#i feel like it would pack a bigger emotional punch

[pinkfey]

i feel like the major solas memory reveals specifically regarding titans and the blight should have been done with a little more oomph

[ladybender]

Jesus oh my god...

Futurama's second episode of this season "Quids Game" was a punch in the guts. In a good way! It goes right on par with episodes like "Cold Warriors" and "Game of Tones": an exploration of Fry's childhood, this time through the lens of mean aliens making him relieve his 8th birthday party games - this time to the death!

I have a lot to say about this episode so buckle up!

Let's start off with some minor complains I have for this one, which are pacing, stakes, and Leela's characterization (in a particular scene).

The episode really flew by so fast, almost at a break-necking pace, and the games felt too short and jam-packed because of that. The emotional weight of the end of each game hits hard because with every one a beloved character dies. There managed to find the time to get the reaction for the major ones (Kif, Leela's parents and grandmother), which is great, but the episode moves so quickly and there is little more time to absorbed it all.

Though, about this issue, I wanna say that I often feel like episodes are either going by too fast or too slow the first time I watch them and it usually doesn't feel the same from a second watch onward. so this is really a minor one that might not even be an problem for me later on, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

moving on to stakes, with this I mean that I originally thought, before the episode aired, that the end goal of the death dame was that the winner would get a prize. A birthday gift for example, and it would have incentivized everyone to go on and even play dirty (which, in retrospect, seems like a really smart thing to put in! compare everyone trying to get an advantage to Fry absolutely refusing to cheat, and pack an even bigger punch with that ending). I suppose playing to survive is motivation enough, but I think it undermines the "wants" of most other characters, and since this was a big coral episode (which is absolutely a strength! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to put together, wow!) I would have loved to see them striving to win, guess what their “birthday wish” would have been, maybe even learn a few of them along the way.

The third iffy thing I want to mention is Leela in the scene in the kitchen. There are seven characters left in the competition and only four baseballs to find to win the round. Leela is panicking trying to find one and she begs fry to cheat and find it for her since he already played when he was a kid and knows the house. Now this conflict was SO good and ALMOST perfect, but whyyyy oh why was Leela so ready to leave Fry behind??? doesn't make sense to me??? I know she was scared and upset bc she had just lost her family and that probably pushed her to act irrationally, but I just can't see her only wanting to keep herself alive and not Fry, especially when an easier and stronger solution is RIGHT THERE.

Have Leela go to Fry already with one of the baseball (that she might have found in some crawled and ridiculous place, to show how desperate she is to win and survive. if you have the wish giving stakes it's even better because you can imagine she'd use her gift to bring her parents back). in the meantime, the other characters find two other balls so there is only one left, and NOW Leela begs Fry to cheat to find the last one and win with her. It's even more emotional, Leela tells him she doesn't want to lose him too but Fry categorically doesn't want to cheat, and in the end tells Leela to win without him, sacrificing himself for her. Bender finds the last ball in the fridge and the episode continues just like we saw (with Bender tossing the ball to someone else right before being pulverized lol. like I said, Bender should be cheating like MAD in these games, really drive home the concept).

I wanna make it clear that these complains don't really turn me off from the whole episode, they are just my free flow of thoughts on stuff that i thought could have been stronger.

But now for the meat. This episode was phenomenal!!! so much good Fry's family characterization and SO much to unpack for Fry as a character. Cody Ziglar has such a spot on take on Fry, it was so validating seeing this episode and putting together all the little pieces of Fry's psyche I’ve picking out for years now, converging into one.

It seems superficial at first glance, but this really runs deeper than it looks. Fry has always been earnest but insecure, proven and proven again in countless episodes. You expect a person goofy and easygoing like Fry to go ham at his birthday and celebrate with all the people he loves, but we find out Fry doesn't like his birthday and feels bad about being put at the center of attention, and it all goes deeper and more upsetting from there.

Adding to all of this and speaking about Fry’s parents, especially his mom, I wanna add that it’s such a realistic conflict it was painful to watch – she wanted to give her son the chance to be a winner, she had no idea how the situation would turn against him. Sometimes a good day of parenting could be the kid’s most terrible experience of his life, and that’s brutal but the parent meant well even if they ruined things for their kid. It’s so sad Fry never got to see how much his mom and dad did for him, and she wanted him to feel like a winner, but this isn’t a story with an easy resolution. It’s bittersweet and it's insane and this last scene ruined me fr, like just look at this what the hell

This exploration of Fry goes hand in hand with everything we know of him. it seamlessly adds another layer of understanding that I’m honestly not even sure I can unpack in a single post, because there is so much to say and draw conclusions from, starting from the very first episode and ending with Meanwhile. From his relationship with his parents and his brother, to his love life and friendships, from his view of himself as a loser to the way he's always striving to better himself while always staying true to himself, trying to achieve his goals the hard way instead of finding an easy way out. Think the why of Fry, Parasite Lost, TKOS, the sting, godfella, my three suns, BBS, cold warriors, and on and on and on. It’s building together a picture of Fry’s character that’s so complex and worth exploring.

With this episode we have a new fundamental facet of him, and for this alone it’s an amazing episode.

I’ll mail my therapy bill to the writers, thank you

And thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts and opinion, I wanna know what y’all thought about this episode

[zombolouge]

What’re some things that inspired you to write your Luckless books?

Initially, I had set out to write something to submit to an open call for novellas that Tor Books had been doing. The very, very early concept idea was "What if the opposite of The Last Unicorn?" where I was trying to imagine what kind of problems might be caused if you had too many unicorns. The Last Unicorn is one of my favorite movies/books of all time, so it was obviously a big influence on me and the tone of the story.

Gradually, it evolved into something a bit bigger than just that story seed. I think I wanted to tell a story about someone who goes through a lifetime of bad luck and to have it feel both like it was all for a reason AND to highlight that things could always be worse. Sort of a way to process tragedy and horror through an optimistic lens that doesn't outright dismiss how much it sucks to live through it all. That's how Bailey, my poor luckless son, came to be the protagonist. He's just out there doing his best but the world has other plans, and he does sometimes let that get him down but never lets it stop him, and I think that makes him heroic.

I'm sure anyone that knows me and my own life story would understand why I'd relate to writing about someone who is constantly assailed by bad luck but keeps on truckin' XD

I wanted to write something that was fun but heartfelt, that was fantasy but pointed out the absurdity of some of the common tropes, and that broke convention from the genre in other places. I wanted to build a world where the conflicts didn't have to rely on being overly gritty or bogged down with real world foils like racism and sexism and bigotry, but still pack emotional punch. I also wanted it to be diverse and character-focused, so that the personalities involved in the story drove it forward more than anything else.

lol and of course once I started worldbuilding, I built a nice sandbox to write not just Unlucky in, but a much longer saga. I like worldbuilding a LOT so there's a ton of lore for Skael that we haven't even scratched the surface on, and I look forward to getting more of the stories out there so I can share it. :) It's slow going, but I can always be encouraged to work a little faster if people show an interest ;)

You can buy a copy of Unlucky here, if you're interested in absurdity, sincerity, disaster gays, and murderous unicorns. <3

[cptn10]

I think at the end of it all I’m left very unsatisfied with Arcane season 2.

The first one packed such an emotional punch with conflict rooted in the very realistic class divide between Piltover and Zaun, with everyone in the cast playing very symbolic roles in the political and socio-economic landscape. On top of that, it was always able to bring its focus to the characters in very meaningful, intimate ways, from Jinx’s trauma and frayed sense of self to Mel’s struggle with understanding her own identity separate from her family’s. It seemed like every character got to shine in their own nuanced way, and was never confined to just act for the sake of the plot.

