#i’d love to hear your thoughts

[flipppyflopp]

Twisted Neverland

Departure: Ace Trappola

The full moon shined in the sky above, seeming to mock Ace who was feeling anything but bright.

It all started when he woke up late for school. For some reason his alarm clock chose today of all days to not work, so he overslept. Any of his friends would have had their mom or dad wake them up if they overslept, but Ace wasn’t like the rest of his friends. His mom and dad split when he was in middle school, so he switched schools and lived with his mom in a small house in the city. In order to afford the mortgage on a single income, Ace’s mom worked the opening shift at a fancy restaurant during the week as it was the shift that had the most hours since opening and prepping the place took a lot of time and precision. With his mom already at work, Ace didn’t have anyone to rely on to get him up.

Then, since he overslept, Ace missed the bus, so he had to sprint through the busy streets of London while carrying all his belongings. He would have only been about thirty minutes late for school, if he didn’t run into one of the local gangs, the Black Bunnies. The Black Bunnies were made up of a bunch of delinquents from Ace’s private school, delinquents who did not like Ace at all. Ace kept to himself, mainly because he missed his old school and his old friends, but this isolation was taken as arrogance by the Black Bunnies, so Ace became a target of their taunts and jabs. Now, seeing Ace all alone and isolated, the Black Bunnies saw the perfect opportunity to rough him up without any interference from teachers or administration.

Ace wished he could say that he handled them all just fine and carried on to school; however, that would be a lie as he was thrown around and harassed by the Black Bunnies. They pulled him into a nearby alleyway and began pushing Ace around, punching and hitting him in between insults. After they had their fill of fun, they left Ace alone on the concrete with new scrapes and bruises along with all his belongings poured out in the alleyway. Once Ace was sure they were gone, he pulled himself together and slowly gathered his belongings. He then decided that the day was already bad enough, so he would skip school to avoid hearing a lecture from the principal. There would still be consequences for not showing up, but Ace frankly didn’t care after the morning he had. All he wanted was something in this day to go right. Ace chose to simply wander around town, avoiding any adult in a uniform who might drag him to school. He took a trip to the library, browsed some local antique shops, and sat in the nearby park, until about seven in the evening, deciding that he would finally return home.

As he walked home, Ace prepared himself for what he would return to. He knew his mom probably found out about him skipping and was just waiting to give him the lecture of a lifetime, but Ace really wasn’t in the mood for it. If he was lucky, his mom would already be asleep in order to prepare for her morning shift at work. However, if his luck continued like it had this morning, Ace knew he was in for a rough time.

Ace quietly opens the door and gently shuts it behind him, hoping that his mom didn’t hear the click of the door snapping into place. Ace slipped his school bag on the coat rack and began to tip toe towards the staircase.

As his foot touched the first stair, it let out a loud creak. His mom’s voice immediately calls out, “Ace, is that you?”

Ace lets out a sigh. He knows that if he responds, she’ll be angry. He also knows that if he does not respond, she’ll be angry. Either way is a lose-lose situation. He wanted to avoid this exact situation, so he decides to try to do just that by taking another step up the staircase.

“Ace, answer me when I’m talking to you!”

Ace knows that he should keep his mouth shut, that he should just keep walking. Go to his room, lock the door, and head right to bed. His mom would have to get ready for work and by the time she got home the next day, she wouldn’t be as angry as she currently is right now. Even though he knows he should shut his mouth, he’s had a downright awful day and has some steam he needs to blow off.

He stomps his foot on the stairs and yells back, “What? I’m busy!”

His mom lets out an offended gasp as she retorts, “Busy? You skipped school today! Your principal called and-“

“I’m back aren’t I? Isn’t that good enough?”

Ace heard the scrape of one of the dining room chairs against the kitchen tile. The click of heels quickly echoed through the small house, seemingly matching the racing of Ace’s own heart.

Ace’s mother rushes to the bottom of the stairwell and shouts, “Good enough? Your brother never pulled stunts like this! He-“

There it is. The comparison to his brother, Jester. Always the golden child, never did a single thing wrong. The recipient of all the praise in the Trappola household. Jester got straight A’s, Ace barely passed mathematics. Jester joined a third volunteer organization, Ace served as benchwarmer for the basketball team. Jester received an award for outstanding behavior, Ace got his third detention. Jester was perfection, and Ace was anything but that. No matter how hard Ace tried, he could never exceed the expectations set for him, not when Jester set the bar too high. His parents were never satisfied, Ace always fell just short.

Ace got tired of the comparisons, so he just stopped. Stopped caring, stopped trying, stopped bothering. Why waste the effort when it would always come back to Jester? Was it Jester’s fault? No, Ace knew that. His brother was just that good of a person, it was never out of spite. His brother even tried to praise him, lift his accomplishments up, but it was never enough. The gap between slowly grew bigger, just like the one between their parents. Until they split.

Ace thought that since Jester was with his dad, that the comparisons would stop. That he might finally be able to step out of his brother’s shadow. Now, here he was, his mom casting the shadow back upon him. Ace didn’t want to recede back into the dark again. Even if he hated his new neighborhood. Even if he hated his new school. Even if he hated his isolation. He bore that hatred because he had one shred of hope for a change. This was a chance for him to finally become his own person.

Normally he would bite his tongue, grit his teeth, and bear the comparisons; however, he decided to do the opposite for once in his life.

