The light at the end of an impossibly dark tunnel.

Ravi seems thrown by her lack of speech, but he says nothing. He holds the baby. He cries even. 

“When we all thought we were going to die, Chim said his biggest regret was not ever getting to meet him,” Ravi says quietly, smiling at Daniel. 

“He’s going to meet him,” Athena says. There is a conviction in her voice that Buck would never dare argue. 

Afterwards, Karen arrives. She looks exhausted. She packed everything and hurried home to be here. She, too, greets Ravi like he is her oldest, most cherished friend in the world. She, too, cries and squeezes him. Ravi is looking very tired by the end of it all. He knows he’s just a proxy. He wants his own family. But he made the decision Buck wishes he could have made for everyone else here. 

Not long after Karen, Eddie also shows up. Because why the fuck not? He can’t blame Maddie, Karen, or Ravi for this, but Athena and Eddie both know how weird it is for Buck to be around him right now. Is this really strictly necessary? 

Buck plants Jee in front of the TV in his closed bedroom and tells her there’s a big, important grown up talk happening, so she should only come out if she really needs something. She agrees, as long as he agrees to put Encanto on. Done. Easy. Happy to do it. If there’s one person who can absolutely not overhear this, it’s Jee. If she thinks her dad is alive and then they fail? Buck can’t crush her little heart. 

Not again. 

“We have to do this quickly,” Karen says once all the adults, and a sleeping Daniel, are seated in the living room. “They’ve already been there for six months. We can’t let them rot there any longer.”

Maddie, rocking her baby softly, nods in agreement. 

“It’s all on me,” Ravi mumbles. He’s explained what he can do to Karen and Maddie. As has Buck. 

“Why don’t you try?” Athena asks. “If you can’t do it, we find another way. It’s not all on you.”

Athena is good that way. Her relentless determination simply won’t accept that there’s not plans B through Z, too. 

Eddie nods, eager. “I’ll go into the kitchen. Try bringing me an object from the coffee table first, then bringing something different back to Buck.”

---

60 for 🩸 :

---

“I’m not a plumber,” he warns her again as he gets to work.

“You’re better than Harry and I,” May says. 

He smiles softly. “Well, if you need an amateur, I’m always here.” 

It’s the second time he’s offered that. May wonders if he’s trying to make the point exceptionally clear. 

“Thanks, Buck,” May says.

They chat about mostly nothing while he fixes the faucet. Nothing serious. Nothing about Bobby. May gets him iced tea from the fridge. He asks her about classes. It’s nice.  For a moment, it feels almost like having Bobby around again. Not the exact same, but… A different take on the same genre of music, almost. 

As Buck is packing up to leave - having not once done May the disservice about inquiring as to why her mother hasn’t come out to say hi to him - Mom finally emerges from her office. She walks over to them, glassy-eyed and tired-looking. 

“Hi, Athena,” Buck says. 

“Did you hear what just happened?” She asks without even saying hi or asking why he’s there.

“What are you talking about?” May asks. 

“Vincent Gerrard was just found dead,” Mom says. 

May looks at Buck. It takes her a moment to even remember who that is.

“Your captain?” May asks.

“Interim captain…” Buck corrects. 

“Two captains of the 118 dead in under a month,” Mom says.

“Are they even related?” May asks. “How did he die?”

Buck looks tense, anticipating her answer.

Mom frowns. 

“Murder.”

▪️▪️▪️

Something happens to Bobby after he kills Gerrard. Something he isn’t anticipating.

He had two predictions. One more of a worry than the other, though both upsetting. First, that using his teeth to drain a man of his blood would be tantamount to relief. Second, that it would result in a high. Bobby doesn’t want to have to chase this feeling. To feel bound to the process of seeking it out and coming down to it. He doesn’t want to be trapped in death in the hell he escaped in life. 

This is not his experience. 

Or maybe it is, and it’s simply too powerful to be challenged by any sort of critical thinking. 

Somehow, once Bobby makes the decision to murder Gerrard, the process handles itself. An animal instinct turns on, and Bobby goes into a sort of blackout mode. He stalks, he hunts, he finds himself far, far from his cemetery hideout, with no exact idea how he managed the journey. He ends up in the man’s garage somehow. He slips in in the night, after his wife presses the automatic door to close it. He’s as quick as a wisp of air. 

And then he waits. He waits for hours, until Gerrard comes into the garage to dispose of a filled bag of garbage. Bobby doesn’t hesitate. He leaps at the opportunity, figuratively and literally. He grabs Gerrard with a strength more than anything he possessed in his lifetime and sinks his teeth into his throat. 

As he’s killing him, Bobby understands he’s doing something wrong. Something evil. A mortal sin. 

[beevosmeower]

Juno the Charm - NSFW OC MEME

1. What's their position in bed? (top, bottom, vers, sub, dom, etc.)

Sleeping. Peacefully, under the covers, pink Victoria secret pjs with thin white stripes and fluffy bunny socks to match. She has slippers on the edge of her bed too and a nice comforter. Her room bed smells softly of soap but not detergent yk?

High Love she’s both topping and domming. Objectively she’s a switch.

2. What turns them on/off?

It’s not very sexual, but genuine interest in getting to know someone makes her want to get inside of them. I wanna be in you comma parasitic threat, put your clothes back on…. Turn offs are anything she’s already said no to, trying to publicly show off her body and get her into a crime. Stuff like that. She fully believes in stabbing a person if she has to.

3. How long does it take for them to climax?

Not interested in cumming anyways, but if she wants to she can easily make herself cum in like 5-10 minutes.

4. Most sensitive part(s) of their body?

Her ears are very sensitive but not so much in a sex way since she isn’t ever really turned on enough for her body to react that way. Sensitive comma don’t touch me there??? Freak….

5. Easiest way to seduce them?

Undiagnosed and untreated mental soup. She craves CONSTANT stimulation and new experiences from people sort of as a shitty way to try and make up for a speedrun the experiences she missed through elementary and middle school. Someone who’s very inconsistent and unpredictable would make Juno wanna stay by their side for the longest unless they hurt someone else or injure her seriously. Second to that, she’d be very interested in people who are closed off and ones who cause a lot of stuff to happen around them despite being predictable themselves.

6. How often do they masturbate?

*Long drag of cigarette* Not since the first week she heard of it…

7. What's their favorite position?

The one where she can leave.

8. How did they lose their virginity?

(Gestures to Rapechestershire) Well… /silly

It was a boy in her class who asked her to come to the bathrooms with him. She figured eh might as well. She lost her anal virginity the same. Her first kiss and handholding is a secret though.

9. Favorite place to have sex?

Any place that isn’t gonna get her in trouble. Public sex is fine but she’s not an exhibitionist.

10. Ever been caught having sex or masturbating?

Yeah and it’s pissed her off every time. Like damn bro, keep walking… you know full well what kinda town this is.

11. Are they loud or quiet?

Normal talking during sex. Married sex with Juno would be insane cause she’d be fully going alone and the other person would be having good sex and she’s talking about her grocery store list.

12. Do they own any sex toys?

Vibrator (Retired and given a soldiers burial)

If you have mid/high love with her you can trigger an event at the sex toy shop where you pick what color strap she buys to use on you.

13. Do they prefer giving or receiving?

Giving: it ends quicker. Even during sex that she’s actively seeking out with the PC for a change, she’d much rather focus on them than herself. She’ll probably make herself cum only so that the PC doesn’t feel bad.

14. How often do they have sex?

Looks at Rapechestershire. She doesn’t have any aversion to sex despite not caring about it. Unless she’s busy all day and has plans back to back, she likely isn’t going without sex that day.

15. Their biggest sexual desire?

What’s gayer, wanting to date a girl, or wanting her to have sex with ur dead body? /ref

Her and Ivory Wraith possession would probably make her sexually fulfilled and send her into a straight heat. Ace spec in the sense that she isn’t processing any intimacy in a normal sense and that esp means sex. Sex with humans? Boringggggggggg. Going into the lake and letting the Thing in there crawl inside you and use your dead and soon to be rotting flesh as a vessel for chaos? She’s euphoric.