In season 2, with Noxus coming fully into the mix on top of the Arcane and Zaun, the plot really cannot spare a single second and it feels too big to fit in just nine episodes. In my opinion, it sacrificed the character moments to its own detriment. Ambessa was so predictable all throughout and lacked the contradictory features that made Silco such an interesting antagonist. Vi is almost a one-note character if not for her connection to Jinx and Caitlyn. Sevika was absolutely abandoned by the third arc along with Zaun. Caitlyn herself was rushed and apparently forgiven without a hitch by both Vi and Zaun for her actions as Commander.

I think that episode 7 was incredible in comparison to most of the others. It narrowed the scope down to Jayce and Ekko, with Heimerdinger and Powder complementing the narrative in poignant ways. It delivered two different yet equally haunting emotional journeys that set up the characters who would stop Viktor in the end.

By contrast, episode 8 needed to juggle multiple other characters and preparations. It did its best to pack so much build up in just under an hour: Mel’s self discovery; Viktor’s final form; Vander’s regress; the resolution between Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn; and Jayce’s rallying of the forces.

Finally, episode 9 has to deliver a resolution to every thread previously covered and, from my perspective, flounders and drags down the final arc with it. It held strong to its core themes of love, family, and war, but it dropped the class divide and social commentary for a really cool action montage with Young Miko’s vocals in the background, which was very bittersweet for me (I was so hype to hear Young Miko). Apparently, it was meant to be 1 hour and 30 minutes of runtime, but got cut for… maybe budget reasons? Maybe the runtime of a movie would have given the creators sufficient space to give us a more satisfying ending, but I personally think Arcane’s second season failed the moment it decided to drop the conflict between Zaun and Piltover with a contrived “let’s put our differences aside for the bigger threat” rally.

I thought it had something interesting and important to say about that. I didn’t expect it to bail out.

[theawkwardanglophile]

Hi Tara! I hope you're having a good weekend!

What's been your favorite moments of S6, and what are your hopes for S7?

Thank you so much for the ask, Becca! ☺️

Right now I'm still living in the hospital scene from 6x04. That scene left me so emotional and was so beautifully done.

I looooove the Chenford dance in 6x02 as well. I'm thrilled we got ILYs from them early in the season because I think that really laid the foundation for whatever is coming the rest of the season for them. And the ILYs were wonderful, however, I really hate that Tim's ILY got accidentally spoiled for us. It would've packed such a bigger punch had we not known it was coming. But I'm still so happy we got it.

I also loved the 17st place adorableness!

As for S7, my biggest hope is that we GET one. 🤞 Come on, renewal! After that, I hope they continue to do bigger story arcs like they're doing this season, giving plots and scenes a chance to breathe a little. I know it's their style to pack so much in, but sometimes it feels like whiplash keeping up with everything in an episode!

In addition:

Chenford proposal/moving in together. As much as I love Lucy's apartment, I think it's time for Tim and Lucy to find a new place together. Logistically, they can build a new set for them, and either Tamara can move in, too, or just visit on occasion.

KOJO-where are you, boy? Bring him back! The fact that we've seen ASHLEY interact with Kojo more recently than LUCY doesn't sit well with me.

Give Baby Girl Evers a name!

I REALLY want to see some more group scenes where they are hanging out together off duty, and if we get a full 22 eps, I feel there's more chance to do that. It doesn't have to be action all the time. Let this group have some fun! They've earned it.

More Genny! And it would be interesting to bring Lucy's parents back at some point, too.

I need a scene or two of Tim and Lucy in bed, either going to sleep or waking up, just cuddling together. PLEASE. And maybe a couple of passionate moments? Look, Wopez got to have their hot make-out sesh in the storage room. Can't Chenford have a moment in Tim's office?? I also want to see Tim come up behind Lucy at home and wrap his arms around her waist.

Lucy's career to have some kind of progression. I think we'll get some of that by the end of S6, but I want her to be able to explore some different avenues and find something that she truly loves and is good at, hopefully putting this whole UC trajectory behind her, which seems to be where they're headed.

Tim to call Lucy by a term of endearment/nickname. I'm still hoping for "baby".

[phoenix-downer]

I Really Could Stay Chapter 1

I Really Could Stay: ~1700 words. Sora and Kairi are starting to feel the strain of endless battles and missions on their relationship. Neither of them are sure they want to settle down and give up their life of adventuring for good, however. But a looming separation on Christmas makes them both think about what they want for the future.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Set Post-Canon. Alternating POVs. Established Relationship. Light Angst, Romance, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Christmas.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Sora was in one of his moods again.

Riku had known Sora his entire life, and his best friend had never been particularly good at masking his emotions. Not that he was really trying to at the moment. He was currently gripping the controls of the Gummi Ship with a scowl on his face so fierce that it would’ve been intimidating if it were directed Riku’s way.

Long gone were the days when Sora’s scowls made him look like an angry puppy. Riku was always going to be taller and bigger than his friend, but Sora had finally hit his adult height about a year ago and had the strength and fighting prowess to show for it.

Lucky bastard. He was just the right size to still move quickly while also packing quite the punch, as their sparring session earlier today had proven. Riku was stronger but not as fast, and he had a bruise on his arm from a well-aimed Keyblade blow to prove it.

“What’s wrong?” Riku asked, lounging on one of the nearby seats. He took a swig of his green tea and tried to keep reading his book. High school had to get finished somehow, and Riku was already two years past the normal graduation date. Twenty years old and still a student, how lame. At least he’d be graduating soon.

“I’m fine,” Sora ground out, though his tone made it clear he was anything but.

“It’s Kairi, isn’t it?” Riku didn’t even have to look up from his book to sense the change in Sora’s demeanor.

“It’s already been a week since I last saw her,” Sora said, his voice charged with emotion as the Gummi Ship lurched to the right, “and now I get sent on another last minute mission without any break? And right before Christmas too. What if I miss Christmas with her? How are we supposed to have a relationship like this?”

“You’ve managed this long,” Riku pointed out. A week or two weeks of separation was nothing compared to an entire year.

The Gummi Ship bounced up and down, and Riku’s tea splashed on him. He sensed more than saw the daggers Sora was glaring at him.

“Eyes on the skies,” he wryly remarked as he surveyed the damage to his clothes.

“Things are different now, Riku. We’re not kids anymore,” Sora said with just the note of petulance in his voice that made him sound like he still was one. Riku supposed his friend still had some maturing to do. They all did. It wasn’t like any of them had had normal growing up experiences. In some ways they were far beyond their peers; in others, far behind, and times like this made that very, very clear.

“Then stop moping and whining and ask Kairi to marry you already,” Riku said as he mopped up the spilled tea. His friends would have a lot more official recognition and the perks that came along with it if they would just tie the knot. They’d been dating for several years at this point. Why not just seal the deal already?

Sora groaned in frustration, running a hand through his spiky hair as he began the landing cycle. “But that would be even worse! Being separated from my wife all the time? I’d be a deadbeat husband.” He sighed and examined his hands, still tightly gripping the controls as he steered the ship. “We couldn’t bring kids into that mess either. I don’t want to be a deadbeat dad. I’m already a deadbeat boyfriend.”

Riku returned to his book. “Then you’ll have to make a choice. Do you keep traveling the worlds as the hero of the Keyblade, or do you settle down with Kairi?”

“I can’t make that choice yet!” Sora cried, his eyes flashing. Riku grabbed a spare scrap of paper to use as a substitute bookmark. This was going to take more than just a half-assed conversation to resolve. He waited patiently as Sora landed the Gummi Ship.

“If I don’t stop,” Sora continued once the ship’s engines had powered down, “it’s gonna drive Kairi and I apart! But there are still so many people out there who need my help. How can I turn my back on them?”