“Bring Jester up again why don’t you?! Is that all you can do? Compare me to him?”

His mom let out a shocked gasp. He refused to turn back to her, to see the look upon her face.

“Ace Trapolla, lower your-“

“Well guess what? I’M NOT HIM! AND I NEVER WILL BE!”

Ace’s mother stood frozen on the stairs as she watched her son dash up the remaining steps and stormed into his room. The click of the lock sounded deafening in her ears, echoing along with the angry words her son lashed out with. She stood there for a moment before retreating down the stairs, at a loss of what to do. She walked into the kitchen, sat at the table, and cried.

Ace, meanwhile, slid down against the door until he was sitting on the floor. He brought his knees up to his chest and for the first time in a long time, he felt small. The rage that flooded his being in an instant on the stairs was already leaving his body.

“That’s no way to speak to your mother.”

Ace immediately lifts his head and finds himself locking eyes with a stranger standing at his window. Ace’s red eyes meet the stranger’s stormy gray, each seizing the other up. The red haired boy was shorter than Ace and he stood opening the windows further, letting himself into the room. The sight before Ace only became stranger as the boy stepped over the windowsill into the room. The boy wore a large red coat that went with an equally large red hat. The red coat was accentuated with intricate gold detailing in the images of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clovers, the suits of playing cards Ace realized later. The red hat had gold buttons and a large feather that Ace wasn’t sure the origin of, the feather seemed too large for any bird that he could recall. Taking in the boy’s full appearance, Ace could only relate it to that of a pirate that he read about when he was a child, something straight of a fairytale.

Ace knew he should scream, that he should get up, unlock the door, and run to his mother; however, he didn’t move from his spot on the floor. The boy hadn’t tried to hurt him and he definitely could have if he wanted to. Not to mention, the boy announced his presence by speaking, so it wasn’t like he was trying to sneak in and rob Ace. Ace was intrigued by the sight before him and he wanted to know more. After the day he’s had, a little curiosity couldn’t hurt worse than what he’s already dealt with.

Not knowing what else to do, Ace started to ask, “Who-“

The boy cuts Ace off with the click of his heeled boots, remarking in an authoritative tone, “Wayward you may be, yet you have the makings to succeed. From this day forward until you return home, you will be a lowly card soldier aboard my ship: the Queen’s Court. I will mold you into a proper gentleman as your mentor, your discipliner, your warden. I am Captain Rosehearts, Riddle Rosehearts. Now, let us depart for Neverland!”

None of this was making sense to Ace. He understood each word Riddle spoke individually, but stringed together they became something of an enigma. Ship? Card soldier? Neverland? Perhaps this Riddle guy really did step out from a fairytale. Even so, Riddle was presenting Ace with a unique opportunity: escape. After everything he’s endured today, he could just leave. Sure he doesn’t know what he’s getting into, but it couldn’t be as bad as the mess he’s in. Right?

Ace stands and as he does, he can see a large shadow outside his window. A ship is docked right outside with a plank leading to his windowsill. How the neighborhood wasn’t going mad with such a sight, Ace didn’t know, but this did provide truth to Riddle’s words. That ship, the Queen’s Court, was his ticket to a place called ‘Neverland.’ A place that must be far away from London as he’s never heard of it before.

Ace steps forward and says, “Then let’s get going already.”

Riddle studies Ace for a moment before responding, “Yes, let’s go. Don’t worry about grabbing any belongings, we have everything you could need on board the ship. Now follow me, we need to hurry lest we fall behind schedule.”

“Schedule?”

“Yes, you aren’t the only wayward soul I’m taking aboard tonight. Usually it’s only one, but I was given two names tonight. I’m off to collect Deuce Spade before we return to Neverland.”

Ace doesn’t know how else to respond other than letting out a small, “Oh, ok.”

Riddle doesn’t say anything else as he guides Ace across the plank and onto the ship. As soon as Ace is on board, a boy with orange hair is immediately pulling the plank back onto the ship. Other boys begin moving about the deck pulling on ropes attached to the large sails. Everyone seemed to know their respective role and moved like gears in a machine.

“Trey, could you show Ace to the sleeping quarters? In the morning, you can take him and the other new card soldier on a tour of the ship.”

Ace was too lost in his thoughts to realize that Riddle had continued to walk to the center of the ship, while he stopped to watch everyone running around the deck. Ace quickly walks forward and stands behind Riddle and the boy Riddle was talking to, Trey. Trey was taller than both him and Riddle with short green hair and golden eyes framed with black glasses. On his cheek there was a small black clover marking. He wore the same outfit as the rest of the crew, a striped shirt with pants that were covered with patches.

Trey smiles and extends a hand as he says, “Of course, Riddle. Nice to meet you Ace, I’m Trey Clover. I’m the main cook on the ship.”

Ace shakes Trey’s hand and says, “Nice to meet you.”

“Right this way, Ace, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying while you’re on board the ship.”

As Trey turns to lead Ace across the deck, Riddle calls out, “Oh, Trey, please don’t forget Rule 153.”

Trey stops for a moment before replying, “Of course. Two sugar cubes, yes?”

“Correct.”

Then Trey steps forward and Ace quickly follows behind him. Whatever rule they were talking about, Ace had no clue, and he honestly didn’t think much of it. Tonight had been strange enough already, so whatever code Trey and Riddle were talking in didn’t seem weird at all.

