#i swear if the eggs in egg wars have features...

[brittie-frog]

These next five days are gonna be fun for me. My main team POV is 4 Brazilians and 2 French. They've already spent 5 minutes teaching each other swear words in their respective languages and my main POV (Bagi) has stated that she's there to help the team (tea planting) and be a menace to others (BBH). And then the French are the goats as expected, Bagi as already deemed Guill the new French beast for the triple kill.

Then my second team is 2 brits and 3 Brazilians (LGBTiba). I havent watched them much (they're on my second monitor) but they weren't doing too well then they were in 2nd and now last again?? But they have a massive cave base and already a bunch of diamonds. I guess they do have Tubbo on their team and Coach knows what to do.

[themotherofhorses]

may I request some sfw headcanons about aemond with handmaid!reader? 🥺

TOTALLY i plan on eventually writing their first meeting + how they fall in love and begin their secret (not so secret) relationship but in the meantime:

some cute & fluffy headcanons of aemond targaryen with his handmaid!reader (who is basically his wife because fuck the westerosi social stratification)

his handmaid's tales | main masterlist

Okay, first, Siri pls play Woman by Doja Cat. Or, yknow, Waves of Blue by Majid Jordan.

His bed is your bed. Sure, you have your own tucked away in the servant’s quarters, in a room shared with two other maids, but you soon learn that Aemond prefers (demands) you remain by his side at all hours of the night. “What if I require my handmaid’s assistance at some random hour? No, you’ll stay with me where you belong.”

He loves for you to join him in his nighttime baths, not always with the intent to make love but for him to cradle your naked body close to his. Relaxing within the tub, soaking together in the scalding, scented waters, you and him are husband and wife.  

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." "Yes, my prince, I'm very much aware." "Don't you dare ever leave my side. I will not forgive you nor this damned world if I ever lost you."

Sometimes Alicent will walk in on soft, domestic moments where he’s seated in his chair, reading to the twins while you’re folding his clothing or tidying up the bed or tending to the newest babe. It is sweet in her eyes. Her favorite child is finally happy with his little (unconventional) family.  

She can’t find it in herself to send you away. You’re no highborn lady, of course, but you’re so kind and gentle, absolutely respectful- treating her son so well and mothering her precious grandchildren. Otto, on the other hand, disapproves of the relationship a great deal, but he’ll deal with it later when the family eventually plunges itself into war. Aemond will marry but not you, he decides. But, in the meantime, he’ll allow his grandson to play with you a little bit longer.

Just your mere presence brings Aemond peace. Comfort. Relaxation. He’s so besotted with you that he cannot imagine living the rest of his life without you.

You’re the most beautiful woman, he swears. He notices the way highborn lords openly fawn over you whenever you attend royal banquets, and how their lustful gazes follow your every movement. It grew worse during your first pregnancy, as you glowed with motherhood so well you might’ve as well been the Mother walking amongst her children.  

The first pregnancy with the twins brought a level of excitement towards fatherhood that Aemond swore he thought he’d never experience. He remembers how Aegon acted when Helaena was heavy with their twins, always meeting her with a lack of interest in her health or needs or the babes. He could not understand it. Not a bit. With you, he’s desperate to keep his hold on you at every hour of the day.

If you’re tending to your duties, he’ll always remain nearby. #protectivedaddy. He’ll take the time to polish his sword, study the room, or admire the way your swelling baby bump is now beginning to poke out from underneath your servant's dress. “I did that.”   

At night, when you’re fast asleep, he’ll crawl down to lay his head on your belly. Feeling his babes’ little faint kicks against his cheek and palms reminds him that life is now worth living for. He’ll talk to the babes too, mumbling about his day and how beautiful their mother is and how he’s thrilled to soon have them. Aemond takes to fatherhood as quickly and easily as you took to being his handmaid.

The second pregnancy brings constant midnight dreams of a pretty baby girl, carrying the same features as her mother- your twinkling eyes, the slope of your nose, the cute pout that tugs at the corner of your lips. He plans on naming her after your mother and already has the dragon egg ready to place in the cradle

His uncle, Daemon, nicknames you in his head his nephew’s duckling. You’re always following after him, two steps back (a healthy distance between a supposed royal and their servant), ready to serve him if needed, hands clasped together, and pretty head bowed. You remind him of Helaena in a way, much too pure for this world.

Helaena adores you. Duh, that’s a given. And if Helaena gives you her blessing, you might as well be part of the family.

In bed, Aemond likes to caress your cheeks and stroke your bottom lip with his thumb as you sleep. It is in these moments that he genuinely believes you were created for him to find and love and worship, that the gods fashioned your existence to mold into his. He was never fated to fall in love with a highborn lady but instead his sweet handmaid, who was sent to provide him with everything he was denied during boyhood.

divider by the loml @chainsawsangel

[in1-nutshell]

With all the Deadloop and Red Cross nutshells, my brain has been stuck on how their reunion might go! Did either of them go back to the museum they were in to look for the other? Did they ever find out that they are both back with their faction? Maybe there’s something of history repeating itself, and Deadloop gets shot down, and Red Cross finds and saves him? (Also, what would Agent Fowler say to having a ‘con in the family?)

Thank you for feeding the Red Cross and Deadloop brain rot I have with all the nutshells!

I've had many requests for these two reuniting, so I've combined them all into one.

Hope you enjoy!

Red Cross and Deadloop reuniting

TFP

Deadloop had been enjoying his break when he was notified by Starscream to guard a hostage.

He hated having to deal with hostages.

It brought back memories of the human war.

Memories of the Fowlers.

Memories of her…

He is confused when he sees a man being suspended in the air by a couple of large chains.

It seemed too extreme, even for Starscream.

Deadloop walking over to the human.

“So, you’re the little human that’s been giving Screamer trouble.”--Deadloop

The human huffs.

“If you want the information, I don’t have it.”--Fowler

“Relax, I’m not going to shove my Granny up your behind.”--Deadloop

Fowler looks at him strangely.

“What’s your name?”--Deadloop

He glares at the Con before noticing key details in his alt mode.

“What’s with your alt mode? Cons getting a budget cut from the high-tech aircrafts?”--Fowler

Deadloop scoffs.

“I’ll have you know sir, that this alt mode was from the original model back in the day.”--Deadloop

This catches the man’s attention.

“I’ll tell you my name if you come closer to the light.”--Fowler

Deadloop humors him and walks closer while also noticing some familiar looking features on the human’s face.

The way his eyes concentrated...

The little deeps in the cheek…

Almost like…

“Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Fowler?”--Deadloop

The human’s eyes widen by a fraction of a second.

Good enough for him as takes the chains off and pops open one of his subspaces.

“Hop in.”--Deadloop

Deadloop knew that his actions would be counted as treason, but he was not going to let this Fowler get hurt on his watch, never again.

Fowler tried questioning what the Con was doing, but he soon saw that he was tkainghim outside to the flight deck.

Was this Con actually helping him escape?

They made it to the flight deck before Starscream caught wind of Deadloop’s plans.

Deadloop transformed into his baron form and took off as Starscream and some of the seekers came out.

So, it was a dog fight that they wanted? It was a dog fight that they were going to get.

It was a long fight in the air, but Deadloop was much more experienced in this art of war than these newbies.

Starscream managed to clip one of his wings good and was spiraling down with Fowler.

Luckily Fowler had called the base and had a groundbrigde sent right underneath them.

As Deadloop transformed and shielded Fowler from the impact

Deadloop wasn’t surprised to see that there were several blasters pointed at him and ordering the human to be released.

He gently placed Fowler down.

Optimus offers Deadloop his servo.

After a moment he grabs it and lets the Prime help him up.

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’m no longer allowed a Con and I don’t want anything to do with this war.”--Deadloop

“And how are we supposed to trust you?”--Wheeljack

“He did save Fowler.”--Jack

“It could be a trap.”--Arcee

Raf looks at him closely.

“You wouldn’t happen to turn into a Red Barron would you?”--Raf

“Finally! A human of culture! I do in fact turn into—”Deadloop

Deadloop looks at a couple of hand grenades in a box unorganized.

“Why are all your eggs so messy?”--Deadloop

“Has anyone seen my eggs? I swear I put them—”—Red Cross

Red Cross stop in her tracks and stares wide optic at the red mech in front of her.

Deadloop just freezes in place.

This couldn’t be…

She was…

“DEADLOOP!”—Red Cross

Red Cross slams into his frame wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug.

The red mech snaps out of his trace and hugs her back just as hard.

The medic spots some sparking near his wings and pulls back.

“Primus your hurt! Come, sit I’ll go get my kits!”—Red Cross

Deadloop gets carried bridal style by Red Cross while she mumbles about the supplies she needs.

“…what just happened?”--Fowler

Everyone is confused.

Red Cross and Deadloop tell their story to the others and their relation to the Fowler’s.

Agent Fowler does not know how to feel about this sudden news. He needs a moment to process this.

Even when she’s done, Deadloop takes Red Cross’s servo in his and doesn’t let go.

She doesn’t make any motion to get out of his grip either.

It takes one question from Red Cross and now Deadloop is now an Autobot.

This was going to be some load of paperwork when Fowler returned to his office…

[serendipitysae]

Querencia ( Joseph D. Liebgott x Reader )

querencia/ kɛˈrɛnθɪə,Spanish keˈrenθja,keˈrensja/

noun ; querencia; plural noun: querencias

Sanctuary.

( POST WAR !!! fluff and maybe a smidge of angst ?)

01.00 AM. 

19th July, 1946, Yuma, California. 

1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, equal parts. Wisk together in a bowl, before adding 1 large egg. 

Feel free to stir together using your hands. 

In a pan, arrange the canned-peach slices, before half of the reserved peach juice on top. After this, apply the doe on top of the peaches. Then drizzle a ½ cup of melted butter. 

Bake in a preheated oven for forty five minutes until golden brown, serve with cold ice cream and rest of the peach juice. Easy peasy ! 

. 

Yeah right. 

You sighed irritatedly, eyebrows knit together as you crouched before the oven, one hand on the oven latch, the other holding an oven mitten. You had been sitting there for at least an hour and a half. 

You were wearing one of Joe’s shirts, over your nightgown. You pursed your lips together, scowling at the peach cobbler in the oven, which wasn’t even browning. “Come on..” You murmured quietly. You were so caught up in the baking that you hadn’t noticed the door unlocking. 

That was until you heard the soft clang of Joe’s cab car keys being thrown onto the table. “Shit-!” 

You looked over, confused as you looked up to Joseph Liebgott, your boyfriend. He stared down at you, his surprise slowly morphing into a small smile. “Wasn’t expecting you to be awake, Doll.” 

You giggled at that, an excited smile gracing your features as you stood up and jogged to him. A warmth spread through your body as you held him close, pulling him down to litter his face with kisses. “Lots of customers ?” You asked, between kisses. His lopsided grin surfaced, chuckling as he leaned into the kiss. “ Mhm, drove ‘round half the fuckin’ city swear to god.” 

“The real question is,” He began, hand trailing down to the curve of your waist. “ What are you doing up ?” He jokingly poked at your side, earning a small sigh and downwards turn at your lips. “I wanted to try the recipe for Peach Cobbler.. kind of a lost cause though.” 

A hoarse, tired chuckle left his lips, shaking his head as he pressed a kiss to your head. “What’s the occasion ?” 

You tensed up a little, clearing your throat as you looked to the oven. Your lips parted, taking a soft inhale before speaking. “ Next saturday, you know .. that reunion in indianapolis ?” 

Joe didn’t look at you, his lips pressing into a thin line as he looked to the wall. You softly moved your hand up to his cheek, gently rubbing it with the pad of your thumb. “ It’s been a year since we last saw them .. and I know Webster came to visit us last february but you know that doesn’t count.” 

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring it up after his long shift, but he asked, and you had no intention of hiding things from him. 

You caught on on how his jaw clenched, eyes trained on the tiles of the kitchen wall. You would have preferred screeching of fingernails on chalk than the deafening silence. After several moments of this, he licked his lips, voice quiet. 

“I just..” 

You looked up to him. 

“I just can’t do it, Doll..” 

You felt your heart clench. He didn’t sound hurt, he didn’t sound mad or anything. He just sounded so discouraged. The way his words died on his tongue, how he couldn’t meet your eyes. 

“Oh Joe..”

You cooed, your hand moving up to his hair as you tugged him into a warm embrace. It didn’t take long for him to melt into your glow. His arms sneaked around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck. He didn’t cry, Liebgott rarely cried. He just savored the moment. The smell of your hair, as well as the light scent of artificial peach and flour. One hand moved to cradle your head, as his eyes closed. The gentle tugging at the roots of his hair, the soft tracings you drew on his back, it was his sanctuary. 

“My darling, we don’t have to do anything. We don’t, we can just rest.” You’d say, your voice muffled by the material of his shirt. He didn’t really respond, just a quiet hum resonating through his body. 

The two of you stood there for several minutes, until you reluctantly pulled away. You looked up at him, the soft smile on your lips never faltering as you intertwined your hands. “ Let’s get you some sleep, hm ?” 

He nodded. 

“The rocket’s empty- I’ll try the atom load of this ray gun.” You read, your voice saccharine and honey like as you read of the comic book strip. Both of your backs were pressed against the wall, Joseph’s arm around your shoulders as you read to him. His head was resting on yours, half-lidded eyes following the comic drawings as you read. 

It only took fifteen minutes before the book was tucked away in a drawer, the lights off and blanket pulled over you two. Joe lay behind you, his body pressed up to yours with his arms holding you around the torso. 