16. What's the best term to describe your OC sexually?

17. Their bra or dick size?

E cups (Remy’s farm didnt do shit to them cause what MORE could it have done? She has cute areolas, they are NAWT matching but ones vaguely heart shaped. She also incorporates back and spine exercises into her workouts to help.

18. What do they think about when they masturbate?

“I’m bored….” (2 seconds into considering that it be funny if she masturbated)

19. What's their sexual orientation?

Panromantic acespec. Everyone can catch this emotional devastation

20. What's their favorite thing to do sex-wise?

Making the other person cum so she can leave.

21. Weirdest place they've had sex?

Middle of the fuckass woods.

22. Their favorite place on the body to be kissed?

Mm…

23. Worst sex experience?

Can all of them count? None have been bad per say, they’ve just all been extremely mediocre, and others have been just aggravating.

24. Have they ever orgasmed more than once in one go?

When they first started experimenting on how their body would react, they maxed their hands and oral stats within a week.

25. How often do they think about having sex?

Often if you count her thinking of how she’s gonna circumvent getting molested during daily errands.

26. Are they self-conscious about any part of their body?

Social anxiety and self consciousness fear her JYPapi style.

27. How long does sex normally last with them?

20 minutes max for a molestation encounter, and around an hour for a Love encounter.

28. Are they serious during sex or do they like to laugh?

They’re chill, #nonchalant, but she’s not really tryinggggg to make anyone laugh. She’s friendly and wants people to have fun outside of sex, but there’s too many other things to juggle during both a molestation and Love encounter to be using that. During a molestation scene she’s either bored or casually participating like she’s giving the person a damn handshake. If it’s a Love encounter, she’s focused on giving the other person a pleasurable experience.

29. Wild-card. Give us a fun fact!

She takes her hair down during a Love encounter. If you have it at 100% and let her take control as she wants, then she sits you in her lap and takes it slowly from there. She keeps her hair down as another way to give the person some kind of stimulation + to ground the person and assure that she’s there.

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Ask game for Chase?

The pupper ever!! Also two other people asked for Chase while I was already working on it XD I'm sorry it's taking me literally days to get them all done, I'm having trouble to think properly on what to say for some stuff in these

My first impression - I'm not tanking this. His car is blue and white, he's a cop and HIS NAME IS CHASE. HMMMM WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS BEFORE, OH I WONDER--

My impression now - He's precious. No, really. A+ for effort in everything he does but he should learn to relax a little more, just a liiiiiiiittle more

Favorite thing about that character - He's always willing to try new things out of his comfort zone and he always gives it his best, plus his loyalty levels are off the charts

Least favorite thing - He's too much of a people pleaser Istg-- Chase, sweetheart, you're supposed to be a figure of authority XD And this will sound like a dumb thing to dislike but I dislike the fact he's a German Shepherd. I think it's too obvious a breed for police dogs and he doesn't LOOK like one at all for me. When I first saw him without his gear, I was like "Wait is he a Belgian Malinois??? Omg please yes that would be cool to not have a German Shepherd as a Police Dog for ONCE" but yeah my dreams were crushed quickly on my first Google Search on him

Favorite line/scene - It's not specifically the line, but mostly the scene: Have you EVER seen Chase refuse a job or go against Ryder???

I know he ended up changing his mind after that talk with Ryder, but IN THIS MOMENT, he stood his ground and said NO. It's even in his body language: His ears are slightly back, his expression is serious like "don't even try arguing with me on this", his tail isn't relaxed, his paw stomping on the floor to make his point. Notice his frown even deepens as the elevator door closes just before it goes down. This is SO IMPORTANT to me you have no idea, especially considering how much of a people pleaser Chase is and how he holds Ryder as the most important person in his life. We know Chase would do anything for Ryder. But at this exact moment? He was decided to NOT do something for Ryder. This is such a powerful, yet overlooked and underrated scene, as well as character development. It encapsulates perfectly how there's so much more to Chase than any of us knew so far.

Favorite interaction that character has with another - Mighty Movie Skase moment #2 (I think? I counted at least 4 big moments) when Chase goes to check on Skye when she was sulking on the back of the Aircraft Carrier. Her problems there are totally out of his league, he literally cannot relate to anything she's currently going or went through in the past- still he tries to show support the only way he can at the moment, by being there for her, by listening to her. He's a keeper, Skye, go for it XD

A character that I wish that character would interact with more - Marshall and Zuma. They used to play a lot before, but now...? I'm still at the 8th season and I'm seriously missing those fun and slice of life moments

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character - Leonardo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, specifically 2012 series

A headcanon about that character - I think Chase was one of those kind of puppies who just didn't know when to fucking STOP. 24/7 playful baby. Also a natural explorer, always sniffing everything, licking everything, maybe biting, touching, scratching, growling, barking at anything new for a while. Ever curious, always being the puppy to go ahead of the others, "exploring the waters to open the way and make sure it's safe for the others to come after him". On a second note, I've seen one too many people returning adopted puppies for this reason here where I live, because "they're a handful and I wasn't expecting this" 🤦🏽‍♀️

A song that reminds of that character - "Nothing Can Stop Me Now"

An unpopular opinion about that character - Idk why all the hate, even if you're ACAB, it's not like Chase even does a cop job at all XD Have you seen him arresting someone outside from movie verse? If anything, you'd WANT your cops to be like him LMAO

Favorite picture - Y'know how in the first movie Chase was in absolute awe when he saw his new car for the very first time? YEAH, like, he KNOWS Ryder designs and gets them crazy cool stuff, and it doesn't stop him from getting UTTERLY AMAZED every time. Tbh I had the same reaction as them all when I saw that sick af Mustang-looking police cruiser like HOLY SHIT YOU GET THE COOLEST TOYS-- AND YOU GET TO CATAPULT THEM DOWN THE HOT WHEELS RAMP AT TOP SPEED TOO??? Win for life.

[eggwhisper]

Lanolin The Sheep

Well since the new issue dropped I decided "hey why not throw gasoline onto an open flame?" so this is my totally unwanted take on Lanolin, her characterization, and how I think issue 63 and beyond could've been fixed by swapping two characters roles around so uh-- Yeah! (Also light spoilers for the newest issue/issue 69 but only the Lanolin portion/the stuff you've probably already seen/read.) tbh, this is kind of a fix-it/wishful thinking/thoughts I hope the writers have in mind in the future for issues going forward as steering Lanolin back to being a "likeable (but bossy)" character is going to be difficult. And is also so I can get my own thoughts out of my head.

Anyway here goes (sorry if I don't articulate my points succinctly in advance btw) I think Whisper shouldn't have been the one to see "Duo" kick Silver but Tangle. Like swap Tangle and Whisper in the story kind of- (trust me I'm going somewhere with this) and here's my reasoning.

Tangle doesn't wear a mask that records what she sees unlike Whisper. So if it was Tangle who saw Silver get kicked she wouldn't be able to jump right to "It's Mimic" or at least she wouldn't have any reason to believe it was Mimic (even at the "eyes changing color" topic. Albeit this should be used to make her suspicious which leads to them spying on Duo.)

Now I think it should've been Tangle and Silver spying on Duo rather then Whisper and Silver for two reasons: First- Tangle's been shown to be actually really bad at stealth. (Ms. Sneak Sneak song, anyone?) So it makes sense that Lanolin would know they were spying on the cat the whole day. Secondly- It doesn't make Whisper look like she's bad at stealth when she's the literal SNIPER. (Like seriously- half the job of sniping is hiding! It doesn't make that much sense that she'd be bad at it and I wholly blame Silver for getting them caught.)

Of course they get caught (Tangle and Silver) by Lanolin and now it's here I'd like to veer a bit more into her characterization and how she handles her interactions with the cast (Specifically Tangle). Which is with a level of reserve/mild dislike in the form of Tangle. Let's not kid ourselves here Tangle and Lanolin don't get along as much as we (and Tangle herself) would like too. Tangle's bouncy and energetic, Lanolin's a no-nonsense spoilsport so it would make sense if she doesn't believe Tangle or heck even dismisses her in regards to Duo after the incident earlier with Silver. (As this would be an actual "he said, she said" situation unlike in canon where the mask that records is right there- seriously if it doesn't come up in canon or is otherwise properly addressed in the story I'm gonna be really disappointed.)

