#i have also put in nowhere near the same amount of work in these 5 days

[rohirric-hunter]

Part of me is like, Past Me can eat her heart out about finishing the entire RT in 12 days that one time after what Present Me just did in 5. But I know very well that this is because of the availability of the Moria crafting instance exploit on Crickhollow due to the fact that I have multiple characters there.

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

Re: your Disco S4 review:

but there was just a bit too much Therapy Talk for my liking. and to be clear, i don't mean too much Actual Therapy. i really respect the show for portraying therapy and trauma recovery in depth and just having cool main characters go to therapy because it's good and healthy is Very Cool. but i do think there are definitely scenes (particularly in the beginning of the show) that has dialogue fall into Therapy Talk where all the characters go around in a circle and coherently state their thoughts and emotions and then resolve their conflict.

I also have the same issue, I know the crew were heavily traumatized in season 1 and I love that we’re finally getting a Trek have Starfleet take mental health seriously.

But it’s how the writers execute the scene that’s the problem. I think you’re right on the money about them needing another pass at scenes like that.

I also think, most of the time the show literally stops the action for the characters to just talk. And I adore characters being in a room, just talking. But I think it’s because most of the time it’s because those scenes do two things at the same time. Or they usually have characters talk around it and be difficult.

In season 4, it seems the characters start their scene and they just over indulge too much, maybe a tighter edit would also work.

But also I think most modern shows have that problem where they use Therapy talk as a crutch for character development and relationships.

And again, I preface this that I do love having mental health taken seriously but I think there’s a way to do it where writer’s integrate it organically— one of the new shows I like from AppleTV— Shrinking, is literally all about it but it’s funny and heartbreaking and sweet. I think maybe it’s because the writers are also new to the concepts and think they have to fit everything to be relevant.

Hopefully, they worked out the kinks for season 5!

Yeah exactly. I love Disco but sometimes it feels like the writers just need to read their dialogue aloud to make some last revisions (and also put some nuance/unspoken things into the dialogue).

I also think, most of the time the show literally stops the action for the characters to just talk. And I adore characters being in a room, just talking. But I think it’s because most of the time it’s because those scenes do two things at the same time

This!!!! I know fiction is never meant to accurately reflect reality and that there are always going to be weirdly timed conversations for the sake of narrative but Discovery in particular has SO MANY "stop and talk" scenes during Big Action and it drives me crazy when the plot just establishes a strict time limit to do something and then we spend three minutes for characters to have a heart to heart instead of just. Doing The Thing. I know the 90s era "walk and talks" were annoying to film but those downbeats of characters chatting while going from point A to point B is a great place to add small bits of characterization (and movement!) instead of standing still and monologuing.

Thanks for the rec, I've never heard of Shrinking but will have to check it out!

(putting a big tangential ramble about Disco's portrayal of mental health/therapy under a cut because yeesh it got long)

As someone who has been in therapy, has a psychology degree, and has written fiction that uses therapy sessions as a setting/framing device, I can say with a decent amount of confidence that the way therapy/mental health is utilized in Disco is neither super realistic nor using its full narrative potential. Imo we skipped a very interesting part of everyone's healing journeys between s3 and s4 where characters are actually struggling to articulate their problems or denying their issues. Particularly with Detmer who went from having severe PTSD flashbacks in s3 to talking about her feelings with total clarity in s4 when actual trauma recovery is nowhere near as quick or linear and usually requires making major lifestyle changes to actually heal and maintain that healing.

And also I take issue with the fact that all of the characters are growing and facing similar issues at the same time and pace. It ends up making a lot of awkward and redundant conversations between characters who aren't in conflict and are self-actualized enough that they state everything they mean. And when there is meaningful conflict, the characters seem to very quickly overcome their flaws and make up. It's like the opposite problem that a lot of sitcoms and soap operas run into when characters are so driven to conflict and secret-keeping. It is refreshing to have a show where everyone is committed to being their best selves (which is quite similar to tng in that regard) but it doesn't easily mesh with the sort of drama that Discovery seems interested in telling stories about. All of this is also probably why Book's narrative (and his relationship with Michael) was one of the best parts of s4 because it felt like the writers actually committed to realistic season-long conflict born out of trauma and loss that wasn't written off. And as a result I think David Ajala's acting was some of the best of the show because he was given so much depth. I really just wish that the other characters had something similar but Disco's style of hyper-serialization, shorter season orders, and a large cast of recurring characters just doesn't lend to realistically telling stories about trauma and recovery because we almost only see the action and not the characters living their ordinary lives.

And while 90s Trek certainly wasn't The Best at portraying mental health (the therapy it shows in tng is just. Wrong. And so many characters like B'Elanna and Janeway have their issues with depression forgotten about after an episode or two), portrayals of PTSD with characters like Kira, Seven, Neelix, Picard, and Sisko tend to be more interesting to me because those characters' journeys through healing aren't linear. And as always, more episodes and episodic television in general makes it so emotional moments really hit (like Picard's breakdown in Family after Best of Both Worlds, seeing Kira's trauma around her father's death in Ties of Blood and Water, or whenever Neelix, the usual comedic relief and lighthearted character, has to confront how his family was killed in a brutal genocide) whereas with a show like Discovery – there's constant character drama and confrontations and big emotional moments so the catharsis of someone having a breakthrough in their treatment is a bit undercut. For something like that to be memorable, there have to be unmemorable moments too which just isn't Disco's style. It's not inherently a bad thing, but it's not really to my tastes.

Even the other new Treks tend to be a bit more grounded with character dialogue and addressing mental health. My enjoyment of Lower Decks shot way up in s4 because her admitting that Sito's death drove her away from wanting to be an officer was such a huge moment of catharsis when Mariner usually avoids talking about her feelings with a six foot poll. SNW has both La'an, M'Benga, and Chapel dealing with PTSD and their moments of vulnerability and pain are better because SNW tries to balance the silliness and seriousness of Trek. Picard is probably the most similar in content/tone to Discovery and even there despite the serialization and awkward characterization moments, the characters all have consistent issues with trauma that affect them at different times and affect them despite self-improvement. And I think Picard sometimes dips into heavy-handed emotional conversations but it's not quite as much as Disco because oh boy these characters are good at avoiding their feelings.

To be clear, I do love Discovery and people blow the awkward writing/Therapy Talk problem WAY out of proportion to cover for the bigoted reasons some people vocally hate the show. Like this problem does annoy me but it is just one aspect of the show and I hope one that will be fixed (or at least less noticeable) for season 5.

[nyxelestia]

Coping With Widespread Wildfire Smoke

Some suggestions for all the Canadian and Northern U.S. users dealing with wildfire smoke, from a Californian who deals with it pretty much every year.

1. Double-mask while outdoors.��

If you’re using masks from the pandemic, wear two of them! If you’re using one cloth and one disposable, wear the disposable one on the inside. Using a scarf or bandana? Fold it at least once before wrapping it around your nose and mouth.

Some people also like to spray or dampen the outer layer. Personally, I haven’t found this particularly helpful, but this could be something to try to see if it works for you. If you do try this, though, only do so with the outer layer, and only dampen it; don’t make it soaking wet.

2. Do not bring outdoor clothes into your home.

Clothing and fibrous materials can hold onto a lot of smoke and ash, and you can end up bringing some of that inside your home without realizing it. If you have a garage or patio, change in there. If not, then just make sure to not go further than a step inside your home before you change out of your outdoor clothes. Seal them in a plastic bag or airtight container, and don’t re-open it unless you’re wearing it again to go back out, or washing them.

You can also just do this with dedicated outer layers, i.e. a light jacket and some overalls or oversized pants. If you’re carrying a non (p)leather backpack or bag, wrap it plastic when you’re out, or a scarf that goes into the outdoor clothes bag/bin at home, or just leave it in your garage or whatever and only bring the contents indoors. In that same vein...

3. Cover your hair while you are outdoors.

Your hair will also hold a lot of ash and particulates, and while it’s also a very small amount, it’s a small amount right next to your eyes, nose, and mouth (and a small amount that can get into your pillowcase). Tuck any long hair into your jacket or sweatshirt, and make sure you’re wearing a scarf, hat, or hood that covers your head while you’re out.

If your clothing does not cover your whole body while you are outdoors - understandable, weather gets warm with wildfires - then make sure to rinse off as soon as you get home. Body hair also holds into ash and smoke.

Incidentally, if your eyes have been feeling oddly itchy lately even while indoors, but you don’t see or smell any smoke or ash, wash your pillowcase. There’s a good chance your hair transferred some particulates onto your pillowcase, and even if you don’t see or smell it, it can cause irritation.

4. You can use coffee filters as an air filter in a pinch.

They’re not as good as a proper air filter, but those are in high demand and might not be accessible to everyone right now, or it might be a while before you can get yours. In the mean time, tape, glue, or staple a bunch of paper coffee filters together, 2-3 layers should do the trick (though depending on how thick the smoke and ash in your area is and what type of filter you’re using, you might need more). Put this on the back of a box fan or other caged/contained fan, or over any internal vents from central air conditioning.

If you don’t have coffee filters, then paper towels or toilet paper can also work. Nowhere near as good as coffee filters, let alone an actual air filter, but also better than than nothing.

5. Hydrate!

Even when you’re nowhere near the fire, the smoke and ash can dehydrate you fast. On top of that, a drier body or drier skin exacerbates the irritation caused by all the smoke and ash, and of course a lot of people will be running air conditioners (which also dehydrate you!) more than usual since they can’t open a window.

6. Continue to do these for at least 3 days after you stop seeing or smelling smoke.

You’ll probably be tempted to ditch the extra clothes and steps as soon as the smoke stops being noticeable, but don’t! Even if it’s not bad enough to bother you immediately, there will still be a lot of particles in the air that are small enough to get deep into your lungs, and leftover smoke and ash can cause breathing and eye irritation for days or weeks afterward. Keep protecting yourself until the PM 2.5 air quality index drops to 50 or below. If your local weather report doesn’t have a PM 2.5 index or other similar air quality measure, you can check the EPA’s Fire and Smoke map.

[skelezomperman]

Some random Thoughts the first

Here's some random thoughts about Fire Emblem that I'll post here since the Opinions Thread on Reddit is a bit late. Negative first, then positive.

Firstly, I've said this before but I think that the biggest casualty of incest being discussed in Fire Emblem is that it means that people cannot treat a brother and sister being affectionate to each other normally. Every time they do so much as share an embrace, you are sure to see someone claim that there is some kind of romantic undertone. I really, really just hate this. Can we just...not?

Secondly, there's a pattern I've noticed, a sort of temptation to get addicted to looking at other people's bad takes. It is certainly not hard to find people saying things that objectively make no sense, not especially on social media sites like Tumblr, Reddit, or Twitter/X. Sometimes it is so funny that you have to say something to someone else. But at the same time, it's easy to fall into this addiction to looking at bad takes. To make it a full-blown habit of spending so much time at looking at terrible things said on the Internet is extremely unhealthy! I am not saying this to laugh or to proclaim myself as better, because I too am guilty of gossip. But we are called to greater things than circlejerking off other people's faults.

---

We are honestly blessed to have so much talent in our community. Obviously, there's artists, but we also have talented writers, talented cosplayers, talented translators, talented analyzers. I see it when I see the subreddit, I see it on Twitter, I see it on Tumblr, I see it on Discord. My talent is nowhere near the talent that other people have. I can't draw, I can't really speak Japanese, and my creative skills amount to some middling writings. So to everyone who has this talent, I thank you for all you've done, and if you want to use your talents to enrich the community, I say go for it! I support you.

Have I mentioned before that I like Ivy from Fire Emblem: Engage? I will spare you the details of my months-long angsting with the fact that I like her. I've said repeatedly before that I would not die on a hill defending that character, but for once I'll say that I appreciate her. I appreciate that she isn't one-dimensional (contrary to popular belief, ghosts are not mentioned in every support she has). She's adept at maneuvering around many different people, whether it's with Alcryst who clearly still has bad feelings about what happened in Chapter 10, with her sister whom she wants to support despite the enmity between their mothers, or with someone like Mauvier who is in a similar situation to her. Yes, the worldbuilding in Elusia rings hollow just as it does throughout the game, but I still felt that she was fine with regards to fitting into the plot, perhaps more-so than any of the other royals in the game.

(In general, I think my enjoyment of Engage increases when I turn away from looking at posts where people say they dislike it. Then I feel less bad about liking Engage even if it went against a lot of what I was wanting out of future Fire Emblems.)

