#i'm not sure if the characterisation is right but this sure is a fun piece XD 😅

[slashingdisneypasta]

Chop Top Sawyer x Fem!Reader || Oneshot

Plot: Chop Top brings home a bus full of kindergarteners he kidnapped, yelling 'Honey! We h-have kids now!!'. 

As the sanest person in this household, you have to get these kids back to where they came from. 

// Chop wants to be a daddy- and he wants you to be the mummy.

Warnings: The kidnapping of an entire class of kinders (Don't worry, no harm comes to them 😭😂).

"H-Honey!! We h-have kids now!!!" A familiar voice calls, as I hear a crowd of little footsteps walking into our abandoned carnival home. Instead of turning around to see what I was afraid to see, I watch Drayton, who I was having a conversation with, turn slowly from calm and relaxed, to insenced, almost crying from the stress of it all. 

Oh, god, what has Chop done now? 

Its a bit fascinating, watching Drayton's expressions, but I really have to... I mean, unfortunately, I think I have to see what my overzealous, unfortunate, ridiculous friend has done. 

I turn around, and my eyes right about bug out of my head. 

There's Chop, hopping around like he does, ushering in at least 25 thigh high, fearful children into the place. "Oh, my, god." 

"Ain't they somethin', sweetheart?" Chop looks up at me excitedly, and is about to say something else, when he gets a hit in the shoulder from Draytons who's come up with his broom, ready to whop Chop Top a few new ones, shaking with fury. "G-got them fro-om a bus stopped for a g-gas f-fill at the shop!" 

"What have you done this time, you coonshit??" 

"Aw, man I-I just-" Hit. I watch the, nearly comedic spectacle with my shoulders dropped and my mouth open. The reason, is the same reason its only nearly comedic. There are 25 kidnapped children here- "C-Come on, man!-" Hit. 

"Hi, kids," I decide to try and appeal to them, peering at them nervously. I take their attention away from the scary, green tinted man and the other, less scary scary man hitting him with the broom. Immediately, on seeing me, some of them relax. I'm the most normal looking one here, and it must be a relief to some of the children in this situation, to see something close to their normal. One of the kids, though, bursts into tears and it nearly brekas my heart in two. I gasp at them, and scoop them up in my arms, trying to calm them. "Shhh, shh, its okay. I know, I'm sorry you're scared. We're going to get you back to your teacher, okay? I promise-" 

"Wh-What!?" Chop Top yells, ripping his eyes from Drayton to me, rubbing his head where the broom would have left a bruise. 

"Yes." I tell him back, the word sounding more like a hiss and my eyes almost literally burning into him. 

"She's damn right, 'yes', boy!" Drayton gets Chop Tops attention again, and I'm able to continue comforting the poor boy in my arms. While I do, I also walk around to the front of the group, and address the rest of the kids, rubbing soothingly up and down the kids back. 

"Okay, hi kids," I start, nervous. What's protocol for a situation like this? The kids all look at me like I'm Jesus and they're all lepers. Oof, now I understand the pressure. Some big, adorable pairs of eyes well up with tears, looking at me, and I almost whine, at how sad it is. Two more kids attach themselves to my legs, seeing their friend safe in my arms. I try to keep my voice steady and warm. "Hey, I'm Y/N. I'm going to fix this, okay? We'll get you back to your parents in no time, you just have to be a little patient for me, okay? Its all going to be okay, uh... " I trail off, thinking. How am I going to fix this?? 

"M-miss, I'm hungry." One of the little girls says nervously, looking pale and scared... but adorable, in her tiny little shoes, and pretty pink dress! God, what is wrong with you Y/N. Stay focused. 

"M-Me too, Miss." A little boy, standing beside her concurs, and I bite my lip, slowly setting the one in my arms back n the ground. The little ones clinging to my legs take that as a signal to get off, and follow him back to the group. 

"Uhh, well, we don't have any food for you... " I say, biting the inside of me cheek. 

"Don't have any food??" Drayton calls loudly, halting his beret of insults at Chop. "We have plen'y of food! I'm an award winnin' chilli cook, kids, we got plen'y of it! I'll get ya som-"  Before the kids eyes can light up, at the idea, I cut him off. 

"I ate it all." I look at the old man piercingly. We are not feeding these children people. Drayton raises his eyebrows, and looks dumbfounded, and a little impressed. 

"You finished eight, eight pounds of chilli-" 

"Yes." This shuts him up, as he quietens down and looks dumbfounded at the floor, instead. I drop my shoulders, in relief. Chop Top bounces away and stands next to me, looking down at the children like a proud father, or something. 

"But, kids, it wont be long before you're back with your teacher, then you can have your lunch! While we wait, though, we'll play a game... " 

I think, what game can they play??

Certainly not tag, someone might lose an eye literally in this place... dead fish? Dead fish seems pretty safe- 

"Ooh! How about hide and seek?" The little girl from before suggests, excited. 

"Um, no." I immediately respond, before Chop can get excited himself, behind them. Definitely not. Not in here. Suddenly, an idea pops into my head and I visibly get happier. "What about heads down, thumbs up? You all know how to play that?" 

A round of excited babbling fills the room and you nod. "Okay! Everyone sit down and put your heads down, okay? I'll pick out the first It kids." 

~

A few games of Heads Down Thumbs Up later, you're able to get the kids calm, and take them back near the Sawyer's gas station and disappear before the panicked teacher and a few cops saw you. When you return to the house, you go s t r a i g h t for Chop Top; slumped in a beanbag listening to his tunes. And yank his headphones immediately off of his head.

"OY!" 

"Wh- WHAT??" He yells back, a psycho little grin on his face even with the glasses hiding his crazy eyes. "Y- y- you returned our b-babies??"

"They weren't our babies! Chop- what on earth were you thinking?? That was the craziest thing you have EVER done! You're lucky Bubba didn't come up stairs and have a heart attack!"

"Awww, Bubs- Bubs woulda liked them!"

"No, Bubba woulda d i e d."

"He'd be a grrrrr-eat uncle!"

"Chop Top!" You exclaim, full of exasperation. If you don't get through to him about this, he might do it again! But god- how are you supposed to instill SENSE into a c r a z y m a n?? "You need to understand, that was... Why did you even want them??"

"We need kids, baby! Unless- unless you w- w- wanna do it the old fashioned way~~ Eh? Doya?" ... wait what? All this talk about 'our babies' and you hadnt considered at all what on earth that meant yet. Until this point. You blink at him, giving no real responce, struggling to take this in. "Doya?? Doya-doya-doya?? DOYA?- "

"God, Chop!! What do you mean!??" He's not suggesting that he thinks- he thinks-

"You're my girl, swe- sweet thing!! Right?? I think its time we took the- took the next step!" The grin on his face is about as genuine and sincere as Chop Top Sawyer gets, and you're shocked still again. When... when did you get into a romantic relationship with Chop!??

And why doesn't the thought totally disgust you?? Thats a concern. Thats truly a concern. Maybe you've been living with these freak for too long- because your stomach's not rolling; its doing something else. Settling. Like something has been off about your relationship with the hippie sawyer for some-time, and this fixes it. When he gets up, all long limbs and rank breath, and steps in close to you... you stay still. What is happening!???

There's a vulgar grin across his wide mouth and his long, stubbled, unnaturally green-tinted jaw as he leers down at you through his glasses. "You look surprised~ You're my g- girl, right???"

"Actually, I didn't know that we were toge- "

"Well, I always get outta our bed 'for ya wake up! Thats why! ^^"

"... WAIT, you WHAT- "

[leefail]

This is just a mini info dump from an Arab batfamily fan because I find Damian calling his siblings Akhi... adorable (for me as a native speaker watching a writer use Arab words) and, not painful, just... itchy, it URGES me to make a pptx with 300 slides and just? Talk about Arabic?

So... أخي, Akhi, Brother.

It's not incorrect. The word is used in the right place and delivers its intended meaning. Other Arab speakers might not find a problem with it. They'd feel odd like I did but will likely go "eh" and carry on. But I'm an Arabic enthusiast, so...

Like with every language with geographically widespread users, the Arabic tongue kind of- deviated from its roots. The language has naturally branched out into so many dialects I myself can't keep track of.

Arabs from different regions can understand each other. They use the same words but for different purposes and with different pronunciations.

The original root language that holds them all (Quranic Arabic) was simplified into an easier, standard version that is used for formal speeches and as a communication bridge (seeing that you can't, say, translate something to Arabic and say it's for all Arabs if you use a certain dialect. Because an Arabic dialect is an identity at this point, tell me somebody is Syrian, and I know them already)

Now, with the fun part.

See, no Arab calls any sibling of theirs Akhi, I myself would burst laughing if mine did.

Yakhoi يَخوي (nonstandard, everyday Arabic for o, brother) , maybe, if I'm calling a stranger from the streets or an offender I'm going to give a piece of my mind.

Or, hold your breaths, my brother is crying, and the lights are out and I NEED to use the tenderest, most loving, most adoring, most revering tone I could muster so he just knows he is loved and family. Y'know? This specific situation.

And other Arabs might just say, no, I use it when, I use it when, I don't use it, etc.

The point is, nobody will mention Akhi. Because it's a Standard Arabic word, a formal word, and a word used in translated texts and stories when a foreign character we don't consider part of us call their brother. It's weird, it's devoid of emotions, and it's like watching a robot trying to be emotional, but it's a translated text. That's what translated texts use, and it's fine.

It is fine, Standard Arabic has been used for stories so much that nobody questions its influence on a character's characterisation.