Anyway Lanolin doesn't like Tangle, that's the baseline we're going with here. (Or at the most generous reading Lanolin finds Tangle to be "taxing".) Point is the two aren't nearly as good of friends and Lanolin's dedication the job would be more substantial here as nobody by this point has any reason to suspect Duo is Mimic.

So cue the argument, Whisper shows up/comes to defend Tangle when Lanolin inevitably tries to lecture/chastise her and Silver claiming the lemur would have no reason to be suspicious without good cause. The argument continues and BOOM! Tangle drops the tidbit that Silver said that Duo's eyes changed color and now Whisper's suspicious. Leading Whisper to try and shove past Lanolin, now also a bit more paranoid. Cue the whole "act like soldiers not children" line with Lanolin grabbing Whisper first and the scuffle ensues with Duo rushing off and Silver "hurting" him when nobody's focused on them.

Now why do I feel like it should be set-up like this instead of how it was in canon? Well obviously because in canon Whisper should've also been punished like Silver. Possibly just as severely but isn't because again- plot. (Like c'mon, Whisper technically assaults a commanding officer, she should have gotten in some trouble regardless of context.) But with how this is set-up now Lanolin instigated the fight by grabbing Whisper so punishing the wolf for the fight is out of the question and Tangle would like in canon- rush to Whisper's side once she was downed, not fighting at all meaning beyond stalking their new recruit Tangle didn't do anything worthy of getting "kicked out" for.

Meaning Silver getting kicked out still happens (hey, got to find some way to make it end the same way it did, right?) But now Tangle and Lanolin have more reason to be antagonistic towards one another. Leading to the most recent issue where Tangle and Lanolin are dealing with Sonic and co. after the boards went haywire. (Like I said super minor 69 spoiler.)

Ergo I think Lanolin's character arc should've be more focused on her actually viewing her friends as well- friends. And I feel like exploring the relationship she has with Tangle is probably the best way to go about it because of how they've interacted so far. (Or use the lemur who more then likely would forgive her in ten seconds to get the sheep a bit more on the others wavelength.)

That's just my thoughts on the whole debacle concerning Lanolin and I really do hope the writers figure out a way to make Lanolin enjoyable to read again cause right now she just comes off a little mean-spirited with little reasoning for her actions beyond "strung-up military type" (Which is a great trope btw and it can be written extremely well). I guess I really just hope they nail down the blocks making up her character in a satisfying way.

Anyway this all just sorta popped into my head after reading issue 69 and glancing in Twitter's general direction for five seconds I just hope this riders arc ends up being really good because Eggman's drip is (As Starline would put it) Immaculate.

[eternalwritess]

jjk matchup exchange with @tigreblvnc

i match you with... 𝓢𝓾𝓰𝓾𝓻𝓾 𝓖𝓮𝓽𝓸 ██ 20% _ ████ 60% _ █████ 80% _ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 100% ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ!

➠ I have no doubt in my mind that you both met at Jujutsu Tech High school (or whatever its called i such at remembering this stuff-). Of course he most likely asked why you were here and regardless of what you told him he likely didn't show much of any emotion only saying that he was here to protect the weak. Something that Satoru overheard and laughed about behind his back.

➠ You thought that it was a noble cause though and congratulated him on it. He liked you since then but never really thought much of it. He thought that you were too loud, but he never really hated you. More that he didn't care about being around you or getting to know you.

➠ You likely became Satoru's friend pretty quickly which meant that you and Suguru would spend more time together seeing how those two get along. You and Satoru would constantly fight and bicker and he began liking how persuasive you could be and how you managed to even get Satoru to shut up at times when he got too frustrated to argue with you.

➠ He would be dragged along with you and Satoru whenever you decided to mess around with Yaga at the time and be forced to get you both out of whatever predicament that you put yourselves in, constantly looking after you two, however he never minded it. He liked being dragged along and watching you both get in trouble for what you did, only to do the same thing again.

➠ It was through this routine that the two of you became closer and closer. Soon enough you began annoying and teasing him, something that he took a challenge on. If you poked him he'd poke you right back. Throw paper balls at him during school and during training you'd have about 500 flyheads chasing you around the school. He would bother you back and found that it was fun hanging out with you.

➠ If you'd ask him a tricky question he would get confused before answering it. Ask him a hard one and he would go for whatever he thought was the noblest answer. But after you were done he'd ask the most random questions ever to confuse you right back without hesitation.

➠ He liked everything about you, the way that you made him smile and the way that you lit up his day. He liked everything about you and everything that you did. Even when the things that you were doing were getting you in trouble with others he still liked you. Eventually that like began to grow and grow until he found himself having a full on crush on you.

➠ He didn't even want to admit it to himself at first because he thought that it was childish of him. Not to mention that he didn't want to ruin what you already had, and you both were already good friends. If he was to confess what would happen then? He didn't even know if you'd take him seriously.

➠ So that's why Satoru did it for him. Against Suguru's wishes of course. Apparently 'Suguru was just being so obvious with his like of you. Staring at you from across the class, insisting on sitting next to you, going on any and all missions with you and making love-dovey eyes towards your way' (all of this were Satoru's words by the way) that he thought that you knew that he liked you.

➠ When he saw that you didn't know he laughed it off and bolted it out the door shouting that he was never here and that you heard nothing. A few minutes later you saw Suguru grabbing Satoru by the ear and yelling at him. The moment that he looked at you though his face turned red and he grabbed Satoru (who was shouting for you to help him) and walked off.

➠ A few hours later he said that you didn't have to except his feelings and that he was terribly sorry that Satoru was being such an idiot back then. He was really prepared to get rejected but when you didn't he was so surprised. Just ask Satoru, he caught the whole thing on camera.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ♡

➠ One thing that he doesn't mind about you at all is your anger issues, he'll sit through them with no complaints, no matter how long they last. He's a patient man, although if he senses that they're getting a bit out of hand he'll make you talk about whats going on with him as he doesn't fancy seeing you so mad all of the time

➠ Your first date was a wreck, the whole gang was following you practically everywhere (courtesy of Shoko and Satoru). He got so annoyed at them that he ended up releasing a curse just to deal with them so that they would run away and take the hint. (Satoru could've defeated it easily but decided to take the hint).

➠ I think that you two would garden together, and if not that then at least take walks around the campus and just look at the nature there and sometimes even take care of it yourselves. He just loves seeing you happy. Sometimes he'll even try to get water on you if you water the plants together.

➠ He would take you out to eat very often, not minding where you went and would also get you little snacks when he came back from his missions telling you that he wants you to try them and tell him what you think so he can get you some more next time if you like him.

➠ Satoru would tease you both nonstop whenever you did something remotely couply. He would also gag if you ever kissed in front of him (it doesn't even have to be on the lips, just like on the forehead or cheek is enough for him). But he is happy for you both.

➠ Since you're both Satoru's friends he shoveled talked both of you- at the same time... for a presentation... that was about curses. He went on and on and on and halfway through Yaga just stopped him and told him that he's getting an F on the assignment.

➠ I forgot to mention that he would try and take you on his missions sometimes, like if it was during a break and he was going out of town he'd see if you were open to go with him and would get you both the best seats on the plane and the best hotels.

➠ Every now and then he would make an out of pocket joke of a serious situation to make you laugh cause hearing you laugh is one of the bests things for him in general as it makes him feel nice.

➠ He sometimes feels like he's too different for you and that one day you'll decide that he's too boring for you and just leave him which is one of the things that he's most scared and terrified of.

➠ When the 'Hidden Inventory' arc happened he didn't talk to you for days on end, didn't even send you a text to confirm that he was okay and when you did see him you would get worried and try to ask him what was wrong and if he was eating well but he would always avoid the question so you decided to put it off.

➠ He never told you the full extent about what happened to Riko, not really. All you ever got from him was that the girl they were meant to be protecting died. That's all you ever got from Satoru too as he was constantly on missions so you never really understood.