Riku sighed deeply. When they’d first started this adventure, things like marriage and family and long term commitments had seemed far away. Now those things loomed closer and closer. He didn’t have an answer for Sora because he didn’t have an answer for himself. And Kairi being a Keyblade wielder too made things more complicated. She was often sent out on missions as well, and even the times when Sora was on a break, there was no guarantee she would be too.

“The hero’s dilemma,” Riku told Sora at last. “We’ll never have normal lives, Sora. If you want a normal life, you’ll have to give up all of this,” he said, gesturing to their surroundings. “And no one can make that choice for you. Someday, you’ll either have to sacrifice your relationship with Kairi or your life as a Keyblade wielder. She’ll have to make that same choice if you want to make a relationship work long-term.”

Sora’s head jerked back at hearing the words “sacrifice” and “Kairi” in such close proximity to each other. But he was silent. The only noise was the faint Christmas music playing from the Gummi Ship’s speakers. It took a moment for Riku to notice the teardrops splotching onto Kairi’s lucky charm gripped in Sora’s palm.

Riku hated seeing his best friend cry. It made him uncomfortable because he couldn’t easily fix the problem.

“Listen, I’ll call Master Yen Sid tonight and ask if we can go back early if we finish the mission quickly,” Riku said. It was the best he could do under the circumstances. Maybe they could still make it home in time for Christmas.

“That sounds good,” Sora said, wiping his eyes. “I just wanted to be with her on Christmas. But I feel like Master Yen sends us out on missions on purpose when I’m more agitated and aggressive. Like he thinks I’ll fight better.”

That was entirely possible. Master Yen Sid was a good man overall, but he was also very calculating and would 100% figure out when each of them was in peak fighting condition.

“Well, do you?” Riku asked.

“When it’s between about four days and ten days of being separated from her, yeah, I do fight pretty well. After that I’m so irritable I’m worthless.” His eyes dropped to his hands. “And before that I’m too lovesick to be at my best,” he mumbled.

“With calculations like those, maybe you missed your calling as Ienzo’s research assistant,” Riku wryly replied as he opened his book again. It was surprisingly interesting and far less revolting than discussing Sora’s love life, and he really did want to know how it ended.

“What else am I supposed to do when I’m bored and frustrated?” Sora whined, flopping dramatically on the seat. “If I know when I’m in peak fighting condition, I’ll also know when I’m not. And that means I know what steps I need to take to avoid getting hurt—”

Riku scoffed. “You, be careful? You and Kairi both love to rush into danger, and then I have to fish you out of it. Imagine if you did get married and Master Yen Sid sent you on more missions together. My job would get a lot more stressful.”

“Hey, I’m trying my best here.” Sora scowled and his eyebrows did their best to express his sass, but then he sighed and rested his head against the back of the seat. “Do you think that’s why we don’t get to go on more missions together?” he asked in a small voice.

“You can’t concentrate to save your life when she’s anywhere nearby. You fight really well together, but the moment she gets so much as a cut, you panic and lose your focus.”

“So it is my fault.” Sora’s head drooped and his eyes were pained.

“I wouldn’t look at it like that. Keyblades make things more equal, sure, but you’ll always have certain advantages over her during combat. Magic can level the playing field, and she is a better mage than you—”

Sora pouted, and Riku rolled his eyes.

“—just barely, don’t look so offended. You’re never going to compete with the light in her heart and you know it. And she and you are both better mages than I am. But even with that advantage in one area of combat, the natural differences in raw physical strength between the two of you are still there. And that goes for any guy she has to fight. It’s only natural you worry about her.”

“Xemnas nearly broke her arm,” Sora whispered, resting his face in his hand. The haunted look in his eyes told Riku the memory might as well be from yesterday instead of four years ago. “Like he was just snapping a twig. And even when it’s just me and her…I’m not a big guy, but it still surprises me how much stronger I am than her sometimes.”

“But you know how to properly use and restrain that strength,” Riku pointed out, “and that’s what matters.”

Sora was silent.

“And did you just admit you’re not that big?” Riku asked, changing tactics. “Someone has finally given up on ever hitting six feet tall.”

“Hey, I made it to five ten, that’s pretty dang good for a runt!”

One look at Riku’s face made them both burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay, five eight and a half,” Sora amended.

“Who knew you had it in you.”

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll always be taller than me.” Sora was so mournful and melodramatic about it that Riku burst out laughing again. Sora grinned, and it was a welcome sight. Riku promised himself he’d complete this mission as soon as possible so his friends could be reunited in time for Christmas.

Sora was right. Riku teased him, but all those separations from Kairi couldn’t be good for their relationship. Helping his friends be reunited in time for Christmas was the least he could do.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: This story is based on some ideas Alja and I brainstormed together earlier this year about how Sora and Kairi would handle being separated from each other frequently, and this is both a very belated birthday present for her and a Christmas present all in one. Happy belated birthday and Merry Christmas, @angel-with-a-pipette ❤️

There will be five chapters total, and I'll be updating daily until it's done.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

[nopeferatu]

Since the play implies that Ennis is still alive in 2013, do you think he ever went into town just to get something and end up seeing a pride march happening? I feel like he'd be trying to hide his jealously at seeing people being so open as disgust, and secretly be wishing him and Jack could have been open like that. And he would probably have seen a couple that reminded him of himself and Jack, just to twist the knife in further. (Also I think he would secretly pick something pride related up, like a tiny flag, something easy to hide and put it on Jack's shirt)

So I got this ask when I was on the plane ride back to the US and my interest was piqued, so I bought the 4hr British Airways internet package just to do some research; turns out that, from what I could find, the pride festivals in the bigger cities of Wyoming are all pretty recent? As in, I think the earliest one I could find started in Casper in 2015, which kind of goes to show you even further the kind of state that Ennis and Jack would have grown up in for the pride festivals in the BIG cities to have started so recently.

Even if he wouldn't have had the chance to see a pride march in 2013, the thought of Ennis existing in the modern day and age is really interesting to me. I think things have gotten to where even in a state as unpopulated as Wyoming queer people are becoming more and more visible, and so if he had to absolutely run to one of the bigger cities for some reason or another, the chances of him coming across a queer couple just living life like normal would be great and growing by the day.

Imagine Ennis wandering around, trying to find such and such shop for such and such thing that Junior needed for her family, when he sees a couple of young guys in their boots and wranglers. They're not doing anything unbecoming, just standing a little bit close, laughing and jostling each other, but not in any way that would set alarm bells off for him—until they lock their hands together and leave to wherever they're going. Maybe share a quick peck on the cheek before they go, dealing the final gut-punch of the day for him.

I'm honestly not sure how comfortable he'd be with the thought of same-gender attracted people like him and Jack being so open, but I do often think about how Ennis would react to seeing an openly gay couple for the first time in his life, maybe in his mid-to-late 40s. I think he wouldn't know what to do with himself. I feel like he'd stare, and he wouldn't be able to catch his staring in time, so he'd try poorly to play it off and keep on walking to wherever he had to be. I think he'd get angry about it, too. At them for flaunting their thing around like it's fine and dandy to do so, at himself for denying Jack for so long, and at the world for changing too late for them to have ever had a chance. Ennis is a very complicated man and so unfortunately I think his disgust at the sight would be real (there's a fic where he and Jack come across hippie boys who he talks shit about bc he doesn't like that they don't have the decency to keep themselves hidden, which is a very Ennis-thing to think, imo) but what is also so very real is his jealousy. He just wishes he could have had that kind of a life with Jack.

Anyways anon, your ask reminds me of another all-time favorite fic of mine, Might Seem Like an Ordinary Night by theswearingkind on ao3. It's a lovely little fic about Ennis reacting to New York legalizing gay marriage in 2013. Give it a read—it's very short but packs such an emotional punch.

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

OC Deep Dive Tag!

Question and answer time! Tagged by @mysticstarlightduck here!