After the day he’s had, Ace doesn’t think anything could surprise him at this point. He’s not sure what tomorrow may hold. He might just wake up and realize it was all a crazy dream. Whatever happened tomorrow, Ace just hoped that it would be better than today.

[flowertab]

I was pondering Luke’s letters at the beginning of the OG games again, and I think I’ve come to a realization about them—or at least, it might be my personal headcanon now! Now these letters are addressed to the player of course, and it’s totally fun to imagine yourself into the PL world as Luke’s pen pal. But at the same time I always felt like there must be only one real in-universe recipient to these letters—he’s not mass-producing these things to thousands of pen pals, right?

The more I thought about who that might be, the more I became convinced that “dear friend” is Emmy. Consider:

—The recipient is someone Luke considers a dear friend. If we only go by what we see in the games, at least, there are only a few people he’s formed really tight bonds with. Reaffirming friendship with Emmy after her departure would be important to him.

—The letters only appear in the OG trilogy—where Emmy is absent. There are none to be found in the prequels, where she was present and already saw what happened for herself. Luke is giving her detailed narrations of the adventures that she didn’t get to be a part of, because in his eyes, she’s still part of the team. (If I’m not mistaken, Luke gives some narration in the crossover as well? That would continue the pattern, even if the canon is questionable there.)

—On that same note, Luke could hardly send such sensitive case information to just anyone in the first place. He even referenced that himself in the first letter (CV), where he outright says that the things they saw had to be kept secret for the rest of their lives—and then goes on to discuss said events anyway. True, we don’t see the rest of the letter to know how much detail he went into, but it certainly sounds like he’s going to lay it all out. Emmy is one of the few people I could see the professor allowing Luke to send such details to, which would also be a heartwarming exhibit of the fact that he still trusts her.

[ashildrofarcadia]

I think it’s too perfect and convenient that Zoe and Douxie always have eachother. I’d love to blame every single slither of angst on Merlin but we know that one who is sensible must find other ways to make themselves miserable.

I think that they are constantly separated by either a curse or their own decision, because they know that if they rely on eachother all of the time it will inevitably lead to annoyance with each other, then conflicts, or the inability to unite and use their powers appropriately and intelligently when needed in a fight.

I think they separate for years at a time, with only a date set to meet again in the distant future, nothing else. No means of communicating with eachother. The only exception is the legitimate end of the actual world where all forces of magic and supernatural capabilities must unite.

[enchantedreader]

Could you imagine if Zuko had been with the group when they ran into Hama???😳😳😳

That would have been interesting and there are so many possibilities including them being in a secret relationship and Katara has to bloodbend Hama to save Zuko’s life.

[wambsgansshoelaces]

Waiting For You

Chapter 2; Beginnings

Siobhan Roy x fem!Reader

a/n: read the rest! I love shiv

Word Count: 3.349k

Shiv doesn’t come down to breakfast the next morning. You sit by yourself at a table, quietly eating a plateful of some of the best food you’d ever had. Silently, Kendall joins you, his chair making a muffled noise as it scrapes against the carpet.

Neither of you say anything for a while. This is normal for the two of you, though. Even though he was older than you and Shiv, you’d both always done the talking for him. You have extensive memories of pitching Logan on what to get for Kendall’s birthday, you and Shiv pretending like Ken hadn’t had told you what he wanted minutes before. You like to think he’d taught you how to appreciate silent company.

The dark bags under his eyes are deeper than usual, and he’s gripping a cup of coffee.

“Trying to strangle it?” you ask, taking a sip from your own mug.

“Pretending like it’s Dad,” he mutters back. “I don’t get why he can’t just leave me alone.”

You sigh. “I wish I could give you insight on that.” You poke at your food now, searching for something to say. “It’s always about the money, Ken. I’m sorry.”

He finishes with his food, but doesn’t get up. He leans back in his chair, staring into his hands. “You know…” He takes a centering breath. “I think we should hit him. Here. Tomorrow.”

You chew slowly. “We? What are we doing?”

“I want us to squash him before he has the chance to fuck me over.”

“How?” you ask carefully.

“Hostile. We’ll go straight for the shareholders first, and if that doesn’t work, I’m pretty sure we can convince the board to hand the company to us.” You meet his gaze. “And I want you and Shiv managing. You’ll both get seats on the board. I like you, Y/N, your head is screwed on right. And I trust you.”

You take another sip of coffee. “It’s an amazing offer. You think Shiv will like it?” you ask.

“If you can’t convince Shiv, let me talk to her. But there’s no reason she won’t listen to you. Besides, we’re talking about you right now. What do you think?”

You set your cup down on the table. “I think it’ll work,” you tell him truthfully. “And I know you’re a good person, Kendall. So just tell me what you need me to do.”

He gets to his feet, reaches over, and gives your arm a squeeze. “You’re a saint.”

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Shiv finds you when you’re taking a stroll through the gardens. She hurries to your side, falling into step next to you.

“You’re up early,” you say drolly, glancing at the time on your phone. Noon.

“Hungover,” she says airily. “I woke up with the worst headache. Then I saw you from the window.”

You wonder idly why she joined you. “Feeling better, then?”

“No, I just wanted to walk with you.”