“Y/N ?” He interrupted the silence, and you hummed quietly, eyes still closed. 

“ I just .. well..” 

You shifted slightly, turning to face him. One hand moved to rest on his cheekbone, eyes opening slightly. 

“If you want to go to the reunion, you should.” Your eyebrows knit together, slowly adjusting to the light as you spotted his warm eyes. 

“What ?” 

He nodded, shuffling closer to you. “I don’t know if I’m ready to see any of those bucks again.. But, they were your team too.” You looked at him with a small, small smile as you nodded. “But- Joe, you know you don’t have to-” 

“I know.” 

You shut up, thumb tracing patterns against his jaw. He continued speaking. 

“But.. Well, if you need a ride to Indianapolis, I’ll be there. ” 

Your lip curled up into a teasing smile. “You’re saying I'll get a free cab ride ?”

“Hey, I ain’t saying anything about it being free, I just said if you need a ride.” He countered, gently squeezing your side with a chuckle. Your laughter is harmonious to him, as he closes his eyes and smiles. 

Your laughter died down, your chest fluttering. “Hey..” You’d say, quietly. You moved closer, pressing a warm kiss to his lips. Sure, Joe was tired, but he kissed you back, with as much love and eagerness as he always did. You mumbled a soft “thank you.” to his lips. 

He just shook his head, and tugged you closer to him, the sound of traffic rumbling from the balcony of your apartment.

( THIS ISN'T PROOF READ SO PLAY NICE !!! I love domestic joe : ( he's my baby boy. It's post-war, if it wasn't clear enough- uh yeah hope you guys enjoy xoxo !!!!!!)

[bcbdrums]

Top 10 Soul Eater episodes?

As in, favorite episodes?? Or best episodes??

I'll do...favorites I guess? If that's even possible my gosh... I'm hard-pressed at this point to find any I don't like, and others are like...yes this one and this one and this one and this one.... Like the whole underground battle series of like seven??? Is just one giant episode to me, lol.

ANYWAY.... FAVORITE Top Ten episodes, listed in airing order not a ranking cuz that's impossible, lol.

Now, to absolutely no one's surprise...

These are all Stein and/or Spirit feature episodes. Except maybe two. Here we gooooo!

Episode 4: "Engage the Witch Hunter! A Remedial Lesson in the Graveyard?"

Why a fave? Okay well first of all...we get to see the four main characters fighting together against an enemy. The episode starts with the feeling of...okay, here we go... Like setting the tone of the anime after the concept and chars have been introduced. Gonna be a monster of the week thing, fighting new enemies and collecting souls. Like Digimon but not you know?

So we see awesome techniques from both Maka and Black Star and Sid as a char is super creative, so it's all that stuff to start with. And then...then we start to get that tiny bit of backstory at the end about Spirit and Stein and it's like, wait say what now?? The red-head is more than a comic drunk deadbeat dad? So then...

Episode 5: "Shape of the Soul – Enter the Ultimate Meister, Stein?"

Yeah okay... I mean. Obviously. We see Stein and it's like whoa that design is creepy this guy is creepy and then we hear Spirit blubbering drunkenly about the past and it's like creepy and oh snap I am now sympathetic to Spirit and there is a far deeper backstory going on here with these adults cuz we had the privilege of seeing Sid alive before you know and suddenly he's dead in the prior ep so mystery and...yeah. And then it's very much presented as wow...Stein is...unbeatable. They're doomed. And that twist ending I was just as much huh??? as Soul was and I just. Got captivated by the backstory.

Episode 7: "Black-blooded Terror – There's a Weapon inside Crona?"

More Spirit and Stein stuff. I swear that hospital scene was my favorite scene in the entire show for the longest time. It's hilarious, I still crack up watching it. The toes thing is just... And that way too long dramatic pause and camera pull before he reveals the divorce, and Stein freaking already knows and just...yeah I'm getting giddy thinking about it. But ALSO it's like, okay...now we've departed from the casual anime silliness. We skipped the 30+ eps of growth like Digimon and went straight to the big major character issue. Which you know, makes sense the further into the anime we go for this anime. But...yeah. It gets. Real. Not kids anymore. Crona with Ragnarok are hilarious I love them, and Crona is highkey relatable; Crona is every teenager to exist ever. But yeah then Soul's sacrifice, for Maka... It's just...wow. Yeah it got real.

Episode 8: "The Witch Medusa – Bearer of the Great Terrible Soul?"

Truthfully, probably my favorite episode as things stand right now. My mind may change later. Why? Because obviously...Spirit and Stein get to fight together. We get to see what the future is... It's like seeing the past in Star Wars, the very beginning of Ep. 1 you know where we see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight and it's like...yessss this is how things are supposed to be in a world that isn't broken. Seeing Stein and Spirit fight together like that is just... Yeah my heart is pounding thinking about how insanely awesome that is. Also Stein is hot. Plus more of that...not kids anymore. Maka's pure terror at sensing Medusa's soul, seeing her...seeing what a real witch is. Like yeah kid the little kishin egg monsters and magical cats you've been playing with are nothing. Maka realizes the world of meisters and weapons she's in is quite a bit different than her experience so far. And can we talk about how Maka wasn't going to leave Soul's side??? Was just gonna take the hit and die right beside him, because he died for her??? MY HEART! Also Stein is hot yes I know I said it already it bears repeating and man that...seriousness...the way Stein looks at Medusa, the way the witch knows who they are which in itself shows a greater threat... That utter gravity that falls over that moment at the end there, after Stein blocks her attack and it's like....oh snap. Now what? Not to mention all the new tiny details we get about soul resonance and the possibilities and how a weapon can take on features of their meister in the special attacks! (Spirit takes on stitches here on the witch hunter blade, and in the last episodes he takes on Lord Death's skull face on the kishin hunter blade. That's so cool...) Okay I have to stop. I could go on. Like I said...favorite episode as things stand right now.

Episode 13: "The Man with the Magic Eye – Soul and Maka's Diverging Soul Wavelength?"

This one surprised me because initially I didn't care for it. I don't care for Free's design, shark!wolf just doesn't appeal to me. But over time this really grew on me. The writing is excellent and soooooo many major things happen. We get the first bit of touching on the morality issue, like, is DWMA really the correct moral power? Free says something about it and then it becomes a bigger theme going forward. We get the beginning of the black blood effects and the battle against/with it and the start of what all that means... The start of the "acceptance" theme even if it isn't named. We hear Soul's piano for the first time even though it isn't named as such until Brew. We get to see Soul and Maka both so confused but both so dedicated to each other, and the maturing starting to happen, that needs to still happen... It's a huge ep for their relationship. And also...Eruka. I love Eruka. All things Eruka. Any episode with Eruka is a delight. But yeah this episode is just SO deep and excellent, it needs more love. (Also in the candle room fight if you listen close we hear that Spirit has an outy belly button and I'm just alksjdahkjghsd how silly.)

Episode 14: "The Super Written Exam – Heart-Pounding, Reeling, and Restless. You're Kidding!?"

Ehhh heheheh...heheh... Pure absurdity. Pure comedic awesomeness. Everything about this episode. I love things where many characters are featured in more than a cameo and get real attention. We see more of all their homes, more of what they do and who they are when not in battle... Spirit being an absolute fool... That hilarious buildup timer to the end of the exam... Blair ruining what should have been something GOOD agh silly cat I'm still annoyed, lol. I'm not gonna say much here since I said so much about the last episode but man, yeah. Just pure comedy gold, I never ever tire of this episode. "Giraffe, giraffe~" Heheheh.

Episode 23: "Dead or Alive – In the Rift between Revival and Dazzlement?"

Okay like I said before... The entire underground battle, starting with the anniversary party, I consider one giant episode. I name all of those as favorites. I selected this one for here because it's where we get some of Stein's backstory I think? Flashback to he and Spirit as young teens, and we learn where Stein's mental state really is. We get to see more of his and Spirit's dynamic, how they work together both successfully and less successfully... Many headcanons borne of this battle in this episode. My gosh I just...can't put it into words in any brief way. I could write an epic length post breaking down nearly every line, look, gesture... And is this also the episode where the kishin emerges and my gosh if that isn't the creepiest most suspenseful moment I've ever seen. Also, we see more of Eruka! I adore her. And Free. But yeah whole episode... Fantastic.

Episode 25: "The Death Scythes Convene – Stop Dad's Staff Reassignment!?"

And this episode...also silly and ridiculous, but awesome because we get to see a little more of the "adult" side of the DWMA and how things operate. Comedically yes, cuz Soul Eater is a comedy, but still there's quite a bit of seriousness too. Stein's madness as a plot point... But my gosh... Marie, Azusa... Justin... The dynamic between all the adults. I would give ANYTHING for a prequel anime where we get to see all these complete idiots in the academy and how it all went down between them. And my gosh we've had plenty backstory teased already with Stein's experiments against Spirit, Sid and baby Black Star... Seeing the adults as kids would be the perfect "reboot" series for me. Plus that basketball ending, bringing it all full-circle in terms of...okay, here we are again, and here we go again... Onto the next phase of the show/of our lives. It's a fantastic turning-point episode and I never tire of it.

Episode 31: "Drying Happiness! Whose Tears Sparkle in the Moonlight?"

This one...so much happens here. We get delightful glimpses of normal life, we get the reminder that Soul plays piano which becomes important quite soon... We get the comedy of Spirit having to parrot Lord Death to Justin because they just won't make the kid take out his earbuds! We get a moment of Crona and Ragnarok actually getting along and having a normal conversation and ohhh myyyy gosshhhhhh I wish we'd had more of that in the show. I adore Ragnarok. But then...ugh. The saga of pain that begins. You get everyone reaching out, you get to see Crona happy... Marie after wandering around lost, saying if there's ever anything you need... Later inviting Crona to her home... Only to be betrayed. And the absolute skill and execution of the writing as they make us believe for a moment that Marie is okay in returning the pen...and then it's revealed that Crona put a snake in the coffee. Just. Oh man. Ugh the pain. Whyyyy Crona whyyy when you had the entire academy to back you up, everyone on your side, full protection from friends, from a death scythe who trusted you to invite to her home, from Lord Death who gave you a second chance... But you still betrayed them all. And then of course, that little snake then is the catalyst for SO much of what happens in the next episodes... Big deal. This ep is so huge. So many different feels...

Episode 40: "The Cards Are Cut – Medusa Surrenders to the DWMA?"

Spirit feature, Spirit feature! I like getting to see a little more of Spirit's responsibilities other than hovering at Lord Death's shoulder waiting 800 years bound to Death City what the heck his poor death scythes for battles that will never come. I know logically he has other jobs as the death scythe, but it's nice to see him doing some of it and more of his relationship with Lord Death (those two raised their children side by side I mean come on there's so much comedic opportunity here). Also the sheer TENSION in the episode from the fact it's Medusa, and Maka's reaction, and Stein's reaction, and then the deal at the end... It's like...okay this is a serious tone-shift and no clue now what is coming. It's a lot of weight all at once leaving me feel like I'm in a whirlwind and kicks off the final arcs of the show and...yeah. This is a good one.

Also hey guess what!

Turning this ask into a tag game! So...what are your top ten favorite episodes??

@midnightcaptions @memethebum @chickycherrycola @blackbloodteeth @mellancholy-morose @beeejayy (that's right Sunny start interacting with fandom LOL) @takeyourcyanide @cannibal-nightmares

AND...anybody else who wants to take this on! Have fun!

And BONUS... Any and all episodes with Excalibur are awesome and if you don't love him you are wrong. That's okay you're allowed to be, you do you. 😘

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 163 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: cutting the Kolkwitzia amabilis in my garden.

MARTIN: "How long have we been walking?" JON: (sigh) "Fourteen hours and twenty-three minutes." So, does the new Beholding 2.0 feature an on-board clock now? Or has Jon been counting? xD

MARTIN: "I mean – cars? You know, planes, trains, automobiles?" JON: (overlapping) "It wouldn’t help." MARTIN: "Alright, a boat then." Martin reaaaally wants to show off his rowing skills, does he? :)

MARTIN: "Right. I just – Don’t like being out here." Martin, it was literally you who wanted to leave the cabin all along!!!

JON: "In the world as was, we wouldn’t be too far from Kinloss Barracks." Okay, so this gives us somewhat of an idea where the cabin was. They've been walking 14 hours and 23 minutes, that would be about 72 km. That is preeeetty far north in Scotland, I've gone like 70 km straight north (because in the hellscape I guess the North Sea also would there in between...) and inlands it’s pretty barren... A few houses, b&bs, a church, an egg box??? A phone box at the end of the world?? (Braemore, look it up!) Actually, you know that would have been really funny if that was the phone box that Martin came across, but as I said, that's 70 km north from Kinloss Barracks... All settlements seem to be along the coast.

Alex: “We can't really have much swearing in TMA or we have to tag it as explicit for the US.” Also Alex as Martin: "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

MARTIN: "Please don’t tell me these things." JON: "I – I’m sorry, I – There’s just so much. There’s so much, Martin, and I know all of it – I can – see all of it, and I – it’s filling me up; I need to let it out!" [HIS VOICE GAINS IN INTENSITY AS HE SAYS IT; IT’S ALSO BEGINNING TO SHAKE. MARTIN IS FIRM, THOUGH:] MARTIN: "I’m sorry, but tough. Okay, th-that’s not what I’m here for. I can’t be that for you; I, I-I just. Can’t." This is so difficult... Cause both have these needs which are absolutely valid. I'm glad they quickly find a compromise. Jon needs to let it out, there is absolutely no way around it. But Jon doesn't need Martin to hear it. So they'll find something so Martin won't hear it.