Quickly tagging: @anulithots @pheita @avoidingcertaindoom @tryingtimi @gummybugg

Wow, that OC wheel really likes Lily.

So here we go again!

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Honestly one of her greatest fears is that of being abandoned. Which, given her history, isn't unreasonable. She also has some separation anxiety and fear of failure in...very specific circumstances.

Do they have any pet peeves?

Toenail clippings

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

A switchblade, a boombox, a pack of burner phones

What do they notice first in a person?

The way they walk and stand

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

8

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Yes. Depends on the circumstance, situation, and pressure

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Sorta. Her mom adopted her and it was just them two for a while. Then her and her mom got adopted into a bigger family and now she's got a very big family and she loves them all

What animal represents them best?

I don't know about best, but what comes to mind is an otter. Cute. Fluffy. Family-oriented. Will absolutely join in on an attack and harass something five times her size if it threatens 'her' kids. And will be vicious about it, too

What is a smell that they dislike?

Burning plastic

Have they broken any bones?

Yup. Lots of bones, lots of times.

...

Oh wait, did you mean her bones!? I mean. Then sure, once or twice

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Teenager, bouncy, sunshiny, air-headed probably. ADHD maybe

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Night owl. But she'll get up whenever she needs to

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Flavor she hates: Black Cherry

Flavor she loves: Cantaloupe

Do they have any hobbies?

Lockpicking

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Depends on the surprise. It'll always start with a scream and a ducking behind someone or something while she assesses the situation. A birthday party would make her laugh as she poked her head out and be very "oh you got me good job"

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Not really. Gets in the way of things and can help identify you if it leaves an imprint in someone's face after you punched their lights out

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Messy. Very messy

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Joy and loneliness

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Soft cotton

What kind of accent do they have?

She might have the slightest hint of a western/southern twang, but at this point it's only when she's really really tired or really really drunk

Thanks for reading!

(Blank copy is below the cut for ease of C&P)

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Do they have any pet peeves?

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

What do they notice first in a person?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

What animal represents them best?

What is a smell that they dislike?

Have they broken any bones?

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Do they have any hobbies?

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Do they have a favorite fabric?

What kind of accent do they have?

[tti-anonymousstories]

Program: Moonridge Academy Record Form: Memory Approx date: 2021 (??) maybe??? Tw/Cw: Assault, Student restraint.

 This memory is a little more scattered than my others because I was concussed by the end of it, it's a little pieced together with what other people told me because I blacked out, but even then my memories jump around a lot. A bit of context, There was one girl- ‘J’ for this story- who did not like me. (Or so I thought after she left- she got taken by the cops for an incident with another student, yes that time was that bad- multiple people told me that she actually liked me and that's why she acted the way she did… apparently.) But she was around 16 at this time and level four. 

 There's me- ‘OP’ for this story. I believe I was at level three at the time of this, I was 12 and about 90lbs (important for later because she was much bigger than I was.) And lastly important to this story, there’s ‘L’ another almost comically small student and a friend of mine, also 12.

A few days before this story J had asked me if I had done a safety check. (I think that's what they were called- but basically, we had to show the staff we didn't have anything on us before we went inside.) I told her that I had and that even if I hadn't it was none of her business, But she insisted that I hadn't and that I should do it again and doubled down even after the staff I did it with confirmed it. 

  And I’m a petty mother fucker, so I held onto that. Right before the main event- she was already in a bad mood, while we were on the porch to put on our boots and L asked me to help her get her shoe off, so I did, but it kinda ended up with me basically pulling her off the bench, she laughed, I laughed- and the J came, clearly mad about who knows what and hits L’s leg hard enough to knock her foot out of my hand. “We’re doing horse chores- stop messing around.” Thankfully L was ok and we just went on to the barn, My chore was just to run around with the dog so all I had to do in the barn was grab the leash, and as I was leaving the barn J went in and I didn't hear her ask- bingo. “Did you ask to go in the barn J?” “Yes.”

 “I didn't hear you, maybe you should do it again.” At this point I've left the barn, leash in hand. “You really don't want to mess with me right now.” She warned “Hmm, but what if I do?” that was all I was going to say, maybe just to get in the last word. 

 As mentioned before I was not exactly nice then, to be frank, I was kind of an asshole, it was one of the few things that brought me joy- I had learned pretty good control over my emotions (aka not feeling them) and it was amusing to rile other people with less control up, but nonetheless, I thought I had won and started walking over to the dog pen. 

 But that would be far too simple, after a moment I heard footsteps, she was getting a running start before hitting me on the back of the head hard. Hard enough that I blacked out, not like passed out blacked out but I went still and held on to the door of the dog pen I never had any memory of what happened for the next ten minutes- not even that night I could remember what happened so it wasn't normal memory loss and I am almost certain that I had a concussion (Not that I was ever taken to a doctor or given anything more than an ice pack afterward.) But this was what I was told by the others.

 While I was out of it, only being held up by the door of the dog pen the staff did nothing, even as she raised her hand to hit me again (I was very much disliked by the staff for the aforementioned rudeness and my non-compliance to the program.)- thankfully despite all my assholery I did have people that liked me, people who liked my no-bullshit attitude, people who wanted to talk back but had things to lose, people who also disliked the people I taunted. Thankfully two of these people are A and V, both relatively strong people, A being about 5’9 and V being possibly one of the strongest people there (I would know, she also punched me once- she was an interesting person.) but they saw this and grabbed her and held her back so she didn't hit me again, shouting to the staff that had just stood there as she hit me.

 I came back to about ten minutes later and shrugged it off, I was dizzy sure and there was still a ringing in my ears, but it was kinda my fault- The thing about being an asshole is that you’re gonna get hit sometimes, really I was just surprised she had the balls to actually hit me. I ran the dog around for a bit while the staff ignored me and only a few other students asked if I was ok. (Again I was not a staff favorite.) Later that night while I held an icepack to my head (I was fine for a while but after the adrenaline ran off boy that fucking hurt.)  She asked for her Nintendo Switch (A level four privilege was that you got to have your personal switch during free time.) And they gave it to her- They gave her her switch even after she basically knocked me out not four hours earlier.

TLDR: I taunted a girl into knocking me out and the staff did nothing to stop her from hitting me again then gave her video games later that night. 

[just-a-carrot]

vague spoilers maybe, but i finally got around to playing the newest update and oughhh the moment genzou refused to respond I KNEW... i knew what was coming and it still packed quite the emotional punch!! the little flashbacks got me 😭 i love all the animated scenes soo much and orlam's movements?? orlam??

i think everything was twice as painful after playing save the last dance btw ^ but like /pos

also i didn't think i would like jerry that much but i totally do :') he is my silly rabbit lol

on the edge of my seat for what awaits the Almost Complete Group...! what am i supposed to do when this game ends 😭💕??

DLFKJALDSKFJALDSKFAD HHHHHHHHHHH I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT???

lmao yes... i got a little overboard with orlam in general i think in his update HAHAHA h-he just needed. a lot??? i have this image of the scene in my head and though ofc i can never recreate it perfectly in a static-image VN i tried to get as close as i could with the skills that i have hahaha

i'm really glad it could have impact tho ahhhhhhh it's a scene that's very important and impactful to me (and made me cry multiple times)

LMAO TRUE coming off from StLD i feel like it packs an even bigger punch mayhaps, especially with some of the small dialogue hints i tried to put in StLD and the overarching dance-esque stuff going on in general

I'M GLAD YOU LIKED JERRY i'm really happy in general that so many people have ended up liking him, he is just so silly alkdfjads

thank you so much for your thoughts 💕 i'm really happy to hear what people think of all the new developments and it means so much. i'm really happy you enjoyed it! LMAO YOU'RE TELLING ME what am *i* gonna do goddddd LOLOL (who am i kidding i'm probably going to keep drawing self-indulgent art and making side games......)