I'm not saying Standard Arabic shouldn't be used for story writing, quite the opposite, in fact. I'm just saying that if Arabic is used to represent an Arab, its usage should also consider an everyday Arab experience and manners.

Now to Damian.

Akhi is robotic. Damian's personality does allow him to fall under that category. If for his well refined manners and polite, formal speech.

But even the King wouldn't call his brother Akhi.

He'd call him by his name. For my community (and most, I'm sure) siblings are called by their names, and if we look up historic Quranic (Root) Arabic speakers, they, too, call their siblings by their name. Yes, even the Sultan.

If not by actual name, then either endearing or demeaning names.

Arabs LOVE endearing names, but they're dipped in a pool of honey I don't think Damian would like to dive in.

Talia, on the other hand, would most certainly call Damian Mama. Arab parents call their kids by their own titles. It's the ultimate expression of parental love of all times, in my opinion.

(Don't make Batman call him Papa, though. Pretty sure Damian would malfunction)

-

Well, I said all that, but watching writers include Arabic words in his vocabulary is still sweet. Tt is not even a word, but it's such an Arab thing it's my favourite.

If only I could make subtitles of everyday Arab talk and show you, their speech is heavy with, excuse my English, word softeners, it's like they're talking in a TV drama and not the real world.

Watching Damian adopting it would be interesting :D

[54625]

I'm not sure if this is the end for the QSMP, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were shut down soon after this.

The eggs have been the lifeblood of the server since they were introduced, and having some of them permanently gone from the server is devastating for so many reasons, and bodes terribly for the future of this project. My optimism has run out. I will still wait for updates but I have no hope.

However, I wanted to write a piece for the community here on Tumblr. I know we're all very emotional right now, because while we have no confirmation that the QSMP will permanently close, we now have good reason to assume there might just be no other clear path out of this.

To the community:

Do not feel like you have to stop loving the server and everything it created. Do not stop creating art. Do not stop sharing why you loved the characters and the story and the world.

To completely boycott everything QSMP, you are discrediting the incredible work that the admins put into the server purely out of passion and the kindness of their hearts. Do not waste their sacrifices. Talk about the server and everything they did for it, give them recognition, let them know we love and appreciate all the time and care they poured into this project. Thank them by caring about their work that they put so much of themselves into.

To completely boycott everything QSMP, you are ignoring the beautiful friendships it created between content creators who otherwise would never have met, and the way it ignited such a fierce determination to learn about others' cultures in them. You are forgetting how much these streamers strived to tell engaging, relatable, fun stories, by themselves or with each other, and to have their fans talk about how much they liked their newest lore. You are refusing to acknowledge the effort put in by everyone on the project to tell amazing stories through the language barrier.

And to completely boycott the QSMP, you are denying yourself the fact that you loved this server; the eggs, the streamers, the stories, the cultural events, the laughter, the sadness, the friendships, the ship ships, the builds, the mods, the languages. You are part of this server for enjoying it's wonderful vitality and beauty and hilarity. As a community, we all are.

I have had my gripes with the QSMP fanbase, as anyone has gripes with the dysfunctional mad household they live in, but at the end of the day, I love it so much. This has been my first time actually being part of a fandom; interacting with people and sharing my art and my ideas, getting into silly debates and arguments, running my mouth off more than I should. I love this bizarre toxic fandom for all of it's worth; I love the fanfic writers (even if I think their characterisation is terrible), I love the fanartists (even if they give Pac those yellow scleras that always make me think of jaundice), I love the live bloggers (even if they clog up the main tag), I love the people who write analysis, the people who make animations and animatics, the people who webweave, and all the other things people in this fandom do to interact with the media we all collectively love and bond over.

We do not need to let this be the end of our community, as we can still share our admiration for the hard work put into this project, lift each other up, express praise where it is warranted.

And we can talk to each other, we can vent about how this has negatively effected us (provided we tag it appropriately 👁️👁️) and respond in kind to those seeking someone to speak to who relates.

The QSMP taught us the value of communication. While behind the scenes, it itself did not abide by it's own rules, we can. The QSMP itself is not the figurehead of communication; the content creators and the fans it sent this message to are. We can be an example of what the QSMP should have stood for.

I do not love the deeply flawed execution of the QSMP, but with my whole heart I love the idea; the ambition, the goal. It was noble. It, to some extent, worked.

It united communities.

Let it unite ours.

[teethstitch]

Since you are into TMNT I am curious what’s your opinion on each of the turtles in general since you seem to be into all iterations of them /gen question

ooh fascinating question. unsure if you mean each individual turtle from each gen or just each gen itself but i'll go into both!

so i actually have a tmnt powerpoint i'm working on right now, so i'll lift some stuff but obviously i won't lift it all, ill go in franchise order. shows and comics in order (show specific comics will go in the show sections) and then movies. spoilers for pretty much every single thing i talk about. if you haven't finished a specific iteration just skip the paragraph about it

Mirage

I havent read too much of mirage, though i'm sure its good i find it a bit visually noisy and actually struggle to read it- my vision is fine as far as i know and i don't usually have trouble with other black and white comics but man mirage is hard to read, whenever eastman would draw for idw annuals or issues i'd have a hard time getting through them because even though the style is cool i just can't see anything, so yeah, that for the time being kind of sums up my thoughts on mirage, i think the shredder worm shark is funny as hell though. i suppose the only thing of note i have an opinion on is the april race debate - wherein by one of them she was thought of as white and the other thought of her as non-white (i can't remember which ethnicity), so based on that i've seen people say that means she's white or the other ethnicity but since they're co authors i've just gone with the idea that mirage april is biracial. that's about the only mirage thing i can actually give my two cents on, moving on!

1987

I really like 1987, i haven't watched it all but trust me i'm slogging through it o7. i adore the animation mistakes, the way they give one turtle another turtles lines, and i think the characterisation is pretty solid. sometimes the show can feel tedious to watch personally, which is why i love saturday morning adventures, it's a much more concise, thought out version of the show itself and is a beautiful love letter to the show (they also finally sent usagi home :'D). obviously it went on for way longer than it realistically needed to, a majority of episodes basically mean nothing unless they introduce new characters, its the one piece of the franchise, lots of filler, i still think it's great though. i also love shredders revenge, it was the first tmnt game i've played since joining the fandom and similar to SMA it is a genuinely beautiful love letter to the community and franchise, i'm an avid cross stitcher as well so pixel games make me happy because i can stitch straight from the game sprites, which i've been doing :3. I love how the turtles are characterised, Cam clarke is iconic and i love shredder and krangs dynamic, irma has become the love of my life and much to my dismay i love the neutrinos which sucks because they're only present elsewhere in idw, i'm doubtful but begging Tottmnt to bring them back.

2003

2003 is by far my favourite of the shows, i actually enjoyed fast forward unlike much of the tmnt fandom, i thought it was fun, though sterling was meh to me, i just didn't like him - even though i liked fast forward i can personally admit the show dealt with similar issues to 1987 of just. extending itself. when they were able to focus on plots and do arc episodes was great, but the seasons could have definitely been cut down sometimes because the formula of an episode was beholden to ads, which meant every 5 minutes someone had to say something shocking or nearly die only for it to be dissuaded or continued after the ad break, watching it digitally now with no ad breaks was kind of funny though because i would be up late sometimes and delirious and the 03 singers yelling 'teenage mutant ninja turtles' at me while mikey or other did a cool move entertained me much more than it should have. I really love that the opening scene is recreation of the first scene in the mirage comics, even if i have trouble reading it i think thats cool and fun, i love all the turtles voices and characterisation, i never have any complaints about voice in any iteration but especially not here, they all feel perfect. the fandom is a big part of the joy of 03 for me, but i do still love watching my favourite episodes back from time to time, and like any good 03 fan i can scream about good genes and same as it never was like a banshee, though i do also have a lot of thoughts on other arcs dw. usually i find it easier to pick a favourite turtle iteration to iteration but man is it hard here, they all have their moments, i think the humour and the darkness are played really well (cough except for when leo got stabbed in the shoulder and i had no idea where he got stabbed until he got a scar next episode because there was no blood). I was drawn into the fandom by rise and it will always hold a special place in my heart but 2003 is far and away my favourite iteration. forever sad about the dreamwave comics being cut short and no one picking them up. we deserve more official 03 comics.

IDW

I'm also still reading idw - don't kill me its long and also theres just a lot of turtles stuff to get through, okay? I really have enjoyed it thus far, i jumped for joy when the neutrinos were revealed, i hated chet with a passion and they somehow wormed me back in with the fugitoid reveal, i will say similar to watching 03 digitally and just getting hit with the before ad and after ads cutaways back to back, there's a bit of an annoyance in trying to find and read everything in exact order, because missing a micro/macro or short side story like the secret history of the foot can kind of screw you over, so when someone says they're reading idw its not actually the 150 issues, its well over 200, though i haven't counted specifically. if you read the powerpoint pictures you'll see the artist death match, basically i was just going to pit them against each other by choosing the best design of reoccurring characters and the artist would get the point, there are some great artist who had a hand in this series, i can't deny all of them are talented, but man some of them are just not for me, getting through an arc with a style i don't like is a breath of fresh air, right now my main example of a style i like is Mateus Santolouco - not all the character designs are my favourite but the secret history of the foot clan was gorgeous, especially karai, she's always been one of my favourite characters. i enjoy idw, i think the worst thing i can say about it really is sometimes theres styles i don't like and akin to other comic series it can be stupidly difficult to figure out the exact reading order when you're not there from the beginning.