One last thing is that I want to just say that I like how many little things there are to discover about FE4. I'm in the process of building a group of docs comparing the various translations of FE4. It's been three years since I went through the work of putting together a script for Project Naga, and I'm still finding lines that I never knew existed. Who knew that there's actually a line for if you seized Lubeck (first castle in Chapter 5) with Byron somehow still being alive? Or that Ishtore's boss dialogue changes if you fight him before killing Liza? So many little details to appreciate from this game even if it does show its age.

[glitchbirds]

currently on day 4 post-top surgery

pain was bad first couple days but has mellowed out to the point where im mostly just uncomfortable, finally. i was a bit in a rush to stop taking the prescribed percocet/oxycodone because i didnt like the side effects, and tried to switch to plain acetaminophen the same day as surgery- horrendous mistake. dont do that. in some ways i felt worse on the first day post-op than i did the day of surgery, because of that. i switched do acetaminophen yesterday afternoon and that was a much better time for it, it definitely doesnt dull the pain As well as percocet but it works well enough

the drains make me deeply paranoid and i haaate that i have to wear them two extra days because my surgeon rescheduled my post-op a week before surgery. theyve consistently only drained small amounts (and less each day) and i keep freaking out over the idea that theyre either clogged somewhere where i cant see/reach, Or that ive accidentally pulled them partially out of place when stripping them as directed

surgical binder is arguably even more annoying to me than the drains- starting on day 3 it started hiking up my chest constantly and putting unnecessary excess pressure on wherever it folded onto. and every time i readjusted it it would just slip back into the wrong place the next time i stood up or sat down. i was finally able to readjust it today in a way that it hasnt gotten messed up again, so thats a relief

for the first couple nights sleeping or even just lying down was fucking horrible. oxycodone would make me drowsy under an hour after taking it, but lying down or sitting back up from a lying down position would cause a sharp pulling feeling in my right side. i used wedge pillows and stacked more pillows on top of that, which sometimes helped but usually just made me sleep fitfully because i was on top of an uneven lumpy pile (oxycodone made that worse- i would get vivid, half-dream half-hallucination visions and sensations and drift in and out of sleep every 5-10 minutes until it wore off). the day after surgery, the first time i tried to sleep in my own bed, i woke up a few hours later to take my next dose of pain meds and the pain from prying myself out of bed was So excruciating that i spent a full half hour sitting on the edge of my bed trying to will myself to lay back down again. i eventually limped my way to the living room couch and fell asleep sitting up with my back leaning on some pillows. i still woke up once or twice an hour that night but had no pain from getting up or lying down. the next night i slept better- woke up even less-, and last night i braved my own bed again and it was nowhere near as painful as that first time… thank god for that

in general i seem to have been more awake/lucid/active than most ppl at this stage of top surgery? esp the first couple days, i spent a lot of time restlessly pacing around the hotel room (and later the apartment). obviously still doing my best to limit upper body movements and not get complacent with my slowly improving range of motion and overextend myself. at least walking around has been good for me in terms of minimizing blood clots in my legs…? and hopefully me being bad at falling asleep hasnt caused any notable issues with the healing process. hopefully.

scotty has been a little angel of a cat, he already is very gentle and avoids stepping on people (and if he does you can barely feel it). binx on the other hand, historically, loves clambering on top of my chest and he has no concept of his own weight and it hurts like hell, so ive been rebuffing his affection a lot the past few days and having to stop him from putting his paws on my chest and climbing on. which he is heartbroken about. absolutely mournful yowling in the halls

oh also my surgeon sent me a bunch of documents with instructions around what to do but the document says that i was given “nipple sparing double incision mastectomy” and the document occasionally mentions nipple care, and i assume this is just like, a generic form and they dont have a specific version of this document for ppl who opt to have nipples removed entirely, but im just gonna say rn if they left nipples on me after the surgeon and multiple other doctors+ nurses asked me directly half an hour before surgery to confirm that i did not want nipples, im going to go fucking crazy. i cant tell through the bandages if i have them or not- i don’t think i feel anything but im reluctant to poke around there too much

[ceasarslegion]

Hi everyone. This is a very old post, but it's blown up again recently. I actually haven't worked for Kiehl's for almost a year now, but the knowledge I learned about skincare products has stayed with me, and I want to come in again to follow up with the very common comments and FAQs this post has gotten:

1. "What is the oil controlling moisturizer that mattifies?" The Kiehl's Oil Eliminator 24-hour Moisturizer in the men's section. I will warn you that it won't stand up to Sahara-level dryness, but there is also a toner in the same line if you need the same results with a more hardcore moisturizer to put on top of it. The toner can also be used as a setting spray if you like wearing makeup.

2. "Don't buy all these products just use the men's 5-in-1's!" I can not tell you hard enough how much you Should Not Use Multiple-in-1's. The basic chemistry of it just does not work. You can't make shampoo also be conditioner, or also be body wash, or also be face wash. They have completely different chemical makeups for a reason and if you try to add others you create a weird concoction of sludge that does barely anything. It might wash and moisturize your hair a LITTLE BIT but nowhere near the amount you need it to to have any real effect. And there is a real reason why body and fash wash are separate, it's not capitalism. The skin on your body is a lot thicker and more oily than the comparatively thin and dry skin on your face, do not use body wash on your face. And shampoo needs to be a LOT more stripping to clean hair, which is basically a pile of really thin dead keratin strands that trap dust and grime like its their job. Keratin can stand up to that much, your skin can't. Don't buy multiples.

3. "Don't buy from beauty stores, just get the cheap shit at walmart" once again, I can not stress enough that you Should Not Do That if you don't have a working knowledge of how ingredients work in skincare products. The reason those products are cheap is often because they use really cheap and often irritating, acne-causing, and environmentally disgusting binding ingredients over the responsibly-sourced and gentle ones. You can absolutely find cheaper products in department stores that will do the same thing if not more for you than what you get in Sephora, but don't play with fire if you don't know WHY it's so cheap. Even things as simple as squalane could cost 60 dollars somewhere and 12 in a walmart, and it's because cheap squalane is sourced from hunted shark fins, while the expensive stuff is from olives. You can already see the difference in why you shouldn't just assume cheaper is the same and I haven't even mentioned skin effects.

4. "Scents/parabens/sulfates are always bad" not necessarily. Not all added scents or parabens or sulfates are made equally. If you have really oil-capturing hair and work a grimey job, you're gonna need a shampoo with sulfates in it or you wont get it all off, for example. It really depends on what type it is and what your lifestyle and individual needs are. Don't villainize a whole group of ingredients just because they aren't good for a generalized group of people.

Also yes, anti-aging is a scam. BUT a lot of "anti-aging" products are good for other things. Retinol serums are a genuine godsend for people with persistent acne that is otherwise resistant to treatment.

Being the only guy who works in a beauty store is fucking hilarious sometimes. Im the only one who can sell our shitty beard shampoo and a not insignificant amount of our customers think im untrustworthy. According to my coworkers i use every mens product we have so they can get dudes to buy a shaving cream. Trying to explain to people that theres no difference between "men's" and "women's" products is like talking to a brick wall. Ive had multiple women get angry with me for sampling them out one of our "men's" moisturizers when they specifically said they wanted a mattifying one to control oil and that's the best one we have for those two things. I still think about the guy who came in asking if we had "masks for men." I contemplate ending it all every time someone returns a completely unused product that they absolutely refuse to try just because it either says or doesnt say "for men" on it. 90% of the time its the perfect product for them. I had a lady who was willing to buy a worse product for her needs that was more expensive just so it wouldnt say it was for men. Are you ever tired? Are you ever exhausted? These are the same kinds of people who say that im the one whos obsessed with gendering everything because im trans.

[dailyunstableeve]

Under the Spell

Chapter (5/9)

Miguel O'Hara x My oc (Eve)

°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .

It's been two months since Lyla told him about Eve, but Miguel couldn't find anything suspicious. Eve is just living her life, sometimes she would do delivery for the neighborhood just so she could get herself some money. Eve doesn't like just working for one office, once there's a request for people to help, she would be there.

Eve would stay there until she thinks she has help enough, so she would start changing other jobs.

"Miguel, could you do this?" Eve shows a footage to Miguel, it's about MJ and Peter Parker kissing. The upside down kiss.

"It looks so romantic for a couple like us, a normal human being and her Spider man boyfriend."

"Mi Amor, how did you find that?"

"I asked Lyla to show me the Spider Man romance story and this is the first thing she showed me," Eve chuckled.

"Lyla," Miguel sighed, looking at Lyla who disappeared, smirking as Miguel looked at her.

"Can we do that?" Eve begged, "please?"

Miguel groans and sticks his web on the ceilings, hanging himself upside down, slowly going down to Eve.

He's not used to doing stuff like this but if it's for Eve, he would do it.

"I am very not used to this."

"Just this once."

Their lips connected, just as the scene continued to play, without sound. They are doing the same thing as the footage.

★・・・・・・★

Today is Eve and Miguel's one year anniversary of them first meeting each other. Miguel has a surprise for Eve.

Eve told Miguel that she has something to do today so she'll be home by evening, which gives Miguel enough time to prepare everything.

Miguel made himself a sandwich and coffee for lunch, also checking up with Eve, making sure she's nowhere near home because there's a high chance Eve would return early and ruin the surprise. Luckily Eve is blocks away from Miguel.

"Mi-migu-Miguel!" The audio glitches.

"Lyla?" Miguel checked his signal, the signal is working perfectly so why can't Lyla reach him?

"Get bac- get back to the HQ now!" The audio ended.

Miguel leaves the house quickly, leaving all the decorations on the floor.

When he reached the HQ, it's a mess. Distraction everywhere, the webs. Miguel couldn't believe the sight he's looking at. The HQ is damaged. Someone invaded the HQ.

"Lyla!" Miguel called.

No response.

Whoever invades the HQ must've cut down the power. Leaving the emergency light on.

A figure rushed towards Miguel, as Miguel self defense, he threw the person and pinned the person on the ground.

"Peter?" He immediately helped Peter up.

"Miguel," Peter coughed, "the HQ was under attack by an enemy we have never encountered before, whoever the person is, they're very strong."

"Where is everyone?"

"They are trying to stop the person. I overheard from Jess that it seems to be the Mafia killer, I don't even know what the Mafia killer Jess is talking about," then he passed out.

The Mafia killer.

Miguel's anxiousness raised. He quickly put on his suit and went to find everyone. He only knows he's getting closer is the amount of Spider Man laying on the ground, they're not dead, just knocked out.

"Miguel!" It's Jess, who's trapped in an energy box. Miguel stopped and checked if he could get Jess out but there's nothing he could do, because it's magic.

"That bitch keeps locking me up, the Peters are still chasing after the woman, just be careful, I'll see if I can break out again."

"Be careful Miguel!" Jess' voice echoed as Miguel continued his way towards the Mafia killer.

Miguel finally catches up. More Spider Man bodies lay on the floor, leaving Peter B and the Mafia killer fighting each other. Peter B is already badly wounded, if he carries on, he could really lose his life. Miguel uses his web and brings Peter B to him.

"I'm here."

"Took you long enough," Peter B groaned, he tried to keep his standing but his legs had already given up.

The Mafia killer saw Miguel's appearance and flew off, Miguel wouldn't let her out of his sight so he followed close. They ended up in Miguel's office. The mafia killer took out the pendrive she had planted there for the whole time and kept it in her pocket. It seems like she's just here for the data.

If she's here to kill, those bodies on the floor should be dead.

The mafia killer took out her phone and started dialing a number. When the call was picked, a deep voice came out from it.

"Hello Mr O'Hara, it's such a great honor to finally able to talk to you," the voice from the phone said, "Солдат, сними маску." (Soldier, take off your mask)

With the command of the voice, the mafia killer took off the mask. When the face is fully shown, Miguel couldn't believe his eyes.

"Eve?"

"Mr O'Hara, it was I who planned for Ms Eve to be by your side, so she could observe you and get me the information I wanted," the voice laughed, as he had won a bet.

"Eve, is this real?" Miguel looked at Eve, she wasn't replying.

"Ah, I forgot to say, she's under my control," with a snap, Eve finally looked at Miguel.

"Заверши задание, солдат." (Finish the mission, soldier.) The call ended, leaving Eve and Miguel looking at each other.