JON: (testing) "Martin? (slightly louder) Martin? (one more test) Martin, I hate your tea, and wish you made coffee instead." Hahaha, the biggest insult to Martin there is xD

"The drone’s camera blinks once, twice as he tries desperately to crawl away, pain lancing through every part of him. The thing makes no sound as it follows him, matching the excruciating pace of the bleeding soldier. Charlie knows when it decides to fire, he won’t even hear it." It is very much part of the Slaughter experience here, but still a bit of an Eye overlap!

"He places his hand down and it sinks, suddenly, into the mud. He cries out as the rusted barbed wire curls itself eagerly around his wrist, digging into his skin." I've talked about this in one of the more Slaughter statements - All Quiet on the Western Front, this reminds me of it again. A classmate held a presentation for this book. They chose a very specific scene as extract. It was a scene in the middle of a battle raging during WW I, protagonist crawling over bodies of others. It has never been so quiet in this classroom as during this extract. I don't know what it is, that the fictional statements don't get me at all but that damn book was just horrifying. Probably the knowledge that this was written about to the author’s very recent first hand experience.

"His alternative was stagnant poverty, and that was really no choice at all." Again the theme of being driven by the pressure to make money..

"But there is no mercy for deserters here." I hate this shit idea of desertion! Fuck that shit, people who wanna bash their heads in, go ahead, but let everyone else flee! Now, with a war in Europe just next to neighboring countries I've briefly thought about this. There are only a few days for those you can be drafted to flee the country.

"He runs almost headfirst into a portly man in a tailored suit with a blood-red flower on his lapel. He smiles, pale skin splitting beneath his bristling white mustache, and he begins to shake Alexei by the hand. 'Good lad,' he says. 'Good lad. Heroes one and all. A noble sacrifice.' Alexei starts to speak, to say he doesn’t want to be a hero; he doesn’t want to be a sacrifice; he wants to go home. But the man with the flower reaches his hand into the soldier’s chest, and with a single, jolly motion, plucks out Alexei’s heart and places it in his wallet." Oh man, that part...

Martin talking to the tape recorder/himself is always such a delight! I wish there was a whole episode just Martin talking... Oh wait! :)

@a-mag-a-day

[wuzhere75]

I love WoF AUs that go “what if different eggs got taken for the dragonet prophecy” and we get a different set of dragonets for an alternate version of the 1st arc.

So yeah I decided to make my own (I’ve gone through a couple of different iterations, but this is the most current.

The quirk here is that I basically thought “wait what if the dragonets where everything Morrowseer had wanted”. Like they just ended up with with a perfectly normal set of a Mud, Sand, Sea, Night, and Skywing. No replacement-that-is-of-a-different-tribe-because-one-of-the-guardians-fucked-something-up. No obvious hybrids. They get left alone for another year, and emerge from the cave to the chaos of the events of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd arcs all at once.

(Also another quirk is that they are all related in some way to a canon character; Asha and Hviter are also still alive)

Bigshadow (She/They)

-She’s the big soft himbo-type character. Due to severe nearsightedness, they’ve always had difficulty reading/writing. The guardians just assume she’s dumb, but she really loves learning and art.

-I can’t remember if it’s canon that Secretkeeper and Morrowseer had tried to had dragonets before Moonwatcher and that they had “lost” them, but I decided for this AU, an attempt had produced a viable egg and Morrowseer decided “what would be a better dragonet to lead the dragonets of destiny than my own”, stealing the egg and flying through the night to the cave.

-Due to this, Bigshadow was partially exposed to the moonlight of the Brightest Night, giving her somewhat unreliable psychic powers. Most of the time she misinterprets them as being very weird dreams/intrusive thoughts.

-Shortly after Morrowseer did his year-prior check in, they start to feel a strange presence in their dreams and swear they hear someone calling to them from outside the cave when things are quiet (*cough* *cough* Darkstalker).

Mangrove (He/They) (yes I know there is already a canon character named Mangrove; it’s a sick name)

-Gumpy quiet sad man who’s in to medicine and nature

-In this universe, Gill gets a “funny feeling” during the Brightest Night and decides to take what would be Tsunami’s egg so he can “be with his new daughter during her hatching”. Webs, then, takes one of the male eggs instead when he breaks into the hatching room.

-The AU Sandwing minder; Jackal (more on her later), was a little too rough on him when was younger during fight practice (maybe I should have featured a scar somewhere in his design?). Due to this, he abhors violence.

Mole (She/Her)

-The softly spoken nerd who gets picked on for not being the big strong meatbag Mudwing the guardians had wanted. She has a secretly love for war history and is probably really good at strategically fighting (in a real world AU she would be an American Civil War or WWII nerd).

-Asha couldn’t get Cattail to give up Clay’s egg, so Crocodile (remember that lady?) gives Asha “her” blood red egg (she actually stole it from her sister, Toad) at the last minute.

-I originally had her as being from a non-blood red egg Crocodile just painting red but the Sandwing minder probably just would have incinerated her.

Coyote (Any Pronouns) (I’m not sure about the name; I wanted something related to new world deserts but not named after a cactus and I don’t feel like Gila or Mesa fit).

-Apathetic bastard who hates everyone except her adoptive siblings (basically as far as you could get from Sunny without being an outright evil asshole).

-In this AU, Dune never left the Outclaws (the dragonet that would have been Sunny is raised among them). Due to this, a different Sandwing minder was chosen from the TOP; Jackal.

-Jackal was…umm…very devout to the prophecy and willing to “weed out anything that wasn’t promised in the prophecy” (she probably would have killed both Glory and Sunny immediately, Starflight not having psychic powers probably would have set her off as well).

-Jackal stole the egg of her brother, Corsac, a general in Blaze’s army. Corsac and his wife, Bison, caught her in the middle of the act, but she got away (they would later have a son, Pronghorn, like the one from JMA).

Shrike (They/Them)

-The artsy goth kid who loves supernatural stuff (they go wild every time Hviter or Webs starts talking about amunism).

-Kestrel in this AU either doesn’t have Peril/Sky in the first place or chooses to fuck off into the mountains with her kids (perhaps with the help of Soar/Chameleon?). Maroon (name also pending), a different Skywing, is instead chosen. Due to Maroon being less “high profile” than Kestrel, he is chosen to steal the Skywing egg, being more familiar with what hatcheries are more or less highly guarded than others (unlike, say, Hviter).

-This version of the dragonets have made a giant cave mural with the help of Asha and the Maroon. Shrike is the primary contributor to this mural even though the other dragonets have “grown out of it”. Mostly, they paint Bigshadow’s “dreams”.

-They are intrigued by Bigshadow’s dreams and is the only one who thinks they are more than just dreams.

-They make jewelry out of bones from the prey animals the guardians bring them (originally I was going to include a necklace with some skulls and stuff, but that shit’s hard to draw).

-I had no smooth way of tying to fit this in but he is either the half-sibling or cousin (I haven’t decided) to the Skywing False Dragonet, Flame.

[latelyanobsession]

She’s A Runner - Part Two

credit

summary you reluctantly agree to let billy drive you home in a snowstorm. he learns more about you. and maybe you’re learning a bit more about him too. maybe this won’t blow up in your face after all.

warnings references to past sexual assault, past trauma/abuse, cursing, trauma response behavior, angst

word count 2,331 (my longest so far)

note Inspired by Billy Squier’s She’s A Runner

Prologue / Part One

As always any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

“You live on Birch, yeh?” he asked.

“Yeah. 3240 Birch.” you looked forward out the windshield.

The snow was beginning to swirl. The wind batting it about the parking lot as the sun began to set over the football field.

The revving of the camaro’s engine snapped your attention back to reality. Billy chuckling at your reaction, as he pulled off school property.

“What the hell do you keep under that hood?” you asked half joking.

He shifted gears, gaining traction. A proud smile on his face.

“You know much about cars?”

“I drive a Datsun.” you answered dryly.

He laughed, maybe even louder than he intended. You were sorta funny.

“So...” he downshifted, taking a right.

“So...?” you looked over at him.

“You lived in Hawkins forever?” he questioned, shifting again.

“No. I moved here when I was nine.” 

“Oh? Where’s the firecracker really from?”

“Seattle.”

He shifted and made another left turn. Your street was three blocks away.

He didn’t think someone else from the west coast would’ve been crazy enough to land themselves in this cow pie’s excuse of a town. 

And yet here you were.

“So why’d you move out to the sticks?”

You shifted in your seat uneasily.

“My dad died... mom still has family here.”

Billy fell quiet, the speed of the car dropping.

“Sorry to hear...” he muttered, hands fidgeting on the steering wheel.

“Don’t be. I’ve heard enough ‘I’m sorries’ to last me a lifetime.”

“This is me. Here.” you pointed.

Billy pulled into your driveway.

It was a modest two-story home. Not much bigger than his own. Robin egg blue with white trim. 

There were Christmas lights still decorating the bushes and shrubs. The heavy snow atop them made them look like marshmallows covered in rainbow sprinkles.

A crudely made snowman was in the front yard with a mop on its head and a bra and underwear adorning its form. 

Billy’s eyes were taking in the whole scene as you let a few choice obscenities slip from your lips.

“Swear to God Petey...” you growled loudly as Billy saw the snowman.

“Petey?”

“My little brother...” you said in exasperation.

“We’re in a bit of a war.” you explained.

A look of amusement filled Billy’s features.

“Some of Petey’s buds were teasing that I was his girlfriend and I leaned into it... he didn’t like that.”

“He’s been taking the bus for the past two months.” you smirked delightedly.

Billy grinned. He hadn’t considered someone like you to be so devious.

“That supposed to be you...?” he pointed to the yard.

“Yes...I s’pose so. He needs to keep his paws out of my drawers. Gremlin.”

Billy looked over to see the front door open, a boy with sandy blonde hair and glasses standing in the doorway giving you ‘the bird’ with both hands. 

He couldn’t have been much older than Max.

“He’s not gonna live to see tomorrow...” you slumped in your seat.

Chuckling, Billy reached back and retrieved your backpack for you.

“Where’s your mom?”

You took the bag gratefully, holding it in your lap.

“At work. She works graves at Hawkins Memorial. So it’s usually just me and Petey most of the day.”

To Billy the thought of having his father gone nearly the entire day seemed like heaven, but the look that lingered in your eyes told him otherwise.

“I guess you gotta go then?” he asked.

“Yeah.” you sighed.

Carefully getting out of the car so you wouldn’t slip, you walked around to the driver’s side. He rolled down the window.

“Hey.... uh, thanks.”

Billy waved your gratitude away with a casual hand as he pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Saturday.” you blurted out.

“Saturday?” he repeated.

“Saturday. 7 o’clock. .... and after, you can help me figure out whether or not I should donate my car to the school lost and found.” you smiled dumbly.

A smile graced his features. His eyes lighting up.

“Saturday.” he declared.

He rolled up his window, giving two honks of his horn before driving off. You waved goodbye before you went to retrieve your clothes from the snowman. Yelling loudly as you walked in the front door. 

“What the hell Petey?”

It seemed like Friday came and went in a flash. As was suspected. A snow day was called. School had been cancelled. 

You spent the day shoveling out your driveway and doing homework. Making dinner for you and Petey once the day ended.

The TV was on, Petey was watching Dukes of Hazzard, when the phone rang.

“Petey keep it down!” you hollered around the corner.

“Y/L/N residence?” you answered.

“Hey Firecracker.” Billy drawled from the other end of the line.

“Billy?” the surprise thick in your voice.

“Yeh.” he hummed.

“How’d you get my number?” you probed suspiciously.

“I asked Tina. She asked Betty. Who leaned on Natalie....” he sounded far too happy with his detective skills. 

You did after all have an unlisted number.

“Poor Natalie...” you said openly. She was your only close friend, but she folded like a dollar bill in a hurricane when it came to keeping information private. 

The girl was the personification of a shrinking violet. And by comparison she made you look extremely outgoing and confident. 

She wore dresses and listened to Franky Valli and Elvis. You wore denim and listened to pretty much anything you could get your hands on. 

You kept your hair long and side swept, ignoring the growing trends for huge volume and feathered hair. She wore her hair in ponytails with bows. You hardly ever pulled your hair up aside from gym.

She wore cardigans. You wore corduroy. She loved the 50s. You loved the 70s.

The two of you couldn’t have been more different. 

“You may owe her damages Hargrove...” you warned sarcastically but also protectively.

He chuckled. “Maybe... Just wanted to tell ya to dress warm tomorrow night.”

“Why? You taking me on an outing to the Overlook Hotel?”

You couldn’t resist deviling him.

He snorted. “I just might if you keep it up.”

A smile was on your lips, as you coiled your fingers in the phone cord. 

“Looking forward to it, but til then I gotta go. Dinner’s getting cold.”

“K, see ya.” 

You hung up the phone, Petey smugly looking at you from the kitchen.

“Shut up. Before I make you shut up. Twerp.” you warned pointing at the table.

“You gonna kiss him?” he teased.

You slapped the plates onto the table, dishing veggies and meatloaf onto his and your plates.

“I just might. And if I do? You may even have to see it.” you threatened.

Petey looked utterly disgusted. Shaking his head profusely, shoving his tongue out in the most horrified face he could muster.

“Uaggh!”

You laughed.

Saturday night came quickly. Quicker than you thought. 

You never pegged yourself as a girl who was indecisive and yet here you were with clothes strewn everywhere.

The only thing you had decided on was your underwear because you knew that was not happening tonight.

Holding up one sweater to your neck, you then switched to the sweater you were holding in your right hand. 