2012

possibly controversial (definitely, i'm lying to myself), 2012 is probably my least favourite of the franchises shows (no, its not below next mutation, just talking animated main shows). just to explain myself, I do LIKE the show, but of the shows i find its the least in line with my humour, the gross out humour is a little more uncomfortable for me given the 3d style, i can't deny the story is probably the most well done of any of the shows thus far, i do enjoy the story and i think even non relevant episodes to the main storyline do a good job of serving some kind of purpose to character development or giving the viewer a look into the world, it is by no means a bad show, i would never say it is, i do like it, but for myself personally i struggle to sit down and rewatch because of some of the things i pointed out and some other things like the way apritello is written, leorai (shudders), idk why but 2012 splinter just annoys me, i will say the turtles and april are really enjoyable characters, i find most of the characters (karai, casey, some of the minor villains even) pretty engaging, everyone feels really fleshed out and similar to 03 the voice acting is on point, though this iteration isn't my favourite in terms of rewatchability, i audibly cheered when i realised shelldon was greg cipes, when he said booyakasha i was on the floor weeping. 2012 is a show that i would watch on occassion when it was on, its the one i technically grew up with, though i wasn't really into tmnt as a kid, but greg cipes was pretty much my childhood as a big teen titans kid, as well as mae whitman, i was a big tinkerbell kid, so those 2 are a huge highlight of the show for me. my feelings on 2012 are pretty confusing, but i still do like the show, its just if anyone (like you) asked, i would have to say its technically my least favourite, but again, by no means means that its bad, because it isn't, it's just not really as for me as the other shows. the '12 comics i enjoy, i haven't read too many but the batman crossover was sick as hell, style wise the 2012 comics are solid, while i don't think 2012 looks bad as a 3d show i would personally be more drawn to it if it was 2d like the comics, i just prefer 2d.

Rise (2018)

As previously mentioned, like many others rise was my formal introduction as a teen/now adult into the tmnt fandom, for a while it kind of stood out as my favourite before 03 topped it, but still i love it with all my heart and i rewatch episodes frequently. i think the voice casting was on point, i had recently finished ducktales so ben schwartz and josh brener were welcome surprises, kat graham was in perth for a con recently and i was so sad she wasn't scheduled for the melbourne run of that con and was heavily tempted to go just to see her, rise april is definitely my favourite of all aprils, while i think its a fun dynamic when April is an adult and sort of an aunt figure to the turtles, rise april really killed the older sister thing, every episode she's in is a treat, omar miller and brandon smith (am i meant to put middle/second names i have no idea) were stunning choices for raph and mikey, rise raph is so brotherly and silly, he just brings so much heart to raph, Mikey is so much fun in rise, i can get caught up in inflection and the way a line is said and there's a lot of variety with Mikey's lines, its funny and i couldn't ask for better delivery, i think they're all good at it but brandon knocks it out of the park with mikey. So, partially the blame goes to 03 but rise was also what got me into usagi yojimbo, it's kinda funny how the only show without a canon usagi is the one that kinda goes the hardest in adding him into stuff. the format of the show not getting to focus a lot on plot and mostly just being one off episodes obviously isn't ideal, but for what story we got i really enjoyed, i also just liked the one off segments, the majority of them i really liked and found funny, for me this is probably the show that makes me laugh the most out of any of them - while i tend to participate nowadays more with the 03 section of the fandom, i still love rise to my core and still interact with it here and there.

Ronin

As i said before, theres a lot of tmnt to go through, but uh. everyone talks about the last ronin, so i detoured my regular watching and reading to dive into it. I liked it, there are things i would love answers to but i might just need to reread to know because middle of reading my cat threw up and i had to pause to clean it up, so yeah- there are things i'm worried to have possibly misunderstood, like the dissolution of their treaty of sorts, misremembering or misunderstood that part of the story is a possibility but if its not that i'm still desperate to know who actually betrayed who first, what actually did the turtles/foot truce in? i haven't gone into re-evolution or lost years yet, i've been meaning to but occasionally i'll get a new shiny hyperfixation and when i return to turtles i tend to dive right into the shows or long running comics first compared to stuff like ronin. i am very excited for the game and the film, little nervous at the idea the film will be live action but i'm mostly just going to wait and see, no sense hating it before i even know what it looks like.

Mutant mayhem/tales/2023

i know i said movies last but its kind of different since the movie was before the show- so deal with it ig. mutant mayhem is a great movie, emotional, funny, i really like it, and the style translates beautifully into 2d animation for the show, i don't have much to say on the movie itself, i really liked it, i watched it with my mum who really liked it and she can be pretty hot and cold when it comes to movies. Tales is a fun show, i similarly don't have too much to say, i struggle to rewatch things i've watched semi recently because i get burnt out on it quicker, but i'm super excited to watch this iteration continue, i'll miss rise like hell but i think tales shows great promise and i'm looking forward to more of it!

Bayverse

if you're wondering why i skipped the 2007 movie its because i haven't watched it, semi similar to mirage the style is a lot, but not similar in the way that i can actually tell whats going on in 07, i just. don't like the style. bayverse is pretty controversial but i like it enough, i don't really rewatch it because the 3d models freak me out, but i love the fanart people make, i do think the character designs themselves are very good, peoples fanart definitely helps you look at them more clearly as well. I still don't visually get leo's bone necklace placemat thing. splinter in the first movie is too furless and he needs to be shot. the movies themselves i don't find too special but i don't dislike them, i remember watching the second movie because some cousins and i went out with our nan and my younger cousin wanted to watch it so we did. i had very little turtle exposure as a child but out of the shadows was part of it.

Original trilogy

I quite like the original trilogy, it's very campy but i think its a fun watch, similar to mutant mayhem i watched these with my mum, we really only watch the movies together and we had a good time, we both struggle to really take them seriously. we had to pause the first movie for a WHILE to laugh at the bathtub scene, i still laugh about it frequently and remind her of it just as often, 'i'm coming....... tO A DECISION' also was funny, the third movie is there also.

Batman vs tmnt

Holy crossover, batman. i really like this movie, as a tmnt fan and a batman enjoyer this movie is just so good, many have said it before and i will continue to say it. the movie is so full of easter eggs, i'm still trying to figure out if that portrait in the turtle van is of mikey or jennika - everyone is characterised so well, the dynamics between the batfam and the turtles is done amazingly, alfred and mikey as a duo is delightful and as always the voice acting is so good, i would sell my soul to hear kyle mooney and baron vaughn as mikey and donnie again. eric bauza is always fun to see given his history with tmnt, so seeing him actually be a turtle for once was great, i really enjoyed his performance as leo, i still can't believe darren criss is raph. i'm a gleek and a huge starkid fan and i can't hear it but i know its true. its fucking insane. the movies story and pacing is just really good, and is one of the few animated tmnt iterations to actually let people get hurt, have visible injuries and get fully murdered on screen, when i saw that foot ninja DIE die i was fucking pumped, a lot of the other video iterations lack actual tension because yeah shredder wants to murder a guy but this is family programming, so he wont and can't. but you watch people die and suddenly that hologram the foot tried to kill doesn't just feel like a 1987 thing where the one time the villains are able to do real damage its a decoy, it feels like a truly necessary precaution, had batman not done that, someone would have died, no doubt. i've spent an extended period of time analysing the easter eggs in this movie, especially when it comes to the turtle van itself, i LOVE the van design, the fact its an old rv, the call back to 87, the spare tire being an anti-foot symbol, the grafitti saying 'Foot Stinks', the April calendar with a picture of a turtle on it, its all a genuine treat. I love this movie, i think it's the best tmnt film ever, i love rise's film but to me nothing holds a candle to this. rarely do i only ever have one criticism for a movie but the only issue i have with the movie is the fact they clearly imply mr freeze DIED and that mutated batman killed him but they NEVER TOUCH ON IT AGAIN. i need directors commentary, i need a script, i need SOMETHING to tell me what happened. anyways. the fighting is so much fun, i love it, it's delightful to watch a tmnt fight and to be fully dialed in because it feels like a real fight, 03 had some pretty good fight scenes but in essence they were very cartoony in the way they won a lot of the time, i just think the batman vs fights are golden, especially the penguin fight, but again, all of them are really good.

so yeah. i have a lot of tmnt opinions, there's more i could say about each iteration individually, especially the shows, but i'll leave it with a list of my favourite characters and their iterations.

IDW Karai, 2012 and 2003 karai, they mean the world to me, i'm a big karai fan and i think they're great. of course the neutrinos, as little as they appear they mean the world to me. 2003 casey is definitely my favourite casey, second is probably idw casey. Batman Donnie is so much fun, his lack of social awareness is really played up but it feels natural and very donnie and i love the think he does where he moves his head like he's going to hide it in his shell but doesn't so he's just poking out. Rise april has my entire heart, she's the best and i'd die for her. 03 and 24/MM Leo, they're both great. really the entire rise cast has my heart. also the 03 cast but special shout out to 03 splinter he's just very sweet. i have to stop now because i could yell about even more characters forever, so last one i would say Alopex, i think she's a great addition to the franchise and i hope more people adapt her.

in case you weren't wondering because i'll tell you anyways, i do have oc's, i just don't really draw that much or particularly well so i don't post about them, i do write about them but i don't publish it bc i don't think anyone would care much, i don't really dip into oc fic either so.

so yeah. general thoughts on most of the franchise! if you want me to expand on any of the thoughts i shared here i'd be happy to but for now my fingers ache from typing so bye :3

[lungs4sale]

my fav hannigram fanfics

png by @pngsforyou

1. Impasto by jiggityjams

“You’re not going to try to discourage me, Will?” Another glance, a pursing of lips. “... No. I can see the determination in your face. You know what you want and you have the means to obtain it. Most clients think they know what they want- until they hear how long it will take and how much that work will cost. We’ll work out some numbers, of course, and draft a contract. If you’re willing to be patient with the piece then I’m willing to give it my best go.” A small, pleased smile spread across the psychiatrist’s face. “I think this is the start of a beautiful partnership, Will. I look forward to working with you.” Or the one where Hannibal has found a lost treasure and Will has given up on police work and has turned his talents to restoring oil paintings.

this is a different au where will quits the fbi and becomes a painter (if im not wrong). abigail is alive and works for him. i read this awhile ago and i remember loving it because of how sarcastic will was. one of my notes was: will was so desperate to open up (not sure why but this man is so touch starved and craved for affection in the show so i guess it's canon accurate). i also have a soft spot for fics with abigail in it because she deserves the world.