"My task is to hack the information about the multiverse, in order for me to do that, I need to get close to you, let you bring me to the HQ, giving me free access in and out the building, the mission period is a year, and today is the last day," Eve explained, "too bad Lyla alerted everyone about me downloading the data, it could've end it without a fight."

"Everything was just an act?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

But is it? If Miguel wasn't blinded by anger, he could see the regrets in Eve's eye.

"I never thought you would fall this deep in love with me Miguel, I'm-" Eve suddenly falls onto the ground, it's like she's still under control, but she's only allowed to speak.

"I'm sorry Miguel, you gotta have to kill me if you want your data back," the pain continues, Eve tries her best to stood up, her hand reach towards the ear piece she's wearing, she wants to take it out, but she couldn't, she doesn't have the access to do it.

"Please," Eve begged.

Miguel finally sees the pain on Eve's face, he wants to help her but Eve is unable to control her body, she's using her magic to push Miguel away.

"Stop controlling me you jerk," Eve is trying her best to fight back as well.

Eve looked at Miguel, who's trying to break through the magic force, she gave him a smile and started running the other direction and that other direction, could lead her to the rooftop. With Eve on the run, the magic force stopped, allowing Miguel to catch up with Eve.

Now both of them are standing on the rooftop.

Miguel has his mask on, so Eve couldn't see what kind of expression he's having on his face. Miguel could see the clear expression of Eve.

"Take off the mask Miguel, no one gonna see you here, other than me," Eve looked at Miguel, as he took off the mask.

Miguel is frowning, it's too much for him to take in.

"If you just stay home, just stay there, and Lyla didn't inform you, we could just continue our life, as lovers," Eve looked at the view, the view of the man she loved, and the big green field.

"Is Jess still in that box?" Eve asked.

"Yes."

"That's good, I tried to not hurt her because she's pregnant."

A moment of silence, the two lovers just looking at each other.

"Eve-"

"Miguel, don't fight me, or save me, it's not worth it, nothing worth it," Eve didn't let Miguel have a chance to talk.

"Don't forget to eat Miguel," Eve gave her last smile and jumped off the rooftop.

While Eve is on her way to the rooftop, she manages to knock off the ear piece by banging on the wall. Which is why she has her body control back.

Her original mission is to escape, but she just wants to die now. She has done enough.

The moment Eve jumped, Miguel didn't hesitate and jumped as well, his left web was sticking onto the glass window while his right web was sticking onto Eve.

"I'm not letting you go, I'm not going to lose you," Miguel looked at Eve.

"I'm a criminal Miguel, and I don't even belong here in the first place."

"What do you mean you don't belong here?" Miguel asked, gripping on the web.

"You'll know soon," Eve uses her magic to cut off the web.

Miguel continued to follow Eve, both of the lovers falling from the sky. One trying to catch the other, while the other just watched them trying.

"I'm gonna miss that handsome face," the last word that Eve spoke as she hit the ground, she even uses her last moment to get Miguel to safety.

Blood bleeding out from the body, her eyes looking up at the blue sky, with a faint smile on her face.

She's free, she's free from all the control.

Leaving Miguel hugging her cold body, crying.

This can't be the end right?

°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .•°:. *₊ ° . ° .

Prev~

Next~

[the-firebird69]

I guess we're having fun with it swinging people by his foreigners but they're trying to send orders over there to connect to come here this morning and it works a little but not much and mostly they get beat up. And it's kind of sickening because they have this act of being thieves all the time and there aren't many please here and it reveals them right away it's terrible.

Is more going on than you think and he's trying to get him back down there these people are in the way and it's thinking well and may not be that bad and it turned out pretty good and they're in trouble cuz they're getting raided right now but everybody including him. There's a lot of fighting going on over Charlotte transportation and other and really 4:00 is normal it's Saturday that it's not so that's why I switched to Friday. Sometimes I go till 6:00 to the mall and that guy's wrong about to get fired but everyone is they say tonight and they're stupid and clueless human rated bad very badly and the attacks probably start at 5:30 no doubt everyone's sick of them

It's more going on but this is a major major event another major event is Saturn being in Superior conjunction and the morlock have yet to switch gears to go after ships be nice if they did because it'd be easier right now they're sitting around doing nothing and all sorts of fleets are positioning to obstruct each other but they are going to attack these people shortly and with massive amounts of ferocity and aggression and it's because of what they're saying now about Saturn. They simply have to get them out of the way to access tunnels and things that they're near and they block people all the time

So they're saying in the grocery store for years it's extremely angry and frustrating and very mean and these people are heinous right now they're anus you can't stand near one of them without them starting to mouth off and say s*** and trying to explain something that they were saying listen lame here we go it's another day in the neighborhood okay huge amounts of people are walking around the days they have no idea why. So he's clarifying it's not the same shirt and people say it looks the same and they know who you are you're an idiot. And he thought it was different but you're stupid and looking stupid doesn't make you look smart by the way. There's a lot of people who want this out of the way and you see the show in ours did too and said wow they're horrible to you they're massive massive jerks and it's ongoing they're continuously jerks and it does not stop okay it's all day all night with this heinous crap

We are in position and we see that hardly any ships can even get near departing and they are stuck they have to get rid of idiots and they have Tommy f to contend with and it's true if they're out there on Saturday and they show up it's all over there's nothing they can do there's no way to plug into anything just nothing on the planet all those ships are destroyed and rotted and they talked about all day long and they verified it recent Intel and they already knew but they want everybody to have a freshman in the mind that's nowhere to go you're going to be wasting manpower and ships if you do in your order not to and they do get it and they're holding off they're also holding off until holding off until they go down and straighten it out with Tommy f and we know what we're doing and they are also eliminating eyes and ears on the place all the time if they're going to be gone by the end of tonight into tomorrow morning so remaining up and we're gearing up we got a ton of stuff to do we're almost ready to do it

Thor Freya

I'm putting this message out there. For everyone who cares about my husband I want him to get assistance I'm getting home safely. They're all mentioning kidnapping him they want to mess with the boss they want to mess with his way home and I want him to get out of there safely I don't want there to be a shouting match a scene with police or anything I don't need that there's enough heat here from every single person that walks by him for an evening. I'll look back in history and none of them ever was saying this kind of crap and so I see a bus and I hope it's the one for him and I do appreciate it very much. We have a lot of work to do and I'm in charge of my project and I'm calling my cadre because I do need assistance it's extremely difficult and large and complex and there are many many people who are willing to assist and I'm accepting all the help please report it now and that means you two guys and gals Frank Castle hardcastle Duke Nukem Blockbuster I am anticipating your arrival shortly and I do understand it's early so about six but he needs to be outside and this is going to be a decent day of Hope it's turned out all right and there are tons of people who are saying that this is a horrendous crowd they are just absolutely completely ignorant of what their status is and what the situation is and what other people are doing insane it is a massive massive massive problem for most people that they are completely out of line nothing sheriff would have trouble getting here if you had to and I'm putting that out there for hours I want moving right now of hours there's too many here

Hera

We're moving in and we see that they're annoying and repulsive and they're causing problems for him already not huge problems but they do it all the time but still there are plenty of them in town far too many and the max should make a note they're outnumbered here

Frank Castle hardcastle

I don't really need him to go to Australia although it is a nice idea it's loaded with these winners and they are disgusting and uncivilized. And we have more to say this is a rocking day there's plenty of them going overseas they're pretty much going to be done because of the cities and it was a brilliant observation that someone made Thor and Freya and to have him posted he posted it right away and says I understand that and they started going in there more and they're doing it here in the cities are taking them in and they are not going anywhere else ever again and their ships there they say they're fighting over and good for them it's something they should be doing and some people are still trying to say the foreigners for some reason they're not aware of the max spring out professionals for that kind of thing and they should anyways even though they are really lame they still managed to get jobs done that they should not be able to and I'll mention it later no I'm telling you now it can build devices and they're half field and people know that that's what he's saying with that outfit to certain clerks outfit and they put lead lining in it and use it all the time it's not stupid it covers almost your whole body the pants too and they're long sleeve lead lines.

Duke Nukem Blockbuster

You see him and he's saying it to him and everybody else and it's John remillard and people are going to do it and his business will be gone too he has no laser light computer and his computer can't take the radiation and a lot of people want this computers down and it's an easy way to do it

Mac

[dirty-brainrot]

(Not like him ²)

Here's the 2nd part to this!

Pairing(s): Stardust Crusaders x Reader

After traveling for weeks and days with the crusaders, all of you have finally reached Cairo. You helped them track down DIO to the best of your abilities. But you were able to only scout the area for them at night and kept an eye out for any stand users under DIO's influence. (And yet with all of your efforts, your relationship with Jotaro hasn't changed. He's still wary of you.)

Iggy had been wounded. None of you were there to see what happened so you could only guess that the boston terrier was attacked by a stand user. On the brighter side, Kakyoin returned fully healed after the incident with the water stand.

You all wasted no time and headed straight for DIO's mansion. Although, you had a hard time keeping up because of the thick clothes you wore to protect you from the striking sun.

The time you had there was excruciating. Your allies had a near-death experience at the fight with Vanilla Ice but good thing you were there to prevent that. Although, they had sustained heavy wounds, making them unable to help further, and had to fall back.

DIO's minions were able to stall you all until sunset. Forced to fight DIO at night, you discarded the heavy cloak, also gaining the upper hand. And all of you fled away thinking of a way to figure out his stand's powers. Jotaro chased after the vengeful Polnareff while you, Kakyoin, and Mr. Joestar figured out the body-stealing vampire's stand.

Currently, you were on the trunk of the truck, gripping tightly on the edges so you wouldn't get thrown off. You screamed to Joseph on the wheel. "DRIVE FASTER!! HE'S GAINING ON US—" You looked back at the car that DIO was in but you were only met with a corpse hurtling towards you at great speed. Startled, you jumped off and rolled around the pavement. The car slammed into a building and exploded with debris flying all over. Worried for your companions, you ran towards the car. The corpse sat there but they were nowhere to be found.

Relief washed over you once you saw them swinging from buildings to building and calling your name. You glanced behind you to see DIO's silhouette in the smoke, calling out to you. "Y/N... Join me..." Not wanting to handle him on your own, you ran after Kakyoin and Joseph. Jumping from buildings to another as your stand had no swinging abilities like theirs. "Joestar!!" Catching up to them, you spoke in panic. "What's the plan?! He's going to catch up sooner or later!"

"Don't worry Y/N!" Kakyoin grabbed your arm and pulled you away from Joseph. You both hid behind a building. Confused, you looked up at him waiting for answers. "We made a plan. I will set up a trap while Mr. Joestar distracts him." Provided with little context; You nodded slowly, unsure. He quickly made a platform with [Hierophant]'s tentacles for you and him to stand on. You stood beside him, watching the Joestar struggle to keep DIO away.

Once he was in the designated spot. He was finally able to entrap him in place, kakyoin used his splash move. "Emerald Splash!" Trapping DIO into his 50-meter Emeralds Splash web.

"Smart..." 'With this... we can get DIO to use his stand..!' You mumble and he flashes you a quick, small smile. "Hmm... Y/N... This will be the last chance I give you a chance to join me—" You interrupted him, growing frustrated with his repeated words. "Just stop with that already! After what you put these Joestars through... I'll never join your side." You growled at him and he laughs, mocking you. Kakyoin fired emeralds at him, making him halt his laughter.

As Kakyoin stated, nobody can deflect his emerald splash but DIO was able to do it with his bare hands. "That won't hold him for too long, Kak... Will this work?—" And right on time, DIO finally decided to reveal his stand's true power. "[The World]'s true power is, indeed, the power to reign over this world!"

A loud echoing noise, then suddenly, everything stopped. 'His stand...' You didn't get the chance to finish your thought as he starts to cut Kakyoin's trap while flying in your direction. "Dear Y/n... My beloved half-blood... You could've ruled the world with me... But it's too late for that now." 'This is no good... My secret weapon is the same as his too..!' [The World] pulled back his arm, getting ready to strike a punch. But it wasn't directed at you, it was directed at Kakyoin's stomach.

As [The World]'s fist was halfway through the air, you moved through stopped time, surprising DIO but that didn't stop him. You grabbed Kakyoin's arm and pulled him away, taking the hit through the stomach. Unlike DIO, your [The World] can only pause and move through stopped time for a second or two. Making it slightly weaker.