➠ You were traveling on a mission when you were told to come back to the school. You had just finished it anyways so you obliged, it wasn't Yaga who told you what had happened but Satoru, he said that he even confronted Suguru and that it was best that you forget about him and who he was.

➠ Of course you pushed him for answers but he never gave any, he just walked away leaving you in almost complete denial. This didn't sound like him, he became a sorcerer to protect the weak, not to kill them. Yaga allowed you access to the file on what had happened and you saw first hand that it was true.

➠ His plan probably didn't make sense to you. You knew what he was going for, to end all curses but in the long run the whole thing was pointless. You killed curses to protect people, you don't kill people to kill curses. You wanted to tell him that...

will you?

hope you like my moodboard at the end! also hoped you enjoyed this!

[raygirlramblings]

So I'm trying to make a Captain Laserhawk joke (turned kinda serious?) AU where the characters lean more into their game counterparts in looks, personalities, and even stories (except for Dolph because he doesn't have a game counterpart to speak of, so he's the guy who literally has no real idea on what's goin on x11) (and I guess Bullfrog's left to be untouched because he's fine) while the comedy's also cranked up a lot more, and I've already made a post explaining the main cast, but upon doing my research on how to understand the source source material more through people's posts, I stumbled upon your "Orphans of Eden" AU and discovered certain parallels between it and my AU:

Jade and Pey'j find Dolph unconscious in the past and decide to fix him up and treat him like family. This leads to Dolph and Jade forming a nice sibling bond (and also Pey'j is much more like a caring, sane uncle in both AUs)

Rayman works for the good guys as a double agent of sorts and doesn't get guns out of nowhere? •o• (although I guess the main difference is that in your AU he actually gets to do stuff while in my AU he's just some mostly pacifist guy who doesn't want to totally ruin his reputation but he still tags along because Bullfrog gave him some food so now he trusts the gang now even though he's more conflicted with their beliefs lol)

Hmm, what else, what else, uhh... I guess Alex didn't show up before Jade and Pey'j found Dolph, so that's a bonus..! (Though, in my AU, Dolph still went through whatever happened in episode 1 of the series but it's like... a different guy we don't know of yet while Alex is working in this organization called "S.P.I.R.I.T." as an agent mentoring rookie agents and stuff because of his backstory in "The Crew")

And I think that's about it. I really like the concept of your AU and I hope that mine's about on par with yours :D

Have a nice day! ^v^

Nice! it's always fun to see people come up with alternate universe concepts ^-^ It's nice to imagine a more playful version of CLH. It feels a little 'Super Smash bros'-y, which fits Rayman's personality at the very least and allows characters like Jade and Alex to be a bit more relaxed. If anything it's an opportunity to add more game elements from different Ubisoft properties. How about a nod to Valiant Hearts, Tonic Trouble or Child of Light?

I like how Alex and Bullfrog team up too. That's a unique idea. It would be interesting to see how their very different perspectives on life affect how they interact, what their moral standings are and how those contrast one another.

I will say I found it really distracting how the characters were called 'Farts' over and over. I'm sure it's a reference to something but it made it really hard to take the plotlines of the characters seriously, and any serious aspects of their backstories (being used as a tool of Eden, getting into fights, death of families and friends) were undermined by its inclusion.

I'm glad you like Orphans of Eden! I really need to draw more stuff for it. I wanted to draw some of the orphan hybrids Jade, Pey'j and Dolph are caring for XD

[talentpiper11]

Okay so: what follows is a little ficlet drabble I wrote to respond to/ expand on @mapleapplepiee’s lovely Pie and Prince AU. It was made and posted with her permission, but is not necessarily canon to that au, just an idea taking place in the same space of thoughts. It’s seriously necessary to read her stuff to understand what I’ve got going here, but it’s great stuff and also not super long, so just go do it!

Also, please be aware that this isn’t beta’d— it isn’t even properly proofread, since it was just a fun little exercise for me rather than a full planned fic.

That said, I hope you enjoy!

Pie and Prince Continuation

The fact that Bitty has mistaken Jack for a guard actually comes in handy, for now. Once Jack pulls his foot out of his mouth— possibly he insinuated that baked goods have no place in the diet of anyone seeking to be any kind of athlete, and when Jack compliments his muffin-pan-bludgeoning, Bitty forces him to agree that the muffins themselves didn’t exactly slow him down, now did they, hun?

Jack relents, and at the price of being expected to try one baked good for every time he makes Bitty do this, he’s able to convince Bitty to join him at the castle’s sparring grounds under the promise that he won’t come to any harm.

Being the prince, he’s able to arrange for private training time, but lies and says it’s just the time the guards usually eat lunch— which it technically is, it’s just that he’s not a guard and wouldn’t usually be expected to eat with them, or at this time. The fact that he’s apparently skipping lunch, though, makes Bitty even more determined to get a little bit of pastry into him each time; he even starts mixing in things like quiches to count as both a baked good and a sensible guard’s meal.

When they meet for the first time, Jack decides to show Bitty a sort of sparring pattern that the guards (and he, because he was trained by the best of the guards), use to practice all the relevant moves for a sword fight in one flowing pattern. They start out flowing through the motions of it side by side, like a sword-based tai chi, but as Bitty gets faster and better, Jack convinces him to do it in a proper sparring session.

Now Bitty had some sort of training growing up which means he’s skilled at this sort of thing in general (jousting or fencing or something? The kind of thing that you would see on display at a gathering, not used on a battlefield) so he’s picked up the motions without much trouble, but actually facing Jack while his (wooden, practice) sword swings at him? It’s terrible. And Jack’s moving at an almost ridiculously slow clip, not the kind of speed he’d displayed in the bakery, eons behind the actual pace of battle. But Bitty only sees his trauma, and collapses into the dust before Jack can even get close.

They work through it— slow and halting— over weeks, fitting in time between Bitty’s bakery work and Jack's real princely obligations. As they do, they start to open up to each other, just a bit, just enough to see the light peeking through each other’s facade.

They’re eventually able to work up to crossing blades, and then from there they slowly increase the speed until they’re spinning around the fenced-in practice arena, complex footwork keeping time with the rhythmic hammering of their blades. It’s truly something like a dance— Jack swings his sword with enough speed, now, that it’d certainly hurt if it made contact, but Bitty’s (wooden) blade is already there to meet and redirect it.

They dodge and parry and weave and spin through the whole perimeter of the yard, their feet throwing up puffs of dust, breathing hard but focused entirely on the pattern of each other’s movements. When they come to the end of the movements, they’re standing chest to chest, crossed swords trapped and immovable between them as they heave from exertion.

That’s when cheering erupts from the edge of the practice ring. It’s the assembled members of the SMH! (The Samwell Majesty’s Honorguard, obv). They, and their frogs, ahem, sorry, their squires, have been watching from the lunch hall for months now, and finally made themselves known after that impressive and not at all sexually charged display. They applaud their well-toned asses off, then introduce themselves. Bitty is intimidated for a bit before he recognizes some of them as bakery customers, and then he’s in Work Mode.

He leaves that day with a collection of orders for baked goods, and a sinking feeling that he’s started to fall for this guard— who is almost certainly straight, and would definitely stop training with him if he let it get out that he’s got a crush. So he smothers that crush as hard as he possibly can.

Just in time for the annual dignitaries ball! Or, well, the several-month lead-up to the ball. Bitty is slammed with food orders as the delegations from various countries come into the city, and Jack is slammed with actual Prince work, so neither of them notices at first that they’ve gone longer and longer between practices— then they both notice at once, and assume instantly that the other has detected their budding romantic feelings and is trying to let them down easy.

In a moment of bravery, though, Jack arranges for an invitation to be sent to Bitty that he might attend the culminating event of the visitations, the masquerade ball itself. Bitty— caught off guard— agrees to attend, and the squire who’d come around to announce his invitation leaves before he can change his mind, just after depositing a beautifully inscribed ticket in his hands.

Bitty’s friends leap at the chance to dress him up for the ball, helping him out as much as possible to be presentable, and in the end, he looks ravishing— and very different from his usual garb. He feels a bit gaudy and strange, but his friends swear up and down that he looks perfect, so off he goes.