2.  Five Times Hannibal Visits Will and One Time He's Already Home (or: Coffee Cake) by bones_2_be

When Will tells Hannibal to leave at the end of Digestivo, he goes. And then, a few years later, he shows back up. They have long conversations, drink a lot of wine, at the end of it all they find something that works.

i just finished reading this 2 days ago and it was an experience. i loved how well paced it was. the writing really matched the same vibe of the show. both hannibal and will were written quite accurately to how i feel they would react in the show itself. the way both of them interacted in this fic was realistic and how i wish i could erase my mind of this fic so i could experience it again for the first time.

3.  each according to its kind by chaparral_crown

Will does the only reasonable thing that someone fresh out of a mental hospital with no support system does - he leaves, and goes on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

this fic is THE hannigram fic, fight with the wall. kidding. this is more of a character study of will (hannibal doesn't even show until halfway through). the writing is top tier and just like the fic before it really does match the vibe of the show. i personally am not a big fan of smut (i don't mind it, i just prefer plot over that) and this book barely had any in it which is a godsend.

4.  ...And This One is Just Right by Sabi

When an injured BSHCI escapee breaks into Dr. Graham's vet clinic, it doesn't end cleanly. Surely it couldn't happen again? Or again?

will is a vet in this universe and i'm not sure why but i pictured him younger? it's only 4 chapters if im not wrong and it's a fun read! the characterisation of will is not as accurate to the show but to be fair it is a different universe and i still love this fic dearly.

pngs by @saizun

i'll post more because i want to create an archive here. i don't really like how ao3 looks so i'm going to do it on tumblr instead. if you have any hannigram recs plsplsplspls let me know because i'm literally begging for scraps sire. also merry christmas to those celebrating!

[normalbrothershow]

drop ur fav fics pretty please?

All wincest (unless stated otherwise) and mostly bottom Sam if its porn, for those who care about it

1. Sam whump favs which are also my favs in general

2. and more ↓

Cuckoos in Glass Houses by ani_coolgirl

Sam Winchester has one brother. One. He doesn’t know what Adam is. (The only not-hunters AU I've ever read. And believe me its worth it. I still think about it after weeks.)

Acid by Goshen

summary too long. just trust me bro

Bulletproof by road_rhythm

Dean knows it can't go on, him and Sam. They're going to get caught and it's fucking them up. Problem is, he can't bring himself to end it, so he thinks up a way to get Sam to end it for him. He's sure it's gonna work. It's bulletproof. (Crazy good characterisation and dynamic, thrilling, hot, angsty AND fun. Amazing prose and inner dialogue, saved like a whole page just of quotes in the bookmarks. Bonus necrophilia dream.)

Incidentally, It Was Christmas by ani_coolgirl

Sam comes out to his brother. Dean handles it about as well as to be expected, and is pretty cool about it--right up until he realizes something rather distressing about himself. That it's Christmastime is purely incidental. (AMAZING characterisation esp re: Deans sexuality and their dialogue. Ani never misses btw, check out all her fics. Idk what else to say except that I was like 😊😊☺️ whole time.)

The Difference That Divides Us by orphan_account

Sam wants to study for his AP exams. Dean wants to hunt a werewolf. Some things happen. Nothing really changes.

-> and it's companion piece in John PoV: His Son's World

Squint into the Sunset | Glare into the Gloaming by Dyed_Red:

"I know you want to give him the world, Dean, but you were never supposed to give him this." (John finds out fic but so much more than that.)

coming up roses everywhere by chinablue [samjohn]

Where John wasn't planning to snoop around Sam's laptop, but his boy seems to be hiding something. (Type of Amazing character study that also gets u horny as hell.)

it ain't much I'm asking (if you want the truth) by autumncolour

Sam looks pissed, but Dean has learned that there are several degrees in the Sam Winchester Scale of Annoyance. The look he’s now getting is maybe a three out of ten. And Sam is not physically stopping him from hitching up his shirt a bit more, which Dean is pretty sure Sam would do, if he wasn’t secretly into this and just trying to make a point. (i LOVE their dynamic here.)

this is the point where i give up for now... know there's a lot more but im only like down 3 out of 9 pages of bookmarks

[inkykeiji]

Girl please stop writing alastor, if I cum again I'm gonna throw up 😭❤️ you're too good at writing himmmmm I think the way you characterise him is *exactly* the way I imagine him to be... he definitely makes you undress at night too, he sits there with a mug in his hand, watching you strip, he makes a fucked up ritual for everything. He probably bathes you himself while tending to your stitches cuz why would he ever let you do that? You won't do it right, not the way *he* does it....

OH OH OH and I've been meaning to ask you for the longest while: is the cut he gives reader during "make a mess of me" the one that tends to in the short piece where reader ripped open her stitches while wearing white?

I hope you feel better soon, and I hope this month's period is easier on you ❤️

AHAHAHA oh my gosh anon!!! ◟( ˃̶͈◡���˂̶͈ )◞ you’re so sweet aaaah thank you so much, that is SUCH a huge compliment!!! i really love writing alastor and exploring him as a character, i find him super fascinating and rly fun to write!! <33

omggg you are absolutely right, he 100% turns your undressing + bedtime routine into some sort of sacrament he controls; after he’s brushed your teeth and washed your face and tended to your hair, he picks out your pjs, watches with that smug satisfaction as you pull off the outfit he assembled for you this morning and slip on the cute lil nightie he’s selected for tonight. there’s a certain type of pride glimmering in his eyes, barely dimmed by the steam curling up from his tea; something sharp and bright that flares with each of your obedient actions, something that glows with the potency of such powerful ownership. and then, when you are finally finished and ready to curl up in the fluffy lil bed that sits in the corner of his room right next to his writing desk, he allows you to kneel at his feet, chin resting on his thigh as slim fingers tenderly unfasten that precious collar, still weighted around your neck <3

oh, of course! tending to your wounds—his wounds—happens to be his favourite ritual; well, right behind gifting you those injuries, that is. he always forces you into the clawfoot tub, even if you don’t necessarily need a bath; always makes sure the water is just a hint too hot, so he can devour that adorable little wince the moment the water stings your skin; and always cleanses your body head-to-toe, paying special attention to the gashes and bites and scratches he’s etched into your flesh—new and old. he revels in the sweet little gasps he pulls from your throat when he presses a touch too hard, the precious little hisses spit from between clenched teeth when he grinds soap into a fresh cut, murmuring out in that syrupy tone, oh, does that hurt, sweetheart? <3

ah good question!!! it is not the same wound, no (though u could read/interpret it that way, if you want to!), in my mind they were two completely separate incidents hehe c: aw thank u so much! uGH i spent most of today in bed writhing in pain >.<

[trafficblrpositivityproject]

Shouting out to yet another super talented writer in the fandom!! The lovely @rimeistotallyshiny / @going-to-the-sun has written so many incredible fics, and I'm yet to read even half of their works (slowly but surely making my way through them!!). There are at least 5 tabs open on my phone to various pieces of theirs that I want to check out the moment I get a chance

This Is The End in particular is SUCH an unbelievably fun read. The characterisation is top notch and the world building honestly really intrigues me (incorporating magic and a modern world so seamlessly is definitely something I've been taking note of)

Many thanks as well for consistently filling my dash with Etho (and Bdubs)! It was admittedly a bit of a shock becoming mutuals with one of my favourite authors but I'm happy for it :)

side note: incredibly right about Time by Pink Floyd being an Ethubs song (I encourage people to check out their songfic based around it :D)

@rimeistotallyshiny + @going-to-the-sun !!!

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

As someone who loves Inscryption despite its flaws I GOTTA know: what are your thoughts on its faults? I've seen you vague post about it and I'm so curious (also, hi!)

hiiiii :3 Lovely to see you reach out after you seeing you always pop up in the tags :D

To be clear, I still like Inscryption despite its flaws. It’s *interesting* as a piece of art, and that’s way better than a game that just technically checks off all the boxes of being playable. Like, I’ve been able to write several thousand words’ worth of a video essay script on this game, covering both the good and bad. It’s that fascinating to me.

Since I don’t want to unload 40 minutes’ worth of text on you here, I’ll just say my main thesis is that the game brushes up against a ton of genuinely cool ideas, but the developer never seems to notice them because he’s too married to the way things were done in Pony Island, and what people who like Meta Games expect. And Inscryption keeps so much info in the dark that you only realise this at the end.