The weather is gorgeous, the sun warming your skin and brightly illuminating everything around you. The two of you stop in a patch of shade, a bench conveniently placed, protected from the sun.

“Did you tell Kendall?” she asks, sitting down next to you.

“Yeah, last night.” Your arms brush together. “He came to talk to me this morning, too.”

“Well?” She holds eye contact, the blue of her eyes unflinching.

“Well,” you repeat, taking a moment to get your thoughts together. “He wants to avoid it, obviously. Put a stop to the secret stock buying bullshit. He’s looking at just going hostile and booting Logan from Waystar.”

“Depending on the shareholders, it could work,” Shiv murmurs back, turning the idea over in her head.

“That’s what I told him. And I feel like he has enough power to fight management even if it fails.” You fall silent.

“What’re you not telling me?”

You hastily look away, before meeting her gaze again. “He wants to instate you and me into management. If a hostile takeover doesn’t work, and he goes to fight… us backing him gives him the win. I think it’s a win-win.”

The beginning of a frown is forming on her face. “What, and we just leave my dad?”

“Well, yeah. We’d be making more money and working for a better man. I don’t see why we shouldn’t.”

She’s truly frowning now, her pretty features wrinkling. “Don’t you think this is stupid?”

“The opposite.” You search her gaze. You don’t know what you’re looking for. “Shiv, we go through with this, we come out with bigger careers and making so much more fucking money. And you’ve been looking for a reason to cut clean from your father… Don’t you think this is it?”

She rests her head up in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. “Everything you’re saying makes sense. But I just… I have a bad feeling.”

“About what, Shiv? The logic is there. I feel like there’s nothing your dad can do after Waystar gets absorbed by Kendall. And you’ll be protected there. From Maria.”

She pushed herself back into an upright position, her thumb twisting a ring around her index finger. “What’s his plan?”

“He wants to serve Logan as soon as possible. While we’re here, so he can’t do anything crazy about it. And then they clash.”

“Does he need a definitive answer?”

“You can probably get away with not saying anything until after we’re back in the States. That’s when he’ll probably need a final list for the board and management.”

“I can get away with it? What about you?” Her brow furrows.

“I told him I was in. This sort of opportunity isn’t going to come again. I make more money, the stress in my life dissipates, I’m working for Kendall… I really don’t see any cons. I trust him, Shiv. Besides, I want you to be the best you can be. Climb the highest with your career. And I think you can do that on Ken’s side, not Logan’s.”

“Why’d you say yes without telling me?”

You pause. “I didn’t think I had to.”

She catches herself. “I mean, you don’t. It just would’ve been nice if we hashed it out together.”

“Honestly, Shiv, I didn’t think you’d be so opposed to it. This is huge. We can kill any influence your dad has, and Maria will fuck off with him. And, come on, Shiv, you’d probably only have to work a day in the week because of how much you’ll be fucking paid.”

“Since you’re doing it, I’m doing it too,” she says decidedly. “It’s… I don’t know, Y/N. I just have one of those feelings, you know?”

You, against your common sense, gently take her hand in yours. “I get it. And if something does go wrong, we’ll be fully equipped to handle it. You have nothing to worry about.”

Shiv gives your hand a grateful squeeze. “Where’s Ken, do you know? I have some ideas.”

You snort. “Like what? Illegally acquire a gun to shoot your father with?”

“That was my best idea when we were twelve,” she reminds you. “What I want to do is cause him some fucking problems.”

“So he’s otherwise occupied even back in the States.”

“My partner in crime. We’re on the same wavelength.” She tugs you to your feet, your hands still clasped together. “And I just want him to suffer.”

“Psychopath,” you mutter.

“You love me anyway,” she retorts. You can’t argue with that.

“What’re you thinking of?”

“I swear this isn’t just because I think she’s a bitch, but I’m almost a hundred percent sure Maria is drawing deals with the devil. So, we get dirt on her, make her look bad and Dad look worse.”

You continue your stroll together, deciding to turn the conversation elsewhere.

“What’s the schedule for the next few days?” you ask.

“Rehearsal dinner is tomorrow. Wedding the day after that,” she says. “The days after are all sightseeing tours. If I have to watch my father make bedroom eyes one more time I’ll kill myself. I don’t wanna fucking sit through this shit show.”

“What, watching your dad get married to his fourth wife or watching your dad attempt to commit murder on his son?”

“Both.” She plucks a white lily from a bush you pass by, twirling the stem between her fingers as you continue to walk. “Kendall should do it right before Dad walks down the aisle.”

“Jeez, Shiv. Brutal.”

“He deserves it.”

You have no argument for that. She plucks the bottom half of the stem off, shortening it, then stopping you form moving forward. She tucks the stem behind your ear, arranging your hair around it so it stays.

“Pretty,” is all she says before you start walking again.

“Lunch is soon,” you murmur, trying to distract from the butterflies fluttering about your stomach.

“Isn’t it on the ocean?”

“Something like that.”

“We should match. Wear those cute floral dresses we bought together before we came.”

You both get ready in her room, her flitting about, pulling her outfit together. You both had the same floral pattern printed onto the fabric of your dresses, but the style and color were completely different between you two. The cerulean blue offset her skin pleasingly, the cut accentuating her hips. You keep catching yourself staring. Her bare feet patter lightly on the tile as she hunts for a pair of heels.