Why is this such a process? Men have it so much easier.

By around 6:34 you finally decided on a cream cable knit sweater that was far at the back of your closet. 

It was bit lower cut than you were typically used to, but the color really warmed the tone of your skin and the light in your eyes. It was perfect.

You matched it against a pair of dark washed straight leg jeans and your favorite leather boots.

Blowing out your hair and gently brushing the curls loose, you generously sprayed your look and prayed it would hold. Soft, bouncy, sleek, and shiny. Heather Locklear would only be so proud of you if she knew.

The doorbell rang. Your heart skipping a beat.

“Petey! Petey!” you bellowed over the bannister.

“Yeh yeh yeh! I know!” he screamed back up at you, pulling himself away from the TV.

You could hear the deep timbre of Billy’s voice from the living room below as you finalized your mascara.

He and Petey were talking about something. Hopefully Petey wasn’t selling you out.

Placing small pearl studs on your ears, you looked yourself over one last time.

Here goes nothing. 

It was your first date in nearly two years.

Gingerly stepping down the staircase you stopped on the bottom step.

There Billy was in a steel blue button down shirt, only half done up, dark blue jeans and black leather boots. 

A wool-lined black leather bomber jacket was clutched in his left hand.

He paused his conversation with your brother, his eyes raking over you, softening as his gaze met yours.

“Beautiful.” he commented.

You smiled, a blush coloring your cheeks. 

“Thanks, not so bad yourself.” you muttered.

Petey elicited an exaggerated gag. 

Shooting your brother ‘a look’, you pulled on your winter coat.

“You said it was going to be cold...” you questioned.

“I did.” Billy confirmed.

“So what’s with the shirt?” you motioned to his chest.

Waving goodbye to Petey you shut the front door, following Billy to the camaro.

Shrugging the jacket over his broad shoulders, he unlocked the car.

“It’s just my look.” Billy stated sliding into his seat.

“Well it’s a damn good way to get frostbite...” you said seriously.

“You don’t get much snow where you’re from, do you?” you quipped.

“In San Diego? Once maybe.” he pondered.

He turned the ignition, backing down the driveway.

“Ahhhh.... that explains it”  you reasoned.

He paused in the road, an eyebrow high in expectation.

“So this whole macho thing is really just a Californian in deep denial.” you observed.

He barked out a laugh, lowering his foot on the accelerator.

“Yer a helluva smartass.” he stated.

You smiled slyly. “Guilty.”

The drive was relatively short, as Billy pulled onto the McCorkle’s Farm. 

They had been running a lights display and small winter festival with input from the city beginning just after Christmas. This was the last weekend in January it would be running.

“Ah! I’ve never had any time to come see this!” you smiled.

Billy let out an inaudible sigh. He had hoped that you hadn’t already been here before, like every other girl at Hawkins High who were all incessantly talking about it.

The display was far from spectacular, but it was quaint. Electric lights in the shapes of snowflakes and reindeer pinned to hay bales. Lights were strung everywhere, across the dormant bean poles in the field, and even the tractor.

Billy walked up to you with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. You took it graciously.

“So aside from the snow... how do you like Hawkins?” you asked.

He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“S’okay I guess.” he shrugged.

You took a sip of the hot drink.

“I call bullshit.” you prodded.

He looked at you harshly. You gave him a smug look.

“Everyone new hates this place. If you were excited about being here I’d call you mental.”

You both giggled knowingly.

“Yeh.” he sighed, digging the toe of his boot into the snow.

You both started walking. Critiquing the half-hazard decorations, and sharing stories about what winters were like in California and Washington.

Before you knew it time had caught up with you. It was time to head home.

Settling into the camaro Billy revved up the engine for show as a couple tweens oggled his ride.

“What’dya think?” he asked tentatively.

“That was great.” you hummed happily, your cheeks still pink from the cold.

“Good” he hummed.

Arriving to your house, Billy got out, opening your door.

“I had a really great time tonight.” you smiled brightly.

“Glad to hear.” he said pridefully.

Stepping out of the car, he shut your door.

“I’ll see you on Monday.” you went to head for the porch, when he grabbed your wrist pulling you back.

You looked at him a moment in question. Billy smirked.

“For such a smartass you really didn’t see this coming?” he teased.

Wrapping a hand around the back of your neck he pulled you into a kiss.

Instinctively you braced your hands against his chest. You were quite shocked.

It had been so long since you had kissed anyone. Were you even doing it right?

God forbid you fuck this up. The night had been so perfect.

He moved. Wrapping his free hand around your waist. Brushing his lips against yours softly.

You wrapped your fingers in the fabric of his shirt, deepening the kiss.

It felt like he couldn’t possibly pull you any closer and yet he was still trying. You felt like you were going to suffocate, with him as your sole lifeline.

He broke away, trailing open mouthed kisses down your chin to your jaw. Searching. You weren’t certain for what.

You let out the softest and most sinful sound your ears had ever heard as his lips swept across the corner edge of where your jaw and neck met.

Suddenly his kisses were becoming desperate, harsher. You were trying to keep yourself from crying out. The sound frightened you. 

His hands were traveling. Becoming rough. Groping. As he pulled at the hem of your sweater.

“Billy” you heaved.

He kept going.

“Billy st-stop!” you cried weakly.

You shoved at him as much as you possibly could.

He took a step back, a look of utter shock and hurt in his eyes.

“Stop.” you repeated more courageously, pulling your coat tight around you.

“I’m going in... good night.” you walked to the porch, his eyes were on you the entire time.

He looked as if you had slapped him across the face.

Opening the door you stepped inside, and turned to face him.

Back in the camaro, Billy was hastily pulling from the driveway. The engine revved as he sped from the street. 

Without a word.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to my tags list for this series please interact with the separate tag post I have HERE.

[imaginedigimon]

Headcanon of every Digidestin and Digimons favorite food, please?

THIS IS THE CONTENT CREATION I LIVE FOR!

Anon, I could only assume you meant the Adventure gang since you didn't specify (and it's the most popular series on this blog), but if you want any other series, feel free to come back! :D

A note: I don't know a lot about Japanese cuisine, even after all the years of watching anime, so I'm going to try my best.

Adventure Kids' & Digimons' Favorite Foods

Tai: He doesn't necessarily have much of a favorite food, he's not terribly picky considering. But he recently discovered dino-shaped chicken nuggets and now he won't stop eating them.

Agumon: Literally anything. He is not picky. You could give him the strangest food in the world and he would give it 5 stars. Someone made the mistake of introducing him to the Food Wars anime and things have gone downhill since then.

Matt: Not basing this on something I wrote a few month ago, but I feel as if he loves eggs. It doesn't have to do with him being a softie and remembering one particular night in the Digital World or anything.

Gabumon: Definitely a meat 'mon. He's apparently very fond of yakitori.

Sora: Whenever asked, she says onigiri, but she likes any traditional food, really. She likes thinking about how long food traditions have lasted (yes, that's a thing, I guess--)

Biyomon: She likes bananas because they're similar to that one food in the Digital World (unless I'm remembering incorrectly)

Izzy: Based on (1) line in the English dub, jelly beans. I will not explain.

Tentomon: He weirdly enough enjoys saltine crackers. Maybe too much. Izzy has been trying to wean him off of them.

Mimi: She misses the pizza from New York. Also cheesecake.

Palmon: For some reason, she loves strawberries.

Joe: Loves most dishes that involve fish and endures Gomamon expounding about how much of a betrayal this is

Gomamon: Jokes that he likes fish, but that's not true. He does like fish sticks, though. They're weirdly good--

T.K.: He likes chocolate a lot, probably because he receives mountains of them on Valentine's Day. Someone take the sugar away from him.

Patamon: Also partial to chocolate, but he also really enjoys French fries for some reason???

Kari: Crepes and ice cream, especially when her brother pays for them

Gatomon: She likes most chicken and fish dishes, but she really loves the cookies Kari makes her.

Davis: This is an easy one---ramen.

Veemon: He's not picky. You could give him burnt marshmallows and he'd consider them fine cuisine. (He and Agumon get along very well.)

Yolei: For some reason, she really likes French toast. Or regular toast. She doesn't watch anime that features heroines running with toast in their mouths I SWEAR---

Hawkmon: He enjoys eating all kinds of sushi, and he somehow holds chopsticks perfectly despite the feathers.

Cody: Melon bread. No explanation. Just melon bread.

Armadillomon: He considers potato chips a godsend. Also the applesauce that comes in a pouch.

Ken: He's partial to rice or chicken noodle soup because he likes food that fills him with warmth. They're both simple but very comforting.

Wormmon: He likes anything involving noodles because they're easier to eat with his mouth. Udon is one of his favorites.

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

On the Tale of the Haunted Mansion: Where is the Danger?

Spoilers from the specific stream in question! Also, /roleplay!

This is the benefit of being a Dream SMP!Connor stan I swear—

What I found interesting in today’s Tale is Karl’s disappointment with the way the Nether Star Hunting Game Glatt made went down. He, after all that work, learning that there was no real threat to the people Schlatt made disappear, clearly pissed him off enough to leave the party, remarking how the way everyone acted around him is why Connor, the person whom everyone else is tied to, supposedly has no friends in present-day Dream SMP, or the last time they saw each other. He blamed Connor for why he didn’t have a good time.

The reason why Karl was so pissed, hell, why we the audience felt lacking from the episode was how Karl, our eyes, framed and interpreted everything. He perceieved Glatt’s Mansion Game as a genuinely dangerous situation, despite obvious evidence that everyone was there to have fun. We expected “big lore, big drama” but instead we got scuffed stream where everyone went full bastard.

Restricted to the Tale and the Tale alone, this is a ConnorEatsPants party that actually went right, comparable to the party of the 23rd of January. It had a lot of similarities, namely that it’s a party that Connor arranged to the best of his ability (he took the cheap $5 cabin/built a party house of iron blocks and white wool), had people Connor considered friends even though they barely knew him, and that Glatt crashed in to make things more fun for Connor, with the other guests disgruntled by the ghost. The only difference is that no one blew the place up. (Up in the air is how long into the future this is. Either way, it had to be long enough to correspond to Connor living away from the Greater Dream SMP and making the new friends featured in this tale).

Karl crashed in uninvited, just like Sir Billiam III’s Masquerade, only accepted by both parties’ hosts because the hosts wanted to be hospitable. Both Billiam’s and Connor’s guests were reflections of their respective hosts and it shows. Hell, both parties had Duck, Duck, Goose! Karl played into the role of someone trying to help once people began dying/disappearing. The way the parties went down were very different. The Masquerade ended with a familiar evil genuinely killing Karl. The Haunted Mansion ended with a familiar evil just having a friendly game with his guests.

Karl’s disappointment is reasonable when, in his past few travels, he has been working hard to keep everyone safe only for everyone to not be in any genuine danger the entire time. After bandits that gave a small town some casualities despite defending them, after encountering the Egg and being murdered by their guardian, after being murdered by Dream-obsessed Ranbob, after witnessing the demise of a village from its own mad villagers, after participating the way he did during the Manbug-Pogtopia war? Why wouldn’t he expect Schlatt to be genuinely killing Connor and his guests?

The way Karl kept asking Schlatt about his involvement the whole Manburg-Pogtopia thing evidently tells us how seriously he was taking everything. Schlatt deadass brushed that off, insisting that he changed after being dead for so long. Sleeping in the void must’ve done wonders for Glatt! He clearly seemed to have changed when you take into account that, with all his real estate work, on the sight of his good friend Connor having a party in the cheaper cabins, gives them a good time by upgrading their place and even making them play a fun game that ends in jacuzzi baths with skeletons and alcohol.

If you were in Connor’s shoes throughout all this, you’d end the party concluding that party-crasher Karl Jacobs was a killjoy. Glatt would then tell you to forget about him.

It’s no coincidence that the first time the In-Between becomes explicitly suspicious is when Karl is taken to a time where the possible tale that could be created contains no knowledge to be recorded and remembered. Nothing there in that mansion (besides navigating mazes??? idk) could even help Karl out save his friends. Isn’t that odd? Remember that Karl has no control over his time traveling!

Whoever’s writing against the Castle knows how the In Between works and how it treats its chosen time travelers. We might get new stuff during the next After the Tales stream, which would be after Karl’s break. Who knows? As far as I know, I think the tale was fun and interesting, and I believe so for the conclusions I made above.

[rheawritessometimes]

A Not-So-Bad Deal

{ Childe x GN!Reader }

{ Summary } Babysitting Childe has its ups and downs. Series Masterlist

{ Warnings } Swearing, Injury, Physical Intimacy, Mild Spice, PDA, Not Beta Read, Barely Proof Read.

{ Notes } Reader is implied to have commitment issues. Accidental flirting, because intentional flirting is awkward and hard. Didn't explicitly state what each breakfast item was, but they're based on popular Russian breakfast foods. Ahah, not me setting myself up for yet another part?? Masterlist

{ Word Count } 2,955

The sentiment of spending Childe's recovery with him being a simple endeavor was quickly thrown into the garbage when you were awakened before the sun had even begun to peek over the horizon to the sound of what you were sure was a break-in. Rolling out of the bed with your sword materializing in your hand was done entirely on instinct, you were still too groggy to have any proper thought. Stealthily exiting the room, you made your way to the source of the noise, the kitchen.

Needless to say, you were more than annoyed to find that the 'break in' was actually a familiar Harbinger making breakfast, tearing apart the kitchen in the process. Your sword dematerialized as you brought a hand up to massage your temples to ward off a headache. Childe was humming cheerily in the middle of the mess of ingredients and cookware, some of which you were certain had not been necessary to whatever it was he was making. There was no way that many bowls were necessary for any recipe.