[where-theres-smoak-2]

How do you ranked the Season 2 episodes?

Ok I did have to think about this a bit but going from least favourite to my favourite this is how I would rank them and why.

8) 2x08 No Funerals- Whilst this episode had some really great moments in it, I did find it seemed very much like a filler episode, it was just moving people around to where they needed to be ready for season 3. I miss the days when finales of seasons were action packed big episodes, where as this one, despite having two or three really great moments, was actually kind of boring. I mean 15 minutes into this nearly hour long episode and the fold was already gone and Aleks was dead, it kind of dragged from there to be real.

7) 2x07 Meet You In The Meadow- This is one where I don't really remember much that happened in it, I do think it was a much more action packed episode with Aleks' grisha attacking Alina and Co. It was an ok episode but I can't say it was really one that stood out to me.

6) 2x01 No Shelter But Me- This is where it gets a little harder, I did really like this episode I thought it was a solid start to the season but much like the finale it did have that feel of moving the characters to where they needed to be for the season, introducing the new characters etc. Still a really good episode but I just think there were other episodes that had a bit more excitement in them.

5) 2x05 Yuyeh Sesh (Despise Your Heart)- This was another episode that I thought was really good particularly the crows story line and that wanting makes you weak scene between darklina, I also like the convo between Alina and Baghra, but there were moments when this episode felt a little slow. But it was still a really good episode.

4) 2x02 Rusalye- I did enjoy this episode particularly the scenes with Nikolai and Alina and I also liked seeing the sea whip. The tether scene between darklina was also one of their best tether scenes in my opinion. Again the crows storyline was really good and had alot of tense moments and plenty of action.

3) 2x06 Ni Weh Sesh (I Have No Heart)- This one might have come higher in the list if it weren't for the M*lina part of the storyline, alot of the revelations like M*l being the amplifier and from the morozova bloodline I already knew and they just didn't have that much of an emotional impact on me to be honest. That being said Baghra's death and seeing Aleks grief really did gut punch me, also the story with Sankta Neyar was just incredible I loved her whole speech about what it was like to live as an immortal and how her husband wasn't her weakness that he was her universe, that really did get me emotional. I also really liked seeing all the visions of the crows and learning more about Jesper's backstory.

2) 2x03 Like Calls To Like- I have one complaint about this episode and that is that I wish some of the bigger moments like genya beiing scarred and Baghra's finger being cut off had been spread across two episodes so it didn't seem so sudden, it just seemed like too many big moments crammed into one episode. But otherwise I really loved this episode, I loved the scenes with baghra and aleks, I loved the scene between Inej and Kaz where he tells her about his brother and helps her clean her wounds while they talk about finding your opponents weakness, I loved Kaz and Inej's fight scenes and Jesper and Wylan breaking into Pekka's house. It was a very action packed episode.

1)2x04 Every Monstrous Thing- This episode was hands down my favourite. It was one of those rare episodes where I liked the Alina and co side as much as the crow side. I loved seeing Kaz get revenge on Rollins, this speech Kaz gives about how he buried Albie and demands his brother's name in return for the location of Albie just gave me chills, like I think it was Freddy's best performance of the whole 2 seasons, it was amazing. But I also really loved Aleks' attack on the spinning wheel, it was action packed and full of tension and I loved the two darklina scenes, the one where he's speaking to her through the tether having lured her away to safety and he says he'll be back for her, and also when they meet for real and fight in the hall. This whole episode just had me on the edge of my seat so it gets number one spot.

[authorautumnbanks]

How To Tame A Sorcerer (25)

Mahito smiles through the blood coating his lips, spits the offending liquid into Yuji's face. His face patches itself up, removing traces of the hit he took earlier. He realizes as he falls out of the window with shards of glass sticking to his shirt, that perhaps engaging with Sukuna's vessel wasn't the smartest decision, seeing as how Yuji could actually land a blow on him. But it was certainly entertaining to see the look on his face as Junpei's body gave out. Mahito laughs as he lands on his feet. What a glorious moment that was. He sways a bit, passing it off as nothing more than a teasing dance. His mind and body still revolting against the blast from that woman.

Whatever she hit him with, packs a bigger impact than Yuji's fist.

"Don't tell me you're still upset?" Mahito mocks, "he was weak. Humanity would have killed him, eventually."

"Life isn't something you play with," Yuji says, wiping the blood from his face.

"Blame that woman. It was her interference that killed him." Mahito jumps back, dodging the fury of punches thrown his way. "How cruel of her to kill your precious friend." His tongue darts out, wetting his bottom lip. The taste of metallic is foreign but goes down beautifully. That woman–Kagome, he believes her name is–he wants to consume her.

Whatever secrets she's hiding, he wants to eat them all and take that darkness for himself. Young he may be, but even he knows that such a soul does not come around that often.

"Shut up! Kagome-san tried to save Junpei." Yuji balls his fist, his chest heaves.

Good, Mahito thinks, he needs Yuji to fill with rage. Humans are so easily manipulated, always allowing their emotions to get the better of them, always believing that somehow, they are the exception, when in fact it's that logic that makes them all the same.

"Ah, perhaps it is because of how weak you are. My apologies." Mahito lashes out, his arm transforming into a makeshift blade. He shivers. There's nothing quite like the feel of flesh being cut open. Red stains the ground. It's a shame that it is cloudy out, the bloodstain would look so much more vibrant under the sun. But the gloominess works too–adds a grittiness to the fight. Mahito moves forward, crossing the distance between them while Yuji is temporarily stunned by the gash on his arm. "Let's see how weak you really are," Mahito says, touching Yuji's soul.

He blinks. Of course, touching Yuji's soul means touching Sukuna's. Dread boils in his gut as the curse king looks down upon him from his throne made of human remains. If the murderous intent wasn't so thick in the air, Mahito may have complimented Sukuna's choice of material. Personally, he'd used the bodies of his transfigured human souls.

"Such impudence," Sukuna says, his voice as harsh as the glass that cut into Mahito's skin. "This is your warning."

Mahito blinks again and barely moves out of the way. Oh, it's that suit sorcerer from the other day. "It's not nice to stalk people you know," he says, waving a finger in the air. "I could have you arrested."

"You're not a person," Yuji speaks up, ripping his jacket and making a makeshift bandage with it.

"Oh, Yuji-chan, you should go see a doctor. It would be such a shame if you died from blood loss." Mahito assesses the older sorcerer. The man shifts his weight to one side. Good, he thinks, the sorcerer is still injured. Humans truly are pathetic.

"This ends here," the sorcerer says, gripping his blunt sword.

"Two on one is hardly fair." Mahito reaches into his pocket and tosses out his spare transfigured humans. If he's lucky, he can see just how more powerful this one will be. His toys go after Yuji, allowing him to focus on the other sorcerer. "Are you always so serious?" he asks, extending his limps out with large spikes coming out from his arms. "Why don't you rest a while and join the family?" Mahito frowns. Ah, this one is such a bore. No reaction. "Shy? That's alright. Every family has a black sheep." His spiked arm misses the sorcerer, but the debris from the ground causes the sorcerer to falter.

"Yuji, move back!"

Huh? Mahito turns towards the voice. The woman–Kagome, he reminds himself–has her arrow notched. He could have sworn that she was too weak to move. Ugh, he did not bring enough toys with him for this.

The arrow flies past him, the sting from the residue burns his spikes. Yuji scrambles back, putting distance between him and the three cursed humans. The arrow hits one in the chest, its green mutated body convulses as pink surrounds the other two.

"Oh, would you look at that? Your friend is a murderer after all," he gloats, as the pink evaporates, leaving behind the disfigured bodies of his newly made toys. Though, her ability to revert his transfiguration is annoying. Even though the bodies can't seem to handle the reversion. If she could figure out how to keep them alive afterward….