At the ball, everyone dances with everyone else. The aim, in theory, is to create a sense of equality— the masks mean that anyone could be anyone else, and so you must always treat your partner with respect, because they could be the king or a visiting dignitary as easily as they could be a random lady in waiting or, say, a baker. (In practice, the delegations almost exclusively wear the colors of their nation’s livery, so you can make an educated guess based on your partner’s age, colors, and dancing skill— but a baker wouldn’t be trained to make those calculations.)

When he gets onto the dance floor, Bitty gets passed from person to person, as is the tradition of the ball. He dances with a woman old enough to be his grandmother, a boy who couldn’t be older than him, a middle-aged man, a lovely lady just his height, the list goes on and on and on. Finally, he’s passed into the arms of a man in a stunning dark blue getup, with gold accents at the buttons, the shoulders, and around his mask. They make a dapper pair, with Bitty in scarlet.

Neither recognize the other at first. Jack isn’t sure what country this small blond belongs to, and the guy is certainly not a good enough dancer to be properly-trained royalty, anyway. Bitty is so focused on not tripping over his own feet that he’s not even trying to parse each new partner— though the quick glance he spares for this one tells him he’s definitely his type.

They speak in quiet voices, and Bitty makes a joke at his own expense that pulls a laugh out of Jack, and suddenly they’re both a bit more relaxed in the moment. Then Bitty puts his foot into a puddle of someone’s spilled drink, and he slips to the side. He recovers quickly, his hand in Jack’s firm one giving him plenty of purchase to pull upright, but suddenly they’ve slipped out of the rhythm of the circling dancers.

Bitty, frantic and unsure and embarrassed, falls back on what he’s been practicing for months, and takes the first measured step-step-turn of the sword dance. To his shock, his partner mirrors the movement, stepping in time and sliding backward as he turns so that they’re kept in sync.

After that, they just fall into the dance together. It’s a little different, doing the footwork without the swords, but they hold tight to each other and glide across the dance floor adroitly.

Everyone who’s anyone in the room, save Bitty, has already figured out that the dashing gentleman in blue is the nation’s prince, and nobody who’s anyone has any idea who this shorter man in red is, but they all move to leave room for the pair to spin across the floor in tandem. At the close of the song, the pair are brought chest to chest with each other— and then just as quickly, they’re separated. It’s time to switch partners, after all.

Bitty’s next partner can’t believe their luck, to get the first chance at the gossip scoop, and immediately starts asking Bitty where he’s from, where that dance is from, how does the prince know that dance?

The prince?

Bitty extricates himself from the dance floor after that dance. He’s tired, and he certainly must’ve heard wrong. The prince? No, surely not.

He looks towards the man, still at the center of the whirling maelstrom of dancing, standing out in both grace and color— those are, of course, the colors of the country that they’re in, and so… huh. The prince.

Bitty, having gotten entirely too close to two handsome and ridiculously unattainable gentlemen with blue eyes and dark hair, runs. He leaves the party entirely, making his way into the dark garden outside the ballroom. Of course, some partygoers have filtered out here, but really the only inhabitants of the space are the guards, posted two-by-two at each entrance. He finds himself on a bench, as far away from the glittering colors of the ballroom as he can get without leaving the grounds entirely.

He’s wasting an irreplaceable opportunity to network for his bakery, he tells himself. He should go back in. He’ll never get to be on the inside of a party like this again, either. He really, really should go back in. Come on, Bitty. Get up. Go.

He doesn’t move.

Some interminable time later, he feels someone sit down next to him, and pulls his face from his hands.

It’s Shitty, from the bakery event. From *Jack*. Like Bitty didn’t already feel miserable enough, here’s a guard from Jacks own team, closer to Jack than he’ll ever get to be, to rub his face in it.

But of course, Shitty doesn’t do that. He sits there, not touching Bitty, not even saying anything, but aiming an understanding and open expression at him. An invitation.

“I…” Bitty starts. His voice breaks a little, so he takes another go at it. “Have you ever…” He trails off again.

Okay, deep breath. He pulls off his mask, turning it over in his hands to look at the glittering garnet-red decorations as they catch the light. When he speaks, he’s talking towards the mask more than Shitty.

“There’s… something that I want,” he begins, deciding to keep it vague. “Something that would make me so happy, but I know I can’t actually have it. And I’m worried that if I keep wanting it, it’s going to ruin things that are already good where they are, you know?”

Shitty fixes him with a searching gaze, and Bitty flushes, feeling exposed, almost wishing he kept the mask on so that Shitty’s eyes couldn’t pierce all the way to the core of him.

“Bitty, you wonderful angel sent from above to bless this kingdom with pastry, thank you for telling me all that.”

Bitty didn’t think he’d told all that much, but he got the sense that now was not the time to interrupt, so he smothered his protest.

Sure enough, Shitty continued, “If you want the advice of this guard, all I can say is: if things are really that good, I don’t think you can ruin them so easily. You just gotta ask for what you want, and if the answer’s no, that doesn’t mean that every other nice thing in life has to go that way, too, yeah? And hey. I think there’s always a chance it’s a yes, you know?”

Bitty flushed further, and busied his hands fixing his mask back over his face, tugging the ribbons back into place to hold it on. After a long moment (and once he was safely hidden behind gaudy scarlet sparkles) he looked up at Shitty.

“Thanks,” he said, voice small in the expansive courtyard. “You know, you’re really good at this?”

Shitty laughed. “So I’ve been told. If guarding ever doesn’t pan out, I suppose I have a back-up profession being a supportive bench friend, huh?”

Bitty laughed at that, and the tension that had blanketed the area moved along like leaves in an autumn breeze.

Shitty stood and brushed invisible dust from his breastplate— clearly more of a habitual gesture than a necessary one.

“Look, man, I should get back to work now, but are you good?”

“I’m good, Shitty. Thanks.”

“Anytime, you incredible pie wizard, any time.”

Bitty took a few more moments on the bench to collect himself, but talking about his predicament with Shitty seemed to have shaken something loose in him, and now he was restless. If Shitty was here, surely the rest of his guard squad was as well— surely Bitty could find Jack, and maybe by then he’d know what to say.

He abandoned the bench and started walking back towards the balcony that looked over the garden, where the doors had been thrown open to allow the sounds of music and revelry to spill into the night.

When he came within sight of the balcony, though, he came to such an abrupt stop that he almost faceplanted on the flagstones. There, standing at the railing and looking out into the garden, was the prince. It was hard to tell with the mask, but Bitty was almost certain that he was looking right at him. Oh lord.

Before his brain could catch up with the situation, his legs had carried him behind the nearest hedge. The garden wasn’t quite a maze, but the paths that wound through it had clearly been designed to obscure the perspective of those walking along them— each one curved and planted such that you felt alone even when you knew, intellectually, that you couldn’t be far from the nearest couple taking quiet advantage of the evening’s shadows amidst the foliage.

Bitty wasted little time contemplating the garden’s clever architecture, though, instead devoting his attention to weaving deeper into the twisting paths— further from that balcony, and the prince’s stare. Two turns into his escape, he glanced behind him and was surprised to see the prince was following; when he saw Bitty had spotted him, he called out, “Wait!”

Was that a royal command? Was running away from this situation now technically a little treasonous? Bitty wasn’t sure, but he also wasn’t sticking around to find out. He increased his pace, grateful for the well-tended pathways under his feet as he took each turn faster than was strictly advisable. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he couldn’t lie to himself that it was from exertion— his workouts with Jack had done many things for him, but among them was certainly an increase in fitness. Even in his ballroom attire, Bitty’s breaths came smooth and even.

The footsteps behind him faded to silence, and Bitty heaved a sigh of relief even as he slowed his gait to a trot, then a walk. He took a moment to get himself in order: physically, to straighten his disheveled jacket, and mentally, to rearrange his thoughts. He still had to find Jack, and then—

Bitty turned the next corner and found himself facing the prince.