DIO was still caught off guard by your stand's ability, his own stand's arm still plunged into your stomach as time started ticking again. Your hair wildly slapped against your face as you flew through the air until you felt yourself hit a water tank. Kakyoin and Joseph called out to you but you weren't able to hear them due to the ringing from your ears from the metallic impact.

Feeling numb, you tried getting all your senses all together but it was to no avail. Slowly, you tilt your head up. you could see Kakyoin's silhouette swinging on buildings trying to get to you. Being strict by drinking anything but animal blood is giving you a huge withdrawal. Your regeneration isn't as fast as it was before... "-N...Y/N!" You snap your head back up to see Kakyoin looking at you with concern. "Y/N, are you ok?!" You cough out blood and weakly spoke. "Same stand... DIO can stop... time.." Kakyoin glanced back behind him and back to you. He avoids looking at your stomach, feeling sick that he can see through the hole.

"Wh—why aren't you healing?" He stutters and helps you get out of the water tank. You collapsed on top of him and he gently sets you down on the floor, kneeling beside you.

"Need blood..." His eyes widen and you shook your head. "Tell... Joestar that.. DIO...can stop time.." You croak. Your body is regenerating but it wasn't as fast as how you wanted it. Kakyoin nodded and stood up, expecting him to leave you and help the elder Joestar but you were wrong. He called out his stand and shoot the large clock, breaking its hands.

"Fool..! Just go find Jota—" He stops you and grabs your arm, pointing it to his neck directly at the carotid artery. "You said you needed blood right?" Kakyoin said with a stern face. Your eyes widen as you tug your hand away from his neck, failing due to lack of strength. "Yes... but I don't need it- I can manage." you croak out while Kakyoin kept a firm grip on your hand. "Y/N, you saved me. You need this to be able to fight DIO." 'He doesn't even know if I actually saved him... He has this much trust in me..' Biting your lip, you hesitantly shoved your sharpened nails in his neck. You only needed a small amount...

He visibly winced but it disappeared quickly. You drank a small portion of his blood while your wounds start to regenerate at a quicker pace. Slowly getting your strength back, you rose from your sitting position and quickly removed your fingers from Kakyoin's neck. He stumbled a bit but you helped him regain his footing. "G-go..." You nodded and prepared to jump through buildings to catch up with Joseph and DIO but before you did, you glanced at Kakyoin. The guilt slowly rising within you, he notices your look and smiles. "...thank you." You mutter and with that, you searched for DIO and joseph.

Jumping from buildings to buildings again, time would often stop but thanks to Kakyoin's offering, you learned that you could stop and move through time for at least 5 seconds or more. Following the trail of bloodshed, you saw Joseph's dried corpse in the distance. "Oh no..." No time for grieving, you continued. Getting closer, you start to feel the presence of your damned brother.

"ROAD ROLLER!" There they were, on the bridge with Jotaro losing to DIO. Quickly, you made your way to them. "DIO!" You screamed before freezing in time. He laughs and throws the road equipment towards you, it gets stuck in time after it was inches from you. At least Jotaro doesn't have to worry about getting crushed.

Once time started ticking, you evaded it by punching it with your stand. Given the opportunity, you stopped time. DIO froze due to his stand's ability cooldown. You gave him a hard punch in the stomach like what he did earlier. Your stand's hand goes through him then you slow down and freeze while DIO starts moving again. He starts laughing at your attempt. "Foolish Y/N.... I am stronger than you." He pushes you. You flew back and your stand's hand went out of his stomach. It regenerates as nothing had happened.

DIO approaches you, your body tilted as it was frozen in time. "Why couldn't you just let me kill the Joestar's bloodline?" [The World] raises its arm, ready to decapitate you as DIO spoke. "Just for this, I'll make you suffer to what I had to go through just to get this body—" Then suddenly, he froze too. Behind him, you could see a towering Jotaro. "It seems like you can only stop time for 9 seconds..." He glances at you and nods, as a way of thanking you for distracting DIO to help him regain his strength.

"Now, it won't take even a second to finish you off!" Jotaro shouts and points at DIO. He approaches him from behind. Jotaro starts his monologue and kicks DIO on the legs, breaking them. "Time has begun to move again." Time starts and you dodged the falling DIO. He falls into the concrete, his legs bleeding. Jotaro hops off the road roller. "How long will your legs heal? Two seconds? Three seconds?" He stood in front of DIO. Ready to give him a beatdown. "The moment you heal. I'll throw [Star Platinum] at you."

DIO elevates himself, his knees shaking. He seems to be mumbling something. "-How I do it, does not matter!" He splurts out blood to Jotaro's eyes. 'He's playing dirty-' You jumped into action, helping Jotaro counter [The World]'s leg attack. You and Jotaro both punched its leg. [Star Platinum]'s hand starts to crack as well as your stand's but it healed quickly. DIO smirks at Jotaro but it instantly switched as the three of you heard another crack. [The world] starts cracking and falling apart. DIO screamed in agony. "WHAT?!" He starts splitting apart while yelling. "IMPOSSIBLE! I-I AM DIO!" He repeats his words and explodes into pieces. Body parts flying around and his blood tainting the floor.

That's it. It's done.

You sat down and sighed in relief. "Glad he's gone. He always stole my food..." Jotaro chuckles but abruptly stops. "Do you think... The old man's blood can be retrieved back?" You look at him with wide eyes. He looked determined and from his question, you could guess that he had a plan. "What do we have to lose?" And with that, the two of you called the Speedwagon Foundation.

Everything went well in the ambulance, Jotaro nearly punched his grandfather and you laughed at their antics. Avdol and Iggy gained prosthetics, Polnareff was mildly injured (comparing to Iggy and Avdol.) And Kakyoin is gaining some of his blood back.

You stayed with the Joestars while the others flew back to their home country.

But you can't help but think about the sweet warm blood that Kakyoin offered you. Maybe drinking a few more human blood wouldn't be too bad...

[myeclecticjourney]

Moon Oil

Hi guys, I want to share with you today the Moon Oil I made last night, thanks to the first full Moon of 2022. 

The Moon oil, is really useful during rituals, or spell casting when you need the power of the Moon, but she’s nowhere to be found. Maybe it’s a rainy day, or maybe the middle of the afternoon and you really need to cast right away. Due to the ingredients, aside from the energy of the Moon, it makes it perfect for potions, and meditation. It helps us manifesting our energy in different forms. That’s why you can also use it to trace a circle of protection when you’re running low on salt.

Notice that this recipe is for the vials above (as for is what my small chalice can hold). If you want more Moon oil, you’ll have to increase the amount of ingredients. 

Also, super important. You’ll need to channel the power of a Full Moon or Dark Moon.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

- Jar with lid or cork (I strongly recommend a glass recipient)

- Your chalice or cauldron

- Salt

- Oil (This will be your base, choose wisely. Here’s three good options)

Olive oil: Protection, light, good luck and victory. 

Avocado oil: Healing, love, desire and beauty.

Corn oil: Abundance, positive energy, evolution and change.

- White rose petals (preferably dried)

- Chamomile flowers

- Sandalwood essential oil

- Jasmine or lavander essential oil

- Vanilla extract

- One medium size shell

- White candle

STEPS

1) Cast a circle

As always, a good way to begin is by protecting yourself and your ingredients. Cast a circle with the salt. Purify your oil, petals and flowers. 

2) Oil and sandalwood

The amount of oil you transfer to your chalice or cauldron, will be your final product. Using the shell as a measurement tool, add six shells of oil into the chalice. 

Add 13 drops of sandalwood essential oil. Sandalwood corresponds to moon and water, and it has amazing protection and healing properties.

3) Vanilla

Add half of your medium size shell into the chalice. It will go straight to the bottom. Don’t worry. They both have different densities so it’s completely normal. Besides, it looks really cool :V.

Vanilla brings love and peace of the mind and spirit.

4) Lavander

Add seven drops of your lavender essential oil. It is great for attracting health, calmness and clarity. So does Jasmine. 

5) Roses and chamomile

Add your rose petals. I normally use the same amount of flowers and petals, as shells used in previous steps. For example: In this recipe, we are working on six shells of oil, so I’ll add six rose petals and six chamomile flowers. You can grind them or use them full.

This will bring balance and equality to the Moon oil. 

6) Stir and wait

Using a wood stick / spoon, or a large crystal, stir your oil. I recommend using an earth element material to stir. This will help on the grounding process and transferring your energy easily. 

Let it rest for up to five minutes. Transfer your oil into the jar carefully. You can aid yourself using the shell or a wood spoon. Whatever suits you best.

7) Take it outside

As a final step, it wouldn’t be Moon oil without the Moon, right?

Put your jar outside or near an open window so it can absorb the power and energy of the moon directly. When making Moon water or Moon oil, I commonly take it outside at exactly the time the moon is at its 100% full or dark. I use an app to track our beautiful mother Moon. 

Leave it outside the entire night. Just make sure you take it back inside before the first ray of sunlight strikes the next morning. Set an alarm if needed :).

That’s is all to making this Moon Oil! I really hope you like it and find it useful.

Image source: My camera 

Blessed be,

- May xo.

[glacialltz]

Hello! I saw requests are open? (You don’t have to do this or rush but I might stay to become friends-) May I request Dorm Leaders x A reader who can turn into mythical animals? The kind of animal imma leave up to you though- have a great day!- -🌟Anon

summary: headcanons for the dorm leaders with a reader who can turn into mythical creatures

warnings: possible spoilers through chapter 5

word count: 2.3k

author's note: welcome, 🌟anon! this is such a cute idea! i hope each of the headcanons feel varied enough and not like recycled reactions over and over again. the Baker is not too delighted with how these turned out, which is a shame, as he thinks the prompt is really cute. and i welcome you to the cafe! you're welcome to stick around as long as you'd like 🤍!

"Oh, really?"

Riddle thinks your ability is cool! You must have put in quite a lot of work to master such advanced magic, and he can respect that. Within moments, however, it seems like his awe has turned into rapid-fire questioning. Out of seemingly nowhere he pulls out a notebook as he questions you, writing down each of your answers.

Honestly, it feels more like an interrogation than anything. He wants to know how long it took to master, if it's your unique magic or not, if anyone helped you learn it, and more.

Eventually, he just asks you to show him your other form. Yes, he wants to learn more still, but he also just wants to see it. You are his partner, after all. The fond smile on his face reminds you of that.

Whenever Riddle learns you recently transformed, he always makes sure you get your hands on some water and a small snack. It's important to keep your blot accumulation in mind and, after everything that's happened, he's found himself being more thoughtful about magic usage.

Riddle finds the uniqueness of your transformation absolutely amazing. He's certain there are few, if any, magic users that can turn into mythical creatures, and he's proud of the amount of power and skill that means you must have.

Sometimes, when you catch him studying in the library, you can spot a grimoire about magical transformations or mythical creatures amongst the rest. You can't tell if he wants to learn it as well or if it's to learn more about your ability, but you'll take it as flattery.

At first, you weren't even sure if Leona was listening to you when you told him about your ability. But when you looked over toward him, his deep green eyes were watching you intently.

He was quiet, not immediately saying anything while gesturing to you to continue. You had genuinely piqued his interest and he wanted to know more.

When you finish telling him about your ability, he smirks and comments something about a troublesome first year who can also transform into an animal, but he also remarks that his ability is nowhere near as impressive as yours.

He doesn't fret over you in the same way others do, but he does scowl and tell you to take it easy if he gets wind of you overusing your ability.

If your form is that of a rather small creature, Leona will tease you, saying he's sure he could still catch you like prey, mythical or not.

During dinner time, he'll wonder if you need to eat more after using such magic and subtly offer you some of the meat he was eating. You better act fast if you want it, though, or he'll fork over the vegetables he doesn't want instead.

Despite him acting like he's not that interested, he will keep an eye on how often you use your magic. He doesn't want any unnecessary trouble, and he is worried about you accidentally injuring yourself from overexertion.

If you ever do let him see your magical form, you may be able to notice the glimpse of fondness in his eyes.

He'll pat your head when you turn back, resting his hand for a moment while he simply gazes at you. He's not the best at expressing love or pride, but he feels both of those emotions when he looks at you and what you're capable of.

He won't say it out loud, not right then, at least, but the slight upward curve to his lips tells you enough as is.

Oh? What an interesting ability!

While Azul does change forms in order to attend school, the method is completely different and his merform certainly isn't anything mythical.