He retracts his arms and dashes towards her, changing his legs to those of a horse. He increases his speed, dodges the flurry of arrows that comes his way. He can push past the reaction to flinch and he can swallow down the urge to run in the opposite direction. If he can grab a hold of her soul, if he could take that darkness for himself.

Kagome runs back, but he grabs her, manipulating his skin to become prickly. Tiny drops of blood fall from the intrusion. Shit, he thinks, as her body glows. He lets go, jumps back into the blow of Yuji's fist into the back of his skull. His vision blurs as he staggers forward. He gets caught in the whirlpool of fists and swipes being thrown his way.

This pain is like nothing he's ever felt. Blood pools in his eyes, swells in his mouth, and he never wants the fight to end. But at last, there are only so many blows that he can take. He latches on to the hum deep in his belly and forces it up through his esophagus. A pair of hands clasp together, emerging from his tongue and encasing him and the older sorcerer into his newly formed domain.

He takes the time to catch his breath, stares as the man loosens his tie and removes his glasses. This must be what joy feels like, he thinks, as there is nothing more satisfying than watching the light die out in his toy's eyes.

"I've made my peace," the sorcerer says, looking up.

An enormous grin full of teeth splits across Mahito's face. Once he takes care of this man, he'll use his body to distract Yuji. And then, all he needs to do is knock that woman out. She'll be much more agreeable unconscious. He moves forward, even though within his domain, his hands are constantly touching the man's soul. Nothing compares to personally making the contact.

"Nanami-san!" Yuji's voice shouts over the breaking of his domain. Streams of light shine through, landing on the space between him and the sorcerer.

Shit. He freezes as he gets pulled into Sukuna's soul. He offers an apology. It wasn't his intention to mess with Yuji's or Sukuna's soul again. He took appropriate steps to only trap the other sorcerer in his domain. But Sukuna glares down at him from that haughty position and snaps his fingers.

He's changed his mind. This pain is worse than any beating he's received. He grips his shoulder, trying to stop the splutters, but the slash is too deep, and his blood spurts out of him like an active volcano. The domain completely collapses and he runs–staggers away. An arrow hits the ground in front of him and he's cornered.

Fuck. Shit. This is bad. He can't die here, not without seeing their goal reached. There isn't anywhere to run. Fuck. The arrowhead glints under the strips of light that break through the clouds. He's going to die. She lets the arrow fly and he can't do anything to stop it. He closes his eyes, waiting for the strike that doesn't come. His body twists and becomes weightless as he gets pulled away. Mahito makes out the shouts, but he can't make out the words. He's surrounded by white–which is strange because surely a curse like him should be in hell.

When he comes to, he's on a grassy hill. There is no school, no pesky humans in sight. There's nothing but…

"Took you long enough to come to."

He turns to the voice. The dark-haired stranger reminds him of Geto-kun. The comparison puts him on edge. "And you are?"

"My name is not of importance. I've never met a curse with such intelligence before." He cradles the mirror to his chest, giving Mahito a small smile. His white yukata blows gently in the breeze.

The serene image sets Mahito's skin on fire.

"You sensed something, about that woman. What was it?"

"Who are you?" Mahito staggers to his feet, levels the man with a blank face. He isn't sure how they ended up on this hill, but if the man thinks that he owes him anything, then he is mistaken.

"I can either be your friend or your foe. It is your choice. Though I think you would very much like my partnership." The mirror glows and blasts Mahito.

He waits for the pain, but the energy seeps into his skin, down into his veins, and fuels his cursed energy. His muscles twitch, his clothes are too tight, and he's hungry for more of whatever that was. It reminds him of that darkness he felt.

"Addicting, yeah? What did you sense from that woman?"

"Souls."

The man's red eyes brighten at the revelation. "I'll give you more power if you do a small favor for me. That woman, I want you to taint the souls inside of her."

"Taint the souls?" Mahito welcomes the blast with open arms, basking in the energy that amplifies his own. The rush is like nothing he's ever tasted. "And what happens after I do this?"

"Depends on if the souls you sense are the ones I need." The mirror lights up as the man's black claws stroke it.

"And if I say no?"

"You'll come calling soon enough when the withdrawals start." The man vanishes.

Mahito clucks his tongue. Claws, that man had claws. He didn't act or feel like a curse, but looks could be deceiving. Though the man reminds Mahito of the woman from the alley. A friend of hers? No, he would have attacked if that was the case. He scratches his arm. The smart thing to do would be to tell Geto-kun about the strange man and that woman. Now that he thinks about it, she sounds like the woman that Jogo had described from his encounter with Gojo Satoru.

He should mention it. She could be possible collateral against the strongest.

Mahito dusts his hands on his pants and walks down the hill. He licks his bottom lip as he thinks about the pull of the darkness within that woman and the addicting hit of energy from that dark-haired man. There's no need to alarm Geto-kun and the others.

He'll do everyone a favor and take the power for himself.

[gigglyramblings]

While You Were Sleeping (2017) Overall Thoughts

Spoilers ahead.

I'm convinced that I would have enjoyed this drama a lot more if I was watching it while it was airing as it just feels a little dated now. It's a good drama but not a great one it's biggest flaw is that it doesn't maximize on any of its strengths thus doesn't pack as much of an emotional punch as it could have. For example, it employs some great tropes such as the protagonists being neighbors and kind of becoming a found family of sorts as they share breakfast and stuff but I think it misses the crucial part of why found families are so appealing because it fills some sort of Gap that the protagonists were missing in their life. However, this drama fails to capitalize and emphasize on the emotional bit and it just feels like they are having breakfast together because two out of the three protagonists suck at cooking.

This weakness is further exemplified as the three protagonists all share the ability of having dreams that correctly predict the future, the drama cuts the chase and the protagonists find out fairly early on and help each other out using their dreams. However, again you have a news reporter, a prosecutor and a cop and your entire drama kind of revolves around cases yet, we only see them working on three cases across the entire drama together? That number just feels way too low I'm not saying they should have rushed the cases but it just feels like they wasted a lot of opportunity for them to use their professions to the fullest capacity and make it sort of like a crime solving trio.

My biggest gripe with the drama though has to be the fact that they made the protagonists dream prophecy powers to function like a free get out of jail card when they hinted at the fact that changing things may actually make things worse we never actually got to see that play out. We never got to see any consequences of them using their powers to get better outcomes for themselves and those around them. Fate was never like I'm the ultimate bitch and you can't escape me even though it was heavily hinted at. All this just puts a damper on investigator Choi's death because why he try to change it since he knew was going to happen we've seen characters do that with no negative consequences so I don't get why he had to die.

I get that it was his choice and given everything that has happened to him so far it is fitting for the character but without establishing consequences for using the powers for what essentially amounts to self gain it just makes his ultimate choice seem like a bolt of extreme noble idiocy, which in my opinion is like the worst k-drama trope there is.

I am most likely being overly harsh on this drama and like I said at the very beginning of my post I would have most likely enjoyed the heck out of this drama if I watched it while it was airing or a few years earlier perhaps. But I suppose my expectations were too high? It is definitely the weakest Park Hye Ryun drama I've seen. So if you want to watch a Park Hye Ryun drama pick either Pinocchio or I Hear Your Voice those are far better examples of her work in my opinion.

And now I've seen every notable Park Hye Ryun drama except Startup and I'm definitely not in the mood for that one and probably never will be as I really don't want to get into the love triangle drama. But I'm totally looking forward to her next drama starring Park Eun Bun so Diva of the Deserted Island please be good!🙏

TL;DR: one of those shows that I would have totally loved if I watched it a few years earlier. Didn't pack the emotional punch I was hoping for. It was fun seeing so many familiar faces and that they have all deservedly become such bigger stars in kdrama land. 7.5

[piercingbonez]

gone || thomas shelby x reader oneshot

warnings: angst angst angst! swearing

words: 1.2k

a/n: a more depressing oneshot after the teeth rotting fluff last week. got to keep you all on your toes! please let me know what you think! feedback is extremely appreciated and encouraged.

enjoy!