The genre shifts are the biggest sticking point for me. If you know the developer already (or have watched someone else play the game), you’re perfectly fine with them being there. But if you’re someone like me who played the demo and then jumped in blind, you’re going to be burned by the shift to act 2 (and to Luke), which is nothing you would expect from the wonderful aesthetic act 1 mostly relies on. Even though I *like* both act 1 and 2, I kind of have to like them for separate things (i.e. a beautifully haunting roguelike based off forest folklore vs a deckbuilder exploring the worst art-kid polycule divorce you’ve ever seen).

The culmination of this is Kaycee’s mod, which I love, but is an implicit admission that the creator didn’t actually know his own strengths. An endless mode to only one third of your game is not a common thing to add in after launch, especially if you’re not early-access.

Then in act 2, outside of its lore, the game’s theme becomes the idea of games as art. The Scrybes are both multi-faceted characters in their own right and proxies of game design philosophies.

Leshy is the visceral experience of being in another world, while his actual game is pretty janky. Grimora is pure fun (which is a great contrast against her death aesthetic). P03 is the very specific way some designers get obsessed with game mechanics above all else and produce the most mid games you’ve ever seen. Magnificus is spectacle to the point it’s stupidly hard to actually play his deck.

Throughout both takeovers, there are always items or mechanics from the other Scrybes popping up. The stand-alone campaigns are arguably better than act 2 because they’re much more focused, yet Leshy and P03 both still can’t escape the influence of their colleagues.

This is all extremely interesting characterisation and commentary on game design that all goes unsaid. And as much as I dislike Luke Carder’s plot, I’ve spoken before about how the themes his story touch on would be a fantastic fit for that meta-commentary.

All this is great, self-contained within act 2. But the way the finale (and arguably act 3’s more lore-based segments) are written afterwards implies that wasn’t intentional at all. The culmination of this game is that all the Scrybes get deleted and go out in a sudden bombastic finale like in Pony Island and then 😱 maybe this guy shouldn’t have looked for secrets… Because now he’s dead IRL…

And it’s like. Okay? Sure. That looked cool I think. But what is the point of the story then, exactly?

So much happens in so little time in the finale. The writing is basically speedrunning all 3 of the remaining Scrybes’ arcs, and then has to reveal the OLD_DATA affecting Luke, and then has to show him getting killed. And you still don’t know what’s going on.

Then you go looking online for secrets and read that actually the evil glitch thing that was mentioned maybe twice in act 2 was important, and was the entire motivation for the plot. Also everything’s technically linked to the dev’s other games.

And I just. Do not think that is interesting at all, compared to the more carefully designed, and more character and theme-driven stories.

Daniel Mullins' work is unique in how whole-heartedly he includes meta elements, and I just think it's a shame he didn't take the opportunity to explore further beyond his usual comfort zone, as you might've expected from how different Inscryption's aesthetic is to his other games.

It should also not have taken that long to get to the point if the main story was a straight-forward evil artefact plot. Which the creator has already done in a more concise game years ago.

I think Kaycee’s mod tackles a lot of Inscryption's main issues, and I’m loving its smaller plot and more consistent pacing more than whatever the fuck was going on with Luke. But objectively I think it’s a big ask to force people to go through like. Everything after act 1. So they can play a potentially better version of the game.

[daisymae-12]

weekend WIP game

thanks @welcometololaland for this fun game (the perfect way to spend my saturday night 😂) and @kiwiana-writes for the tag ❤️ I only have one art WIP right now so I opted to do the writers questions !!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (questions for artists/gifmakers here).

1. WIP List: ok this question made me actually label my WIP's because they're all just titled "Fic #1", "Fic #2" etc in my google drive 😅

Roommates/College AU

5+1 bestfriends to lovers [Alex accidentally keeps friendzoning Henry lmao]

Supermarket meet-cute (but not cute because Henry manages to piss off Alex)

Fake Dating/College AU [inspired by how my husband and I met]

Vampire Henry

Artist Alex [Bea commissions a gift for Henry]

Canon Divergence from Kensington

Roommates AU ft. stardew valley

Coffee Shop AU

Canon Divergence from Lakehouse

Neighbours AU

Fake Dating/High School AU [also inspired by how my husband and I met lol]

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Fake Dating/College AU !!

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Fake Dating/College AU - it's the only one so far that I've made an outline for because I think it'll be long-ish 😂

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

Right now it's my Vampire Henry fic ❤️ enjoying it because I'm not struggling too much to write it - and the ideas have been coming easily 😌

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

ooo probably the two canon divergence ones? mostly because they'll probably be the fics with the most angst - yikes

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

gosh - all of them? I haven't published new fanfic in over 6 years so it's definitely been nerve wracking even sharing snippets over here for wip wednesday 😅

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

Maybe for the longer fics? I'm not sure if I will! We'll see if I ever get to writing anything long enough 😬 I am sort of warming up to the idea of google doc cheerleaders? I dno, I'm such a slow writer though so it might stress me out 😂

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

yess the Roommates/College AU - this was the first rwrb fic I started all the way back in June LAST YEAR 😭 I wrote bits and pieces of the first two chapters and still haven't picked it back up since 😩 I've also hit writer's block with the 5+1 - I thought this would be the first fic I'd publish for rwrb AND the first fic I'd ever finish but I got triggered when writing one of the scenes which shocked me because I didn't expect it to? I'd even say this fic is light-hearted but yeah I had to stop. Hoping to finish writing that one after Vampire Henry though !!!

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

ooo so far the only fic with an OC is Fake Dating/College AU but I can't say more without spoiling 👀

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Everything is such bare bones atm, so I truly don't know 😂

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Probably Canon Divergence from Kensington 😅😅😅

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Hoping the characterisation is ok on all of them but right now they're all so short still that I can't pick one out 🙃

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Gosh I am BAD at this - will probably end up being the Coffee Shop AU because cafes are my second home but we'll see 😅

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

As of right now - been working the hardest on Vampire Henry fic but I anticipate it'll be outdone by Fake Dating/College AU - that one will take me a long time to write based on the outline I've done 💀

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

ahh I'm not sure! Maybe Fake Dating/College AU? I can already tell that fic is going to be my baby and I hope everyone will like it too

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Not really but I do daydream about them in the shower 😂

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

hmm not sure since everything is still quite bare bones so I'll answer this next time !

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Right now - Vampire Henry 😅 but not really ??? but yes the most in comparison to everything else so far LOL

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Nope but I do want to write a fic with an outside POV one day!

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Vampire Henry fic will probably be the first fic in a series 😬 I have ideas for a sequel OR extra scenes that will be ficlets 🥰

Yay that was so much fun! Love reading about everyones wip's but no pressure ❤️ @myheartalivewrites @heybuddy-drabbles @read-and-write- @suseagull04 @gwiazdziarka @adreamareads @sprigsofviolets @cultofsappho @anincompletelist @lizzie-bennetdarcy @notspecialbabe @littlemisskittentoes @happiness-of-the-pursuit @affectionatelyrs @heartitinthesilence @inexplicablymine @raysletters @tintagel-or-cockleshells @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @sherryvalli

[gladesglo]

[ 🌧️ ] HEY SAVBEAR HERE ! THIS IS AN INDIE RP BLOG FOR GLOBOX FROM THE RAYMAN FRANCHISE est. 27th Sept. 2023

PLEASE DON'T FOLLOW IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 .

SOME GRAPHICS ARE BY @ RAYHEROISM BEL MADE THEM SO THE TWO OF US COULD MATCH .

A HEAVY LEAN TOWARDS GAMES THE GREAT ESCAPE & HOODLUM'S HAVOC. ft. other verses such as MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE and CAPTAIN LASERHAWK A BLOOD DRAGON REMIX , ORIGINS & LEGENDS .

# 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐆𝐋𝐎

affiliated with: @rayheroism / @pvachypessa & @l1mbless

( carrd . promo . playlist

OTHER BLOGS INCLUDE: @moralpuppet, @funbonded, @bearlyloved , @yellowpuppet , @ursadolls

//dash bio & rules under the cut.

MINI BIO / go to my carrd for more. verses etc 

GLOBOX is Rayman's scaredy toad best friend. He has abilities to create rainclouds to protect himself and his friends and family though mostly prefers to run and hide in the face of danger. Whether Globox is welcome to it or not somehow he always gets mixed up with the THREATS THAT PLAGUE WHERE HE RESIDES IN THE GLADE OF DREAMS. Be it through getting captured, or attacked by enemies. Globox in his mainverse lives in a large tree-based home with his 650 kids and wife Uglette.

DASH RULES

/ please read my carrd for more information/muse bio

One. FIRST AND FOREMOST. General RP etiquette applies that's always a given. 

I don't always get things right but I will always try to be the best I can be. Be sure to inform me if I can improve on anything etc. I'm friendly and I'm here to have fun as are you.

My portrayal of Globox will lean heavily towards Rayman 2 & 3 though I shall be changing pieces from both accordingly since sometimes the former contradicts the latter due to the early 2000s - edge humor in 3 . I will have a verse for Legends & Origins because I loved those games too but for the most part this is heavily, HEAVILY BASED ON THE ORIGINAL RAYMAN TRILOGY SPECIFICALLY 2 & 3 in terms of characterisation and background story for my Globox !

That being said I don't support Ubisoft as a company . I'm simply here to focus on the silly big frog I grew up with .

Two. DNI / I don't engage with people who are problematic or present problematic behaviour such as proshipping/pedophilia/incest or you are a terf/ableist/racist/antisemitist or you show any kind of hate to anyone like that . If you see me interacting with someone problematic likely I haven't been informed yet and shall deal with it accordingly as soon as I am informed. I don't support anyone who does any of that nasty behavior and I never will and if you know you engage in such behaviors then please refrain from interacting with me. You're not welcome. Likewise don't bring drama onto my blog. If you see someone problematic here just message me privately. I won't be reblogging callouts.