His eyes sparkle as he waits for you to tell him more. For once, his interest isn't superficial - he's not looking to scam you. He truly wants to know more about what his beloved is capable of.

He excitedly remembers the stories from his childhood of leviathans, krakens, and every other mythical creature that ever swam beneath the deep blue. Were you able to transform into something like that, he wondered.

He listens intently, nodding along periodically and humming to show his interest as you told him more and more. He was truly fascinated.

He, like most others, asked if it would be alright for him to see your form. When you finally let him, he seemed even more delighted. You were truly magnificent, it was no wonder how you managed to capture his heart.

Your ability was divine, and Azul made sure to tell you so often.

He occasionally came across mentions of wizards capable of various transformations into other creatures and animals. He always thinks of you, doing his best to retain any and all information.

For once, he shares what he learns with no cost. You are his partner, after all, so he rarely asks you for anything anyway, but if it's something that may help your power go stronger, he'd be willing to help.

Well, he may ask for a swift smooch in return.

If your form does require the water, when Azul finally feels more comfortable being in his merform around you, he may be fine with swimming around with you a little.

Despite being one of the strongest students in the school, Azul respects what you're capable of. It's certainly not magic just anyone could do, and you should be proud. He certainly is.

Kalim thinks you're so cool! That's really all there is to it. He has a lot of respect for people who are capable of great things with magic.

He really wants to see it! Kalim won't pressure you, of course, if you're nervous about showing him, but he hopes you know he's your biggest cheerleader.

He thinks of you every time he sees some sort of mythical creature. You're one of his favorite people, so of course he would. You don't even have to have shown him for him to think of you - just telling him is enough.

Sometimes he comes close to getting in trouble for whipping his phone out in class to take a photo of his textbook. He doesn't mean to do anything bad, he just wants to remember to show you the photo of a dragon that he saw in class. You don't even have to be a dragon, it just made him think of you.

The day you do finally decide to show him, he's so excited! Not only does it mean you super trust him, but he also gets to see what you're actually capable of!

You'll probably feel a bit sheepish by the end of it all, to be honest. He's cheering so loudly practically every Scarabia student can hear you both.

You look so cool! You're so powerful! Your magic is amazing!

Kalim himself may never be capable of magic so powerful, but that doesn't spark any feelings of jealousy or frustration in him. Everyone has their own skills, right? This just so happens to be yours!

Sometimes, when other students help tutor Kalim a little, he'll ask them what they know about transforming into mythical creatures. He'll often remember the answers they gave him and ask you if they're true or not later that night.

He's genuinely very interested in your abilities. If you can fly, he'd love to ride atop your back one day! It's just like the flying carpet, right? It's bound to be safe enough! Just don't tell Jamil...

Ultimately, Kalim considers it to be another really cool thing about you. He fell for you for so many reasons, and it's just another thing on that long, long list.

Vil will admit, that's quite an ability. He too is interested in whether it's your unique magic or not.

When you show him the creatures you can turn into, he claps like you're some kind of theater performance. It's truly amazing. No, you're truly amazing.

If you thought Riddle was annoying when it came to proper nutrition, Vil is a complete beast. He makes sure you don't overexert yourself too much, oftentimes offering you something small and healthy to snack on afterward.

He knows almost all there is for him to learn about transforming as a third year, so he will be the first to sing praises about how impressive you are.

He's no Rook, but even he can see the beauty in the creatures you become. You still hold yourself with poise and grace, and you move as if you know exactly what you're doing. He can respect that.

One thing that does annoy him, however, is if you got all messy while running around as an animal. If you think you're stepping foot in Pomefiore dorm covered in mud like that, you've got another thing coming.

He always has a sparkle of pride in his eyes when your ability comes up in conversation. Yes, that is his wonderful partner. Yes, they are extremely powerful. Good for you for noticing.

If your form has any fur to it, Vil insists on making sure you have only the smoothest, softest, fluffiest fur around. If your form has scales, he makes sure they are polished and pristine. There is no slacking as far as he is concerned. Human form or not, you will be at your very best.

Despite his harsh words, however, Vil is secretly grateful. He's pleased to know you trust him enough to not only let him see your form but to also help you work on the upkeep of it.

You had to be pulling his leg. What kind of gacha game ssr type skill was this?

Idia practically couldn't believe his ears. How can you bring that up so casually in conversation? Did you not realize how cool that is???

He instantly asks you to show him. It's practically a demand. He doesn't leave his room to see it, of course, but he sends his tablet over as fast as possible to see what secret trick you had up your sleeve.

He was firing questions off as fast as possible. There was no way you could understand everything he was saying!

He started bringing up his research on some of the students in the school, mentioning those who can transform into animals. When did he even gather this information? You would have been more freaked out if you didn't know him already.

He asks all kinds of questions about what you can do. Can you pick between animals or is it just one? How strong are you? Can you breathe fire?

Ortho is surprised at how excited you've gotten his brother. He hasn't seen Idia this fired up in a while! He's delighted to see the reaction you've caused and he'll probably thank you later.

Idia charts down all the information you tell him with alarming speed. His fingers are moving a mile a minute as he types with unparalleled passion. Had you known his reaction would be so over the top, you may have thought twice before telling him.

If you are capable of anything extra when you transform, he's a little annoyed. Like, come on. This was a bit overpowered, don't you think?

Idia may design something based off of you! It might not be something that he ever truly builds, but he certainly draws up some sketches for various designs.

He's a bit sheepish about it, but he might think of you if he ever sees a video game character that can take on another form. He feels a little better about it if you're into games too, though, as at least you understand.

Ultimately, Idia thinks you're really cool. He definitely doesn't say it outright or anything, but the excitement you spark in him is like no other, and that alone should tell you.

You can do what, Child of Man?

Malleus seemingly smiles upon hearing about your capabilities. The Witch of Thorns was able to change forms, you know. Yes, she could be quite the terrifying dragon when she so chose.

Rather than get overly excited like some others, Malleus feels it draws the two of you closer. Even if you can't become a dragon, he's pleased knowing you too can take on a different form.

During the nighttime, when the two of you sit quietly beside the fire burning in the Diasomnia lounge, he sometimes tells you bits of history about the kind of creature you can turn into.

As you sit resting beside him, you sometimes wonder how he knows so much. You've never seen half of what he says written in any textbook or records, but you know he's not the type to lie so casually. He enjoys sharing what he knows with you, especially when you sit curled so nicely with him.

He always seems so gleeful whenever you transform. He's a bit like a child on Christmas. There's a twinkle in his eye that you can't quite understand.

He always compliments you, applauding you on your skill with magic. He doesn't lay the praise on too thick, but he always chooses the best wording to make you feel the proudest of yourself you possibly can.

He'll mention when he notices you've gotten better. The way it seems to get easier for you each time. He doesn't miss those small details, as he thinks the work you've put into your skill deserves to be noticed.

If you can fly, he'll sometimes watch you soaring through the sky as he stands down below. You look so happy when you do it, and that makes him happy too. If your form is better suited for the water, he waits beside the edge for you, lightheartedly and somewhat jokingly clapping when you come over to where he stands.

Malleus is a hard one to read. He doesn't give out excessive praise and his facial expressions are rather set. However, despite that all, he still finds a way to manage to make sure you see just how wonderful he thinks your abilities are, and how proud of you he is for them.

[kyanitedragon]

My Spoiler-Free Thoughts On Digimon Survive!

All-in-all, I really enjoyed it! I was fully and excitedly expecting a visual novel, and it delivered!

I’ve only seen “cheaper” visual novels before, like DDLC or Dream Daddy or Hustle Cat. And in comparison, Survive has much more work put into their sprites. They have a surprising amount of animation to them, compared to how static your typical visual novel is, which helps make the scenes a bit more dynamic.

The game was admittedly a bit text-heavy at times, but I personally found Cyber Sleuth’s text much more boring and painful to get through.

I really liked the Karma system! Most choice-based games have a very simplistic Good / Bad / Neutral system, but the system here felt very nuanced. There were multiple times where I felt the Wrathful option seemed more Moral and vice versa. I went into the game playing naturally and not aiming for any particular ending, and despite having a mostly unchanged mindset the entire game, at different points I felt myself leaning more towards the different karmas.

The characterization of the human characters is really good. You can see references to the original adventure kids, but the survive gang is so vastly different from the adventure cast, or even any of the other digimon anime casts. Personally I like digimon's reuse of tropes throughout the anime series, but getting new characterizations here was really refreshing. I found Aoi and Saki a bit lacking, and felt they were reduced to just being The Girls, but Miu and Miyuki I really enjoyed and they ended up two of my favorites.

The characterization of the digimon is especially really good. Each digimon has a distinct personality and gets a lot of screentime and attention. Some of the anime series lacked on developing certain digimon, but Survive does it really well! Even the digimon villains I felt had more character and motive than your typical digimon adventure villain did.

I really liked the choices for the main characters’ digimon and their digivolutions. And it was really nice to see the lesser-seen digimon get such a large and well-written role!

As for the digimon options for joining your party, I was a bit disappointed at how few there were. Cyber Sleuth had so many! And the digivolution options here were very v-pet-like — they don’t really make any sense. I was a little frustrated that two digimon would be in the game but not in the same digivolution lines. But it also made guessing the lines more fun.

I also really liked that Survive touched on quite a few dark themes that would have been too dark to cover in the anime series. Even Tri, despite being advertised as dark and adult-oriented, really didn't contain anything worse than the kids anime. But Survive definetly does! These dark things I had been wondering but fully accepted would never make it into the series for being too dark, and was pleasantly surprised when they showed up here. They broke my heart, in the best way.

There were a couple translation errors, but nowhere near as bad as Cyber Sleuth – which mistranslated the word “monster” as “Bakemon” repeatedly and made the game very confusing at times. The most distracting errors I found in my playthrough were:

randomly changing pronouns for the digimon partners (which imo works out, since Digimon arguably don’t have gender, although this game never covers this idea)

at one point, in someone’s dialogue they mention Miu instead of what is supposed to be Miyuki’s name, but this error is pretty clear from the scene’s context

One of my favorite and most appreciated things about this game: There are so many Quality of Life features in the game, available from the get-go!

You can skip through dialogue and scenes!

You can set battles to auto!

Auto-battling comes with several options! You can set them to: (1) no auto-digivolving (2) auto-digivolving (3) using items (4) keep the digimon together to have a better chance of tag-teaming and powering up each other (5) send your digimon to split up and fight enemies one-on-one.

You can change the difficulty before any battle.

If you fail a battle, there’s not a game over and instead you’re given several options to try again: (1) try again with no change (2) change the difficulty (3) get brought to an area to grind and level up before trying the battle again

Changing the difficulty does not change the EXP or prizes you get. As someone who’s not always the best at video games, I really appreciate how it doesn’t penalize you at all for playing on a lower difficulty.

I did get some spoilers before finishing the game (entirely my fault) but none of them took away from the game. Even when I knew certain things were going to happen, I was still shocked by them. In some ways knowing the spoilers enhanced my experience, because it upped the tension a lot. And the spoiler I had been most upset by, ended up being an early reveal so it didn't ruin the story nearly as much as I had feared it would.

So if you've gotten spoilers, don't worry! Survive is definetly the kind of story to stand on its own and still keep you entertained and surprised and guessing, even if you've gotten some spoilers!

[theoswriting]

lavender, honey and coconut (e.p. x fem!r)

summary:  Penelope Garcia can sniff out secrets like a cute security dog can sniff out drugs. y/n had been amused but had brushed off the warning. That had been her first mistake.

pairing: emily prentiss x fem!reader

word count: 4k

a/n: okay, this is my first time writing for cm and emily prentiss, so I hope it isn’t too ooc! this is definitely a different vibe to the show lmao, i mostly wrote this to amuse myself, and then decided it might be worth sharing. I hope you’lll enjoy it xo (tell me if u do, i’m nervous)

warnings: some alcohol is consumed, light swearing

ao3

Penelope Garcia can sniff out secrets like a cute security dog can sniff out drugs.

It's a well-known fact that if you want to keep something hidden, one, you don't tell Garcia because she's incapable of keeping anything secret and two, don't breathe near her because she will be able to figure out that you're hiding something, and she will know which buttons to push to get you to spill everything.

Penelope likes to think that in another life, she would've made a great interrogator. In this life though, she uses her powers to get what she wants out of her friends.