-

The last words you’d spoken to him hung heavy in the air between the two of you. A question you’d asked with fear in your eyes and terror for the answer.

You couldn’t even look at him, not even vaguely in his direction. Your eyes burned but there were no tears, you felt like your head was going to burst at any moment. His response stinging in your mind, bringing everything to a screaming halt. For a moment you didn’t even believe he’d said those words. You refused to accept that what he was saying was the truth. It couldn’t be.

The room was thick with tension, neither one of you wanting to address the conversation you’d just had. He’d probably just say a simple sorry and leave anyway, he’d never been good with emotions. But you knew that when you got together, and now part of you was regretting even meeting the man before you.

He’d given you the best years of your life but was it worth it for the heartbreak he’d just delivered to you?

With clenched fists and pain on your face you finally lifted your eyes to flick over his form. He was still sat in the same position as he was before, cigarette still perched between his fingers. He didn’t display any emotion, not sadness, not anger, not even guilt. He’d got good at that, hiding how he felt, but now that fact just stung, he’d just ruined everything you’d built up and he didn’t even have the decency to look anything other than bored.

“You’re being serious, aren’t you?” Were the only words you could force out past your gritted teeth. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, maybe remorse, you hoped he felt guilty.

He seemed to pause to think of a response, bringing his cigarette up to his lips to inhale every few moments, a mechanical movement that was second nature for him. On a normal day you’d admire the way his lips curled up in what could be mistaken for a smile when the cigarette made contact with them, or the way his icy blue eyes looked through the smoke. But not today. Not now. Not ever. As you watched him now you saw how he looked more at ease holding a cigarette than he ever did holding you.

He’d never been particularly….affectionate. Maybe on your wedding night, but that was such a distant memory now you refused to allow yourself to think back on it.

After all, your marriage now meant nothing. Years spent with the man you presumed your soulmate came crashing down in a matter of seconds, with one simple word. “Yes.” Which he repeated again in response to your question.

Now yes, in a relationship was typically something positive.

Yes, i’ll be your girlfriend.

Yes, i’ll be your wife.

Yes, i’d love to take the next step.

You’d never dreamed that this conversation would happen, it was so out of your mind it wasn’t even a nightmare or a worry you’d ever had.

But it was real, it was more real than anything else.

“You still love her, don’t you?” You replayed your own words in your head.

“Yes.” Yes. Fucking yes. Not even an i’m sorry, or even a look of guilt. The worst part was, as he uttered those words he almost looked relieved. Relieved that he’d finally stopped lying to you.

You thought about the previous night, and even the morning, now feeling like an age ago when he’d kissed your forehead and told you he loved you.

Lies. All of it. Fucking lies.

“For how long?” You mumbled, but you weren’t sure you even wanted to know the answer. But you had to, you had to know how long this had been happening, how long he’d been lying to you.

“I’m sorry.” He finally muttered, but his words were hollow and meaningless. A simple ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t going to fix anything, nothing could repair what had just happened.

“How long?” You repeated, unable to hold back the anger in your tone anymore. His jaw clenched as you pressed further, clearly not wanting to admit that he’d spent fuck knows how long whispering empty words to you.

“She wrote to me a few months ago.” Months. Fucking MONTHS.

You couldn’t stop the way your hands shook, with anger, fear or sadness you didn’t know. Every emotion you felt was negative, drowning you. Everything was way too much all at once.

“Months? Thomas? Months?” You stumbled out in disbelief, glaring at him, hoping he’d understand just how much he hurt you.

“Yes. I met with ‘er once.” As if it couldn’t get worse, the words he spoke packed a bigger punch than any physical action. “Im not going to lie to you.” You couldn’t believe the audacity of this man, the way he so nonchalantly admitted to loving his ex, to lying through months of a marriage.

“You did lie! You have lied! Every time since you’ve told me you loved me was a lie!” Your voice rose with each word, more and more anger bubbling up inside of you. You wished this was just some sick nightmare, that you’d wake up any moment, that he’d hold you close and brush your hair gently before kissing your forehead and telling you to go back to sleep, that you were safe with him.

His face remained stony, practically emotionless as he continued to smoke, almost tauntingly as he watched you. His eyes seemed to analyse every tense and twitch of your body, as if he was trying to sense your next move.

“I need to go sort something out.” He stubbed his cigarette out on the ashtray beside him before rising to his feet. His movements were robotic, almost as if he simply wasn’t at all affected by what they’d just discussed. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

Days. D a y s.

Typically you’d smile, be a nice loving wife, make him promise to be safe and eat well, ensure he knew just how much you loved him before he left, kisses and hugs and admittance of affection.

But now, when you’d normally reach for his body to wrap around yours, you remained still. It was your turn to be emotionless now.

You had no idea when he would return, and for a moment, somehow that hurt than the knowlege that you no longer occupied his heart.

Because was leaving, but then again, maybe he’d already left. Was he ever really with you when his heart was longing for someone else, when he’d visited the woman he promised you he no longer harboured feelings for. You didn’t know. Nothing made sense as you stared at his now empty chair, feeling the sadness finally begin to well in your eyes.

You didn’t dare to turn to watch him leave, simply listened until his footsteps were a distant echo. And then they were gone. And he was gone.

It was as if nothing mattered, because nothing did, did it? What was life if he wasn’t by your side. You’d built everything up alongside him, planned a future out around him. You’d imagined your entire life with him.

And now it was all gone.

But there was one thing you knew you had to do.

You had to pack, because two can play at that game.

And then you were gone.

[saintrocklee]

based off of this artwork 🥵

no thoughts no editing, just vibes about kisame 🦈 getting taken and tied up and then having his wife placed in front of him to try and get him to talk. this is extremely self indulgent and quick paced and i make no apologies. no smut this time - i literally wrote this in 30 minutes asdfghjdsl.

kisame spits blood onto the floor, thoroughly annoyed. he can’t move much - his arms are tied uncomfortably behind him, and his legs are secured to the legs of the chair he’s sitting in. the red rope is stronger than it looks and kisame would be impressed with the knot work if he wasn’t so fucking pissed.

“alright shark tale listen up, cause i’m only gonna say this once.”

the kid talking to him smells like stale cigarettes and kisame can’t wait to kill him. annoying little fucker had punched him earlier when kisame called him a limp dick bitch and now there was blood on his favorite dress shirt. and his voice - like nails on a goddamn chalkboard. kisame’s tunes him out, glancing around the room and making note of everything he sees.

one exit, guarded by two beefy dudes. kisame’s bigger than them, but they took his guns and judging by the bulges around their legs and waist they’re both packing. they were both stiff though, almost like they were unsure about how to act - which meant they were probably inexperienced. there were two other dudes in chairs behind the kid, both smaller and twitchy - one of them was toying with a knife and smiling, which was creepy but hardly intimidating. none of them would be a huge problem, kisame could break the scrawny kids necks with one well placed squeeze and the dudes by the doors were probably seconds away from pissing themselves. the issue was the sixth guy with the scarred face - who was currently missing. he’d been the one that caught kisame off guard - itachi was going to have a field day when he found out someone got the jump on him - and was more than likely the actual one in charge.

“you listenin’ to me, you fucking freak?”

kisame rolls his eyes and cracks his neck.

“not really.”

his comment earns him a rather rough slap and kisame can’t help but grin. it jostles him a little but judging by the kid’s face it hurt him more than it hurt kisame.