Three.  FOLLOWING. I'm selective. If I haven't followed back please don't take it personally. If we are mutuals and you decide to unfollow then soft block please otherwise I will see you on my Dash and still think we are mutuals and I don't really want to have to browse a list of followers to check every time I go to interact.

Four. I don't mind variants or to word it better people who play the same character as me JUST DON'T STEAL MY HEADCANNONS.

Five.  TRIGGERS Warnings for you: This blog may feature some angsty themes at times. I also require you to be 18+ for this reason. Please do not follow if you're a minor even though I know Globox is a children's character it still doesn't sit right with me as I am over 21 myself. So no under 18s please.

Six. SHIPPING eeeh, IF IT FEELS RIGHT / Globox's wife only really showed up in Rayman 2 in every other game is almost like she's out of the picture . I'll be incredibly selective as my main verse is Rayman 2 but hey if there's chemistry it doesn't hurt to ask .Still no smut. Ever. It's really not for me.

˗ . CREDITS : some graphics are by Bel ( @_rayheroism ) , some are my own, art featured in icons belongs to earthgwee , clairiphi & pinweena_pin unless specified to be my own ! & the Globox icons used in some icons are from crestamorphs videos.

NOTE ON AFFILIATIONS: the concept to me means that if you’re affiliated with my muse and mine is affiliated with yours that means I consider your portrayal my main and will most likely consider our cannons intertwined. I do not do exclusives as I understand everyone’s portrayals are unique and I am happy to see my friends interact with people who play the same muse/s as me and vice versa!

Likewise if you want to be affiliated and these terms don't suit you , please don't hesitate to speak to me I'm open to discussion always ! Same with shipping and other connections !

[beerecordings]

hii just read all of memory on ao3 and im going to explode you with my mind. sick and TWISTED i love it so much it is absolutely horrifying <3333

schneep. i. let this man OUT he's barely a shell of who he once was and getting to see him lose himself piece by piece is So Much. its really compelling and i love him.

the anti characterisation is so fun he's the worst, i love how he talks and the whole thing with his notebook, and how he's changing over the course of this with all of henrik's memories. and GOD the playing house in the last few chapters. that's a whole new level of fucked up, it's such an elaborate charade and its clearly not just being done to torture henrik.

also Loved the chapters with marv and chase, it felt like my heart was actively splintering in my chest. especially when marv and schneep fought about memories, that was just devastating. and (blatant favouritism) just really love how you characterise marvin and it's real interesting and horrifying to see how his interactions w anti differed to how anti is with schneep.

and SCHNEEP'S SACRIFICE TO LET THEM ESCAPE. INSANE. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW READING THAT MADE ME FEEL. he just seems so much emptier now and it is killing me everytime he tries to think or talk about his brothers and its just jj and jackie. and in that house-charade there being a voice and face he doesn't recognise and he worries that he's lost a third brother. and he's actually lost two. i. my GOD bee

and also END OF 17 LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! chance of a rescue,, anyway hi yeah i love this fic and im really excited to see how it all plays out!

ahh thank you!! I'm so glad you're liking it!!! the next few chapters will continue to be rough between the two of them but then.....

I love Memory Henrik, he is such a tough little son of a gun but everyone reaches a breaking point, and he's sure getting there. the pain was one thing, but you're definitely right that Anti's moving into more psychological stuff. and yeah he has no idea he lost both Chase and Marv :'( they loved him a lot

meanwhile Anti is just being a gremlin but a gremlin with some serious issues of his own. Anti it's not normal to do that to Schneep or yourself dude. yikes

thanks so much for the ask!!! Can't wait to share the rest of the story with you Haunted

[castlebyersafterdark]

Your Dream Mike / Dream Will scenario pieces are tender perfection and exactly what I have been looking for this entire time… a mix of empathy and realism and indulgence and unavoidable horniness, but also good storytelling, characterisation; this isnt smut, this is character study and inner psyche. I didnt find it sad until that final paragraph of will’s omfg </3

Overall it was so beautiful because it was so real. And how beautiful also is it that we all share these experiences in one way or another? It’s so human to discover your sexuality, whatever that may be. And almost every one of us does this magical discovery in secret and shame, no matter the gender or orientation. It’s the connection we feel when we reveal these vulnerabilities that makes coming of age and sex in storytelling so beautiful to me. I can’t believe others are out there who say this is disgusting. What you just wrote is so so wonderful. I was completely immersed. 

‘Everything's beautiful and no one dies.’ ohhhhhhh 

the attention to detail in mike’s??? This is what I mean when I say I wanna see into mike’s head for s5. Duffers, take note! I especially loved the very specifically gay confusion of ‘do I want him or do I want to be him?’ 

Then will with his own shape of internalised homophobia… experimenting with objects and we can feel how he’s ever so slightly further ahead in his journey, but the journey differs slightly from mike’s. Clothes disappearing = so accurate to dreamland, and the sudden switch to intrusive thoughts of mike being phobic right after his euphoria dies down? Damn <3 + the way his petty theft links to him talking about robbing the the casino in s4, these little truths that slip out cos he feels safe with mike to say them. 

I love the overall thing of ‘I dont know why or even how but I know I want’ cos that is teenage desire in a nutshell. The mystery is what makes sexuality so magical! Amazing work. I adore this. 

p.s. this has made me remember something I heard on a radio show when I was like 14, where the hosts were comedians talking about having saucy dreams about people. One expressed shame on seeing the object of desire in person again, but the other said ‘I enjoy it. It’s fun, you just look at them and think: you dont know what you were doing in my dream last night.’ And the casual/cheeky way he said it made me immediately so comfortable with fantasising about people I crushed on, it basically removed all the shame of fantasy at 14 and I started to see it as funny and silly and natural and lovely. Really grateful for that radio show! Ofc, actually doing stuff is a different kettle of fish… 

I'm really flattered that little drabble has resonated with people! Now I really want to carve out time in the future to develop something more refined and in depth.

I'm glad you mentioned something about character study vs smut and that's one thing I really like and I think the general fandom doesn't understand why some fans do like to talk more about these topics - it's just such a disservice when youre dealing with characters in certain storylines, ignoring or demeaning the actual sexual aspect of sexuality is so... wrong? It's in the name. We have two characters who are facing identity issues, attraction to others in a way society doesn't accept, growing up, learning about their own wants and desires. The straight characters are allowed this in the show. The gay ones shouldn't get pushed to the side for whatever reason that may be.

Do I and many others have fun talking and thinking about the fun, surface level spicy/horny aspects of shipping? Sex headcanons, little scenarios? Sure!! That's fun, that's human nature. But on the flip side, it's because we also love the characters and spending time mentally developing how they got there is also very good and compelling and super important.

And back to stuff you pointed out, ooooh yes, one of the aspects I think is an important detail for their journey: 'do I want him or do I want to be him?’ This is everything. It's so so formative for a lot of people!! Speaking from experience, absolutely. Honestly, a lot of that little writing exercise was spoken from experience.

But that's what it's like for a lot of people! And it's interesting to analyze characters this way, inject the reality. Yes we love Mike and Will and yes we recognize they are gay and we want them to get together... hey fandom, how did they both get there?? Why does it matter to you? What do you all think is happening in Mike's head when you like to allude to wanting to peek into the tangle of his brain - what are you actually expecting to find? It's gonna be some vein of what I wrote if you believe he's a teenager facing a struggle with his identity and sexuality. It's just that I see a lot of fans skimming a puddle as to why they even care about these boys getting into a relationship. What's happening in their rich inner lives, which because they are fictional we must as fans think about and create ourselves.

Love your anecdote about the radio show, yes to that x100!!! That's it right there!!!

[dontbotherwiththepronunciation]

The Theon poll was so interesting. I was just curious if you’ve ever seen any of the show? I couldn’t remember if you said you read the books first and then watched the show or if you’ve never seen the show at all. If you have, did you watch the whole thing? Was there anything you liked about it or thought the show portrayed well?

It's kind of you to show interest anon and I don't hold anything against you but oh god this was such a struggle and I ended giving up because I can't talk about the show without wanting to hurt people but also the longer I think about it, the less apologetic I want to be. I want to be allowed to tell everyone how much I despise it but I know I would get in trouble for that and I'm so tired of it. The more I think about it, the more depressed I get and the more hateful I become. I think it makes me depressed because fandom proved I'm not allowed to be hateful and angry, although I know I have the right to be.

"Was there anything you liked about it or thought the show portrayed well?"

I actively forget the show exists until someone mentions it, but I filled two journals with show thoughts (they were abundantly negative), so here are the few things I marked down as positives.

I’ve always been a fan of Ramin Djawadi's work and used to play some of his pieces so that was the highlight of the show for me. “Winds of Winter” and some other themes used for Dany give me goosebumps and so does “Light of the Seven”. There was a time I could play that one on the violin and piano.

“Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores.” (I didn't even have to google that sentence. I heard it once and it became engraved to my brain)

Lena Headey and most of the casting for the Lannisters. I hated what they did to Tyrion's character later on and also how they made Cersei less unhinged but I think both of them had the range to play the characters properly had they been given decent scripts.

There was this thing they did with Sansa's hair that I thought was interesting. Her style changed and assimilated to whoever she was learning from/trying to emulate. A nice and fitting touch.

Up to Season 6 (I think. Not fully sure), I liked most of the costuming for Cersei. The red dress with the golden metal corset shaped armour...gay gay homosexual gay.

Florence + the Machine's adaptation of "Jenny of Oldstones".