“We haven’t even been here for a week. How’d you lose them?”

“I didn’t lose them,” she insists, clipping an earring into place. She disappears in the bathroom to inspect her makeup and hair, and you go to peek under her bed.

“Found them,” you call to her.

“Fuck you!” comes her response.

You hand them to her when she comes back, and she makes a face at you. “It’s not like I hid them,” you say adamantly. She toes the shoes on, reaching out to straighten out the fabric bunching over your hips. Her palms smooth over the divots of your waist, her eyes raking over you, inspecting. Her gaze snags on the lily. You’d thought it was cute, so you’d kept it in your hair. You forget how to breathe. Shiv doesn’t notice, instead picking up her purse and beckoning you out the door with her.

Still a bit dazed, you follow her out and into the back of a black SUV. She sets her sunglasses atop her head, pushing back her hair with them. She glances at you and gives you a tight lipped smile.

“What’s up your ass?” you ask, making a face.

“Nothing. Nothing.” She suppresses the smile, turning to look out the window as you begin to move.

“You’re thinking about something,” you point out. “I know you, Shiv.”

She doesn’t turn back. “Nothing important,” she insists flippantly.

“Whatever you say.” You turn the opposite direction, watching as the world passes by.

“It’s just,” she begins, “I’ve been thinking.”

“About?”

“That conversation we had last night. While I was busy regurgitating the contents of my stomach.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t know how to do anything I promised. So don’t expect anything.”

You roll your eyes. “Shiv.”

“I’m being serious! Any sort of affection is difficult for me to show back.”

“Affection?”

“Yeah, you’re so lovey. Attentive. I wanna be like that, too. It feels nice when you do it, so why don’t I return the favor?”

You feel your body flush with heat. “I think that’s just how I am,” you say, lying through your teeth. “There are no favors for you to return.”

She tsks. “I’m doing it anyway. I mean, I’ll try to. It’ll probably be shitty execution, like a latte for you every blue moon. But you’re a good person, Y/N. I want you to know that I’m trying, even though I’m fucking failing spectacularly.”

You can’t, for the life of you, discern the nature of this conversation. A part of you, the stupid, hopeful part of you, wants to believe she’s flirting. But what would you know?

When she opens the car door, she reaches behind her to take your hand. You’re assaulted by the bright flashes of the paparazzi cameras. Your sunglasses sit on the bridge of your nose, but they only do so much. Shiv, experienced, drags you through the crowd, head up, pace unwavering.

You get past the security barricade, and walk along a pier to get to a massive patio built on the planks over the water.

“This is nice,” you tell her.

“What did you expect? The more spoiled people are, the less they care to ask questions.”

“Doesn’t stop them from asking, though.”

The lunch itself is lush. Shiv’s wandered off, mingling with a group of executives, and you and Roman watch Maria make her rounds.

“God, she makes me want to vomit,” he says to you.

“You say that about everyone,” you remind him.

“Fuck you.” He opens his mouth to say more, then promptly shuts it, Maria turning to you both. “Mrs. Roy,” he says dramatically.

“Roman, Y/N. Pleasure to see you both,” she drawls. “Enjoying the festivities?”

“Yeah. Sun, sand, salt water. It’s great,” Roman says back, his arms crossed over his torso. “It’s great, really.”

Maria ignores him, instead asking, “Do you mind if I steal your friend?” He throws you a glance before leaving you with her. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you on our own.”

“Have you, now,” you reply, distracted, noticing Shiv’s eyes flickering your direction from across the room. She takes a strained sip from whatever it is she’s drinking, her conversation halted.

She takes your arm, leading you off the patio.

“You know I run my own press company.”

“What happened to not talking about work?” you ask lightly. You both walk slowly, the pier creaking under your feet.

“Sometimes,” she manages back, “things need to get done.”

“So.” The breeze tickles your skin. “What needs to get done?”

Maria stares off into the ocean. “Plenty of things.”

“I’m assuming at least one of those things involve me. Otherwise, I don’t think we’d be having this conversation.”

“You’re smart. Which is why I’ve come to you, specifically.”

“I don’t enjoy running erratically around the point,” you say lowly.

She sighs. “I would like you to consider your current position. You’re awfully close to Siobhan, given your positions at Waystar. And Roman, Kendall, Connor.” She smooths her hand over her dress. “And I figure it’s time we sever ties to those we find not helpful. Siobhan, Kendall, threats to the throne. Roman, Connor, media liabilities.” Maria glances at you. “Understand my meaning?”

“I do. But I’m lost as to how this has anything to do with me.”

“You’re in a perfect place to be… extracting information.”

You have to keep yourself from rolling your eyes. That’s what this was about- she wants an outlet for dirt to make herself higher in the line of succession.

“What are you implying?” you ask bluntly. “Because I feel like you’re implying I pry into my coworkers’ personal and professional lives and snoop.”

“Oh, I’m not implying anything. I’m just telling you, Y/N, that Logan and I have big plans for after we wed. And it’d be a shame if your potential went to waste while you go down with the rest of them.”

You frown. “Maria, what is the point of this conversation? You’re running in circles.”

“Y/N, we need someone with your skill set if we are to sever Siobhan and Kendall from Waystar. Someone competent, at that, that we can trust. And you’re all the above. If you see this through… lots of good things will come.”