This was one of the first things y/n found out when she joined the BAU. Derek spoke about the tech goddess' powers with reverence while the rest of them spoke of it with fear. Even Hotch seemed a little disconcerted by the whole thing.

y/n had been amused but had brushed off the warning.

That had been her first mistake.

***

Paperwork days were the worst.

y/n should probably love them more because if she's stuck behind her desk, it means that no one is out there getting brutally murdered. Still, it's a lot less exciting. It doesn't help that the bullpen is oddly quiet, everyone focused on their files. Spencer is going through his about a mile a minute, stopping from time to time to rewrite something or to look up some kind of information. Derek is slower and y/n can almost see the boredom oozing out of him. Yet, he doesn't look up when she looks over at him and keeps diligently going through his notes.

Finally, her eyes land on Emily. Her head is propped up on her left hand as she writes with the right. Occasionally, she will bite her nails as she focuses hard on part of her notes. y/n thinks she looks extra cute when she frowns, trying to understand her own writing. It makes y/n smile before refocusing on her own work.

y/n is almost done with one of her reports when she notices some missing information. She could easily look it up herself, but she's bored and this is the perfect excuse to get away from her desk for a bit. So she stands up, gathers her papers and walks to her favourite tech genius' lair.

y/n opens the door and sees Penelope's back turned to her. Before she can say anything, Garcia's voice rings out.

"Well if it isn't my favourite ray of sunshine, what can I do for you, y/n?"

y/n smiles at the blonde's greeting, as she sits down next to her, "Are you busy?"

"Not at all!"

"Great, I'm missing some information on this file, but most importantly, I'm in dire need of entertainment."

Garcia happily grabs the file from y/n and starts tapping away at her computer, putting up the information she needs on her screen in no time. She prints it all out and hands it to y/n with a flourish.

"Here's the info you need," She starts, but her eyes quickly turn regretful, "Sadly, I have no recent office gossip to entertain you with."

y/n pouts at that, "Damn, not even from Slutty David?"

Penelope shakes her head and opens her mouth to speak when she suddenly frowns at y/n. She pulls back slightly and y/n wonders if she'd forgotten to put on deodorant that morning. Penelope says nothing, just watches her.

"What?" y/n finally asks, unnerved by the staring.

"What are you not telling me?" Garcia asks simply and it's y/n's turn to frown. She can't think of anything that she might be hiding from her friend.

"Nothing?"

y/n is pretty sure that's the wrong answer and that Penelope is going to keep asking her questions until she confesses to something she didn't even know she was hiding. To her surprise though, Garcia only stares at her for a few more seconds before dropping it. As quick as it disappeared, her bright smile is back on her face and she goes back to telling a story.

It turns out that yes, she did have something to tell y/n about Slutty David.

y/n leaves Penelope about twenty minutes later with a refreshed brain, ready to get back to work. When she gets back to her desk, Emily looks up to give her a smile. y/n smiles back and winks at her as she sits down. Emily's smile broadens before she turns her focus back to the file in front of her.

y/n does the same, her smile staying even while going through an autopsy report. It's only hours later when y/n is almost done with paperwork that she freezes. She looks up at Emily and realizes.

That's what she's been hiding.

She frowns. There's no way Garcia knows that though, she and Emily have made sure, they've been careful.

Yeah, it was probably a fluke.

***

Mornings where she gets to wake up next to Emily are y/n's favourites. Even the early ones, when they get called in for a case, having Emily next to her makes it all easier.

That's what happens that morning, both of their phones going off at 5:45 am. Emily is the one to reach for her phone while y/n latches onto her and drops a kiss on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's JJ. We have to go in."

y/n nods and painstakingly opens her eyes. She drops another kiss on Emily's shoulder and turns away from her to get up, but before she can go too far, Emily reaches for her and kisses her. y/n scrunches up her nose even though she's smiling into the kiss.

"Morning breath. Gross," She manages to mutter against Emily's lips.

"Don't care."

y/n had wondered when they started dating if it would get to a point where it'd be too much to be together and then work together as well. Now, six months into their relationship, y/n knows she had worried over nothing. They have a system and boundaries. They keep the PDA to a minimum at work, which isn't a problem considering they had decided to keep their relationship a secret from the team. It's not that Prentiss and y/l/n don't trust their coworkers, it's more than they don't want to screw up the group's dynamics.

And it's also ridiculously funny to see how long it's taking a whole group of profilers to figure out that two members of their team are dating.

After getting dressed, y/n starts packing a new bag, taking clothes from the one drawer Emily had emptied out and gifted to her on their 2 months anniversary. Emily had a similar one at y/n's place. Considering their jobs and the amount of time they spent at each other's place, they figured it was smart to always have enough clothes at each other's place for instances like these.

Not even 10 minutes later, they're out of the door. They kiss one last time before Emily gets into her car and y/n gets into hers. As usual, y/n takes the long way to work, her place being famously further away than Emily's. So when she finally gets to the conference room, everyone is already there and waiting for Hotch.

y/n sits in between Derek and Spencer, "Good morning, my people!"

"It certainly is not," Hotch deadpans as he enters the room. y/n closes her mouth and nods to herself. She should've seen that one coming.

The others chuckle quietly, but the laughter quickly dies. Hotch was right. This is far from a good morning.

The murders are gruesome, the victims are all women which bear a striking resemblance to Emily. y/n doesn't bring attention to it, it wouldn't bring anything to the case except worry over a detail that isn't of much importance, at least not right now. Instead, she watches her girlfriend look at the pictures, and by the way her jaw clenches and unclenches repeatedly, she's come to the same realization.

"Alright everyone, wheels up in 20." Hotch dismisses them, and almost everyone rushes out of the room to get their bags. Garcia stays behind though, and so does Emily. y/n gathers her stuff slowly then, waiting for Garcia to leave the room so she can have a moment alone with her girlfriend.

Garcia doesn't leave, though.

She's staring at y/n ominously. She's missing a furry cat to be petting and she'd look like a supervillain from a cheesy action movie. y/n tries smiling at her, but the blonde doesn't respond in the slightest.

y/n leaves the room. She'll check up on Emily before take-off. She is big enough to admit that she was a little freaked out by Garcia.

She thinks nothing of it until hours later, when she's setting up their evidence board in a small town in buttfuck, Texas. JJ is standing next to her, writing the name of the second victim.

"Garcia has been asking about you."

It's such a weird thing to say that y/n is a bit taken aback. She pauses and slowly turns to look at JJ, "Uhm… Okay?"

JJ puts the cap on the pen and turns to y/n, her face probably too serious for whatever this is about.

"Remember when we told you about Garcia's weird ability to tell when someone is hiding something juicy?" y/n nods, still confused as to where this is going, "Well, she's smelt whatever it is that you're hiding."

y/n briefly wonders if no one is bothered by the constant comparison of Garcia to a literal hound dog, but apparently not. She lets out a small chuckle and nods at JJ, clearly not believing the warning tone the blonde had used, "Yeah, okay, I'll sleep with one eye open."

"y/n, I'm serious," JJ lowers her voice and looks around before confiding, "Penelope is the reason the whole team knows I had a one night stand with Slutty David."

"You had sex with Slutty David?"

JJ shudders, "Everybody makes mistakes."

***

y/n tells Emily about JJ's warning as they cuddle into bed that same night, exhausted from a day of leads getting them nowhere. To her surprise, Emily agrees with JJ.

"Garcia has a way of getting you to admit to things you thought you'd never say out loud."

The way she talks about it has y/n looking up from her very comfortable spot on Emily's shoulder to her girlfriend's face. She's staring off in the distance as if haunted by whatever it is that Garcia had dug up on her.

"What the hell did she find out about you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

***

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

It's Saturday night and they're out at a club for a Girl's night. After the case they'd had, they deserved a night to unwind. They've chosen a bar where the music is loud, but not loud enough to drown out Penelope's question. JJ and Emily are gone, lost somewhere in the crowd fighting for the bartender's attention, in search of more drinks. As y/n's brain finally processes what Garcia has just asked, she fights the urge to smile and look for Emily.

y/n has drunk enough to be on the dumb side of gay.

"Why do you ask?"

"Answering a question with another question, very telling," Garcia smirks.

Penelope seems oddly composed for someone who is two cocktails and three shots deep into the party. Usually, a drunk Garcia means sloppy kisses on the cheek and getting her away from attractive strangers before she can say anything overtly sexual or inappropriate. So something doesn't add up. y/n squints her eyes at the blonde in front of her, like that will somehow help her see things clearer.

It doesn't. Everything looks fuzzy and she probably should stop drinking.

"I'm not."

The lie tastes gross in y/n's mouth and if there's one thing that could make her feel better, it would be kissing Emily. Before she can stop it, a smitten smile makes its way onto her face. Garcia slams a hand on the table, making y/n jump. She focuses her eyes on Penelope who's pointing an accusing finger at her.

"There! Who did you just think about?"

y/n sputters, racking her brain for a more convincing lie but she can't stop smiling so she gives in. Damn her inability to lie when she's drunk.

"Okay, fine" y/n amends, "I am seeing someone, but please keep it quiet."

Penelope obviously does not keep quiet. Instead, she squeals loud enough that she startles a few people passing by their table. Of course, that's also the moment JJ and Emily pick to come back.

So when Garcia basically yells, "I knew it!" for the whole bar to hear, there's no way y/n is getting out of this one.

"Knew what?" Emily asks with a smile as she puts down a drink in front of y/n. She immediately grabs it, thinking that maybe if she blacks out, this conversation will also be erased from the history of the universe.

"y/n is seeing someone!" Penelope happily informs the two recently arrived. JJ whips her head, excitement filling her eyes, about a million questions fighting to be asked first. Emily, for her part, chokes on her drink.

"Why haven't you told us anything?" JJ says, her blue eyes even more glassy than usual, "Who is it?"

y/n shrugs, going for a nonchalant vibe. She goes with something vague.

"You don't know her."

Penelope's smile widens, "Oh, so it's a her."

Shit. Not vague enough.

What follows are a series of questions that y/n refuses to answer and thankfully, with Emily there to mediate, they manage to change the subject. Seriously, y/n could kiss her right then and there. Instead, she takes a sip of her drink and glances towards Emily. They decide to leave less than an hour later. JJ is about one sip away from taking her top off while y/n is just about ready to throw caution to the wind and start making out with Emily. To hell with consequences.

Penelope is still suspiciously acting sane.

"Oh, Pen, be careful, someone dropped their drinks right behind your chair."

JJ's heads up makes y/n glare at Garcia who looks a little too guilty.

***

When they get back to Emily's place, y/n barely waits until the front door is closed before kissing Emily. Emily welcomes it, blindly throwing away the keys to wrap both hands around her girlfriend's neck. The kissing is sweet, the taste of their last drinks still sticking to their mouths. It's a little messy due to the fact they're both smiling like two goddamn idiots in love. When they stop, Emily grabs y/n by the hand and drags her to the kitchen so they can both drink water to make their hangovers hopefully less painful in the morning.

They're almost done when Emily speaks.

"We have a problem."

y/n stops moving. She should've known this moment would come.

"Listen, if this is about the burnt toaster, I've already ordered a new one."

"Garcia- What?" Emily turns around to look at the spot where her toaster usually rests, "What happened?"

Realizing her mistake, y/n puts her empty glass of water down and wraps her arms around Emily's waist, "Nothing you need to worry about," Emily looks back at her girlfriend who looks too innocent, "What were you going to say?"

"Garcia knows you're with someone."

y/n nods slowly, wondering where Emily is going with this. She doesn't see any problems. Sure, Penelope knows that she might be sort of taken by a woman, but that's it. Even in her drunken state, she'd managed to keep any other incriminating details to herself.

"Garcia has a way of finding things out, it's only a matter of time until she puts two and two together."

Emily looks genuinely fearful and y/n wonders again, what kind of dirt Penelope had gotten Emily to disclose. She thinks back to JJ's warning as well. y/n turns it over in her head, but in the end, she scoffs and leans up to kiss Emily.

"Don't worry, babe. I'll make up a fake break up or something and we'll be fine."

Thinking she could fool Penelope Garcia so easily was y/n's second mistake.

***

Derek is getting himself coffee when y/n swiftly approaches him from the side.

"What secret did Garcia get out of Emily?"

"Which time?"

"There's more than one?"

"Oh yeah."

***

The whole thing with Garcia does make y/n and Emily reconsider telling the team, or at the very least, Hotch and HR.