The adaptation of "The Rains of Castamere"

Dubrovnik and Peñiscola as two of the most important filming locations were such a smart choice! I had been to both of the cities in the past and it was so fun to spot which places they filmed in. They really made the best out of such small and rather niche places and I applaud how much they played with perspective in order to make us ignore the constant use of the same set spaces.

I really liked Isaac Hempstead Wright's acting during Season 2. It felt very similar to this despair and impotence that ACOK Bran feels and my heart ached for him.

Season 6 episode 10 made absolutely no fucking sense but it was the most entertaining one and I think seeing Cersei blow up the sept was the happiest experience I had with that show. What an icon she was, burning all her enemies to the ground...would have made me even happier if her actions had consequences but I still cherished the moment on itself.

I hated everything related to the Greyjoys and the writing team threw every possible interesting plot and dynamic for them out of the window, but there was a scene somewhere in Season 2, when Theon returns to the Iron Islands in which Balon Greyjoy is given a more deeply and hurtful characterisation. Theon accuses him of "giving him away, like a dog he didn't want anymore" and the camera stays at Balon's expression of pain and desolateness. I really dislike most of the fandom's characterisation for Balon. This however, was interesting.

Michelle Fairley's last scream and her following lifelessness during the red wedding was hunting. I am #anti Robb Stark(/j) and I didn't like Richard Madden as Robb so I didn't feel a lot during that scene until she started to shine. Amazing actress.

Season 1, episode 10 (I think), a scene in which we see Catelyn and Robb react to Ned's death. Michele Fairley does this thing where she starts leaning against trees and breaths heavily in order to not let herself cry and Robb is hacking a tree with his sword before his mother hugs him as he sobs "I'll kill them all". I don't like Richard Madden but I loved that scene. The composition and setting was so atmospheric and the musical score was very emotional, love those strings. I rewatched the scene right now to make sure my thoughts were the same and, yes 15-year-old-me, I full-heartedly agree!

The animated shorts were a hesitant and reluctant source of joy for me. @/hell-heron has made use of them in gifs and I think they are lovely to look at.

That's about it

"I was just curious if you’ve ever seen any of the show? I couldn’t remember if you said you read the books first and then watched the show or if you’ve never seen the show at all. If you have, did you watch the whole thing?"

I watched till half of season 2 after spending three years analysing the books without any show influence or imagery, didn't like it, got called a slur and was told to go back to the plantation by show people because I didn't like the whitewashing, finished watching it in 2019 against my will, really hated it.

The concrete things that made the show a source of anger and sadness instead of allowing it only to be uninteresting for me, asides from Stark goggles and overall me hating show!Theon and show!Dany (two of my favourite characters), listed from most to least personally upsetting:

Missandei of Naath (Sexualization, pseudo-maturity and imposed adulthood of black Girls)

Jeyne-Sansa switcherroo (Not doomed by the narrative, just ditched and other unimportant, unsatisfactory, insufficient girls (Jeyne W, Penny, Kyra, Pretty Pia, etc.))

"Dark" "Dark eyes" "Dark hair" "Dark vs Fair" (Whitewashing under the pretence of ambiguity á la fanon!Rue from the Hunger Games)

The philosophical stance of the narrative (Nihilism vs. Optimistic Existentialism vs. Embracing the absurd & The Myth of Sisyphus; conclusion: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING)

Ableism (Wex Pyke, Ilyn Payne and my other fellow (selective) mutes, constant jokes on the expense of mutilated people that the watchers were meant to laugh at, the dismissal of Tysha, Bran's not-sense-making impotence/infertility and the connotations of lovelessness for disabled people, Tyrion making fun of a supposedly mentally disabled cousin just for the lols)

Renly, Loras, Jon Connington, Satin and "Olyvar" (???) (Home of phobia)

Sansa Stark (Destroying a character to marketise a YA Heroine)

Daenerys Targaryen (Slowburn character assassination)

The even stronger orientalist tropes in Dorne (Girlbossing your way through character massacre)

Robb Stark (Simplifying the text and creating a male oc)

Arya Stark & Brienne of Tarth (Contraproductive and unresolved internalised misogyny)

[covfefeships]

Thank you so much @timeofjuly! Answering some of these was like taking a trip through memory lane.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 6 currently published on AO3. I probably had a few more from my FF account that I just never ported over.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

198,093!! That's such a wild number to see, especially when I think that emergence day parade is JUST NOW hitting the halfway mark and it's still got about 70-80k to go.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Undertale, and I have one work for Hannibal that I intend on picking up again. I am supremely tempted to start writing for Fallout. I used to write a lot on ROTG and Once Upon a Time, but now I just pick at Battle of the coffee shops occasionally.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Emergence day parade

Battle of the coffee shops

To Sleep or Not To Sleep

The Once Great King

These Masks We Wear

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to respond to comments. I feel like if someone is taking the time to leave a comment on my fic I owe it to them to respond back, even if it's just to say thank you. Sometimes I'll miss responding back, but that doesn't mean I appreciate the comment any less! I will say recently I am super behind on responding to comments. I have stepped away from online stuff a lot in the last two weeks, and just haven't made it around to some of the more recent comments. I have seen them all thought and I appreciate them so, so much!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Battle of the coffee shops 100%, the fic is still unfinished as of right now, but I do eventually want to come back and finish it so I won't say too much. I've had the ending scene in my head for years and by far is the angstiest ending I've ever planned.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

To sleep or not to sleep. I wrote this fic back when I was in high school and the ending is just very sweet.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The only really negative comment I remember receiving was on fan fiction.net, but even then it was never anything ever crazy Most notably I remember someone leaving a nasty comment on the typos in one of my fics (which To be fair was absolutely riddled with typos because I was like 12 and very little idea about grammar and formatting lol, but they were pretty mean about it.)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've just recently dipped my toes into smut writing with The Emergence Day Parade and As is tradition, (and eventually These Masks We Wear) and I find it very fun to write. I'm not sure 'what kind' of smut I write - Probably more dominance focused stuff.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I think I might have written an InuYasha crossover at some point, but it's been so long I really don't remember. If I do a crossover it's probably going to be something more like taking the idea from one piece of media and using the characters from another piece of media.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No I haven't, I think the only way I'd ever co-write with someone would just be if it was like a fic series of one-shots or something.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

This is hard! I feel like there's always ships that I'm like obsessed with but forget when I jump onto a new fandom. That doesn't mean I don't like that ship anymore I just have usually fallen out of the fandom.

If I had to name just one, it would probably be Albert Wesker and Claire Redfield. There's not many fics on them, but the ones that are there are all A-tier.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There's a once upon a time fanfic I started years ago,

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterisation, I think. And even though I mostly gravitate towards writing angsty stuff, I think humour and comedic timing is a strength of mine too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Physical description and settings, 100%. I don't really picture anything in my head when I write, which means all that physical description doesn't make its way onto the page, and when it does, I'm just going off vibes. Particularly with setting - I have zero idea what the locations in any of my fics look like lol. Like, the house in RtC? No clue. Zero.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't. I particularly like when the character says things in another language that foreshadow things to come.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Maybe Nighmare on Elm Street?

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This is a really hard question! There was a Once Upon a Time fic I would write on every now and then, but I don't believe I ever published any of it, It's just one that always stuck with me because it was so fun to write.

It's a Once Upon a Time AU - The kingdom Belle's father commands is given a request from a more powerful, much larger kingdom requesting the Belle be brought as a wife for their sorcerer.

Belle escapes her kingdom, stealing a set of armor from her castle and forging a note of knighthood with her father's seal on it. She steals away to the larger kingdom and ends up joining their army as a knight.

She quickly assimilates into her new role, able to hide her appearance through armor, but after a fateful encounter with the kingdom's sorcerer, who can sense that this knight is being deceitful, he demands that Belle be transferred to become his assistant outside of training hours so the he can keep an eye on them.

It's rocky at first, Belle trying to both not be killed by Rumple who appears just as insane as he is sadistic, and to keep her true identity hidden. - Unfortunately for Belle it all comes to a head after an accident when she adamantly gets in the way of Rumple shooting Robinhood's pregnant wife, her helmet is knocked away and Rumple finds out the truth.

He's furious, of course, that he'd been duped this whole time, and that the woman who was supposed to become his wife had been hiding under his nose the whole time, but realizes he can use this to his advantage - He has plans himself to overthrow the kingdom, and someone like Belle will prove more than useful.

No pressure, but I'm tagging @rhodophoria , though anyone who'd like to can answer these, there's a whole bunch of writers here on Tumblr that I'd love to hear the answers to these questions from!

[morningstargirl666]

WIP WEDNESDAY #2

TBBW C30 - Sneak Peak

Finally, I have something written for the next chapter of The Big Bad Wolf at the same time WIP Wednesday comes around in the week! Thank you to @stars-and-darkness for reading over this and helping me get Klaus' characterisation right. And kudos to Joseph Morgan for portraying such a complicated character but like damn is Klaus hard to write. I'm still not sure if I've got it spot on. But eh, this is fanfiction.

Anyways, here's part of the flashback that opens chapter 30. Fun fact: originally, I didn't plan the flashback between Sam and Klaus in chapter 27, in fact that was improvised when I started writing the chapter. However this flashback was always going to be here, as it's quite a significant one.