Of course the man who lived in the palace would know these gardens better than a random visitor. Of course. And now he was cornered— even if he turned back now, he’d still be in the prince’s territory. But just because there was no chance of escape didn’t mean he wasn’t tensing his leg muscles to give it an honest try.

Just before he spun off back into the darkness, though, the prince spoke up. Or, well, it was hardly speaking up, the man’s voice was hardly louder than a whisper, but it was enough to carry clearly across the narrow distance that separated them.

“…Bitty?”

Bitty froze. What? How did the prince know— why was he— why had he— what? Bitty’s thoughts tumbled over each other in a roiling mess. At a loss for what else to do, he cautiously replied, “… yes?”

A beat passed, and then he hastily tacked on a “Your highness.”

The prince, bizarrely, seemed taken aback by the formal address. Bitty watched as he schooled his expression— the parts of it visible beneath the mask, at least— into something neutral, though almost… sad?

“Are you angry with me, Bitty?”

I’m sorry, what? “I’m sorry, what? Your highness.”

There, again, the prince flinched. “No, no, it is I who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to mislead you, I just… I’m sorry, I’m doing all of this wrong.”

And then, before Bitty could muster any sort of response to that, the prince reached up and untied his deep sapphire mask, the ribbons trailing away as he pulled the elegant thing from his face.

Bitty came face to face with Jack, and nothing in the world made sense. He felt, distantly, that he ought to reply to this revelation in some way, but he couldn’t seem to find where he’d misplaced every word he’d ever learned. Instead, he stayed frozen to the spot, mouth agape like some kind of unfortunate fish, staring at the utterly un-processable sight before him.

Jack clearly took his silence (and probably his expression) as a negative sign, and he started to talk again. Bitty struggled valiantly to focus on the words as they spilled from Jack’s— the prince’s— Prince Jack’s mouth.

“Look, I know I should have told you before, and I’m sorry. It’s just— nobody ever looks at me and just sees ‘Jack’, you know? So when you didn’t treat me like I was something special… it was just nice to be a person for once, not a title. But I know I shouldn’t have lied, and I understand if you’re angry with me now. I’d get it if you didn’t want to see me again, and… and I promise to respect that, if that’s what you want. Just, please, Bitty, talk to me.”

Bitty held his hand up, cutting him off, heedless of the fact that he was being distinctly rude to the prince of his kingdom. He just needed a minute to process, okay? A minute, and perhaps a seat. Yes, this would be much easier to think through sitting, wouldn’t it? Bitty glanced around, and then, for lack of better options, sat squarely on the stone path. Jack reached for him as he did (trying to catch him?) and ended up on his knees before Bitty. With both of them on the ground, they were almost at eye level with each other. Bitty pulled his mask aside, much as Jack had, and contemplated him.

Jack sat there, eyes downcast, as Bitty’s gaze skated across his face, his elegant costume, his sapphire-studded mask. When he looked back to Jack’s face, he was surprised to see him restraining a cringe; it looked like he expected to be hit, and was preparing to take it with dignity. Dignity befitting a prince, which Jack apparently was. All at once, Bitty realized that it had been far too long since he had spoken, and that Jack— prince or not, this was still Bitty’s Jack— was bracing for the worst.

“I’m not angry,” he started, finally finding words in the revelation that Jack needed to hear them. “I’m just a little confused, okay? I just… this whole time?”

Jack mutely nodded. Duh.

“And Shitty was…”

“Sworn to secrecy. I made him promise not to tell you before I was ready. He didn’t have a choice.”

Bitty waved his hand dismissively though the air— he wasn’t mad at Shitty, either, and didn’t need the excuses right now. “And the training? The sword dance?”

“Taught to me by the head of the guards— that much was always true. I just thought it would help you, so I booked time at the training ground to show it to you, and then it became something l looked forward to, more and more each time. It was how I was certain it was you, in there.” He jerked his head towards the distant echoey music from the party.

Bitty chewed on that for a moment, turning the words over in his head, and found that he believed him. Jack had kept one thing from him— one enormous thing, to be sure, but he understood the reasoning— but had been unfailingly straightforward with him otherwise.

“Okay,” Bitty breathed.

Jack looked up at that. “Okay?”

“Okay, help me up.” Bitty offered his hand, not with the decorum of a ballroom dancer, but with the camaraderie of two men who had trained on the same field. Jack grasped it and pulled Bitty to his feet even as he stood himself, reasserting their height difference and pulling them in close.

Bitty didn’t release his hand, and Jack didn’t try to extricate it.

“Jack?” Bitty turned his face upward, meeting Jack’s eyes, their piercing blue softened by the low golden light of the garden’s lanterns. “I have one more question.”

“Yeah?” The word sent a puff of breath dancing through Bitty’s carefully coiffed hair, and he shivered despite the warm weather.

Bitty tipped his head even further back, raising himself up just a little on the balls of his feet, trying to ask his question with his body as much as his voice, as he felt the latter might abandon him at any moment.

“Would you like to—“ and then the rest of his words were lost, not to fear, but to Jack. They kissed, gentle and deep as the warm night around them, and the world made sense again.

[clatterbane]

My first real appointment through orthopedics to finally try and get set up with an aftermarket leg is coming up on Monday.

The previous referral last year just didn't work out, for multiple reasons, and I was a bit bummed over that. I think part of the problem was it falling through the cracks because nobody really seems to be sure what to do with somebody showing up from completely outside their system already minus a leg.

But, we thought to ask that new endo for a fresh referral. So, I did get an intake appointment set up through ortho, with no schedule collisions this time.

In one way, I'm excited to hopefully get moving toward with the process of getting set up with a prosthetic. I would really like to be able to get around better again! And, you know, be able to take my sorry ass off paved surfaces and up steps and stuff again!

OTOH, due to the person I am? I am trying not to borrow too much trouble and drive myself crazy worrying in the meantime. Especially the closer that draws.

Frankly, not least that somebody is gonna just say, "Oops, it's been so long and this entire situation does not fit into any familiar procedures. We just can't/won't help you!”

Yeah, I know there is going to be an awful lot of PT ahead, likely before I even get to the point of any fitting. I have some other concerns about that, after some sufficiently unpleasant experiences as a troublesome-bendy individual, with rehab-focused PT after injuries/knee surgeries (directly coming from the probably-EDS) in the past. My knees are also pretty damned terrible, and also kinda further destabilized by said surgical tinkering.

But, I am much older and more confident now--and not nearly as eager to take any "no pain, no gain!" bullshit seriously. Much less push in ill-advised ways until I do my bendy self an injury.

But yeah, even right now? I would place good money if I had it on the likelihood that I am currently in better shape than 75% of the new patients they see much sooner than this after surgery. Who are statistically much older and otherwise in pretty damned bad health. Probably I've been staying more physically active over the past few years than a lot of that demographic have been able to, even under the current circumstances

Mean age at the time of the first registered amputation in our sample was 74 years (SD 14); women were older (78, SD 14, CI 77–79) than men (72, SD 14, CI 72–73). 43% of the patients were 80 years or older by the time of the primary amputation (Figure 3). The mortality rate of the registered patients was 19% within 6 months and 24% within the 1st year after the last registered amputation. The 1-year mortality rate after TFA was 40%, after KD 38%, and after TTA 24%.

("Lucky" transtibial/TTA here. Those figures are from the Swedish national database, BTW. Because there is one. You see dire mortality rates after this sort of surgery come up? That's a lot of why. Those demographics and the occasional nasty accident requiring amputation seriously skew things.)

There were reasons they kept going on about how young and healthy my middle-aged ass that had just barely cheated death was when I was stuck in the hospital in Romford. And therefore considered a candidate for prosthetics at all under that system. Not going off on that rant right now.

Still, the majority of those elderly patients in otherwise not great shape DO get successfully set up on replacement legs here. Which is encouraging, that they are likely not looking hard for excuses to avoid spending the money. (We're talking the equivalent of a new not-cheap car, back in the US. Region Skåne is still set to lay out a fair chunk of change here. We are thankfully not directly.)

I do rationally doubt that I would get turned away just because I have been off that leg for several years now, and my knees were terrible even before that. And I fucking suck at trying to use forearm crutches, which I am not at all used to and have a very different feel than the type I do have too much experience on.