“How is there any severing going on? What is ‘this’?” you ask, trying to dig. Not only are you trying to illicit information from her, you’re genuinely confused. She must’ve been watching too many crime syndicate movies.

“Just think about what I said. Enjoy yourself. We’ll talk again later.” You’re left confused, and slightly pissed off. After Maria steps away, and you’re back on the patio, Shiv’s at your side.

“What was that about?”

“You’re right to be suspicious about her. She’s… thought a lot about the succession.”

“Come on, let’s go sit in the sand or something. We should talk.” You both make your way to the beach, heels clutched in your hands. A hermit crab scuttles past you as you lower yourself into a sitting position.

“She basically just wants me to flip. Something about wasting my potential and the fact that you and your siblings are all threats and liabilities.” You stick your feet into the sand in front of you, the warmth seeping into your skin.

“That’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about us.” The wind picks up, blowing her hair back, exposing her jaw. “All of that stuff I said about being a better friend? Forget it. It's all bullshit.”

You blink, taken aback. “Oh.”

Shiv takes her sunglasses off, dropping them into the sand next to her. To your surprise, her eyes are watering, and she’s biting her lip.

“No, not like that. Not like that at all,” she continues, voice steady. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous, even when you’re fucking confused.” Your heart skips a beat. Hope blooms in your chest, a beautiful, ravaging feeling. “What I was trying to say last night, and earlier, in the car, was not that I want to be a better friend, but I want to be a lover. Your lover. I want to be with you,” she says bluntly.

You reach out towards her, stamping away her tears with your thumb before they fall. “Really?” you ask meekly. “Or is this some sort of sick prank?”

“No, never. You’re the fucking light of my life. I don’t get any of these feelings, Y/N, but I’ve had them for so long and I can’t keep ignoring them. I want you. That’s all I understand. That I need you so badly that I’d ruin my life for you, I’d fucking steal the stars from the sky if you asked.”

“I need you, too,” you murmur, barely a whisper.

Before you can even begin to articulate your next words, Shiv’s hands are gripping your jaw and yanking you towards her. Her lips crash against yours.

It’s a sloppy kiss. You’re both so needy, so hungry for each other neither of you know what to do. Her lips are just as plush, just as firm as you’d imagined. Her fingers dig into your skin, and she kisses you harder and harder. You manage to pull away, moving to press hot kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. An airy sigh leaves her lips, her fingers sliding up your jaw to tangle in your hair.

“Fuck,” she breathes. She sounds beautiful. She looks beautiful. “I’ve imagined this hundreds of thousands of times in my mind. It never amounted to the real thing. God, I fucking need you. All that fucking rambling earlier? I was just trying to ignore the fact that every time I look at you I can't fucking breathe."

She whines when your mouth leaves her neck. “We can’t get caught,” you say softly.

“I don’t give a shit who sees us,” she insists. “Besides, we’re so far from the pier, it doesn’t matter.” She pushes herself into her lap so she can tip your head back and kiss you again. She parts your lips with hers, greedy. She pulls away, hands cupping your face, and lets you press a kiss to her jaw.

“Slow down,” you murmur. “You’ve barely just confessed.” Your hands go to the swells of her hips, fitting perfectly, as if they were meant to be there. They slide along her waist, then back, before you give her a squeeze.

“I’ve been waiting so long,” she tells you, planting another messy kiss on your lips. “And so have you, by the way you’re feeling me up.”

“You love it, Shiv, don’t lie to yourself,” you tease, getting a smile to split her face.

"You're right, baby. I fucking love it."

[cloudyswritings]

Holidays of Hallownest

So I just saw an absolutely gorgeous art piece by @mebis-art-dump which in addition to be being completely fantastic(please check them out) also asked about what holidays Hallownest would practice. It really got me thinking.

Wyrmalia: Basically just a Saturnalia expy name wise but actually is pretty far diverged in practice. This is a holiday celebrating the death and the Wyrm and the rebirth of the king. During this holiday bugs swap out their masks for different ones and hold a small funeral for the previous owner of the mask they’re wearing. Generally the masks worn are those which belonged to dead family members. It’s thought by wearing their masks it gives them some semblance of life for a single day. During this time the mask wearer takes on the identity of their mask in full. It’s a celebration of past lives and accomplishments while also being a way to symbolically lay ghosts to rest.

The Festival of Lights: A celebration of the bright gods and higher beings of Hallownest. Pale lanterns are released into the city of tears to drift until the festival ends. Generally the festival lasts the equivalent of a week in our time. The King and Queen would generally make an appearance in the city and from there go on tour throughout Hallownest during this festival. It’s customary to burn small offerings to whatever higher being you follow in addition to the traditional sacrifices given to the king(generally some sort of live non sentient bug-some bugs believed a more vicious sacrifice like aspids or in rare circumstances garapedes would gain the kings favor.). During the festival most bugs would swap out their cloaks and clothing for brighter colors, and the upper class would generally wear pale cloaks.

Rootsday: A day celebrating the bountiful harvest the White Ladys boon provides. This is effectively thanksgiving and the feasts would generally last the entire day, with preparations being done in the weeks leading up to it. Unn actually benefits from some of the worship from this holiday as well. She was worshiped by many of the farmers of Hallownest in addition to the pale lights. Stuffed gruzzers and boiled gulka are staple foods of this holiday.