The Snezhnayan flashed a bright grin when he saw you, but the gesture did nothing to ease the scowl that had settled onto your features. That didn't seem to dampen his mood in the least, he merrily continued preparing what appeared to be enough food to feed a lot more people than were currently occupying his apartment. Was he expecting a lot of company this morning?

"I thought we made a deal that involved you resting and not cooking enough to feed a small army at ass in the morning," you remarked, the sarcasm laid on thick enough to be dripping from each word. Much to your frustration, this only made him laugh as he turned the stove on.

"Well, I usually wake up early but this morning I had nothing to do since someone broke my bones. So, I decided to make a nice breakfast for my guest to enjoy with me," he responded with faux innocence, though there was laughter in his voice that easily gave him away. His words were still effective in making you feel a little guilty, so you wordlessly brought the dishes you were fairly certain he was done with to the sink and began washing them.

The two of you fell into a comfortable quiet after that, you were busy cleaning a mountain of dishes and Childe's focus was on frying a few eggs and cutting up a bowl of strawberries. You were mindful to stay out of the way as Childe cooked and he made an effort to set the cookware he was finished with beside the sink for you. The rhythm you two had quickly settled into felt startlingly domestic, something you reminded yourself not to like, and certainly not to get used to.

"Maybe I did make a little too much," the Harbinger muses somewhat sheepishly as he looks at the table he had just finished setting. It was without a doubt too much food for only two people, the table at risk of collapsing under the weight of it all. You could only nod in agreement.

"Your guard might appreciate a plate," you offered, as though one more person would make much of a difference against the mountain of food. You had to admit, everything did look delicious. The table was laid out with fried eggs, some porridge, a few sandwiches with sausage on them, what appeared to you to be some kind of crêpes, pancakes of some sort, the bowl of cut strawberries, and a kettle of tea. It would be no trouble finding people willing to eat the excess food.

"I suppose my subordinates deserve a nice breakfast," the redhead sighs dramatically, "They're lucky they have such a nice boss."

"Mhm, and if you ever fall out with the Fatui you could certainly find a job as a cook," you reply after sampling a forkful of his work. Living in Liyue had you more accustomed to chopsticks, but it was evident after going through Childe's kitchen that he did not own a pair. As a witness to his attempts at using them, you weren't very surprised by this finding. A fork was easy enough to figure out, anyway.

"I'm glad you like it," the redhead responds with a grin, quickly busying himself with his own plate. As he eats, he begins to talk about having similar breakfasts with his family in Snezhnaya. This turns into him recounting learning how to make these dishes with his mother and you quietly listen along, making the occasional comment and smiling fondly at his memories and the way he became more animated as he spoke about his family.

The sun had emerged by the time each of you had eaten what you could, and you cleared the plates while Childe ordered his guard to distribute the remaining food to his subordinates stationed in Liyue. You were halfway through cleaning the dishes when the Snezhnayan waltzed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He contented himself with watching, not bothering to even offer his assistance.

"I was thinking we should do something. I've been cooped up for too long. Maybe a casual hike up Mt. Aozang?" he suggested, causing you to pause in your ministrations and glance back at him with a raised brow. No hike up Mt. Aozang would be a casual one considering the terrain and potential enemies of the area.

"It's been less than a full day," you pointed out, "And, hm, what was it? Oh yeah, and you have a few broken ribs."

"What are a few broken ribs to a Fatui Harbinger?"

"It's a no, Childe," you firmly insisted, causing him to groan and mumble about you being a 'spoil sport'. It was easy enough to ignore him as you finished up with your small chore.

"I'm using your shower," you informed him once you turned away from the sink. He only hummed in response, still pouting against the counter. It was all you could do to not roll your eyes at his childish behavior.

"What am I even supposed to do for six weeks if I can't go out and fight things?" he whined, and this time you did roll your eyes.

"Well, maybe you can still improve your fighting," you mused, "Have you ever tried working on your strategy? Because that could definitely use some improvement."

The Harbinger huffed indignantly at your words, taking the mature route and sticking his tongue out at you as you left the kitchen to take a shower. He could pout to himself in the kitchen while you had a relaxing shower.

The apartment's bathroom was on the smaller side, but it was still easily workable and didn't feel at all cramped. You had brought with you your own toiletries, but that didn't stop you from poking around Childe's well-organized things out of curiosity. There wasn't anything of particular interest so you decided to just get cleaned up and figure out what to do for the day.

Leaving the bathroom wrapped in a towel and feeling refreshed, you made your way to the guest room to pull out something to wear for the day. You decided on something comfortable, it didn't seem like you'd be going out today anyways and if you did you could always change into something more suitable. After getting dressed and taking care of a few more things, you left the guest room in search of Childe.

It was a simple task finding the Harbinger, he was seated at the table flipping through the pages of a book. You were more than surprised to see it was a book on battle strategy, although you noted it was one focused on group tactics to be used in war organization. You supposed it shouldn't have been any great shock to find he had such books, considering his position as a Fatui Harbinger who was known for his knack for combat. But to actually find him taking your advice was not something you had expected.

"Finally done with your shower?" Childe asked, looking up from his reading, "Good, you were stinky."

His tone made it clear he was joking, and you gasped in mock offense. You both laughed at this, his cerulean eyes shining with amusement. You weren't sure you'd ever seen eyes more beautiful than his.

"Anyways, I was thinking we should go for a walk around the harbor and have a late lunch a Wanmin. Then we can just wander looking for stuff to do, or we could go out to that one boat. Or maybe Zhongli will be at the market and invite us for tea," Childe suggested, setting the book down on the table. You raised your brows at his 'plan'.

"It's been a long time since I've had any time off and I don't know what to do," he justified, crossing his arms over his chest. You only shook your head, smiling softly at his pout.

"Alright, I wouldn't mind a walk around the harbor, at least. Lunch at Wanmin sounds good too. We'll see what happens afterward," you conceded, watching his expression immediately brighten. Just a walk shouldn't be too strenuous, so you weren't terribly worried about his bones. Plus, you wouldn't be able to keep him in bed all day and this was a much better alternative to him going out and finding a fight.

"Let me just get changed into something more presentable."

It wasn't long before you were walking along the docks of the harbor with Childe. You were hand in hand with him, the redhead had grabbed your hand early on, intertwining your fingers with a cheeky grin. You didn't resist when he did this, comfortable with showing the small amount of affection even in public.

Looking out across the calm waters of the harbor, you couldn't help but think it matched the blue of the Harbinger's eyes. While he had an excellent poker face when necessary, Childe's eyes were often very expressive, allowing an easy read of his mood at a glance. Smiling fondly at the thought, you squeezed his hand gently before moving on.

The rest of the day progressed just as pleasantly, both you and Childe enjoying the sights of Liyue before getting lunch at Wanmin as he'd planned. After eating, you browsed the various stalls of Liyue's busy market, admiring the vast array of goods on display.

As the Snezhnayan had earlier predicted, you did meet Zhongli at the market and he did invite you two for tea. You wondered if he had planned it with Childe, but the polite man seemed entirely surprised to have encountered the both of you.

Tea with Zhongli turned out to be quite a lengthy endeavor, and you were rather exhausted by the end of it. He had recounted the history of Liyue well into the evening, in a way that reminded you of a professor during a lecture. It was Childe who was finally able to excuse the both of you, after several hours of education on the historic importance of Silk Flowers.

"Well, I did make a promise that I would rest, so I'm afraid we must be going."

"Ah, yes. It is always good to keep your promises," Zhongli agreed sagely, his words carrying a strange gravity. With polite goodbyes, you left with Childe to return to his apartment. The walk back was through darkness thanks to the hour, but the streets of Liyue were lit and there was still plenty of activity.

It was no surprise that both you and Childe were ready for bed by the time you made it through the door. He mumbled out a mostly unintelligible apology for how long tea with Zhongli had lasted before kissing the top of your forehead and disappearing into his room.

You stood in the hallways shocked by the affectionate gesture for a few seconds before deciding it would be best to just go to bed and forget about it. Surely the action was purely the result of exhaustion.

This time when you woke up the sun had already risen. Silently, you thanked Morax for not having to wake up to Childe's noisy breakfast-making. Even if his cooking was really good, without sleep you'd eventually become rather cranky, to put it lightly.

Exiting the spare bedroom, you found the Harbinger sprawled out on the couch looking through a stack of papers. You assumed it was Fatui business, something which you wanted nothing to do with at the moment. Maybe at another time, you would be interested in their secrets, but as of right now, they weren't really your problem.

"How are you feeling? In any pain?" you asked casually, making your way to the kitchen to retrieve some ice. Regardless of his answer, it was still advised to ice his side regularly.

"Mm, I'm fine. Took some of the medication earlier," he replied, most of his focus still on the documents in his hands. You briefly wondered how often it was that the Eleventh Harbinger did paperwork as opposed to fieldwork. You would have assumed he had a secretary or something for this kind of thing, though you supposed it made some sense for him to do it if he wasn't out in the field.

Leaving the kitchen with another makeshift icepack, you noticed he had set the papers down on the coffee table and draped an arm over his eyes. You raised a brow at this but didn't say anything as you placed the icepack on his side and sat on the couch where there was space beside his legs.

"I don't think I can last six weeks like this. I'm already dying of boredom," he confessed, raising his arm to see your response.

"I'm not sure I can last six weeks either," you replied snarkily. It seemed lost on him as he nodded in agreement before furrowing his brows and scowling at you. Realization.

"Hey, wait! What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sitting up quickly and wincing at the resulting pain. You picked up the icepack that had slid down and pressed it against his side until one of his hands came up to hold it in place.

"It means I think sometimes you're a bit much," you laughed in response, ruffling his hair and causing his scowl to deepen. He swatted your hand away from his hair using his free hand, and you only smiled in amusement.

"I'll have you know I'm a fucking delight and you adore me," he asserted, staring you dead in the eyes with a challenging look. Now that he was closer, your eyes were drawn to the light smattering of freckles that crossed his nose and dusted both cheeks. From a distance, they weren't really visible, but now you could clearly see them.

"Mhm," you agreed absently, bringing a hand up to lightly cradle his jaw, swiping your thumb slowly across his cheek. It was only when he started leaning in that it dawned on you exactly what you were doing and how intimate it seemed. By the time his lips were pressed against yours, heat had risen to your cheeks and you were certain your face was a brilliant shade of scarlet. Luckily his eyes were closed so he couldn't see you in such a state, but you had a feeling he was able to feel the heat radiating off your cheeks.

Despite your flirtations having been unintentional, you didn't push Childe away. Instead, you wrapped your arms loosely around his shoulders and fell into the slow rhythm he had set. You heard the soft thump of something being tossed onto the coffee table, but you were distracted from that when his hands found your sides and he pulled you into his lap.

A soft breath left you when his lips moved down to your neck to place gentle kisses there. The featherlight touch had goosebumps raising across your skin and you were almost embarrassed by your body's reactions.

"Alright, maybe six weeks won't be too bad," Childe murmured against your neck and you could feel his smile. It made your heart flutter, you weren't sure you liked that.

"Oh, what made you change your mind?" you asked innocently, a hint of laughter in your voice.

"Mm, I wonder." His lips began trailing back up your neck and over your jaw until he sealed them over yours again. The drag of his tongue across your bottom lip had you opening your mouth for him without a thought. In response, he pulled you closer to him, one hand reaching up to tangle in your hair.

When he finally pulled away, he smirked at your flushed appearance and the fact you were a bit breathless. The way he looked at you made butterflies flutter in your stomach and when his ocean eyes dropped to gaze at your lips you felt the overwhelming urge to flee.

"I need to go. I want to get you some proper icepacks from Baizhu and I should probably do some grocery shopping for you," you blurted, standing up. His arms fell easily away from you, but he looked up at you with a surprised and what you thought might be a slightly hurt expression.

"Um, okay," was all he could say as you retreated to the guest room to get dressed in something more appropriate for going out in public. Changing didn't take very long and you made sure to bring Mora along as you fled the apartment with barely so much as a 'goodbye'. Childe was still sitting stunned on the couch as you breezed out the door.

Running away was always a good way to deal with your problems.

[thearchvillain]

of horsefairs and maidens. part 2

nikolai lantsov x reader

link to part 1

summary: The moonless, warm summer night has stretched itself across Caryeva and the duke’s estate where a grand dinner is held in the gardens, in honour of both the horse fair and the princes’ visitation. Nikolai has found himself sat across the table from his brother and both the girl with the broken horse and her father, restrained to only occasional glances and the agitation that simmers beneath his skin, amplifying every time he catches her eyes. It’s all he can do to remain in his seat, even as they leave for the evening at Razumov’s, even as the night drags on - at least until the late hours of the night, too late for sensible decisions.

Nikolai smirked at her, as if to alleviate the seriousness of her warning, "Do you take me for anything less than a gentleman? And here I was thinking I had you charmed Irina, you break my heart. We were just talking."

But Irina didn't look concerned, only amusement lined her features as she sipped her drink, and a bit of motherly sympathy, "Oh my dear prince, you have us all smitten, but it's not her I'm worried about.", she twisted in her seat, to call for a waiter, and said over her shoulder, "And hasn't your mother taught you - nothing's quite as dangerous as talking to a girl like her."

word count: 2.9k

warnings: mentions of alcohol

A/N: well, apparently, this will not be a two parter... i’d claim i was shocked if i wasn’t used to myself going overboard the moment i get hooked on writing the characters ._. i’ve got part 3 down on the paper already (or a word document, but paper sounds more romantic) and it’s 100% focused on their interaction. in this one i really wanted to focus on building up the tension so there’s a lot of Nikolai’s thoughts and frustrations in here, glances cast and warnings given, the whole shebang  i really hope you like it, even if it’s kinda lacking in direct interaction for the sake of angst, and once again i want to thank everyone who commented and was so sweet and kind i had no other choice than to rush back excitedly and write my heart out <3 you’re the best! 