But yeah, my brain just won't leave things alone as usual. That's just one of the crappiest possibilities it's seized onto right now.

[kay-wren]

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 29

Jessie and Rafe were finally done packing that evening. Charley of course had already been put to bed, allowing them time to get some stuff done.

"You've always been an over packer." Rafe joked as he walked into Jessie's room looking at the luggage full of clothes, shoes, and everything in between.

"I like to think I'm cautious." Jessie laughed back. It was hard for Jessie not to over pack when her entire life was filled with so much turmoil. Many a time her and JJ both packed their bags not knowing when or if they would return home. Jessie couldn't help but take that into her adult life. Rafe snaked his arms behind Jessie to pull her into a hug when he noticed a square, black book with nothing on the front of it sitting in her suitcase.

"What's this?" Rafe asked as he got an arm around Jessie to grab it.

"Uh, that's, uh, a photo album. I thought JJ would like to see some pictures of Charley and me over the years... and you too of course." Jessie explained. Rafe realized with everything happening so quickly, Jessie never really got the time to show Rafe stuff like this. Without a word said, Rafe jumped on the bed with the book in his hands in excitement.

"I want to look at every picture. Do you have any more?" Rafe asked. Jessie just laughed and looked almost embarrassed. At first Rafe was confused by the look, but then he realized.

"There's more in that suitcase isn't there?" Rafe smirked. Jessie giggled and nodded her head like a child as she rummaged through some clothes to find the others buried at the bottom. She pulled them out and jumped on the bed with Rafe.

That night Rafe and Jessie spent the next few hours looking through all kinds of photos, ranging from Jessie's pregnancy, Charley's birth, life in Manhattan, birthdays, and everything in between.

"You know, years ago a night like this would've been spent smoking your dad's weed or drinking or doing some other dumb shit." Rafe laughed as he closed the last album.

"Look at us, growing up." Jessie joked as she flipped her hair.

"Do you miss it?" Rafe asked a little more seriously. Jessie didn't need him to elaborate, she knew exactly what he was referring to.

"The late nights when all we had to worry about was who was sleeping in who's bed? Of course I do." Jessie answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. Rafe and Jessie always felt like the modern day Bonnie and Clyde in a way, always looking to get into or out of trouble and teaching each other every day what it means to be truly free and not care about what others think. They both had big reputations on the island— in totally different ways— and that's what always made them so dynamic.

Rafe just looked down in sadness as well and pulled Jessie's hand to his chest and held it.

"Look, I know things are different now." Rafe whispered. "But different doesn't mean worse. We can get back to us, Jess. We're going to find a new normal eventually, and we'll learn to love that new normal."

Jessie teared up. This was the Rafe she always believed in... the Rafe nobody else gets to see. Still, she couldn't let her guard down completely, as she knew that deep down Rafe was still trying to get clean.

"Yeah, I know." Jessie paused. "But sometimes deep down I do wish things were as simple as they were back then... even though they really weren't simple at all." Jessie laughed, her hand still being held tightly by Rafe's strong arms. Rafe laughed as well.

"I know, baby. It's always been me and you against the world, and look, that really hasn't changed." Rafe said. Jessie saw his point. Here they were in the same position they found themselves in years ago: trying to convince everyone that they were going to make it despite all the people who hated seeing them together.

"You know JJ's gonna be livid right? He's not going to accept that we're back together." Jessie proclaimed. Rafe scoffed.

"Well, yeah, I figured that." Rafe joked as he kissed Jessie's hand. "But it doesn't matter, nothing and nobody is going to separate me from my girls. I promise."

"Not even Coke?" Jessie had to ask. The thought has been eating away at her the second she decided to take Rafe back.

"Especially not Coke." Rafe replied more serious than ever as he looked into Jessie's eyes. Jessie nodded in response.

"Not even money?" Jessie asked again. Rafe just laughed, now holding onto both of her hands with his.

"I'm done chasing whatever the pogues dig up." Rafe said with a smile. Jessie couldn't help but snicker and nod her head once again. Jessie took a deep breath followed by a sigh of relief. Rafe could tell those thoughts had been weighing on her. He brushed some hair out of her face.

"You and Charley are my first priority. I'll make our money honestly with the company, and that's as far as it'll go. Besides..." Rafe smirked. "I still have that other half of the gold."

Jessie just scoffed and playfully hit Rafe's arm as if she couldn't believe he just said such a thing. Rafe took the opportunity to grab her arm and swing her over his body as he lay in the bed with Jessie on top of him. They were now in a full on play fight until Jessie grabbed a pillow beside her. Rafe playfully screamed but then Jessie quickly put her pointer finger up to her lips signaling he needed to keep it down.

"Our daughter is asleep in the other room." Jessie whispered through giggles.

"Well then we better keep quiet." Rafe smirked as he threw Jessie down on the bed.

- - -

Rafe had his driver pick him, Jessie, and Charley up at the airport and take them to their home In OBX. Their home... Rafe loved the sound of that. Although, he knew there was no way he could have him and his girls live in that house forever, there was simply too much baggage. He vowed to himself to find a house fit just for them, but for now, this would do.

"This is your new home." Rafe said to Jessie as he wrapped his arm around her as he walked toward the front door with Charley on his hip. "For now anyways. I promise some day soon we'll have a house all our own that we pick." Rafe assured as he went to unlock the front door.

Jessie entered through the front door, hit with a wave of nostalgia-- no, trauma. There was the same dining room table that Rafe slammed his fist against when he was fighting with Ward over Jessie, and there was the kitchen island where Rose so gracefully despised her presence, and how could she forget the long dark hallway where Ward threatened her.. and then Rafe threatened his father. Jessie tried to put it out of her mind. Rafe put Charley down to roam freely through her new home, which she gladly did through fits of laughter, screams, and claps.

"We're going to need to put away all the million dollar artifacts laying around." Jessie joked as she rubbed her hand worriedly against her forehead, although she was being slightly serious. Rafe laughed.

"We can make that happen, you wanna unpack and then head to JJ's? He still doesn't know you're here right?"

"Right." Jessie sighed, anxiety written all over her face. Rafe noticed and pulled Jessie into his chest for a tight hug. He laid his head on top of hers.

"Everything's gonna be alright, baby. We've done this before. If you really want I can stay here while you go over there with Charley so he can just meet her first." Rafe assured.

"No, I really think it'd be best just to rip the bandaid off, and Charley being there might keep him in check." Jessie stated through sad eyes. It broke Rafe's heart to see her so stressed. He leaned down to look in Jessie's eyes and cupped her face.

"Baby, I promise it'll be okay. I'll do all the explaining if you want me to. You don't even have to be there, you can stay here with Charley." Rafe explained with a softness.

"And just let you get a public beating for stealing what's rightfully the pogues, only returning half out of legal obligation, and then getting back together with the pogues' sister that you forced to run off because of you're drug induced rage? Yeah, no thanks, I'd like you alive." Jessie retorted not even slightly joking. Still, Rafe found it funny. "It'd be best coming from me... or at least the both of us." Jessie said as she looked into Rafe's eyes and held his arms as they were holding her face. Rafe just nodded in understanding. Without even averting her eyes, Jessie's sixth sense kicked in that the house was too quiet.

"Get out of whatever you are in Charlotte Renee." Jessie yelled. All of a sudden both of them heard what sounded like a heavy lid hit the ground and roll around until it came to a complete stop. Sure enough, the top of a beautiful mosaic vase was on the ground in the living room. Rafe was amazed.

"How did you do that." He asked.

"Mom things." Jessie answered with a smirk and a shrug.

- - -

Rafe and Jessie had arrived to the Chateau in Rafe's truck. The pogues exited the house confused because they weren't expecting any visitors, and especially not Rafe. Their confusion only grew when they saw Jessie hop out of the passenger seat.

At first JJ came barreling through the yard when he thought Rafe was the only one he would be seeing, but he stopped midway when he caught a glimpse of his sister coming from the passenger side.