They hadn't at first because of team dynamics, but mostly because they themselves were figuring out how they worked as a couple. It turns out they worked great, and hiding each other from their coworkers and best friends was getting a bit much for the both of them.

They wanted to show up at Rossi's dinner parties together without worrying about what their friends would think. y/n wanted to hold Emily's hand after a rough case on the jet without it being questioned, just as much as Emily wanted to drive with y/n to work every morning and walk into the building together.

So the next morning, Emily and y/n get to work before anyone else and walk into Hotch's office.

He doesn't have much of a reaction, not that they were expecting anything more.

What does surprise them is that, after giving them the whole speech about professionalism and whatnot, he smiles at them and says, "I'm happy for you both."

Aaron Hotchner smiles at them and y/n feels like her relationship has just been blessed by the angels from above.

***

"Hey, Spence? Do you know what Garcia dug up on Emily?"

"Emily sprained her wrist a few years back and told us that it had happened at the range. It turns out that she'd sprained it falling from her skateboard."

"Her skate- What?"

***

When y/n had told Emily they'd be fine, she wasn't being cocky, but she just knew that there was no way Garcia would suspect something with how careful they had been.

They never showed up together at work. At first, they always timed their arrivals carefully, until it became second nature. They were never overly affectionate with each other. If they needed to be comforted during a particularly hard case, they'd wait to be behind the closed doors of the hotel room they shared on most trips. As much as y/n wanted to, she never showed up to work wearing one of her girlfriend's sweaters, no matter how warm and comfortable they were.

Bottom line was, there was no reason for Garcia to suspect anything when their teammates who were literal profilers hadn't caught onto anything.

No one except Hotch knew. And only because they'd told him, so.

y/n should've known though, from being a profiler herself, that being too confident meant she was bound to slip up and make a mistake sooner rather than later.

It all happens very quickly.

JJ asks y/n if she can grab a couple of files she had left with Garcia and bring them back to her because she was waiting for someone to call and she couldn't go too far. y/n, of course, accepts, always happy to get away from her desk and the paperwork begging for her attention. She quickly knocks on Garcia's door before entering and the tech doesn't turn around as she greets her.

"Bonjour, Emily, what brings you to Casa Garcia today?"

y/n chuckles at the blonde's eccentricities, "Sorry, but you got it wrong, it's me."

Penelope rolls her chair around to face her and she looks truly distraught to have gotten it wrong, "But I always get it right. I'm the all-knowing Penelope Garcia."

y/n gently pats her shoulder as she reaches past her to some files she sees on the desk, "Are these JJ's? She asked me to get them for her."

Garcia nods, but she still looks defeated at having failed to guess her visitor's identity, so y/n tells her she'll come by later with some coffee for a chat. Penelope nods and turns her attention back to her computer and so she leaves.

It's funny, y/n thinks, that of all the people Penelope could have confused her with, it was Emily. Maybe some of Emily's fears had planted themselves into her brain unbeknownst to her because y/n suddenly feels very uneasy. Why did Pen think it was Emily walking in? Had she unconsciously started walking like her girlfriend? No, no, that was ridiculous. Emily had a very distinctive gate that was very different from y/n's.

Still, something is off. y/n trusts her gut, it has never failed her, and her gut is telling her something is off.

She doesn't know what though. She had woken up with Emily that morning and they'd actually had time to enjoy a nice breakfast together and had plenty of time to get ready together. In fact, they had even gotten to enjoy a very pleasant shower together. y/n smiles at that particularly good memory until she realizes.

"Shit," she mutters, but not quietly enough. She's standing in the middle of the bullpen, her coworkers' eyes on her. Before she can tell herself that it's fine, that she was just paranoid and that there was no way Penelope had noticed, she hears a familiar but hurried clicking of heels approach the bullpen. y/n turns around to see Penelope standing on the other side of the glass window and one look at her is all y/n needs.

She knows.

Before Garcia can make her way inside the bullpen and bring mayhem with her, y/n hastily makes her way to her. She drops JJ's files on her desk haphazardly under Derek, Emily and Spencer's bewildered eyes. When she gets to Penelope, she gently grabs her by the arm and urgently leads her away.

"You smell like lavender!" Penelope exclaims with no preamble, "You usually don't smell like lavender, you smell of honey and coconut, but never lavender and that's why I got confused!"

y/n confidently nods in greeting at an agent passing by Garcia's office as y/n shoves her inside. He looks unsettled but only smiles in return, preferring to ignore whatever is going on. Smart man.

"That's why I thought you were Emily! Because Emily is the one who smells of lavender!" Penelope is pacing while y/n stands with her back to the door.

"Okay, Pen, I need you to breathe," She says when the techie is still going on about lavender, honey and coconut.

"Breathe? How can I breathe when you and Emily are dating."

y/n thinks that's a bit dramatic, but Garcia has finally stopped pacing and talking. y/n slowly steps towards the blonde and puts both of her hands on her shoulders. She debates for a few seconds, wonders if she'd get away with a lie but at this point, y/n's pretty sure the cat is out of the bag.

"Yeah, Emily and I are together."

y/n should've been prepared for it, but when Garcia lets out a high pitched squeal, it still gets her by surprise. Her pained grimace is quickly chased away by laughter when Penelope hugs her with all the strength and excitement caffeine was providing her.

"This is so great, I'm so happy for you two!" She lets you go long enough to see the smile that's made its way onto her face. It's the same smitten smile she always gets whenever she thinks about Emily and Garcia honest to god pinches her cheeks, "Aww, look at that smile!"

y/n laughs and tries to get her cheeks away from anymore pinching. That's when the door opens enough for Emily to sneak her head in, "Hey you two, is everything okay?"

She looks at Penelope first, but her eyes end on y/n. Before she can say anything though, Penelope smirks, "Why yes, lover, everything is just fine."

At that, Emily gets in and closes the door behind her. She looks at y/n for confirmation.

y/n just nods, "Yeah, she knows."

"You bet your sweet ass I know!"

And with no further warning, Penelope tackles Emily in a hug much as she'd done with y/n minutes prior. When she lets her go, Emily steps closer to y/n, and with a hand on her lower back, she says, "I told you she'd find out."

y/n ignores the I told you so her girlfriend apparently couldn't wait to give her, but yeah, she's not wrong.

It'll teach her to ever doubt the abilities of the all-knowing Penelope Garcia.

***

Months and months later, y/n meets up with Penelope for brunch on a Sunday morning. Before she can even greet her, the blonde fixes her with a stare that is both strange but oh so very familiar.

"What are you planning?"

This time, y/n grins and tells Garcia not to worry, that she'll know in due time. After all, she can only hide the little velvet box in her coat pocket and its content for so long.

***

[altsvu]

not so long lost lovers

pairing: aaron hotchner x bau!female reader

wc: 1.4k

summary: months after your incident during a case, hotch still worries about your well-being because... he’s always loved you and he finally expresses it with a kiss and a lot more.

tw: fluff, the tiniest bit of angst, mentions of blood/injury/shooting

a/n: this by far is literally my favorite hotch fic and it’s a long one loves! this is part one of a two part mini series. there’s also the exerpt from sorrow in here as well!! italicized words are reader flashbacks.

taglist: @storiesofsvu, @averyhotchner, @ssaic-jareau (click here if you want to be tagged!)

“Hey Y/N.”

You looked up from your paperwork to find Hotch staring down at you.

“Hotch... what is it?”

“My office?”

You nodded and watched as he walked away. You turned back to your desk and closed the files, then casually went to Hotch’s office, ignoring looks from Reid and Morgan.

“I swear, if this is about that case-“ You started, closing the door.

“You know it is.”

You sighed. “I’m fine, Hotch. I was hurt a bit and shaken up after. Nothing I haven’t seen or been through before.”

“You did not get hurt just a bit, and you were much more than shaken up. You know that.” His tone was a bit more condescending.

“Hey, don’t pull that stunt. “ you snapped. “It happens to the best of us.” The look on your face gave off different vibes than your tone. You watched Hotch as he sat at the edge of his desk after closing the shades for more privacy.

Within the first month after returning from the incident, you told him that he didn’t have to worry about you, that you were fine, even though there was a growing pit in your stomach ever since your near experience with death. There were certain things that only Hotch was able to pick up on about you, such as your lack of nutrition, only consuming water, tea, and multivitamins even when he would bring you your favorite takeout during the late nights. He also picked up on how little you spoke during briefings, and how much time you spent curled up in a plane seat looking out the window, knowing that you would usually be dominating a card game with everyone else, or spending time just talking to Hotch before taking a quick nap before landing. He wanted to reach out, wanted to know if you were okay, but sometimes it was hard.

You started working with Hotch 5 years ago, creeping up on 6, and since then, even though you were considered to be young, you became an SSA and his “top agent” in private. You were always spending more time with him at the BAU and most of the time, you ended up questioning people, examining a crime scene, or following a potential unsub’s whereabouts with him. Besides all of that, you two always had really deep conversations about anything and everything, and called each other “love” here and there. So yeah, you and Hotch had a special, platonic relationship, and you were not at all mad at it.

“Talk to me love. What are you thinking about?” Hotch asked, knowing that you had things on your mind. He sure was a profiler, all right.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You spilled your guts about the case and how you felt after taking a bullet to your upper right abdomen and watching someone get shot in front of you and having their blood spewed all over you. Hotch listened intently, studying you as you paced around his office, making occasional eye contact with him. You then made a turn and winced.

“You okay?” He whispered. He then looked down to where your hands were clutching. “Come, lemme look at it.” Walking over to Hotch, you pulled up your sweater and revealed the remains of the bullet wounds. You watched him as he gently touched it, knowing that it still stung a bit.

Everything slowed down from the time that the unsub got shot to when you felt something pierce inside you, making you fall to the ground. You didn’t know what was going on. So many voices yelling, many of your surroundings disappearing. You lifted your head ever so slightly to find blood gushing out of you, and tears started flowing. All of a sudden, a person was towering over you.

“Y/N!” they hollered. You were unable to speak. They moved closer to you, examining your face.

Hotch.

He looked at you with sorrow in his eyes, his hand caressing your cheek, wiping off some tears.

“Don’t cry, okay? Everything will be alright. I’m here.”

You nodded ever so slightly, your head throbbing.

“Love, please answer me back.”

“Hotch... put pressure...” you sniffled, struggling to get that out. Thankfully he understood, and placed his hands on the wound so you wouldn’t continue to lose blood.

“The paramedics are on their way. I’ll be there with you at the hospital, okay? Every step of the way.”

“Y/N, you know you gotta keep it covered. It’s still healing.”

You frowned. “I was in a rush today, I forgot.”

“It’s okay.”

The two of you made eye contact and held it for a bit. “Hotch, why’d you call me in here? Did you want to question my abilities as field agent after my incident? It’s been five months, damn it. I’m perfectly fine.” You faltered at the end. When you started to walk away from Hotch, given how close you two were standing, he took your hand which made you turn back around. Out of nowhere, you admired how soft his hands were and how his veins looked. You impulsively rubbed your thumb over his veins as well. “That is not at all why I called you in here.”

You realized what was going on and that was when everything rushed back to you. Why he was always treating you to takeout, why he always asked if you were okay, why he exchanged looks with you that the rest of the team could never figure out, why he had a panic attack when you got shot, why he called you love.

“Hotch...” you whispered.

“Remember when we kissed that one night 2 years ago in the bullpen at your desk? It was super random, and we vowed to never do that again?”

“Heh, yeah.” you nodded, ducking your head to hide your smile. It was the best kiss of your life, to be completely honest.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?”

You looked up from your case file to look at Hotch. “Nothing, just thinking about myself being here at the BAU.”

“Are you having doubts?”

“Sometimes, I come in with a huge smile on my face, eager to help these people in any way that I can, eager to profile these bad guys to know what’s going on in their minds, why they do what they do, so I can get justice for their victims. But sometimes, I just can’t do it. I can’t do it, Hotch. I think I’m not good enough, I think that I’m too vulnerable out in the field. Some of these cases hit too close to home. When I sit here at my desk sometimes or when I’m trying to nap on the plane before landing, I wonder if I’m even fit for this job.” you whispered.

“It’s okay to have these thoughts, sometimes I have them myself.” Hotch paused. I want you to know that you belong here. I wanted you on my team ever since the first day I met you for training. You’re an amazing profiler as well as field agent, and you play such a major role here as an SSA. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Wow, after all this time, I never thought my unit chief would complement me like that, let alone be so sweet.” you smiled, cocking your head to the side.