The dinner was an intricate display of wealth, as grand and carefully arranged as the jewels of a vain woman. One without an ounce of style anyway. The long tables were laden with complicated food, even the ones away from the main table that was orbited by the wealthy, to show off the generosity of the host. He'd even heard his brother say, as a compliment no less, that it seemed even the dogs here ate well. Clearly, he'd wanted to say, since you're here with your plate filled to the brim, brother. 

Now the porcelain plate sat before him, the food half-eaten and the glass of finest red wine all finished, as he listened to the war stories offered up to him by an old man with a hefty silver-streaked beard and heftier rosy cheeks, coloured by what must have been a fourth glass of wine. Nikolai would pop into the conversation here and there, if only to show he was paying attention, though he knew well enough that people never really wanted to listen, only to be heard.

"Tell me about your daughter - Alyona, is it?" 

The man reeled for a moment, his moustache shifting as he tried to remain dignified while choking on a sip of wine, as dignified as a startled walrus anyway. "You know of my daughter, your highness? Irina--", he turned to his wife at this, near breathless, "Did you hear that? He asked about Alyona!" 

The old lady had the common sense not to egg him on too much, only smile and nod as if she knew matching his excitement would mean a definitive death by boredom for Nikolai. And he was thankful for that.

But to be fair, Nikolai hadn't really known of Alyona, only heard her name from the girl with the broken horse when she passed by him in between meal courses, stopping only to cast a glance towards the old general and say, "Ask him about his daughter, Alyona - Saints forbid you ever require it, but he'll raise an entire army for you just for that little bit of kindness. He's very fond of her." 

"Is she pretty?", he didn't want to seem like a liar if that was what he complimented the daughter on instead of her smarts, or talent for music. 

The girl had raised an eyebrow, then looked back at him, "Does it matter? Fathers like him always think their girls are the prettiest. They're not wrong."

He'd wanted to stop her then, to ask her about the general's wife, or his dog, or anything really - and it would've been as easy as reaching out to take her wrist in his hand, had she not slipped back into the crowd and disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared by his side. 

Now he took his glass of wine, filled once again by one of the waiters, and held that instead, his eyes wandering across the table to where his brother sat, red-cheeked and rowdy. She was sat next to him, straight-backed and so still Nikolai thought she might have been a vision or a sculpture wrought in alabaster had the light evening wind not stirred the sheer silk of her gown and made it all come alive. It fell in rich waves off her shoulders, plentiful, but not plentiful enough to hide the gentle slope of her neck where it dipped to her chest, interrupted only by a fine necklace of tiny emeralds, or the wrists that glided through the motions as she picked at the food. 

The wine had made him too unwilling to look away, and he'd nearly caught his brother's eyes over the rim of his glass, so now he had to drag his gaze back to the general, who was near breathless talking about Alyona's adventures with the pony he bought for her. 

"...and I told Irina, no man of sound mind would let his little girl on that beast."

The beast being a pony, Nikolai supposed. 

"Did you think she would just pet it? It's not a cat.", this was the wife, sounding tired in a way only a woman who'd heard this story a million times and still thought it stupid, could. 

"You should've at least let me call Orlov's girl, I swear that creature was born on the damn horse! That form! We could've used her in the cavalry!"

"That poor thing's got enough on her mind with a father like that, and for Saint's sake stop recruiting people at dinner parties."

This time Nikolai interrupted, however riveting this exchange was, "The Orlov's girl?" 

Irina cast him a surprised glance, "Yes, that pretty thing with your highness' brother? I thought you met her." 

Now Nikolai had an actual excuse to look her away, and he wasn't about to throw it away. This time, she had her hands folded in her lap and Vasily at her ear speaking something delightfully stupid, no doubt. Nikolai watched her drag her teeth across her lower lip, still so mesmerized by the way it popped back into place that he was near startled when her eyes slipped straight to him. 

She did not smile. But maybe that was for the better because even from across the table he could see the muscles in her cheek twitch, as if she was dragging the corners of her lips down with the sheer force of will, not quite as restrained as she'd hoped to be. He realised she was trying not to smile, and somehow that made his mind reel more than any unbridled grin a girl at this table could've offered him. She downcast her eyes, lashes brushing against her cheek as she busied herself with the bracelet on her wrist, and Nikolai sipped his wine to drive away the urge to keep staring, to keep trying to provoke her until she could not hold that smirk back.

But then Vasily brushed the stray lock of her hair back and her features stilled as if all that pertness had been drained from them instantly, a muscle played in her jaw before she lifted her eyes and smiled prettily. Not at Nikolai, though. He saw an older man sitting to her left tap her hand like one would when a dog's performed a trick well, and Nikolai felt his muscles tense. Vasily beamed, Nikolai gripped his glass, her father looked at her like she was his golden ticket. 

"A vile man.", Irina said over her glass. 

Nikolai hadn't noticed, but the general was now busy entertaining the waiter with questions about the wine, and only his wife was fully present, the lines of her face arranged into a look of dignified distaste. She was speaking to Nikolai.

"Count Orlov?" 

"He treats that poor girl like property.", her upper lip curled, "And unfortunately the Saints haven't given her a bad temper, so she listens." 

Nikolai leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine as he followed Irina's gaze to his brother, drunk on wine and forced smiles from a pretty girl, "I don't think she's as helpless as you paint it."

"Oh, she's not. She's playing them both like a fiddle. I'm just saying, at her age, I would've wreaked havoc by that point.", she shrugged, "I'm not a subtle woman, you see."

"Ha!", the general was joining the conversation once again, now that he'd gotten his wine, "Listen to what she tells you! She's a wild animal, that one!" 

"Darling. Not in front of a prince." 

"What?", to his credit, he did look genuinely confused, "His highness doesn't mind, do you? I'm just saying my wife's always been a force of nature, no shame in that! She's a scary woman, it's a good thing to have by your side." 

Nikolai did not, indeed, mind at all. He was just trying not to choke on the wine as laughter bubbled up from his chest, especially when Irina raised an eyebrow at her husband, and he could see her attempting not to grin at that strange assemble of compliments. Their bickering was felt like a light summer breeze, a welcome reprieve from the tension he could feel simmering in the air, across the table.

"It's the wine.", she turned her gaze to Nikolai, still smirking, "Don't mind him."

"Ha! And what explanation do you have for that sharp tongue?" 

"I married an idiot and was forced to evolve because of it." 

"Please, when I first mustered up the courage to ask her for a dance--", this was directed at Nikolai as the large man shifted in his seat, "And mind you, I've been less afraid for my life on the battlefield than in front of that woman! You know what she told me? She told me to break a leg and see if that helps with my coordination.", he leaned to the side to cast his wife a look over Nikolai, "You've always had that sharp tongue on you, my love." 

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at her, "Was he that bad?"

Beaming because he didn't immediately sympathise with her husband, Irina shrugged in feigned disdain, "No, he was quite handsome and good on the floor, still is. You just can't let them forget how lucky they are to even have you looking in their direction."

"What can I say, my girl knows her business! I fell for it, hook, line and sinker."

Nikolai was the one charmed, for once, but his eyes still strayed to the other side of the table, even as the old couple continued lovingly bickering beside him. Vasily was up and about, and the girl and her father were following close behind, the valet running around guiding them towards a carriage that was waiting on the other side of the fence. 

"Where are they going?", he schooled his voice into one of mild disinterest, fit of a prince not particularly invested in his brother's dalliances. Beneath it all though, he felt dangerous, like he was being suspended on the edge of getting up and following - his brother was a nasty, distasteful creature on good days, and this wasn't even one of those. 

"Mister Razumov's.", Irina answered, because the general was now waving wildly demanding another piece of those little lemon cakes, "New money. Wild parties. Wilder vices. Gambling and alcohol are galore. They'll come to invite you too." 

He did not doubt that - even his brother's title had nothing on Nikolai's charm or the exclusivity of having him there on the rare occasion that he was home instead of on the front. It still did little to placate him as he watched them climb into the carriage, his brother's slimy hand holding hers as he helped up the steps, her hair tossed wildly across her bare back as she turned one last time to cast a glance Nikolai's way. He held her eyes for a moment, both their faces still as stone, then watched her disappear behind carriage's curtains as he sipped his wine, wondering wildly if he should even go. 

What good would it do? Her father would be there, watching, and there was no money to be made with a prince that had an interest only in books and weapons, no matter how charming he was. He cleared his throat and finished the glass. He'd just get her in trouble - it wasn't like Nikolai himself was particularly known as a voice of reason, he preferred to stick to an assemble of charming qualities, like ill-advised impulses and regret.

"You could stay, you know?", this was Irina again, sounding less like a wild animal her husband had described, and more like a mother. At least what Nikolai imagined mothers sounded like. Sympathetic. 

"Sorry?"

"Do you think I'll get this big boulder to move and go home anytime soon?", she nodded towards her husband, then smiled, "Some of us stay here instead of going to Razumov's, there's music and food and wine, good company too. If your highness hasn't been scared away by our marital displays."

"Please, call me Nikolai.", his usual glib smirk had slipped back onto his lips, as easy as a mask, "And no, I must admit, I'm quite charmed by the displays. Tell me, Irina, where does one get one of those?" 

She didn't look quite convinced, but she smiled still, "You stumble upon it, by Saint's will, and then you can't look away. The lucky ones, anyway.", she cleared her throat, "Stay, it would be quite the honour." 

"All mine. Your husband's a great general. And the royalty never gets enough servings from sharp tongues anyway."

"My husband's a fool.”, she shrugged lightly, “But I make up for it in the charms department." 

"I heard that woman!", there was no ire in general’s voice, and it was merely a passing comment as he waved at the poor waiter again, "Would one of you penguins like to explain why the prince's glass is empty?" 

Nikolai hadn't wondered about that, but now that it was brought up he felt like another glass and a distinct lack of his brother might be of help, "Why do you assume I won't go?" 

"Because you've been staring at that girl all night."

Nikolai's head snapped from the waiter back to Irina, and he caught the traces of a grin in the corners of her lips as she sipped her wine. Had he been that obvious? He didn't think so, but the wine and conversation might have made him sloppy - it was one thing to avoid provoking Vasily into being even creepier due to jealousy, another to avoid someone like Irina.

"Don't be so shocked young prince, that big buffoon used to look at me like that, once. I'd spot it anywhere, like a good game in the forest. She could barely stop smirking. It's quite painful, you know, not to smile when you catch someone looking at you like that. I must admit, she’s quite adept."

Nikolai considered telling her that big buffoon certainly still did look at her like that, but he was assuming she already knew that. She didn't look like a woman who'd settle for anything less. "Well, to be fair, I've been told I am quite dashing. She can't really be blamed." 

This made her laugh, in the way experienced older people do when they're charmed by some youngling's naivete, "Tell her that and see what comes back at you."

"I've already tried, it wasn't pretty."

Irina leaned in, conspirational, "That's why it's fun. My husband told you already. Hook, line and sinker. The girl knows how it's done.", then she leaned back, more serious, "It's why I'd stay away if I were you. We have plenty of food, wine and girls for you here. You're all the rage." 

Nikolai smirked at her, as if to alleviate the seriousness of her warning, "Do you take me for anything less than a gentleman? And here I was thinking I had you charmed Irina, you break my heart. We were just talking."

But Irina didn't look concerned, only amusement lined her features as she sipped her drink, and a bit of motherly sympathy, "Oh my dear prince, you have us all smitten, but it's not her I'm worried about.", she twisted in her seat, to call for a waiter, and said over her shoulder, "And hasn't your mother taught you - nothing's quite as dangerous as talking to a girl like her." 

***

The night dragged on, or perhaps dragged wasn't exactly the right word. The general had a way of livening up the place even as the people cleared, some to go to Razumov's, others to go to sleep in their beds. The brave ones that stayed - and there were quite a few after he did some rounds about the tables - were unable to leave because he'd managed to somehow get more food, more alcohol and more musicians, and no one of sound mind would leave this wild story he'd spun around them. They laughed and spoke of war and danced under the clear night sky, the air tinted with the scent of burning wood and meat and laughter. 

Nikolai had nearly forgotten, how much heart there was in nights like these, how much he loved the people and the songs and this country. He himself had danced and laughed and drank, and was now sitting on a chair rocking himself precariously on two of its legs, wrapped in that safety blanket of stupor that came with late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning, watching the general and his wife swirl in front of the musicians. 

He wondered how they were still up and going, much less dancing, though he could guess that alcohol, and a lot of it, had something to do with it. And alcohol, and a lot of it, had something to do with no one noticing a figure sitting upright on a horse somewhere out behind the fence, in the deep darkness of a moonless night. The silks shifted around the figure, carried by the breeze, like something out of Tolya's stories of spectres and hallucinations haunting the fallen battlefields. Nikolai thought wildly that there must be one about a ghost-girl on a horse, haunting the minds of men in moonless nights, with silks made out of moonlight and cruel elegance draped across her shoulders. Or something like that. 

Nikolai let his chair hit the ground and was up before the girl who'd been talking to him had even managed to look confused by his sudden change in mien. He drained his glass before putting it down on the table with a bit too much force and slid through the crowd that had gathered by the band. 