______________________________________________________________

1992, Minnosota, Superior National Forest

North East Atlantic Pack Settlement

Klaus woke up gasping, his panicked heartbeat ringing in his ears, and as his body jerked, trying to escape the phantom hold on his heart, he reached under his pillow and grasped the handle of his dagger, sweeping it out at an opponent that wasn’t there. Only then did he freeze – back braced against the bed’s headboard, blade pointed out into the dark – realising this was not the place that haunted his dreams, nor was there a familiar figure lurking in the shadows. This was his room in Lycaon’s cabin – there to the right, upon the set of drawers, were his collection of records sat next to the antique player. To the left, beside the window where the moonlight cascaded in through, stood his easel, a half-painted canvas fixed in place and paints scattered across the surfaces nearby. He was alone. He was safe. A few doors down, he could hear Lycaon’s heart beating, breathing softly in his sleep.

Klaus lowered the dagger, his shoulders slumping as he tried to catch his breath, letting the blade fall uselessly from his fingers, down onto the bedspread. The covers were a mess of tangled sheets, the rumpled duvet cast aside in his alarm, and Klaus only waited a second for his heart to calm down before pushing his legs off the bed, landing his feet on the floor. He threw the sheets completely aside, grateful for the prickle of cool, blissful air tickling his sweat-drenched skin. And then he let his head drop into his hands, trying to ignore the way they shook as he scrunched his fingers in his hair hard enough it was nearly painful, wanting the distraction. He’d let his hair grow out a little, even since arriving at Lycaon’s. Nothing as extreme as the haircuts he had sported in earlier centuries, but the strands had grown long enough to curl into their natural state, hanging over his eyes and teasing the nape of his neck. The stubble decorating his cheeks and chin was similarly a few days too old. Enough to look unkempt.

He'd been staying with Lycaon and Sam for about a week now, adamant his stay would only be temporary. But Elijah’s continued efforts to locate him had passed being a simple annoyance and crossed into dangerously hostile territory after his brother started systematically making his way through all their family’s estates, looking for Klaus with vicious efficiency, compelling the staff, even slaughtering the rare few vampires bound by loyalty when they denied him information. Elijah had even taken to, in a rare show of pettiness and rage, burning any art pieces he found, leaving the ashes for Klaus to find (or for his minions to report back about – Klaus was not foolish enough to show his face in person, well aware Elijah was trying to flush him out). Apparently, Elijah had even thrown a particularly beloved art piece Klaus painted in the 17th century into the grand fountain of their Italian Villa in Tuscany, the water running red with blood from the vampire’s head he’d thrown in with it. It was a travesty, was what it was. Four centuries worth of aged art – gone, destroyed, just like that! Not to mention competent sirelings were hard to find and trusted ones even harder. He’d have to train another one now and who had the bloody time for that?

Anger at the situation that had befallen him was good. Better, even, than the fear that was starting to creep into his chest as Elijah started to get too close, familiar with his tricks. And Klaus knew that once his brother found him, it was not a friendly chat that Elijah sought. No, Klaus knew what it felt like to be hunted, had spent centuries running from a monster after his head. This time, he knew he was not the predator in this game of cat and mouse.

Elijah didn’t just want revenge. He was out for blood.

All because Klaus had let his temper get the better of him. He’d never had a great record with it to begin with, true, but even he could admit his words spat out four decades ago had been...not quite thought all the way through.

The last century had not been his best. Ever since the fall of New Orleans, since Marcellus… and then Chicago, daggering Rebekah and saying goodbye to Stefan, Klaus had been unbalanced. Emotionally… charged. Particularly quick to ire (to which the witch coven in Spain’s Alicante province could attest to in bloody detail). His loneliness had started to gnaw at him in a way it hadn’t since his time under The Curse of the Five, spiralling into a miserable despair that was only quenched by violence. So, when his brother had found him in the cobblestoned streets of London’s supernatural underbelly, right in the middle of vampire territory, he’d been relieved to see him – until Elijah greeted him with a fierce fist to the jaw.

“Is it true?” Elijah had demanded, when he’d heaved himself to his feet after their following fight, looking down on his brother’s beaten form with barely controlled fury. “Did you do it?”

At the time, Klaus had thought he knew what had inspired Elijah’s ire. They hadn’t seen each other since that fateful night in New Orleans, where they’d split up, fleeing Mikael’s wrath in different directions hoping it would give them a better chance at escape. It had worked, but Klaus received no word from Elijah, and although that was a good sign – the news of the death of an Original by The Destroyer’s hand would not be easily silenced – he and Rebekah had spent the next decade on edge, not knowing about their brother’s state and unable to contact him, fearing Mikael’s interception. But there had been no Rebekah with him then, when Elijah found him, their sweet sister sleeping soundly in her coffin. Her absence and the implication of it (Klaus daggering Rebekah, again) was a pathetically predictable reason for Elijah’s fury.

The punch to the jaw, and quite possibly his brother’s entire stance, all high and mighty, superior in his morals and honour, had pissed Klaus off no end. So, instead of explaining why he had daggered their sister – foolishness, going back for Stefan, he had already handled it, Stefan knew nothing, he would be safe – he dragged their confrontation out, deliberately being abstruse.

“Do what? I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific, Elijah. I’ve done a lot of things.”

“Is our family gone?” Elijah had spat at him then, losing his patience with such vitriol that Klaus had felt his eyes widen, shocked - and even slightly afraid - as his brother advanced. “Did you discard their bodies in the ocean like useless trinkets?!”

Klaus had been so thrown by the accusation, he had frozen in shock, unable to say a word in his defence. He wouldn’t- He would never do such a thing. To throw his family into the depths of the ocean, to forever be encased in a watery grave for the rest of eternity, caught in between life and death - it was a fate he feared could happen to them, not something he would do to them himself. And to see Elijah looking at him like that, like he believed Klaus was capable of such a crime, could hurt their siblings in such a way-

It was one thing to have the world see you as the villain, the monster in children’s nightmares. It was another to see yourself as such. But it was an entirely different beast to see the same condemnation on the faces you loved, the faces you trusted.

“I didn’t want to believe father. But Rebekah is not here. Kol, Finn - they are not here.” Elijah had continued, taking his stunned silence as confirmation. The mention of Mikael - the implication that Elijah had believed such a thing because Mikael had accused him of it - landed a heavier blow than Elijah ever could. What had Elijah been doing? When had he spoken to Mikael? What else had been said? “But it is true, isn’t it?”  

Klaus should have denied it. Told the truth. Pleaded with Elijah to believe him, if that was what it took.

But he had spent his life fighting other people’s beliefs. Spent his childhood trying to prove Mikael wrong, to make him believe he wasn't a weak disappointment of a boy, but a man grown, a warrior worthy of his father’s name. He’d spent his first few weeks as a vampire trying to convince his mother he wasn’t a monster, and then pleaded with her more still, when she took his wolf away, believing that with it running free, he would always be little more than a beast. An abomination. And then as the decades passed, as the centuries followed, it was not his parents he had to prove wrong, but his siblings. Finn first, who always hated what they were, but was doubly disdainful of Klaus, now knowing they were not brothers by blood. Then Elijah, who watched Klaus sacrifice his honour to protect them all, slaughtering all their enemies brutally and ruthlessly in the name of not greed or ambition, but family and found him lesser for it. Rebekah was no better. She could be as violent as the rest of them, it was true, but there was still a naivety to her. A longing to love and be loved in return. She didn’t see the risks of betrayal and heartbreak, and so when Klaus tried to protect her from it, in a way no one had protected him, she cursed him for it, turning her own back on him when it suited her. And then Kol - who never looked at Klaus with disdain or disgust, still stared at him in fear sometimes. Like he no longer recognised him.

It didn’t matter if his siblings had once stood by him when Mikael cast him out, declaring him their brother, no matter what their father decided. It didn’t matter that they promised to help him break their mother’s curse, accepting him for not just who he was, but what he was. Those words and promises were hollow when their actions no longer reinforced them.

In the end, what was the point in fighting people’s perceptions, when they would never believe you anyway?

So Klaus didn’t fight it.

Didn’t deny it.

Elijah had already decided who he was. What he was capable of.

Maybe he was right. And that? That was the worst thought of all, making him indignant with rage at the injustice of it all.

“Yes.” He had answered, voice steady in challenge, watching as his older brother’s face twisted with pain, relishing in returning an ounce of the hurt Elijah had caused him with such an accusation. 

Elijah’s words were a lie. What was one more, in the grand scheme of things?

A great deal, he came to realise.

When Elijah came at him, the raw pain on his face twisting into hate and blinding rage, Klaus had fought back just as viciously, the two of them barely walking away in one piece that night. And now, decades later, the wound of that two-sided betrayal still stretched as far and as wide as a ravine, haunting him, invading his dreams, twisting his memories into nightmares.

They were getting worse. Fear of Elijah’s pursuit or simply the familiar loneliness encroaching him on all sides made for a poor mental state. Any night, he could be haunted by ghostly echoes of the past. Henrik. The night of his first turn. The binding of his wolf. The Curse of the Five. The burning of New Orleans. The memories all swirled together, twisting into familiar and unfamiliar shapes, macabre and frightening. Sometimes Mikael thrust the white oak stake into his back as the theatre burned around him. Sometimes Kol stabbed him through the heart with a dagger tailored just for him in the middle of The Abattoir. Sometimes Rebekah left him to Mikael’s beatings, no longer coming to his defence, no longer standing between him and Mikael’s sword like she’d throw herself on it to protect him. And then sometimes, like tonight, Elijah would rip his heart out, no longer believing his lies, just like how Klaus had ripped out their mother’s. Justice served; a heart for a heart.

Klaus inhaled shakily, squeezing his eyes shut, hands clenching in his hair hard enough it hurt as he forcefully pushed such thoughts away.