“What is this about?”

“Please Hotch, nothing at all. Thank you so much. Seriously. It means a lot.”

“Of course. I care a lot about you, Y/N.”

“That’s why you took me under your wing, mentoring me. You’re honestly the reason why I am who I am.”

There was a bit of silence between the two of you. Hotch then reached over and caressed your cheek. Moving closer to you, he kissed you softly. “I’m glad that I was able to be there for you.” he mumbled against your lips after the kiss.

“It lasted for a short amount of time, but when I pulled away, I wanted more of it.” you admitted.

“And so you did.” Hotch whispered, lifting your head up gently. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it, about you. I kinda wish we didn’t make that vow.”

A slight grin was on his face as he looked at you.

“I think this is something we can break.” you whispered. Hotch knew that was his signal, and he did what he did best. Your hand crept up to the nape his neck, and he tucked some of your hair behind your ear and caressed your cheek. Leaning in, he kissed you, exactly the same way he did 2 years ago, just for a longer amount of time.

“Hey, Y/N. Come to my place tonight. I want to show you a good time.”

“I’d like that, Hotch.”

[ordinaryschmuck]

Starkid Musicals Ranked from Worst to Best

Salutations to you, random people on the internet who most certainly won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Welp. I finally did it. I've watched the entire Starkid musical library, and I must say, most of these plays fit my writing style perfectly:

Humor that is cynical yet random

Leaning in with comedy while sprinkling in some well-executed drama

An understanding that any type of story works as long as the cast of varying personalities of characters is dynamic enough to result in some phenomenal chemistry.

This is in almost all of their plays, excelled through fantastic writing and stellar performances driving the overall quality. And it inspired me not only to review each musical, but also ranking them all from worst to best. Or, more accurately, least good to most good. Because even at their "worst," Starkid still provides a funny, enjoyable experience that will keep you laughing with its comedy and your toes tapping with its catchy music. So strap in as I go in-depth into how Starkid proves how they are the masters of humor and melody.

(I'll also provide links to each musical, which is all for free on YouTube, so you can check them out yourselves. Just know that their early work is impossible to enjoy without subtitles, so you might want to have Closed Captions on when watching.)

#12-Holy Musical B@man-Everything about this play makes it seem like it's the weakest to me. The jokes, songs, and characters in Holy Musical B@tman just don't hit as hard as Starkid's other plays. It's still good, but compared to their best, the cracks show a lot more. That is, except for the ending. Not only is there a great speech that shows what makes superheroes so beloved, but "Super Friends" might just be my favorite finale song Starkid has ever put out. Holy Musical B@tman may not be the best, but it's at least worth the time.

#11-Firebringer-This was stupid. Really stupid. Funny as f**k, but still pretty stupid. Although I will give credit to one of the central pairings being LGBTQA+...Even though it makes little to no sense based on the characters' previous interactions. But in fairness, Starkid really sucks at writing good romantic relationships, so at least Firebringer has the benefit of being gay. And as we all know: The gayer, the better. The play is still stupid, though.

#10-Me and My Dick-The world in this musical makes little to no sense. Penises and vaginas are sentient and can communicate with their humans. And yet the penises and vaginas can also talk with each other, form relationships, leave their humans, and reinsert themselves into others--Yeah, it makes no sense...But, DAMN, is it funny! Every joke and innuendo Me and My Dick has about human anatomy works, and I could not stop laughing at each of them. Especially the names that were given to the vaginas, which are just...I mean, I'm laughing just by thinking about them. That should tell you how funny they are. This play might be illogical in every way, but if you turn your brain off and watch it for the humor, you'll definitely be in for something fun.

#9-ANI: A Parody-What's weird about ANI is that its best qualities are also weaknesses. A good chunk of the jokes are hilarious and expertly delivered. The issue is that most of them are about taking potshots at the Star Wars prequels, which might be the laziest jokes to make in a Star Wars parody. Then there's the soundtrack, having several songs that are a bop to listen to. The problem is that ANI suffers from the same issues as Tarzan and Brother Bear: Yes, technically, it is a musical, but it's one where none of the characters sing, and some people in the background do all the singing instead. It's all an odd balancing act of quality content made through questionable choices. ANI is still an entertaining play, but the force isn't as strong with this one.

#8-Black Friday-This might be the least funny play that Starkid has ever put out. Not just because it leans extra hard into drama, which was pretty effective during certain scenes. It's just when there are jokes in Black Friday, they tend to fall flatter more here than they did in other plays. Also, the plot of Black Friday might not be the best one to play straight. The serious moments work best when focusing on the characters and their personal struggles, but through the big bad that's supposed to be threatening? Not so much. Even if it was meant to be funny, well, I wasn't laughing. And believe it or not, I consider that to be the best judge of whether or not something is funny. That being said, while Black Friday isn't the most humorous Starkid musical, it's still pretty good. The characters are excellent, the songs are awesome, and the story is somewhat easy to follow. I would have appreciated a few more laughs, but I can respect these talented people wanting to challenge their strengths.

#7-Starship-This play feels very...Disney. It follows a familiar formula we've seen several times: The main character wants more than what he has in his crappy life, miraculously gets the exact thing he wants, falls in love with a girl in a short amount of time, faces off against a campy/over the top villain, realizes the hand he's been dealt isn't so bad, and in the end, gets what he wants anyway. Starship is still pretty entertaining through its jokes, characters, and songs, but it also feels weird that Starkid leans into these tropes when they would eventually make a much better play by making fun of them. The end result is not bad in the slightest, but it's also nowhere near their best.

#6-A Very Potter Musical-Starkid's first production, and boy, what a start to something wonderful. Every one of their gimmicks and motifs is present in A Very Potter Musical. The use of parody to playfully mock characters and stories they love, making songs that are as funny as they are emotional, and creating characters that work because of their lines and the actors' performances. Oh, and also, it's funny. And it’s not just through a parody angle, like making Cedric be a perfect boy who's always smiling. It's also funny through its jokes that work, even if you ignore the fact that it’s a parody altogether. Case in point, there are these two bits, one involving Voldemort and Beatrix with the other involving Ron and Hermoine, that are written and delivered so well that I was in tears much more than with any other Starkid play. When watching A Very Potter Musical, you'll not only understand how parody works, but you'll also gain an understanding of why Starkid turned out as successful as they did.

#5-The Trail to Oregon-What can I say? I'm a sucker for comedic dysfunctional families. And seeing a family of idiots make their way to Oregon via The Oregon Trail parody? Yeah, that's a win for me. The play may be another family road trip narrative, which some people might get sick of at this point. But because the dynamics and comedic chemistry everyone has with each other are on point, the end result proves that you don't need an original story to tell an entertaining one. Although I will say that out of all of Starkid's productions, The Trail to Oregon has by far the worst ending. Without giving anything away, the play spends way too much time on this one stupid joke that any of the characters could make. Comedy is defined by personalities, as are most things, so making the joke work for anyone is a bad move when this one, in particular, doesn't fit as well for some characters as it would for others. Plus, the finale song "Naked in a Lake" is a really poor choice to cap off this musical. It's catchy, but to me, a finale song should encapsulate everything about the story, characters, and themes. Not paying off a joke that I honestly wouldn't want the payoff for. So while the ending could have used a lot more polish, that doesn't change how The Trail to Oregon is a pretty funny play that I won't mind revisiting when I have the chance.

#4-A Very Potter Sequel-Hey, sometimes a sequel is better than the original. Sure some jokes don't land, and some story beats aren't as impactful as they thought they were (Serious Black's introduction, for example), but there are far more improvements to this play than the last one. The performances are stronger, the jokes are funnier, the music is catchier, and the characters are much more entertaining in this play than in A Very Potter Musical. Especially new additions like Lupin and Lucious Malfoy, who provide great comedy and sublime drama at times. And Umbridge. Sweet Mother of all that is holy, Umbridge. While A Very Potter Sequel never made me laugh to tears as the first play did, twice, Professor Umbridge carries the comedy so well that she surpasses all of that. Plus, on top of it all, this play nails its ending through a bittersweet note that really captures what makes Hogwarts so special to these characters. I always feel like Starkid's plays tend to lose steam during the last few minutes, but A Very Potter Sequel is one of the few instances that it just builds and builds to a perfect ending. A Very Potter Sequel might not always hit the right marks, but the results are just magical when it does get it right.

#3-The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals-This one is pretty clever. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is one of those stories that manages to be explicitly hilarious yet implicitly disturbing. For instance, people suddenly bursting into perfectly choreographed musical numbers in a world where songs are exclusively diegetic is pretty funny (especially through the characters' reactions to it). However, knowing what happens to these people and why they sing and dance so expertly helps make the whole situation pretty dire. It's an excellent balancing act that not many stories can accomplish. And while The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals leans one way or the other at times, it's still all handled really well. Oh, and also, you know how most people say the villain song is the best one in any musical? Well, technically speaking, nearly every song in The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is the villain song. Including the finale, which is just too brilliant for me not to give a round of applause. If you're a person who unfortunately doesn't like musicals either, I'd say be more than willing to give this one a chance. It's funny, catchy, and if you think of the implications, pretty damn disturbing.

#2-A Very Potter Senior Year-...You know how Avengers: Endgame is a bit of a mess, yet people still love it for how much of a perfect (sort of) finale it is? It's the same regard with A Very Potter Senior Year in my eyes. It's far from a masterpiece, but the many, many solid scenes that cap off this series help make me willing to overlook the mistakes. The characters, callbacks, and overall message about how things end was done so expertly well that I physically can’t hate this one. I can understand how it's more of an ok play when compared to the rest of Starkid's productions, but sometimes, ok is wonderful.

#1-Twisted: An Untold Story of a Royal Vizier-...It's Twisted. Everyone loves Twisted! And how could they not? Everything about this play just screams Starkid at their best. The comedy is uproarious, added with the fantastic delivery of the actors and the characters' personalities. Everyone feels as though they have one step in reality and the other in insanity. This, to me, seems like the best type of character work when going for the parody angle. Parody is about giving slight yet snide remarks toward the work you're mocking, which I feel works best when characters drop the suspension of disbelief audiences have when enjoying such a story. And Twisted definitely nails its satire in not only poking fun at Aladdin but also making jokes towards Disney as a brand. From their movies to their inside jokes to their formulas to even their corporate dealings with Pixar, nothing about Disney is sacred in Twisted. But on top of being funny, Twisted might just be the most successful Starkid has been with telling some really compelling drama. The jokes allow themselves to take a back seat to let serious moments play out, and even comedy is added, it provides more for the experience rather than taking anything away. You see this not only through the actors giving it their all but even through some really gorgeous and heart wrenching musical numbers. Oh, and also, Twisted has the best Starkid soundtrack, featuring songs that are epic, funny, and, as I said, heartbreaking. You cannot get better than this and, if you want to get a friend interested in Starkid as a whole, this might be the play for them. Scheherazade may have a thousand tales, but his one is a tale I wouldn't mind hearing for a thousand nights.

And that's about how I feel about Starkid and each and every one of their plays. Odds are your ranking would be much different from mine, and I'm all for that differing opinions. Feel free to make your own ranking if you want because I'm honestly curious where fans would place these plays above or below others. I'm relatively new to enjoying their work, so I have no idea what the consensus is. I do know one thing, though: If Starkid can still be incredibly entertaining through over ten years of content, then I am excited to see what they can accomplish next in another ten years.

[funkymbtifiction]

INTJ or ENTJ?

Hi Charity,

I'm hoping you can help me figure out my type, I’m stuck between INTJ or ENTJ. I feel like neither of them fit completely, but I know that I use Ni/Se and Te/Fi.

I relate a lot to the Ni posts you made. I have a very personalized worldview, that I find impossible to explain (I have confused a fair amount of people in attempts made). I think things through before engaging most of the time....

You give stronger evidence for INTJ than ENTJ. Most of your "tert-Se" behaviors are more likely for inferior Se (sometimes leaping in too fast, miscalculating, but being sensory-aware and enjoying pleasures and aesthetics) than a Te/Se looper (ENJs tend to lose sight more of how things will rebound on them and make short-sighted tert-Se decisions when problem-solving sometimes, just to "rush" the process to completion) and you seem emotionally mature in a tert-Fi way (ETJs have real trouble connecting to people on an emotional level and not substituting physical contact for emotional closeness).