Tolya’s story would have probably been meant as a warning to young men not to head towards those strange apparitions, or something equally ominous, but Nikolai never put much stock in the stories anyway, especially not ones made up by his drunken mind as he followed after her into the darkness. She looked improbable, sitting tall on that horse waiting for him, but not impossible. And that was good enough for him. 

tags: @mentally-in-northern-italy 

please feel free to comment or hit me up in the DMs (even if you just want to talk because honey i’m THERE for it) if you’d like to be tagged when the next part comes out! 

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Molly knows about the reader’s relatives and she’s not so sure to put her trust in a girl that had just betrayed her own family

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Hi! i’m so happy that you guys liked this thing! thank you so much for your support and, again, if you want to keep reading this let me know. Same note as ever, english not my mother language, so tell me if something’s is wrong.

Chapter 2: Not your family

The next morning turned out to be quieter than you imagined.

You slowly got out of bed and looked at everything around you noticing how quaint Bill's old room was. The ceiling was lined with grainy wallpaper with stacks of photographs of Quidditch players hanging from the reeds that moved from side to side, simulating the playing field; the right side of the room had a huge hole behind the small stool that tried to hide it, and from that hole a small garden gnome was sleeping peacefully with a small piece of cloth on top of his head. You stood up, walking towards the huge window that gave you a beautiful view of the Weasley's garden that at that moment was covered by a thin layer of drizzle that had fallen during the night.

Molly's fruit trees gleamed under the faint rays of the sun and you saw how a doxy from between the leaves poisoned Mrs. Weasley's apples, causing them to fall from the tree branches in a thick black mass with a foul smell coming out of it. You shook your head, excited to witness a very different way to wake up.

Even though several minutes have passed since you woke up, the house continued to remain in a strange silence that made you think that the family had decided to leave the burrow with the intention of buying more supplies or something like that. You knew that Bill wasn’t at home precisely for his obligations within the Order, so you didn’t worry about looking for him around the room, so you decided that a better option was going down to the dining room and know what was happening.

As you went down the spiral staircase, you cursed in a whisper when you forgot to put on your slippers before leaving the bedroom cause the floor was so cold that you slipped a couple of times. Back in the days, when you were still welcome in your parents' house, you had many servants who did all the things for you - putting on your shoes as soon as you woke up was one of those things - but now that your life had changed so much, you assumed that you would have to adapt and start taking care of your own needs.

Your curious eyes roamed the walls covered in family photos that caused a big warmth in your chest. In each of those photographs, all of Molly's children appeared along with their father, smiling for the camera and sending effusive greetings. A pic was hanging at the fireplace were Molly and Arthur were carrying a small white bundle crying his lungs out. You assumed it was Bill as his parents seemed too young back then and even as a small baby, you could recognize those tantrum features anywhere.

A giggle escaped your lips when you noticed a funny sequence from that same photo in which, even with Bill crying in his mother's arms, his father tried to carry him for a moment to calm him down, however the baby's cries didn’t stop. The baby was so annoyed that he ended throwing up  the milk ration that he must have had before the photo session on his father's neat shirt.

You laughed because you knew that William's impertinence was something he had carried with him for several years now.

"Bill hates those photos." You jumped in your place scared to see Molly standing behind you. Your cheeks turned red “He says that it’s embarassing but i think that’s nonsense. He was an adorable baby”

"he was," you answered, looking anywhere but into Molly's shrewd eyes. "but I guess displaying them in the fireplace isn’t the right thing to do."

“Is it not?

"No, they should be at the front door where everyone can see them”

Molly giggled as you watched the sequence of photos over and over again. A silence settled between you, but surprisingly it was not an awkward silence, but one that was allowing you to create a bond that neither of you expected. Mrs. Weaslsey brought up a rag, wiping it around the corners of the photo from the dust.

"Arthur and I had to save up for months to take those pictures," she mentioned wistfully, "we just had Bill and it seemed like a good idea to welcome him into our family with a gesture like that. Arthur was new in the ministry and wasn't earning too much, but we had that quirk and decided we could afford to skip certain things to pay for the pictures. It cost us ten galleons and it still took us four months to gather them”

“Oh” You didn't know what to say, but you just kept looking at the photograph feeling a bit uncomfortable. You never had those problems at home because your family was insanelly rich thanks to the inheritance in life that your grandfather Tim had left to his son and later to his grandchildren. Even the descendants of your grandfather's servants came to work in your house, reason enough for you and your siblings to grow up with no sense of responsibility other than your own wishes. Molly sighed remembering those times when life seemed to be easier.

"So when Bill asked me to remove it from the fireplace, I refused. He doesn't know how hard it was to raise that money, but I think he has nothing to be ashamed of, he was too adorable!

"I don't doubt it for a second, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can call me Molly," she said, walking back to the kitchen where you continued watching the way the pans moved back and forth preparing breakfast. You were not very good at cooking - in fact, you had never cooked before- however, that didn’t stop you from offering your help. So you took a pan, placed it on the stove, and decided that you would find a way to make a good mountain of strawberry-filled pancakes just like your dear nanny did. Molly observed you carefully. "I think that now that you are living with us it is appropriate to have a more cordial treatment.My son told me a lot about you”

“Just the good things, i hope”

“Kind of” You stopped mixing ingredients to look at her carefully” He told us a bunch of marvelous things about you and how you two met. Actually, what worries me the most is what he didn’t tell us”

And there was the recrimination you were waiting for. You were aware that it had to arrive sooner or later, however, you would have been grateful that it did it when Bill were by your side to give you the opportunity to defend yourself properly. You cleared your throat uncomfortably, knowing that what Molly needed to hear from your own lips was which family you came from. You continued your task with the pancakes, turning out as bad as you expected.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Mrs. Weasley."

"Molly," he corrected.

"Molly" you smiled slowly "But believe me when I tell you that it was me who asked William not to mention anything about my last name or where I come from. I know that in this case, with the war above our heads, it is necessary to be certain of the people who enter your family and I apologize for that, it's just ... Bill is very important to me” Molly's eyes narrowed “Since we met ... I have found a home in him and well, all that feels when someone is in love. "Mrs. Weasley shook her head, understanding the feeling." I have experienced the rejection before. When people know that Tom Riddle is my family ... they run away in fear, curse my family and even walk away from us, as if sharing a blood bond makes us as evil as he is.

“And it’s not like that?” Molly asked with a hand on her neck. She didn’t want to be like the others and judge you without knowing the full story, just as she had promised Bill the night before that she would, but it was so difficult not to remember the death of his brothers by Voldemort’s hands and to pretend nothing had happened in the past. You sighed because the eggs you cracked on the bowl got mixed with their own shell “ I've heard of the Grants before, they're all Death Eaters, including your siblings!”

“It is difficult to have to choose a side  when you don’t have your own convictions”

"And you have it?"

You looked at Molly in pain. Of course you expected those reactions from Bill's mother, she was within her right to be upset that her oldest son never told her that he was in a relationship with a girl who seemed to have the most fucking powerful and evil wizard in the world as a great-uncle. No, Molly wasn't mad, she was deadly angry, she felt like she was bursting!

Her hands became fists and without knowing how, you found yourself between the wall and Molly's big arms from one second to the other. The pancake batter was forgotten, as was the woman's promise to treat her son's girlfriend in a good way.

"How is it possible ..." Molly questioned in an agitated voice, pressing your arms against the wall, "... that a single deer leaves the nature of its own herd?" How can you ensure that one rotten apple even in a gold container doesn’t rot the others?”Your breath caught at the questions of the woman in front of you. Once again, you were aware that your presence wouldn’t be good news to them, but at least you hoped they understood your motives before judging you “Explain to me, (Y/ N) Grant, when have you seen a pig away from his equals?”

Your words caught in your throat at Molly's fierce question. Bill had talked a lot about the temper of his mother. Even if she could be really grumpy at times, she was in general a very sweet, pleasant and maternal woman with everyone; however, you didn’t fit into that generality because it seemed that the woman was determined to kill you with her own hands.

"If my presence bothers you so much, then you shouldn't have let Bill and I to stay here."

“He's my son! All I want for him is to be happy, and that's why I don't understand what he managed to see in you”

"Maybe the same thing you saw in your husband." Molly's lips twitched in anger, but you didn't stop. You hoped that she would at least understand what your words meant, because that would make it easier for both of you to try at least get along better, even if Molly seemed not to want to do it under any circumstances. How is it that this haughty little girl dared to compare herself with her dear and wonderful husband? "I'm sorry, but I don't think this conversation is going to take us anywhere."

"If someone betrays his own family ..." Molly stopped you before you walked out the front door. The others got down the stairs, seeing the scandal formed in the kitchen “The rest of us can't expect too much, can we?

Your eyes blured.

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

hi! do you know any good modern au zukka fics?

YUP! (spoiler alert, most of this list is just gonna be me plugging @sword-and-stars because that’s what you get when you ask me for fic recs babes!) 

Netflix and Chill but we're Best Friends and you Fell Asleep by EnglishPlant this is set in a modern AU featuring bending and some elements of canon, but it’s basically Zuko falling asleep on Sokka and Sokka catching feels + some plot stuff 

Mass Times Acceleration by Haicrescendo aka the softest road trip AU of all time (whoops, looks like the hotel messed up and there’s only one bed, guess we have to cuddle x10) 

Carry On For You by Haicrescendo where everyone’s a pokemon trainer and Zuko is the gym leader of Vulca Gym (I know it sounds weird but TRUST ME, this is some GOOD SHIT, please read it) 

Quarantine And Chill 2020 by Haicrescendo features some of the cutest smut ever and some of the softest fluff ever. Features Zuko as the King of Trader Joe’s, Sokka as a twitch streamer, mutual pining, adopting cats, and Zuko getting a bubble bath. 

And I Feel Like An Oblivious Walnut In This Chili's Tonight by Elisabeth (Sokka thinking he’s being homophobic because he doesn’t like that Zuko brings guys home, when in reality he’s just a bisexual disaster) 

Friendship Bracelets by peachcitt FUCK this was soft what the hell? (College/Roommates AU) 

you caught me hook, line, & sinker by klinokinesis (orthokinesis) basically has Zuko as the nephew of a Fishing show TV star and Sokka as a bright and shiny boy who loves fish (high school AU, very cute) 

Simple Happiness by kotaka_kun  features Zuko learning to let himself have fun and Sokka wanting his bf to enjoy simple pleasures 

the one with the hot cashier by lesmiserablol features barista!Zuko and flirty Sokka 

Thunder by callmecaramleh features comedian Sokka and unemployed English major Zuko (features an airport kiss and some opinions about Star Wars) 

Quinacridone by Haicrescendo features artist!Zuko, barista!Sokka, and Zuko getting a gd nap (smut warning) 

Roomies Pt. 3 by beersforqueers features an accidental jacket swap, a mysterious avocado, and a date in an astronomy tower 

some additions: 

And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you by SokkaWithHisHairDown is the 17k coffee/teashop poetry au that I NEEDED 

Insomnia and Orange Juice by startrekto221B  is a great roommates to lovers where Sokka helps his sleep deprived roommate by cuddling with him at night in a totally platonic way... totally 

We Swear on Egg Rolls and Lamplight by mavy1  is also a good roomates to lovers in which Zuko and Sokka get drunk and do cute shit together 

the smartest person I know by Odae look! look! A fic that focuses on Sokka’s insecurities and recognizes the mutually beneficial partnership aspect of zukka! 

First by HoneyBadgerMole is a high school AU partners-on-project-to-friends-to-boyfriends and it’s very cute 

[singingshutin]

forever it is

Shutin's the name, self-indulgent's the game

I’m so sorry to anyone that's followed me for mp100 content I swear on Reigen's autobiography I’m still working on my longer-form fic for that!

My writing style is very stream-of-conscious-ness I apologize if it’s kind of twisty-

(The Byleth x Ignatz fics I read were all from his perspective, and I wanted to try it the other way around - though considering Byleth is who she is, that might be the reason why they’re all from his point of view lol)

no beta readers here the mortifying ordeal for being known hits only once

Read here on a03 or down below the cut!

Why hadn't Ignatz said anything?

Byleth squeezed her hand into a tight fist. All this - this days-long fever, these nights of misery - this could have been stopped if he had said he had been cut by a venin blade.

And why hadn’t she thought to ask?

Maybe he hadn’t known. What reason would he have to think he was poisoned when tiredness and aches were routine? Shivers could be attributed to the cold night air, and Byleth had long known Ignatz didn’t possess the strongest constitution-

Another harsh coughing fit racked the slight frame of the young man on the infirmary cot, and she dipped her cloth in the pot of gently steaming water beside her, swiping the warm rag across his damp forehead once more.

Ignatz looked so fragile without his glasses. Of course, Byleth knew her soft-spoken archer was thin - oh, to return to the days when she had put lunch as an item on his list of homework - but to see him now…

Goddess, the war had taken a toll.

Without the round steel frames obscuring half his face, she could see that features once delicate and soft were now pinched to a gaunt point by sparse rations. Dark circles hung heavy underneath closed eyes, his paper-white cheeks flushed with the week-long fever that just would not break.

The thing that hurt the worst, though - Byleth's solemn face burned at the selfishness of the thought - was the lack of a smile.

Ignatz always had a smile for her. It didn't matter whether he was sketching the forget-me-nots in the greenhouse, or embroiled in the middle of a sparring session with Leonie or Claude. She could see it so clearly, too - his pretty teeth blinking at her like a row of white stars, the front two ever just barely crooked in their slight overlap. One of his canines was sharper than the other - Byleth hadn't meant to startle him off his precarious wall perch all those years ago, she had just wanted a peek at his drawing. He had been so intently focused, hunched over the sketchbook in his lap like a mother hen over her clutch of eggs-

Byleth inhaled a sharp breath, catching herself in a tender smile.