Dawnsday: Nearly completely erased by the Pale king in his effort to kill the radiance only a few faithful moths even remember this holiday. Those who do make a pilgrimage to the crown of Hallownest at dawn(or dusk) to worship at the last shrine to the old light. It’s said this holiday was originally a day where dreams and reality mixed and one’s wildest fantasies could come true, now it’s merely a way to keep the Radiance alive.

The Day of Sealing/Day of mourning: This holiday only came to exist after Hollow was sealed. All bugs in the kingdom wore black or pale white cloaks and went about the entirety of their day in silence. Not many bugs really knew what the holiday was for beyond paying their respects to the Hollow Knight and dreamers who had saved them from the infection. Silent prayer sessions for the Dreamers and Knight were held at the black egg temple. This holiday actually served as a supplemental means of strengthening the seals and prevent the dreamers from dying, the residual power of these prayers is what elevated Hollow to godhood and allowed the dreamers to persist past the fall of Hallownest. This holiday largely ceased to exist once the infection returned.

Deepnest has its own holidays too, but I think I’ll probably make a separate post for them and for greenpath and maybe dirtmouth.

Happy holidays y’all!!

[whiteshipnightjar]

ok it’s the ungodly hours so naturally i’m HAVING THOUGHTS instead of sleeping. but! indulge me if you want to think about it too. out of the 5 songs that Joanna Newsom performed so far, and based on her previous work and choices in that regard, which do you think could be the album title song (like she had for hoom and divers)? or maybe you think it could be a line from one of them as the album title (like for mem)? or a word/phrase that’s not literally in the songs (ys)? or something else entirely??

I’m having this wild feeling that “Little Hand” could be a good title. it just seems to tie the ideas of the songs and the overarching concepts of all 5 so far. at least for me. what do you think?

[omoriboii]

ok i couldn't find a way to say this on ao3 so i'll just bust down the door to your ask box

your art for dreamscape is genuinely amazing!!! i am in love with its character designs, and OOOGH the colored+rendered art pieces really pop out i love them so so much. the art for chapter 3 caught me off guard in the best way, god DAMN my boy isn't okay

aaahhh i wanna ramble on more about it but i can't find the words

WAAAH reading these things gives me so much euphoria?!!!! Such a big positive emotion holy shit wow.

Something that doesn’t go noticed, but most of my designs always take a lot of internal mental contemplation, which honestly can take me anywhere from a few days to full on months. For example; I only recently got around to designing Kim, but the thought process that went into her design before drawing it goes all the way back to last summer- isjfjskfkldkd.

To be completely and utterly honest, almost all the chapter art is done within an hour or less. I always have massive guilt of drawing art for myself that isn’t my commissions, so it’s hard to let myself have this ‘big detailed piece’ that doesn’t swallow up all the time I would’ve used doing my work. I have been trying to balance it better though- so later chapter’s art is starting to slowly look better.

Ngl chapter 3’s art was one of the fastest rushed pieces I ever did. Still ended up working because it kinda foreshadows what’s to come- iskfkskfjdkdk

Honest to god ramble away, hearing people’s thoughts on my work is what pushes me to continue every day.

[letnancykissgirls]

The Fruity Four + Chrissy & How They Began Their Life

Steve enters with an early Monday sunrise, blinking pleasantly around. Angelically cherub-like cheeks, pink with the effort of his fussing. His mother’s curls and uniquely dark eyes. A fair baby, comment the well wishers

Nancy comes within hours of the labor process, a complication-less pregnancy. She’s swaddled immediately without fuss, regal as a queen even in the small blanket her mother wraps her in. Facing the world with a grace befitting of her namesake.

Eddie enters the world screaming on a Wednesday, much in the same way he imagines he’ll leave it. The infant doesn’t stop, not ignorant of the tired huff his mother gives him. He doesn’t stop until he’s settled against the chest of another, rooting for something she cannot provide. “A shame” others will comment, that the boy’s life begins with such tragedy

Robin debuts herself to the world on a Thursday two months before had been expected, catching even herself by surprise as her mother’s body begins to stop supporting her very existence. Both make it out of the experience alive, but the nurses instructed her parents to acknowledge that she will have much growth to complete. Years later, she still has far to go in life- full of a yearning to accomplish.

Chrissy’s first act in her existence is to provide. Friday moonlight filters through the windows of the hospital room as she rests, recovering from a small blood transfusion that had been used to replenish the life of another. The sweet tempered child smiles up at the skyline, full of glee with her life

[starweed]

sorry, i’m about to get on my little soap box about fanfic.

fanfic is a exploratory medium, and as such these explorations aren’t always going to be canon compliant. if you read your fic on a sight like ao3 you can easily filter things in and out assuming they’re properly tagged (tag your fics properly!!).

fanfic is all about putting your little people into situations and figuring out how you think they’d react, based on your interpretation of the characters. it’s all very subjective, and i think that makes it very beautiful. you’re never going to find two people with the exact same interpretations of the characters and how they play off of each other.

shipping is putting two characters you think would be interesting in a romantic relationship and figuring out how you think they’d work together, typically based on their interactions in the canon. it is a key facet of fanfiction, as fanfiction and fandom culture as we know it to exist today would not exist without shipping. fandom would not exist with shipping gay people either. there’s a larger conversation to have about the fetishization of queerness within fandom spaces, but that warrants it’s own post. the point is that you cannot separate fandom from shipping, just as you cannot separate shipping from queerness.