"Jessie?!" JJ asked suddenly with a bright smile on his face. All the other pogues looked around at each other, still not completely sure what was happening, and didn't quite trust it. JJ, however, had quickly forgotten about the fact that Jessie most definitely just got out of the passenger seat of his arch nemesis' truck. He ran to engulf her in a hug, only to look over Jessie's shoulder and see Rafe stepping out of the truck as well. Rafe and JJ made eye contact. Rafe gave a look as if to say "not here, and not now." JJ returned the look with an expression of "what the hell?" Then again, JJ was never one to keep his thoughts only in his head, so of course he said exactly what he was thinking.

"What the hell is he doing here?" JJ yelled as he began to charge at Rafe. Jessie saw it coming and immediately got in front of JJ, putting her hands on his chest just long enough to catch his attention once more and make him stop.

"Hey hey hey, not right now. He's-"

"Not right now? Not right now, Jessie?! He stole from us! I'm gonna beat his ass!"

"JJ." Pope spoke up in disbelief, all the pogues were too busy looking at what was going on behind the two siblings to stop JJ from pummeling Rafe. Once JJ heard Pope's oddly calm demeanor he finally looked past Jessie, only to see Rafe holding Charley on his hip, clearly unsure if he was going to walk towards them or not. JJ began to tear up.

"I-Is that...?" JJ couldn't finish his sentence for choking on his words as his lips quivered.

"Yea, JJ. That's my... that's our daughter." Jessie answered as she turned to look at Rafe. Rafe still hadn't moved, he stood their with a stolid look on his face as if to say that he was not to be messed with while his daughter was around, especially not while she was in his arms. Rafe managed the perfect look of a mix between genuine desire to make things right, while also showing that he meant business. Rafe was proving to be an iron fist in a velvet glove at the moment. JJ received the message loud and clear from Rafe with no words needed, but he was still so conflicted on how to handle the situation.

"So you think you can just show up with my niece on your hip and think I won't beat the shit out of you? Really? That's some real cowardly shit hiding behind your daughter don't you think, kook?" JJ spat as he narrowed his eyes at Rafe. Jessie could tell Rafe didn't like that accusation, and she knew that if Charley wasn't there, he would've lunged at JJ wishing for a fight.

"My daughter is here to protect you, not me." Rafe simply said with a newfound cockiness to him as he strutted up to JJ, showing he wasn't afraid. Unfortunately, Jessie knew Rafe was right. He wasn't going to fight in front of his daughter.

"That's a load of horseshit!" JJ laughed at Rafe before looking back at Jessie with judgement written all over his face. "So what is he to you now, huh? Husband? Baby daddy? Ex thief?"

"Ex murderer?" Kiara butted in through gritted teeth and knotted up fists. All the pogues were just as furious that Rafe was even on their turf right now. Except for Sarah, she was still processing that her brother... and her beautiful niece... were standing right in front of her. Sarah couldn't deny that Rafe seemed different this time.

"Jess, you can't be serious." John B finally interrupted. "Are you seriously going to let him be around your daughter? After all that you know he's done to us?"

"Nah, screw that man." JJ exclaimed with anger imminent, now pacing back and forth. "How could you even let him back in your life, Jess. Knowing all that he's put you through?!" JJ grew more furious with every passing word. "You know how this ends, Jessie! You've seen this movie before, and I'll be damned if I let you ruin my niece's life on top of that, Rafe." JJ said this time through angry tears as he made his way to Rafe once more. Jessie stopped in front of JJ again doing the same motion as before.

"JJ," Jessie whispered. "I know this hurts you. I know that you're worried about me, and about Charley, but I promise, nobody has thought about this decision more than I have. Rafe and I are going to try and be a family again. We think Charley deserves that much, and I know that you would agree." JJ's tears suddenly dried up, and his face changed from one of worry to one of numbness.

"You really think he's changed?" JJ sniffled looking down at Jessie, already answering the question in his head. Rafe decided to step in.

"You can have it." Rafe said plainly, looking down at the ground, still standing a few paces away from JJ. "You can have it all. The gold. I don't care about it anymore." Rafe explained as he finally got close enough to JJ and the other pogues. "I just want my girls. I haven't used since Jessie walked through that door in the Bahamas, and I swore to myself years ago that if she ever walked back into my life for whatever reason that I would not give her a reason to walk back out. I've kept that promise. I beat her back to Manhattan to plead with her in person to give me another chance. I know I've messed up pretty damn bad and done wrong by you guys too many times, and I don't expect forgiveness overnight... or even at all. But I do hope that you'll understand that Jessie and I are not going to give up on each other anymore no matter what anyone has to say." Rafe's words were calm, cool, and collected. It was different for all of them to not see Rafe so hot headed, yet they took him just as seriously. JJ had no words, conflicted was an understatement. He couldn't get that night out of his mind, the night Jessie left.

***

"Where the hell is she, JJ!" JJ heard Rafe yell while he was inside sobbing. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the truck door slamming and hearing Rafe scream, clearly angry. He immediately pulled himself together and went outside to face the man he knew was the reason for Jessie's disappearance. In an odd way, JJ was hoping he would see Rafe that night.

"Man, I don't know where the hell she went." JJ exclaimed with annoyance as he threw his hands up in the air. JJ's eyes were still red and swollen yet his tears were nowhere to be found. Rafe really didn't care either way.

"Nah, nah, don't mess with me bro." Rafe demanded as he walked right up to JJ clearly in a mental tailspin. Rafe pinned JJ up against the porch post, one arm pressed hard against JJ's neck. JJ was breathing hard but was determined to not let Rafe see him sweat. That's how JJ always was.

"You're going to TELL ME WHERE SHE IS." Rafe screamed in JJ's face, clearly slipping further into a psychotic rage that he was becoming so accustomed to.

"Dude, I swear if I knew where she was I'd be there. She left because of you, you know-"

"Shut up!" Rafe proclaimed as he pushed his arm further into JJ's shoulders, beginning to obstruct his airflow. Rafe knew JJ was right. Jessie most definitely left because of him. He stood there for a moment looking at JJ. JJ couldn't pinpoint what emotion Rafe was feeling other than rage. Rafe finally let go, only to back away with balled fists as he contemplated what to do next. His breathing became heavier and heavier, the walls of his life feeling like they were caving in on him. His one steadfast that he had, the one he always had in his corner, was gone, and it was all his fault. Rafe felt like crawling out of his own skin, he had never felt so much rage. All the times he faught with his dad, hated the pogues, nothing could compare to the anger he had in his heart... this time only for himself. Rafe finally let it spill out the only way he knew how.

"SHIT!" Rafe screamed at the top of his lungs into the night air, not knowing or caring who it woke up. JJ jumped at the sudden outburst, how could he not? It was a blood curdling cry. After seeing that, he was secretly glad Jessie got away. JJ could only imagine what Rafe was capable of doing to Jessie when he was that angry.

"Did you hit her?" JJ asked calmly with balled fists as he looked at the back of Rafe, who was now staring off into the distant water. Rafe just took a deep breath and scratched his head, refusing to answer. He didn't hit her, but he came pretty damn close. He was afraid of himself in that moment.

"Did you hit her?!" JJ yelled, finally losing his cool. No answer was an answer for JJ, he knew exactly what Rafe meant. Rafe finally turned to look back at JJ, this time with an odd sadness in his eyes as he played with the skin on his lips. He put his palms up to his eyes as if to block out whatever he was thinking or feeling. He finally pulled himself out of it and looked at JJ with determination in his face.

"I'm not gonna stop looking for her." Rafe choked out as he pointed at JJ.

"Oh, you're gonna stop looking for her, Rafe." JJ threatened as he walked closer to Rafe. JJ matched Rafe's all too familiar calm but intimidating energy as he pursed his lips and broadened his chest.

"I'm never going to stop looking for her." Rafe said more determined. "I will find her!"

"If you find her, I find you. And I'll kill you. Do you understand?" JJ demanded as he got within mere inches of Rafe's face, now looking him dead in his bloodshot eyes. Rafe simply laughed, feeling as if they were just playing a game of dick measuring.

"Is that a threat?" Rafe joked with knitted eyebrows.

"That's a promise."