“alright, fine. i got ways to make you talk.”

the wimpy boy holding the knife giggles and kisame curls his lip in disgust. the rope is too tight for him to really pull on so he starts rotating his wrist, looking for weaknesses.

suddenly, the door bursts open and kisame freezes. the scarred guy from earlier was dragging someone into the room with him and it took kisame less than a second to recognize who it was.

shit.

the other twitchy guy gives up his seat and pushes it directly in front of kisame, a cocky grin on his face. you’re roughly shoved into it and kisame feels fire burn through him when he sees that you’re blindfolded and gagged and that your wrists are bound in front of you. keeping a firm hold on your upper arm, the scarred man violently tugs your blindfold and gag off. your head lolls to the side and you blink, eyes adjusting to the room. kisame watches a million emotions fly across your face before you look at him, eyes following the trail of blood coming from his nose.

“we found your pretty lil’ wife - bet she’d look real cute with a cut throat.” the scarred man says, letting go of your arm and pulling out a small knife from his pocket. kisame feels something sinister crawl through him and opens his mouth to tell the bastard exactly what would happen to him if he touched you when you cut him off.

“what the fuck kisame. that’s my favorite shirt.”

your voice is raspy, but kisame can still hear the irritation in your tone. the scarred man looks down at you, face contorting with confusion - did you not just hear him threaten to kill you? you ignore him, instead looking at kisame, and even tap your heels in annoyance against the ground. kisame sighs.

“babe, i don’t think now is -”

“oh, what? you don’t think - what? seriously, kisa? these guys?”

the scarred man’s face falls and starts to twist into anger. the lackeys behind him are all staring at you like you’ve grown an extra head and kisame rolls his eyes.

“yeah, yeah - can we talk about this later?”

you snort and roll your eyes right back.

“yeah, sure, why not. we can talk later, fucking christ.” you eye the man standing next to you who’s turning red with rage and glance at his knife.

“you gonna do something with that, stud?”

kisame groans - he hates when you play with your food like this - and watches the man’s eyes almost pop out of his head.

“you stupid little bitch -”

he moves on you with the knife but you’re faster and twist in your seat - your feet catching him in the stomach and crotch. he falls forward, the wind knocked out of him, and you kick upward, the front tip of your heel catching him perfectly in the chin and rocking his head back. kisame whistles softly as he hits the ground and glances at the three dudes behind you.

“you three might wanna head out.”

you turn toward them, hands still bound, just as the door bursts open. the two men guarding it are handled swiftly by itachi and hidan and soon they’ve both got guns pointed at the trio, ushering them onto the floor. it’s all handled in minutes and kisame taps his foot anxiously - wanting to get out of this goddamn chair. once they’re secured itachi frees you and you turn to kisame, rubbing your wrists. he grins, looking up at you, and cocks his head slightly.

“hey darlin’.”

you scoff and run your hand through his hair, assessing his injuries.

“don’t hey darlin’  me - i’m going to kick your ass. we had dinner plans, kisa.”

he sighs and rolls his shoulder. the ropes were becoming uncomfortable and his wrists were starting to burn.

“i know baby, i’ll make it up to you.”

you snort and take your hand out of his hair to walk behind him.

“jesus, they really got you tied up. are you seriously stuck?” kisame can hear the disbelief in your voice and sighs.

“yeah.”

you hum thoughtfully.

“what kind of knots are these?”

kisame blinks and turns his head as far around as he can.

“got no idea darlin’, why -” he’s cut off when he hears you snap a picture with your cellphone before you start undoing the rope, a pretty little smile on your face. you glance up to see him craning his neck back, looking confused, and shrug.

“you said you’d make it up to me.”

kisame feels all the blood rush straight to his dick when you lean up and place a soft kiss on his neck. he chuckles.

“you ain’t tyin’ me up baby.”

you make a noise of disagreement and continue working on the ropes, eyes sparkling playfully.

“we’ll see.”

[allsassnoclass]

what are your thoughts on 5sos5 in terms of album order and like cohesiveness as a body of work? pls be as elaborate as you like xoxo bella

@clumsyclifford mmmmmm what a question! let's see if i can answer it.

i think this is their most cohesive album. part of that could be that this album has the most distinct sound when compared to their other ones, but sonically there's a lot of cohesion in the main 14 tracks. part of this is definitely because the album was mostly written and produced by them, rather than being a patchwork of different producers and co-writers adding their own touches of sound here and there. for the most part, the songs are defined with a big, expansive sound, a touch of synth, background harmonies, and lots of high notes (whether done in falsetto or belted). a lot of songs also have a nice build to them (take my hand, bad omens, easy for you to say, carousel specifically) which then opens up to this really big, transcendent musical moment.  we have moments of echos and moments where their rock edge sneaks in, just a little. for the most part, these songs feel like they fit together.

that being said, I wonder if the reason that our 5 bonus tracks are technically bonus tracks instead of on the standard album is because they don't all fit neatly into the album from a sound perspective. emotions, for example, sounds nothing like the rest of the album.  that’s one of those acoustic pop punk ballads that every 2000s band fit into the middle of the cd.  moodswings also has a unique sound compared to the rest of the album, as does tears!  they’re great songs, so obviously they would want to include them, but i wonder if their sonic uniqueness compared to the rest of the album is partially why they’re bonus tracks.

lyrically, i think this is one of their most cohesive albums as well! it’s very introspective.  this is very much an “I” album (they don’t do a lot of those. sgfg was a “we” album, and youngblood and calm were both “you” albums in my opinion), and each of the songs is very emotionally self-aware.  while there are messy emotions involved in the songs, the narrator is aware of just how messy these are, and can also be somewhat objective on the situation.  there’s also a prevalent theme of searching for something and a constant motion forward that appears in a lot of the songs, like we’re on a journey towards something better with the narrator. bad omens mentions the “you” character being a runaway and has the narrator constantly chasing after that person, carousel talks a lot about keeping the journey going, caramel starts with “run to the east, gotta leave, i need a way out” and we end with red line, which is a train song and makes references to journeying without a destination.  some of the songs are moving towards something, and some are moving away, but for the most part there’s a sense of motion, and if there isn’t, then that in of itself is a significant part of the song (moodswings, for example, has the narrator frustrated that they keep pushing the “you” character away and feeling like that person is slipping away from them while they are stuck in a rut.  you don’t go to parties also has the person acknowledging that they’re stuck in the past and can’t move forward: “last five years running out my mouth” and “always stay too late i should kick me out,” plus the concept of looking for someone who used to frequent parties because you miss them, even if you know full well that they won’t be there because that’s not who they are anymore).

the lyrics in general have evolved in the same way, too. their metaphors have gotten better and more specific, their literal phrases pack a bigger punch, and while there’s a difference in the lyrics for songs like take my hand and you don’t go to parties and emotions, which each had different members leading the lyrics, it still all combines to sound like 5sos for the most part.

as for album order... this part is difficult to fully comment on, because I think i’d have to digest the album a bit more, but i don’t think their opener/closer combination is as strong as it has been on other albums.  for me personally, red line doesn’t feel like an overly strong song, so for that one to close out the standard album is an interesting choice, although i understand what they were going for, especially with sound of the train leaving at the end.  it feels like a strange song to end on when the rest of the album feels relatively hopeful.  the same can be said for tears!, although i’m not sure where else tears! would be able to go.  i also understand why complete mess is the opener, as it was the opening of the era for them from a writing perspective, but personally i’d be interested to hear an album that starts with take my hand and ends with bad omens or carousel.  i definitely think that a narrative through line is easier to see in the earlier songs, and i would’ve loved to see that carry all the way to the end via placement of the songs.

after two days of having the album, my thoughts on this subject are best summarized as follows: cohesive, but i’m not sure about the song order.  hope this ramble makes sense!