fandom is an undeniably queer space, and that has been fought for tooth and nail just like any other queer space that exists today. fanfic is an exploratory medium, and when queer people write characters as queer that is exploring the possibility of their being people that they admire that are like them. when queer people read fanfic with characters that are written to have queer identities they have their identity reaffirmed. there is a comfort to seeing other people like you, even, or in some cases, especially, if they are fictional.

there is also an aspect of exploring yourself as you explore the characters. sometimes it can be easier to articulate how you are feeling through the lense of somebody else. this character is not you but they can feel the things that you feel, and if that happens then suddenly you can put into words how you are currently feeling. it is a way of connecting, both with yourself and others, if you choose to share.

when you share fanfic you know that the people who are going to read it come from a place of love and understanding for the media already, that allows you to explore things that the creator couldn’t even if they wanted to. fanfic is a space for exploration, of the characters, of the themes, of the setting, of yourself.

[polarpuppet]

So I’ve had soooo many ideas for Percy Jackson group roleplays but one that I don’t think would work well is the idea of after the ‘Lester Incident’ Apollo decides he wants to help Camp Halfblood, so he runs the musical department along with the theater (with help from Mr. D of course lol). I even had a design for the theater.

Most of the first musicals would be more jukebox stuff, that was the plan, and when I found Epic: The Musical….oh Gods things for interesting!!

I’d love to know if anyone likes this idea of basically a discord server of PJ fans and musical/theater fans just making jukebox musicals and casts lists, maybe playing them out ole songfic style lol

[crownofstardustandbone]

Who else is on the soft dom Tommy train with me? Show of hands?

[aimervee]

idk if its alright to barge into your askbox like this but i just wanted to say that your art is one of my many inspirations because there is a certain feeling to it that feels like 'home', in a way. some sort of comfort thats just really nice overall. piper and clementine are also one of my favs of all time and i have many thoughts about them.. anyways sorry again and have a good day/afternoon/evening

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 WHAT THE HECK THIS IS SO SWEET… THANK YOU… (muffled crying noises)

little doodle for you! <3 seriously, please barge in my askbox whenever you’d like! reading stuff like this always makes my day ;_; I’m smiling like such a dork right now; hearing that my art feels like ‘home’ is the absolute biggest compliment I ever could’ve received and I’ll be carrying that compliment with me forever adsjfdsj

[waaterdeep]

It’s heartbreaking to me how easily Gale abandons his plans of becoming a god when you romance him, because it shows that he never actually wanted to become a god in the first place.

When you ask him how he’s feeling after discovering the crown of Karsus he tells you that he’s excited about what the crown could do to improve both of your lives. His plans aren’t clear but it’s obvious that he wants to use it for himself. Of course there’s some selfishness there, perhaps a desire to get back at Mystra, but there’s a good part of him that sees this as a way to impress you, to become worthy of you.

But to convince him to let go of the crown in Act 3 you simply need to tell him that he matters, that you love him for the man that he is not the god he wants to be. You need to convince him that he’s always been enough and that he always will be, so long as he stays true to who he is. And with high approval he accepts this without question. While he feels uncertain about putting all of his faith into one person, he’s still relieved and happy to do so.

You have opportunities before the Outer Planes scene to tell him that you care about him, most notably in Act 2, when you can tell him that you want to spend the night with Gale the man, that you don’t need him to wow you with cosmic sex. While this clearly means a lot to him it doesn’t translate as “I am exactly all that this person needs” in his mind yet.

But when you have the Outer Planes scene and he tells you of his plans, if you gently bring him back down to earth, kiss him and tell him he’s perfect, he’s wholly convinced. While Tara might have told him many times some variation of this, you are the first person, and most importantly the first lover, to tell him and show him. The fact that you met him with diminished powers and the Netherese orb and still fell in love with him speaks volumes.

It shows that his ambitions are not born from hubris, rather, from a profound insecurity that could only be the product of his defining of his life, his value, in relation to the literal goddess of magic and, obviously, falling short. Conjuring visions of Waterdeep and the Outer Planes, it’s all his way to convince you that he’s worthy of your affections, you who in most cases cannot do that at all. But he bases his worth completely upon his magical abilities, it’s no surprise then that magnifying them to infinite proportions is his way to remove his fear of losing you, since his greatest weakness, his humanity, is what drove his previous lover away from him.

And that’s absolutely heartbreaking.

[donnieisaprettyboy]

just sincerely curious as to what people think about this

[kennysaysthings]

I simply enjoy thinking that Dennis was falling in love with Mac in their early days but realized that Mac would never love him because of his beliefs, I like thinking that Dennis was the one to back off first, which makes the later seasons hurt so badly to me, when Mac came out WHAT HAPPENED? Dennis left in the same season. A couple episodes later. And Mac now being obvious with the way he feels, Dennis is nervous. Dennis sees him but he already spent this time convincing himself he needed to back off. And now? Mac is listening to Dennis. He’s done. Season 15 showed how he was pulling himself away, acting different from how he normally would towards Dennis. But yk what? Dennis is the one making the effort to be next to Mac now, he’s the one initiating most things.

guys this is driving me crazy so please vote (yeah im kind of insane now that i can poll)