That shouldn't be a fond memory. Even though he had assured her with frantic hand gestures that he was fine, even though he had thanked her with a grateful smile in his big brown eyes for the rudimentary patching up of his bleeding lip and chipped tooth, even though they had laughed about it together afterward - still, he had gotten hurt.

And she had been the cause.

Just like now.

Just like this time.

She should have told him to stop before. Told him to pay attention when he paused during training exercises. She should have- but she hadn’t.

Maybe if she hadn't been so selfish. Hadn't humored; hadn't nurtured the unfamiliar, dangerous pulsing in her chest at his sweet smiles-

Maybe he wouldn't be like this now.

Sick.

Unconscious.

Fighting for his life while the rest of her former students were fending off bandits on the outskirts of the monastery town.

And she was useless to help either.

Claude had told her to hang back. Said it would be nothing, that she should stay back with Ignatz. "Sorry to be blunt, Teach, but you'll just be in the way. If you can't focus-"

Byleth was yanked back to the present as Ignatz shivered - a much more violent tremble than the near-constant quivers of fever - and she squeezed his hand. Artist's hands, they were. Even with the callouses and scars left behind by this accursed war; they were slender and elegant, bony knuckles pressing into her palm as she did her best to fold his long fingers beneath her shorter ones.

Ignatz's hand twitched under the pressure.

"P-Professor…?" His voice cracked in a hoarse whisper.

"Oh, Sothis-"

Byleth tilted her head toward the sky, a silent stream of thank you’s pouring from her lips as a wave of gut-wrenching relief washed over her - her old friend had finally, finally answered her desperate prayers.

"Where- where are my glasses?"

A smile touched Byleth’s cheek with a flush of pink. Of course he was more concerned about his precious spectacles than his own health.

"Right here-” No metal frames met her fingers as she reached to the table beside his cot.

“Where-?”

“Ah-” Byleth rose from her chair. “They’re in your room, I’ll go get them-”

“Please… don’t go.”

Byleth stopped.

“Please…”

He blinked, unnaturally bright eyes confused and pleading.

Maybe the fever wasn’t gone, after all.

Byleth sat back down on the bed, settling down next to the shivering young man, running a gentle hand across his shoulder. All tension in his body evaporated at her touch and he sighed, head sinking to rest against her leg.

"Sorry," he murmured, fever-brilliant eyes already drooping shut once more, "selfish… to ask."

“Of course not. I'm going to stay. As long-" The words caught, tight and hot, in her throat: she couldn't. But if she didn't-

Byleth swallowed, hard. Never, not once before she had come to Garreg Mach, had the thought ever crossed her mind that feeling could hurt so badly. Only echoes of emotion had ever touched her cold, still heart: memories long lost to time of peace and war, of life and death, of grief and of love.

None of those had ever been her own.

This, however-

The Ashen Demon may have been a professor once upon a time, but the little herd of Golden Deer had taught her many things, too. They had taught her the brilliant ring of laughter and the aching pain of tears. They had taught her the tingling prick of annoyance, but also the chesty swelling of pride as she watched them change and grow from awkward fawns into brave stags and does - a strong group of men and women who would change the world for the better. And, on top of everything else, they had taught her what love felt like.

Love was multifaceted: living in faces, in words, in bonds between friends as strong as family.

And, in some cases, something more. Personal. Private. Exchanged in quiet glances, returned in small smiles and brushing of hand against hand. Hanging in the rustle of paper, the familiar scratch of a quill or pencil - and in crooked smiles with a chipped tooth.

This kind of love, Byleth knew, belonged to her and her alone. She couldn't guarantee the future. But if she always held her tongue, always kept a solemn face…

She took a breath and looked down at Ignatz, lying weak and shivering beside her. Her voice came out soft and tender- "...as long as you want me to."

"Good…" The faintest hint of a content smile kissed the corner of his lips, “...forever it is."

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 310 Spoiler Thoughts: “The First and Second Holders”

Some fan translations are out and it’s time to flex some thoughts out again!  I couldn’t do them last night because I didn’t have all the scan images with me and I didn’t want to jump the gun with only text descriptions.  Anyway, this was mainly an exposition chapter that properly introduces us to the second and third OFA Holders, especially the 2nd and what his relationship to the 1st is.  This might not be as long as others “Spoiler Thoughts” I’ve written, but let’s see:

First off, we have a colored cover page by Horikoshi-sensei himself!  It’s a solo page featuring Vigilante Deku and he looks badass!  Deku looks ready to kick ass and take names.  And, his Mid-Gauntlet is colored red like a lot of us thought and it adds to the theory that Melissa Shield did create it like she did with Deku’s Full-Gauntlet back in Two Heroes.

The chapter starts in a dark and rainy night.  A large woman (she’s like maybe 10ft tall; she’s taller than All Might who I think is 7ft) with a mutant-type quirk who’s getting attacked by some civilians because they think she’s a villain.  Deku jumps in to stop the attacks and the woman explains that she was just trying to go to one of the evacuation centers at a hero school.  Deku is kind enough to give her her umbrella back and reassure her that things will be ok.  

I gotta say that this whole situation is scarily close to real life right now.  I don’t like getting too political, but we live in a scary world where discrimination is, unfortunately, alive and well...  If you are a POC, you can be attacked from anywhere with the only reason being that “you’re a danger because of the skin you were born with”. It’s horrific, it’s disgusting, and it’s been around for a long time.  Even in the BNHA universe, there used to be cults solely dedicated to discriminating against mutant-type people (we learned this back in the My Villain Academia Arc).  So, like in the real world, this problem has risen again.  Thankfully, there are people like Deku and All Might who are more than willing to help someone in need regardless of who they are.  BNHA hits too close to home sometimes.  

Anyway, going back to the BNHA story.  Before All Might leaves to help the woman in his Batmobile, he hands Deku some Pork Katsu in a cute bento box wrapped in a bunny cloth!  Deku is visibly happy and thanks All Might for the meal.  This is so cute!  I’m so glad to see that All Might is making sure that Deku is being properly taken care of.  Boy needs to eat if he’s going to save the world.  I’m also glad that Deku can still show signs of happiness despite, well, everything.  I swear, if All Might doesn’t legally adopt Deku as his son by the time this series is over, I’m going to jump into this manga and force him to sign those documents myself. 

The next panel shows Deku standing on what looks like Tokyo’s famous Sky Tree (or Sky Egg if we’re going off what Vigilantes showed us).  He’s back to talking to the OFA Holders like they’re angels on his shoulders.  Banjo talks about how it’s like the world’s reverted back in time when things were worse and Deku responds that if he doesn’t use all of OFA’s power, he’ll never be able to defeat Shigaraki and AFO.  I know we’re in the final act, so Deku’s gotta get to 100% fast if he wants to win this war.  Last we checked, he was at 45%, but he might be at a higher percentage now since he’s unlocked En’s Smokescreen.  Also, Deku’s looking more and more like Batman each chapter and I gotta say that it really suits him.

Back to the Vestige Dream back when Deku was still in a coma after the war.  The 1st Holder begs the 2nd and 3rd to corporate with him so that they can provide their power to Deku.  The 1st calls the 2nd and 3rd “My Heroes” which causes some awkward silence lol.  Neither one is responding, so Banjo breaks the silence by suggesting that Deku learn everyone’s Quirks so that he’ll get used to them once he starts using them.  We learn why the 2nd and 3rd are the 1st’s heroes soon, but it’s actually a good idea for Deku to learn about all these different Quirks while he’s sleeping so that he’ll get a good idea on how to execute them when he wakes up.  It’s kind of a way of training for Deku just without actually using the Quirks themselves.  

The 3rd Holder (the one with the spiky ponytail and headband) starts to talk.  He says that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd came from the “Harshest era of history”.  It was a time where AFO ruled all and peaked in power and control.  He was going to take over the whole world if the first 3 Holders didn’t step in to stop him.  My guess is that after AFO was defeated for the first time, society started to calm down and become more or less the world we knew before the War Arc.  So, things weren’t as bad during the 4th Holder’s era and so forth.  This would explain why Shinomori was able to hide in the forest for so long without being detected.  

And now the big part of the chapter: the 2nd Holder.  Who does in fact look A LOT like Bakugo.  Big difference is that he has a massive scar across his face.  I am aware of the whole “time travel” theory that people have going on with Bakugo and this dude, but I’m not on that train.  Instead, I think that the 2nd Holder is one of Bakugo’s ancestors.  Like, a really, really-great-grandfather.  Horikoshi doesn’t just design his characters for no reason.  The fact that the 2nd user looks so much like Bakugo, has a costume similar to Bakugo’s, and that future panels in this chapter straight up parallel that iconic scene with young Bakugo and Deku in the river only add fuel to this fire.  Unless Horikoshi says otherwise, this is the theory I’m sticking to: this “Ancestor” theory.

And we know of the 1st user’s real name now too, which is Yoichi!  If Horikoshi is keeping up with the “numbers in names” theme, then I’m positive that Yochi has the kanji for “One” somewhere in it.  And, if we’re going to believe AFO at all, then that means that the 1st user’s full name is Yoichi Shigaraki.  We don’t know AFO’s full name yet.  But, again, AFO could be lying with his last name, so I’m taking this one with a grain of salt.

Back to the 2nd Holder, he tells Yoichi that a lot of lives were sacrificed in order to stop AFO back then.  He believes that there is only victory or defeat in battle; that there’s no hope of saving their archenemy.  He has doubt about putting his faith in Deku because of this.  Given how the 3rd Holder still has his back turned too, I’m lead to believe that he also thinks Deku is crazy for wanting to save Shigaraki.  I don’t exactly blame them.  Really, none of us know if Deku will be successful in saving Shigaraki.  He might have to kill him in the end.  I think they should offer Deku help, but I don’t blame them for being at least a little skeptical.  

But, Yoichi reminds the 2nd and 3rd users that they saved Yoichi back when AFO locked him up to die.  They found Yoichi with the intention to kill him it seems, but the 2nd Holder showed sympathy for Yoichi and lent him a helping hand despite Yoichi being AFO’s little brother.  This is the parallel panel I was talking about.  Yoichi is kneeling down on the floor and the 2nd user is standing up extending his hand to help Yoichi.  I don’t even need to look back in the manga to know what inspired this.  Hell, I don’t even need to tell you!  We all know what Horikoshi was doing when he drew and wrote this.

Yoichi convinces him that he should believe in Deku as Yoichi does think Deku will save the day.  If the 2nd user didn’t extend his hand to help Yoichi, OFA wouldn’t have begun.  I think that the trust between these two is ultimately the reason why the 2nd user finally agreed to help Deku; the same with the 3rd user too.  And, kind of a tangent, but I really like how Horikoshi draws Yoichi and the 2nd user’s hands as they’re reaching for each other.  Horikoshi has always been really good with drawing hands like they’re facial expressions (something my ass could never do 😭) and this one shows kindness and empathy.  It’s almost like what would’ve happened if Bakugo accepted Deku’s hand for help when they were young instead of letting his pride and ego get in the way.  Oh, the parallels! 

Finally, the 2nd user speaks in present day telling Deku that they’re going full speed ahead now.  My guess is that Deku’s going to have to improve on OFA and the rest of his Quirks quickly in order to find and beat the LoV.  We are in the Final Act after all.  The chapter ends at a good place if we want to switch to the UA kids, which is honestly what I’m hoping for.  Again, I love Deku and his Vigilante adventures, but I miss the rest of the kids.  The new BNHA Exhibition in Japan apparently has a giant drawing of the main class, All Might, Aizawa, and Shinso in his new hero costume!  Which tells me that 1. Shinso probably took Deku’s place in the class for the time being, and 2. We’re definitely going to see the other kids again.  I’m hoping soon.  But, I wouldn’t be surprised if Horikoshi decided to continue focusing on Deku’s Vigilanteism and have him practice with he 2nd and 3rd Holder’s Quirks now that they’re working with him.  We’ll just have to see.

So, that’s it!  Solid chapter overall.  I’m glad we finally got to see the 3rd and 2nd Holder’s faces.  I think the “Kirishima is the 3rd Holder” theroy has been debunked at this point, but I’m still on the “2nd Holder is Bakugo’s ancestor” train.  The similarities and parallels are too strong for me to deny it. ��Horikoshi-sensei, please confirm or deny soon 🙏.  We are getting break next week for Golden Week BTW!  All of Shonen Jump is actually, so no One Piece or JJK either (I’m not sure about Jump+, so we might still be getting some Spy X Family for example).  So, basically all our favorite mangakas are getting a well-deserved break as they should!  I hope they enjoy their vacation!  Waiting’s going to suck tho, I’m ngl about that...  Oh well, I’m willing to take the sacrifice if it means having healthy mangka.  Thankfully, we still have the anime and the new exhibition to tide us over until then.

Edit: OR NOT SINCE THE EXHIBITION IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED BECAUSE OF A CERTAIN PANDEMIC GOING NUTS IN JAPAN AFTER ONLY BEING OPEN FOR 2 DAYS 😭 

Edit: I went back to re-read the chapter and I completely missed the date for the next chapter (chapter 311) which is set to release on May 9th!  So, we’re actually getting a 2 week break instead.  Damn...  Sucks for us, but it’s good for mangaka to get breaks when they can especially considering their absolutely insane schedule.

Me reading this chapter: