#is it even 87. could be 88

[veradragonjedi]

@many-legged

And I says to myself "Ok. We can only get one small thing at the weird bookstore's retirement sale."

[mxtxfanatic]

What finally pushes Wei Wuxian into a qi deviation isn’t the fact that Jiang Cheng showed up to hate-crime him and Lan Wangji, but the fact that Wei Wuxian showed up with the best of intentions—informing his dead guardians of his intentions to marry—just to be goaded into attacking their son in front of their tablets, the highest form of disrespect he could’ve performed in front of them. That Jiang Cheng could drag him down to such a level as to engage in something so disrespectful when Wei Wuxian showed up specifically to pay his respects is why it should not surprise anyone that Wei Wuxian’s last thoughts on Lotus Pier is that he wants to leave and never return:

It was only proper to show respect for the deceased. After all, they were at an ancestral hall.

...

Jiang Cheng was exactly who Wei WuXian had wanted to avoid; the last person he wanted to be seen by. Now that Jiang Cheng had found him, he knew he probably couldn’t escape fast enough without having harsh words flung his way. Wei WuXian didn’t want to start any unnecessary conflict, so he said, “I didn’t bring HanGuang-Jun anywhere that contained the Lotus Pier’s secrets. I’m just here to offer a few incense sticks to Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu. We are just leaving.”

—Chapt. 87: Core (Part 9), boat-full-of-lotus-pods

He turned to Jiang Cheng and said, “Jiang Cheng, listen to yourself. Do you even hear what you’re saying? Don’t forget who you are. You’re the leader of a sect. To insult a fellow cultivator from one of the Four Great Sects in front of Uncle Jiang and everyone’s memorial tablets. Where are your manners?”

...

All three of them had weapons out in front of the ancestral hall now. Jiang Cheng’s eyes were bloodshot as he snarled, “Fine! If you want a fight, then let’s fight! You think I’m afraid of you two?!” But just a few strikes later, Wei WuXian remembered, startled, that they stood before the ancestral hall of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. He had only just knelt and prayed in front of Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu for their protection a few moments ago. And now he was attacking their son with Lan WangJi right under their nose! As if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped over him, suddenly, spots appeared in front of Wei WuXian’s eyes and his vision darkened.

...

Wei WuXian did not answer him. Instead, he said, “Lan Zhan...... Let’s go.” Immediately. And never come back.

—Chapt. 88: Core (Part 10), boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Tellingly enough, Jiang Cheng does not hold the same sense of shame in the fact that he instigated a physical fight in the resting place of his ancestors nor that his intentions weren't to maintain decorum when he followed wangxian into the ancestral hall to begin with. In fact, he is fueled by rage to the point of irrationality before he even steps foot into the ancestral hall, so much so that he cannot even accept wangxian disengaging from the fight and attempting to leave on their own:

All the signs pointed to the same conclusion—there was now something more between Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. Unable to make himself turn away or step forward to speak to them, Jiang Cheng had concealed himself and followed after them, reinterpreting their every exchange and gesture through a coloured lens. Feelings of disbelief, strangeness, and slight, mild disgust had momentarily been enough to overcome Jiang Cheng’s hatred. It was only when Wei WuXian had brought Lan WangJi into the ancestral hall that Jiang Cheng’s anger reawakened. The repressed, overwhelming rage consumed his rationality and manners.

...

Lan WangJi harbored no more desire to continue the fight with Jiang Cheng. Wordlessly, he pulled Wei WuXian onto his back and turned to leave. Jiang Cheng was plagued by alarm and suspicion. He was alarmed by the terrifying sight of blood suddenly oozing out of Wei WuXian’s qiqiao. Yet he was suspicious of whether the man was faking it for an excuse to run away. After all, it was a prank that Wei WuXian had pulled quite often in the past. At the sight of the two men leaving, Jiang Cheng called, “Stop!”

—Chapt. 88: Core (Part 10), boat-full-of-lotus-pods

[of-a-chaotic-mind]

Your Problem, My Problem, Everybody's Problem

Summary: Reader is in love with an immensely annoying pain in the ass. Eddie Diaz is an immensely annoying pain in the ass.

TW/CW: Eddie Diaz x Kinard!Reader, Fluff?, Get Together

Requested?: No  

Word Count: 3,928

A/N: I needed to take a break from my wips so I decided to use a prompt from my prompt list but then I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use so I shoved a whole bunch of them into one imagine lmao. This was supposed to be silly goofy crack but turned into something more. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Much love to all! Requests are Open!

Prompts Used: (In Order, Not All of Them Are Word for Word) 20, 99, 100, 83, 91, 80, 42, 76, 74, 33, 22, 88, 64, 87, 94, 50, 52, 78, 97, 96, 92

--- Your POV ---

    I brush my fingers through my hair as I trudge up the stairs to the station loft. As soon as I make it to the top, I notice a catastrophe on the other end by the couches. Buck and Eddie seem to be attempting to put a bookshelf together, or at least I think it's a bookshelf. It looks a little wonky and very unstable. I pad over to lean on the back of a couch as they bicker and argue over the instructions. I watch them for a moment, noticing Eddie's back muscles flex as he snatches the instructions from his best friend and tosses them over his shoulder. I shake those thoughts from my head, reminding myself I annoyed at him right now and flop over the back of the couch. I land criss cross apple sauce and roll my eyes at them, "Do you guys need a hand?" 

    Buck snatches his hand away from the bookshelf and scowls at his pinky before sucking it and shifting his gaze to the offending shelf. Eddie looks back at me over his shoulder, "Does it look like we need help?" 

    I tilt my head at him, "Do you really want me to answer that or would you like to maintain plausible deniability for later?" 

    He rolls his eyes and squats down to fiddle with a screw just as Buck stands up and shakes his hand in pain, "Uh, Eddie... We could probably use some adult help." 

    Eddie doesn't even look away from what he's doing, "Buck, we are adults." 

    Buck looks over at me with a slightly frustrated look on his face before dropping his head back to stare at the ceiling, "Yeah, but like... an adult who is more adultier than us." 

    He looks down at Eddie who snaps his head up to glare at him, "Buck, we are two grown ass men. We can handle putting a damn bookshelf together." 

    I snicker, "Oh, so it's a bookshelf. I thought it was some weird art piece." Eddie tosses a hand out behind him to flip me off as Buck sighs in defeat and kneels down to resume helping him. I shake my head as I pull out my phone and begin scrolling through Twitter, "I swear, working with you fuckers feels like being on a reality tv show." Realizing my phone is almost dead, I sigh in frustration and get up, "Don't hurt yourselves." Neither of them responds as I make my way downstairs to grab my charger. I have just pulled it out of my locker when I hear a crash from upstairs. I wince and look back toward the loft, turning to follow my line of sight.  

    When I tip toe up the last few steps, Chimney is standing in the kitchen with his hands on his hips, shaking his head. Buck and Eddie are staring at each other with almost an accusatory look plastered on both of their faces. The bookshelf is gone but as I approach the couch and sit back down, I find that it's actually just collapsed. I sigh, "I left you two alone for maybe ten minutes." 

    From the kitchen, Chimney laughs, "Apparently, that's ten minutes too long." I look back as he heads toward the stairs and scares the shit out of me when he trips on thin air and barely prevents himself from falling down the stairs by catching the handrail. He looks up and over at us with an expression that reads, "You didn't see that," before proceeding down the stairs carefully. 

    I look back at Buck and Eddie who also witnessed Chimney's mishap and shake my head, "I'm surrounded by idiots." 

    Eddie bends over, picking up the instruction manual as Buck points at me with the screwdriver in his hand, "We may be idiots but at least we're hot and hilarious." I roll my eyes and go back to scrolling on my phone after plugging it up to charge.  

    Buck looks to Eddie, "Can we use the instructions this time?" 

    Eddie, who is angrily glaring at the booklet, grumbles, "Whatever." The two go back to their construction, this time following the manual step by step. 

    I feel like I've scrolled a few miles with my thumb, to the sound of Buck and Eddie bickering, when I feel someone messing with my hair. With one hand, the other still scrolling, I lazily swat at whoever is behind me and attempt to tug my head away. Gently they grab my head, forcing me to be still, "Shhh, stop fussing. I'm just braiding your hair."  

    Realizing it's just my older brother Tommy, I huff in annoyance but let him continue, "Maybe when you're done you can help these two numbskulls figure out how to build their little bookshelf." 

    He chuckles but has no chance to speak before Buck looks away from the shelf with clear frustration on his face that melts away upon seeing his boyfriend, "Hi baby. (Y/N), can I ask you a dumb question?" 

    Without thinking, I answer, "Better than anyone I know." 

    Tommy softly swats my forehead, "Be nice." 

    Eddie lets out a laugh before putting on a mocking pout as he looks back at us, "Someone is cranky." 

    I shoot him a bird, "Someone needs to shut the fuck up." I tilt my head back to look up at Tommy, interrupting his braiding, "They're like hurricanes in human form." 

    With a grin he gently nudges my head back up, "Trust me, I know," and resumes his little project. 

    Now with his head inside a shelf compartment, Eddie muses, "So small and cranky. It's kind of cute." 

    He pulls his head out and looks over the instruction booklet lying on the coffee table as I shoot him a nasty look, "Eddie... shut the fuck up or I'm throwing you over the damn balcony. You are-" I interrupt my own sentence in confusion as I watch him walk to the edge of the balcony and look over to the floor below. With a tilt of my head I dare ask, "What are you doing?" Tommy removes a hair band from my wrist to tie off the braid before wandering over to help Buck. 

    Eddie turns to face me with a smug grin tugging on his lips, "Checking to see how high the drop is." Shrugging, he turns his back to me to return to the shelf, "See if it's worth it."  

    I hear Tommy ask Buck what his question was as he patiently helps him position a shelf. Buck shrugs, "I forgot." 

    I clench my jaw, eyes still drilling holes into Eddie's back, "Tommy?" 

    My brother gives Buck a few instructions and hands him a screwdriver, "Yes ma'am?" 

    "Is it still murder if I give him a heads up?" I ask, feigning innocence. 

    Tommy turns to look at me with a scolding expression, "That makes it a threat, (Y/N)." 

    He returns to helping Buck as I grumpily go back to my phone with a pout, "Damn..." 

    Eddie is now digging through a bag of screws, "You know, (Y/N), violence isn't always the answer." 

    I force my eyes to stay locked on my phone as I snap back, "Maybe not but is AN answer. I've been wanting to kick your ass all week. Don’t tempt me." Eddie bursts into laughter as he finds the screw he needs. 

    Tommy looks up from the instruction booklet and frowns at Eddie, who notices and guiltily goes back to the shelf. Tommy returns to Buck's side, "Why is that, (Y/N)?" 

    I toss my phone down on the cushion under me and my hands into the air, "Because he's been deliberately annoying the piss out of me all week!" 

    Tommy hands Buck a few screws, "How so?" 

    "The other day SOMEONE," I glare at Eddie who has his head back inside the shelf, "wrote 'Honk if you love dick' on the back window of my Bronco with one of those window paint marker things. I didn't see it until Buck pointed it out." I pout as Tommy grins and both Eddie and Buck struggle to hold in their laughter. "It's not funny! I drove through downtown LA with that on my window. I was confused as fuck because I had several people honk for presumably no reason."  

    Buck and Eddie burst out laughing and Tommy, seeing the sulking pout on my face, takes a deep breath to curb his own, "Okay, so what does that have to do with Eddie?" 

    "I immediately knew he did it when he nearly hit the deck because he was laughing so hard and I punched him for it but he swore up and down that he didn't. I asked him why he was laughing then and his response was, 'Because whoever did is a fucking genius.'" I cross my arms over my chest and huff. 

    Tommy sighs deeply as Buck looks up at him, wiping tears from his eyes, "I washed it off for her but she proceeded to interrogate everyone in the station trying to find the culprit." 

    Tommy doesn't look at me, obviously trying to hide his grin, "No luck?" 

    I open my mouth to respond but Eddie beats me to it in a fit of giggles, "Nope, she even threatened to chop Ravi's balls off with the bolt cutters." 

    Tommy chances a look at me and finds me glaring at Eddie who is grinning at me innocently in attempts to calm my wrath. My brother sighs and looks at Eddie, "If she kills you, I'm gonna resurrect you so she can kick your ass again." 

    Eddie whips his head toward Tommy with an offended expression and hands up in a questioning manner, "Why?" 

    Tommy shrugs and turns to help Buck position another shelf, "Because I think it'd be funny."  

    Eddie sucks his teeth and goes digging through the bag of screws again, "I'm telling you I didn't do it." 

    Buck slams his palm against the shelf to knock it into place, "We checked the cameras. It wasn't there when she left the night before but was when she came in the next morning." 

    I jolt up from where I had plopped down to lay on the couch, "Doesn't mean he didn't do it! He knows where I live." 

    Eddie points at me with a screw, still very amused, "Correct but, like I told you several times already, I took Christopher to the movies that night." I roll my eyes and plop down on the couch with a groan. The room falls quiet aside from the various noises of bookshelf construction and occasional quiet instructions from Tommy. I have wracked my brain trying to figure out who was guilty for defacing my precious Bronco in such a way but I always come up empty handed. Something dawns on me as I remember I had stopped at the bar that night to see an old friend. 

    I shoot up like a rocket, "Do you think-" 

    Hunting for screws again, Eddie interrupts me, "All the time. I'm a good thinker." 

    I shoot him an aggravated glare, "That's not what I meant. Do you think-" 

    Eddie snickers, "Yup." 

    I hurl a throw pillow at his head, "Will you quit that? I'm trying to ask you guys something." 

    Eddie takes a deep breath, about to say something irritating again, but Tommy slaps his hand over his mouth, "Ask away." 

    I grin triumphantly, "Thank you." 

    Tommy nods, hand still silencing Eddie, "You're welcome." 

    I open my mouth to speak but, "Ugh! Now I've forgotten what I was gonna say!" I flop back down onto the couch. Tommy rolls his eyes at Eddie who has jerked away from him and burst into giggles.  

    Buck tilts his head to look around Tommy at me with an understanding look on his face, "Whenever I forget what I was going to say I just think back through the conversation that led up to it." Tommy mouths a, "Thank you," to Buck who grins proudly before nodding at me. Eddie rolls his eyes sassily and returns to the shelf.  

     I tap my chin with my pointer finger, "Well, we talked about the damn window marker vandalism and how I interrogated everyone. I explained how I still think Eddie did it..." I sit up straight, "Oh! I was gonna ask, do you guys think," I pause with a glare in Eddie's direction but he just grins at me and continues working so I continue, "that some stranger did it while I was at the bar that night?" 

     Tommy shrugs and stands up to admire their progress, "Highly possible." 

     Eddie gets up as well and dusts himself off before looking at me, "And to think you threatened Ravi's manhood for nothing." 

     Eddie only grins wide when I give him the deadliest glare known to mankind, "I'm gonna threaten your manhood if you don't shut the fuck up. And unlike with Ravi, I will follow through." 

     Buck is still working on the shelf as Tommy ruffles his hair before taking a seat beside me on the couch and pointing for Eddie to help him. I glare daggers into Eddie's back as he obliges. It's quiet for a few beats before Tommy leans over to whisper so quietly in my ear that I barely even hear him, "I know your secret." 

     Not taking my eyes off Eddie and not bothering to whisper, I seek clarification, "Which one? You're going to have to be more specific there, bud. I have a lot of skeletons in my closet that even you don't know about." 

     He again whispers but I can hear the grin on his face, "I think you're in love." 

     I whip my head to glare at him so fast that my neck cracks, "I think you're delusional." 

     He grins and looks back toward Buck and Eddie, "I think you're in denial." 

     Having completed the bookshelf, Eddie makes his way over to us with Buck right behind him, "Closet skeletons? Delusional? In denial? What are we talking about? Give me the tea." 

     I raise an eyebrow at him, "First of all, never say, 'give me the tea,' again. It sounds weird coming out of your mouth," Buck snorts out a laugh, "Second, we're talking about how you're a sack of shit, fuck off." I punctuate my explanation by flipping him off. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he walks away chuckling. 

     Tommy is not convinced and very determined to make me feel called out, "(Y/N), when he's not looking, you stare at him like he's everything you could ever want or need." 

     Hoping he hears how offended I am in my tone, I refuse to look at him as I respond, "I call bullshit. That's slander." 

     A look of realization crosses Buck's face, shortly followed by a hint of teasing in his tone, "He's not wrong and you know it." 

     I groan dramatically and slam my head against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling, "You guys are starting to get on my nerves too. Don't you think he does that enough for all three of you?" 

     Tommy pats my knee before lifting himself up off the couch with a grunt, "Only because you feel called out." 

     "Shut up," I grumble as he and Buck leave me be. 

     Throughout the rest of the shift, I maintain my pissed off demeanor and even do my best to avoid Eddie. I feel bad about both but I really don't need anyone trying to question me on where my head is at right now. Where is my head exactly? Stuck thinking about Eddie motherfucking Diaz. I've spent all day trying to convince myself that Tommy is wrong and I don't love him but I ultimately fail. As per usual, my big brother is right... I shuffle out of the bathroom and head to the locker room to pack up and go home.  

     I grumpily shove clothes into my duffle bag and mentally debate between tacos or sushi for dinner. I finally decide I'm too tired and fed up to stop for food on the way home and will just eat the leftovers from last night as I zip my bag and hoist it up onto my shoulder. I make a 180 turn to head for the door but am stopped in my tracks and jump a little when I see Eddie leaning in the doorway. I halfheartedly glare at him, "Scare the shit out of me why don't you?" 

     He laughs softly and drops his gaze, "Sorry." I swear I saw a hint of a blush on his but decide I’m delusional. I shuffle nervously on my feet and run my fingers through my hair. When he lifts his gaze again and makes direct eye contact with me, I scold myself because my heart involuntarily skips a beat. He clears his throat, "Can we talk?" 

     I fidget with the strap of my duffle for a second before dropping it to my feet and plopping down on the bench, shrugging, "I guess." 

     He cautiously shuffles over to sit beside me, "You guess?" The only response I can muster up is another shrug, eyes trained on the locker in front of me. He rests his elbows on his knees and interlocks his fingers, eyes locked on the tiles under our feet, "Listen, I've been a real dick lately." 

     I attempt to calm my racing heart with a few deep breaths so it doesn't betray me, "That's understatement of the year." 

     I can feel his puppy dog eyes burning into my cheek when he looks up from the floor, "I know... I'm sorry, I just-" 

     Before I can stop myself, I tear my eyes away from the locker to give him a confused look, "Just what?" 

     He takes a deep breath and returns to inspecting the tiles, "I just think it’s cute when you're annoyed... I didn't mean to actually piss you off." 

     I sigh deeply and feel a tinge of guilt in my chest, "What makes you think you pissed me off?"  

     He shrugs, gaze shifting to my shoes, "You've been snappier than normal ever since this morning. You also started avoiding me... I figured it took it too far..." 

     I wipe my palms on my jeans and shake my head, "That's not- You didn't piss me off. If anything, Tommy did." 

     I don't miss the protectiveness in his tone and posture when he whips his head to look at me finally, "What? Do I need to kick his ass?" 

     I giggle, unable to prevent myself from admiring how cute he is when he's protective, "No, no... He didn't really piss me off. He just- he got under my skin... He called me out on something and it rubbed me the wrong way." 

     The mixture of concern and confusion on his face is kind of adorable as he asks, "What do you mean?" 

     Feeling heat rise to my cheeks, I shift my gaze to anything that is not Eddie. I chew on the inside of my cheek for a few seconds before attempting a humorous tone and admitting, "He called me out on the fact that I'm in love with an immensely annoying pain in the ass." 

     In my peripheral, I notice disappointment grace his features before he quickly molds it into something else and looks away, "Oh..." 

     Slightly surprised, I find myself staring at the side of his face. Taking a huge risk on a hunch, I clarify, "It's you, dipshit. You're the immensely annoying pain in the ass." 

     His eyes snap to mine as he smiles a smile that makes my heart flutter, "Really?" 

     Nudging him with my elbow, I nod, "Yes, no matter how frustrated I get with your relentless teasing, at the end of the day I find myself falling head over heels for you." 

     His eyes dart to my lips for a split second before he whispers, "thank god," promptly taking my face in his hands and kissing me so hard it punches the breath out of my lungs. I immediately kiss back, feeling my heart swell with happiness. My hands find their way to his forearms where I rub small circles with my thumbs. When we finally break apart, he doesn't go far but let's one hand fall intertwining our fingers. With his other hand, he holds my chin, preventing me from retreating even if I wanted to.  

     He pecks another quick kiss against my lips before whispering, "Do you think you love me enough to put up with my immensely annoying pain in the ass self more often than just work? Often enough to be my girlfriend?" 

     With the hand I still have on his forearm, I squeeze gently and nod with a smile on my face, "Of course." I push in to kiss him again but am unfortunately interrupted by a commotion coming from the loft. He chuckles softly as we both look toward the noise. Through the glass wall we find Tommy and Buck standing upstairs with bright smiles, clapping and cheering. 

     Now that we've noticed them, Buck races down the stairs and enters the locker room chanting, "Double date, double date, double date." 

     Upon catching up to his excited boyfriend, Tommy rolls his eyes and drapes an arm around Buck's waist, "Slow down, Babe. Let them go on a date just the two of them first." 

     Buck playfully pouts and crosses his arms over his chest, "Fineeeee." 

     He quickly drops his pouty posture as Tommy shakes his head with a smile and offers his hand to Eddie, "She's your problem now." 

     Eddie shakes his hand with a chuckle before locking eyes with me again and grinning, "Happily." 

     He presses a kiss to my nose but I pull away pretending to be offended, "Hey! If anything, YOU are MY problem now. I'm not an annoying little shithead." 

     I lean back toward Eddie, who kisses my cheek, as Tommy states, "No, but you are crafted with heavy notes of, 'These hands are rated E for everyone,' and, 'Hey ma, watch this.' Not to mention the dash of, 'Chaos is my middle name.'" 

     Buck slowly turns to look at him with a massive grin, "Must run in the family." Tommy rolls his eyes and pulls Buck closer, kissing his temple. 

     Eddie presses his forehead against mine and holds out his pinky, "What'd you say we team up and become everyone's problem?" 

     Giggling, I wrap my pinky around his to seal the promise, "Deal." 

     Eddie doesn't pull away or drop my pinky, "I know where to buy window markers." 

     I grin mischievously but before I can say anything, Tommy lets out a very exasperated sigh, "You two do know we're still here, right?" As Eddie and I separate, Tommy gently tugs Buck toward the exit. They make it a few steps out of the doorway before Tommy pokes his head back in, "And don't you even dare think about taking a marker to my windows." 

     We watch them make their way toward the station door as Eddie muses, "That's exactly what we're gonna do, isn't it?" 

     I wiggle excitedly in my seat, "Yup." 

     When the door closes behind them, he looks back at me, checks his watch, and grins, "I think if we hurry, we can make it to the store before it closes." 

     I jump up, grab my bag from the floor, and with our still interlocked hands, drag Eddie in the same direction we watched them leave. He laughs behind me, barely managing to grab his own duffle on our way out. 

More 911

Main Masterlist

[zahri-melitor]

I am trying to fit this time line of self destruction on Dick's part together and seriously events seem to go like this:-

Nightwing #80-82 (June-Aug 2003): Slade turns up to harass Dick in Bludhaven, Dick is fired from the BPD.

Outsiders #1 (Aug 2003): Roy asks Dick to join Outsiders and promises that he doesn't need to be friends/family with the team. (Roy is unknowingly being fed targets by Slade)

Outsiders #5 (Dec 2003): Roy gets shot 5 times in the chest, Dick feels guilt over it and has to take full charge of the team.

Outsiders #6 (Jan 2004): The Outsiders have to allow the entire inhabitants of the Slab to break out and escape as the Slab is destroyed. The team are blamed in the media for this.

Nightwing #87 (Jan 2004): Babs tells Dick they need to take a break.

Nightwing #88 (Feb 2004): Haly's Circus burns down.

Nightwing #89 (March 2004): Dick's apartment building blows up killing all residents apart from Dick and Amygdala.

Nightwing #93 (July 2004): Dick turns away as Catalina shoots Blockbuster, Dick has a panic attack, Catalina comes to find Dick on the rooftop as he despairs and she sexually assaults Dick.

Nightwing #95 (Sep 2004): Catalina tries to pressure Dick into marrying her, is blocked by Bruce calling Dick to come back to Gotham due to War Games.

War Games (Oct-Dec 2004): Dick has to fight a gang war and is assigned by Bruce to work with Catalina through it as Dick hasn't spoken to Bruce about what happened. Dick ends up with a serious leg injury.

Outsiders #19-20 (Feb-Mar 2005): Lian is kidnapped by child slavers and rescued. (Arguably could take place prior to War Games)

Outsiders #20-22 (Mar-May 2005): Bruce revealed to be funding the Outsiders, Dick goes and yells at Bruce about this, Slade revealed to have been funneling information to Roy and pretending to be Batman. (Again cannot be long after War Games, probably before)

Nightwing #100 (Feb 2005): Dick and Babs officially break up, Dick walks away from being a superhero, Dick has not spoken to Bruce.

Teen Titans & Outsiders #24-25 (July-Aug 2005): Both teams have characters get controlled - Kon by Lex and Indigo by Brainiac 8, at the end of the storyline Dick quits. This has to be after Identity Crisis but must be not long after Nightwing #100 given Dick has not yet gone undercover. Also Dick has theoretically been hiding a leg injury and brace for a period here.

Outsiders #26 (Sep 2005): Dick has sex with Kory.

Nightwing #107 (June 2005): Dick is now undercover with the mob and has been for some time. MUST come after the events above.

Nightwing #112 (Nov 2005): Slade talks Dick into training Rose.

Nightwing #114 (Jan 2006): Roy turns up, mad, and argues with Dick to come back.

Nightwing #116: (March 2006): Bludhaven has gone boom. Thanks so much, Slade.

TL:DR; there's a whole chunk of Outsiders in 2005 that has to have happened approximately around War Games due to Dick's knee injury, and since Teen Titans spent six months of title hopping through time immediately prior, you can shift both titles for their crossover right up to very shortly after War Games/Identity Crisis in terms of 'Jack is dead but Dick's not yet undercover'.

Actually thinking about it more, it's even more complicated than that, because Teen Titans #20 suggests Outsiders #16 occurred after it, unless Kory's been simultaneously on both teams. I think I have to read this as Kory has been on both teams at the same time to make any of this make sense.

This results in Dick having broke up officially with Babs and then almost immediately had Bad Idea Sex with Kory (after also having been assaulted by Catalina at least once and potentially multiple times while he's in the daze where Catalina tries to convince him that they should get married).

(Seriously why is everyone in Outsiders having random sex with people who are a Very Bad Idea)

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 87)

She pulled N into their apartment with a groan, having been tensely silent the entire walk, with a huff, she grabbed a sleepy Tera out of N's arms, and with a breif kiss to her delicate head, went to put her in the crib.

“What's wrong? Why’d we rush out like that?” N was right behind her, looking worried. It didn't take long for Uzi to back out of the bedroom and begin to shrug off her hoodie.

A soft blush took over his face, tail kinking up as her clothes hit the floor.

“O-Oh… Uh, R-right now?” He stammered, surely she didn't have them leave early just so that they could have some alone time? That was unlike her. Though it wasn't like the nest was much privacy lately either…

She looked at him strangly, before blushing, realizing how it looked without any context.

“N-No! Dummy, not that. Come here.” She opened her side panel, huffing again as she pulled out all the paper she was using to stop the flow of thick oil, “Eugh…” She whined as it stuck to the paper, leaving strings of oil to come off her.

“Are you bleeding?! Are you hurt?! Is the baby-” He immediately panicked, closing the distance and grabbing onto her shoulder so he could take a closer look, she grabbed the bottom of his chin to shut him up.

“No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. I think, I just need you to test something.” She hummed, pointing over to the fridge where they kept Tera's oil supply. “Get out one of Tera's filled bottles and take off the top, and bring me a empty one, please.”

He did what he was told, quickly setting out one full tiny bottle and handing her an empty one, she took a deep breath and began to fill the new one, he could already tell that this was different… she looked way less uncomfortable and more relieved.

She sat down the newly filled bottle next to the pre-filled one. And then went to go put back on her undershirt with a sigh.

“You have sensors that tell you what somethings made out of, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me the difference between the two.” She explained, pointing to the two bottles on the counter.

He flushed gold, now for a whole new reason.

“But… I'd have to taste them…”

He didn’t care about drinking his girlfriends oil with her permission, but drinking it from a bottle she'd filled with the express purpose of giving to their daughter felt wrong on so many levels.

“It's just oil. I just wanna make sure it's not unsafe for her to drink.”

“But… the human equivalent!” He whined, maybe it was his time at the manor making him feel that way, the time spent with humans making this simple act feel extremely strange.

“Then don't think about the human equivalent! There's no difference between the oil in the bottle and the oil currently keeping me alive!” She argued, and she wasn't wrong, but it didn't make him feel any different about it.

“We've shared oil before babe. It's not any different.” She said a little softer, now dressed and standing behind him, leaning on his arm.

That was true… one night, during a particularly passionate evening. A heated kiss had turned into a double bite, each other's oil pouring into their mouths. It was one of the most intimate things they'd both experienced. But this situation was entirely different.

Still… he didn't want it to be unsafe for Tera either.

He tipped the first small bottle into his mouth and it went down like a shot glass, she was right, it tasted no different then any other time he'd gotten a taste of her oil, even if he did think her’s was the best tasting.

“Just oil. Like normal.” The sensors in his mouth read out normally. 100% pure machine oil; And he made sure the taste was out of his mouth before he eyed the new one and tipped it between his lips.

It was thick and coated his throat, he made a scrunched up expression as intense sweetness spread in his mouth. His sensors got to work.

50% machine oil, 25% organic protein, 25% electrolyte solution.

He blinked.

“Uh, it's…not the same, but… nothing is being tagged as harmful, if anything it's being accepted into my system better.” He said, a little bit surprised at that fact himself.

“What is it then?”

“You want the basic answer or the complicated answer?” He asked seriously.

“Basic I guess?”

“It's oil mixed with milk.”

Uzi blinked, blushed, then looked grossed out, and then horrified.

“That's fucking gross! Are you serious?!” She whined, N nodding his head solemnly, trying to repress that fact himself considering he just drank it.

“Why am I made like this…?” She despaired, covering her visor with both hands with a sigh.

“Aaaand scoop!” In an instant, N was lifting her bridal style, taking her towards the bedroom. “It's decompress time, let's not think too hard about it!”

“I wanna go back to noooormaaaal.” She moaned, completely distraught at this new information. “I'm gross and huge and feel like garbage!”

“You're beautiful and perfect and absolutely nothing is wrong with you.” He replied, laying her on the bed with a certain kind of gentleness, pressing a kiss onto her rounded stomach.

“I don't know how you can still look at me the same way! And It's just going to keep getting worse! If this is exactly like a human pregnancy, it's not going to be 5 months, it's going to be 9! That's really close to launch day!” She went on a small, stress enduced angry rant that N just let her work through for a moment while he took his hat and coat off, replacing it with a loose fitting black shirt.

“Agh!” She finished up as N crawled into bed beside her. Resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her gently, purring.

He didn't even have to say anything anymore, all he had to do was hold her and purr and she already knew what he would say if he did grace her with his words. That she was beautiful no matter what and literally nothing could change how he felt about her, especially something as shallow as her changing appearance.

She sighed.

“I definitely don't feel it…”

He smiled and placed long, trailing kisses down her neck, still purring, now wrapping her up in his tail, his hands making feather light touches up her sides until she was shivering every time they made a pass.

“You want me to be honest?” He hummed, finally, after she started to relax and lean into his chest, basking a bit in his warmth that surrounded her own core like a warm embrace, chasing off the feeling of cold she was often left with.

“This might sound weird, but… I'm really attracted to how you look right now…” He admitted softly.

“You're just saying that…”

“No! It's true! I don't know why but… you, being like this, with our baby. You still being so wonderful with Tera… I-” He stops, embarrassed, before smiling warily “I kinda want to… do this again.”

Uzi turned onto her side to look at him, completely befuddled, though flustered, and possibly a little bit angry.

“You are not getting me pregnant again anytime soon. I will take a copy of your code and develop a special firewall for myself if I have to.” She said, being completely serious, and he smiled again.

“I figured as much.” He chuckled, leaning back into her shoulder and closing his eyes. “But you understand what I mean. I love you either way.”

She looked down at the comforter, sighing and rolling her eyes before looking back up at his soft expression, she returned it.

“Yeah… I do, I love you too, N.”

He leaned down to nuzzle her visor, a spark jumping between them as they laughed and connected their lips, enjoying the moment of privacy…

Next ->

[bestiarium]

The Crawfordsville Monster [modern cryptid; urban legend]

As far as modern urban legends go, most sightings of cryptids and creatures tend to fall into one of several recognizable categories: a lake monster, a flying saucer, an ape-like creature, etc. But every once in a while you have something weirder or unique:

On April 5, 1891, a supposed monster was sighted in the skies above Crawfordsville, Indiana, in the USA. A local pastor, Reverend G. Switzer, left his house to get some water from the well in his backyard when he supposedly experienced a strange feeling somewhere between dread and awe. Uncertain what caused this feeling, he looked up to see a large serpent-like being flying through the sky. The snake moved quickly even though there was no wind that night, and seemed like it was about to land, only to change its mind and take off again.

The paster and his wife were not the only witnesses, for that same day the apparition was seen by two workers about to haul ice on their wagon. They were so frightened of the creature that they took shelter until it was out of sight.

The size of the creature varies between stories, putting it somewhere between 16 and 20 feet (5 à 6 meters). It did not have wings – although other accounts added several fins or fin-like structures – but was able to fly by means of writhing movements, not unlike those of a real snake. The monster was white and had no head, or at least no clearly visible head, but it did have a large, brightly burning eye. Despite the lack of a visible head or mouth, the monster emitted a wheezing noise.

The Crawfordsville Daily Journal named the creature ‘the Midnight Wraith’ but today it is more commonly referred to as 'the Crawfordsville Monster'.

When researching this sighting, I came across some very weird UFO theories. While they tend to strain credibility, I admit that it’s fun to theorize about, in a fantasy worldbuilding kind of way. For example, the last source I listed here mentions a theory about atmospheric creatures that live in the clouds of our planet and stay afloat because of their extremely low-density bodies. The Crawfordsville monster, supposedly, could be such a creature.

Several explanations have been put forth. Some claimed it was a spirit. Professor Robert Burton assumed that the witnesses might simply have been under influence of alcohol or drugs. A later sighting in the same location put forth a simpler, albeit anticlimactic, explanation: two men followed the flying ‘monster’ around until it came close enough for them to identify it as a giant flock of killdeer birds: local birds with a distinct white belly. There were several hundred of them in the flock, and the birds’ erratic flight pattern might have been caused by their confusion from the electric lights, and the many moving ‘fins’ of the monster would have been the wings of the different birds. Perhaps exhaustion in the early hour, combined with the dark night sky, caused the ice haulers and the pastor to mistake the flock for a monster.

Sources: Clark, J., 2005, Unnatural Phenomena: A Guide to the Bizarre Wonders of North America, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 408 pp., 160 pp., p. 87-88. Zach, K. B., 2003, Crawfordsville, Athens of Indiana, Arcadia Publishing, p. 140-141. Hunt, C. M., 2023, Ghosts & Legends of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Haunted America, Arcadia Publishing, 160 pp., p. 12-18.

(image source 1: Mart, T.S. & Cabre, M., 2021, A Guide To Sky Monsters : Thunderbirds, The Jersey Devil, Mothman, and Other Flying Cryptids, Indiana University Press, 174 pp.) (image source: Enshohma on Deviantart)

[bookworm-center]

"She missed Inej's stillness, the knowledge that she could say anything to her without fear of recrimination. She missed Jesper's laughing ways and Wylan's sweetness. She even missed Kaz's ruthlessness. Saints, it would have been a relief to hand over this whole mess to the bastard of the Barrel. He'd have sussed out Vadik Demidov's origins, raided the Fjerdan treasury, and placed himself on the throne in the time it took Nina to braid her hair."

Nina Zenik, Rule of Wolves (Chapter 7, page 87-88)

[salivacitrus]

decoding perfect love's encoded messages

perfect love's code contains secret messages in a few different ciphers/codes. these messages are from the perspectives of milo's three forms, as well as text in plain english from eris. this post lists and decodes all these messages.

this is applicable to version 1.0 of the game. if there's any more added in future updates, i'll update this post.

the lines with scrambled letters are in caesar cipher, with the letter shifts varying between lines. these lines are from the perspective of pre milo.

the lines with strings of double digit numbers are in nihilist cipher, with alphabet abcdefghiklmnopqrstuvwxyz and keyword manipulation. these lines are from the perspective of manipulation milo.

the lines with strings of dots and dashes are in morse code. these lines are from the perspective of violence milo.

the lines in plain english are from the perspective of eris.

each encoded message has its decoded form directly below it in italics. decoded lines may be adjusted for readability.

script.rpy, lines 1-4. these lines are placed at the very beginning of the script's code, and are meant to hint at which codes are used for the encoded messages.

Oh my dear, it's such a Lowly sight, to be loved Indefinately without a clear Mind. The Middle child is crying he wants to be hAppy, the youNgest wants to be just lIke them in every way, the oldest wants to Protect with an Undying wish and the LAsT Is the type that ONly cares for themselves. It's cynical. He hurts and for what? What does he reMORSE over? Let's have some fun, shall we?

script.rpy, lines 7-10. these lines are placed right after the previously mentioned lines.

U vgef imzfqp eayazq fa omdq rad yq, eayqazq fa xahq yq. I just wanted someone* to care for me, someone to love me. 56 63 57 55 66 57 46 35 89 67 78 64 56 36 48 68 58 60 63 35 77 39 85 48 74 65 54 58 77 77 42 44 58 48 67 48 83 26 75 78 87 56 85 I will be just like them in every form and in every way. .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .--. .-. --- - . -.-. - / - .... . -- / - --- / - .... .. -. -.- / --- - .... . .-. .-- .. ... . / .. ... / ..-. --- --- .-.. .. ... .... .-.-.- I will protect them, to think otherwise is foolish. Milo will love you, he has no choice.

*originally says "somone" when decoded. i assume this was a typo, so i changed it.

script.rpy, lines 90-93. these lines are placed after the setup for default configurations, and before the script code for the main menu.

X'b hd wpeen iwtn rwdht bt. I'm so happy they chose me. 76 34 48 78 46 87 46 43 98 46 68 47 43 55 56 48 68 70 55 24 55 57 67 67 76 53 48 35 48 68 55 24 55 57 67 67 76 32 44 48 66 66 65 53 55 67 49 46 66 44 47 58 77 69 42 43 77 58 78 56 56 44 55 They are my god, a thing* I cannot reach. I cannot fail for a second or I am nothing. .. / .--- ..- ... - / .-- .- -. - . -.. / - --- / -... . / ..- ... . ..-. ..- .-.. / .- -. -.. / .--. .-. --- ...- . / .. / -.-. --- ..- .-.. -.. / -.. --- / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. .-.-.- / .. / .-- .- -. - . -.. / - --- / -- .- -.- . / ... ..- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. --- ..- .-.. -.. / -. . ...- . .-. / .... ..- .-. - .-.-.- I just wanted to be useful and prove I could do something. I wanted to make sure you could never hurt. It's unfortunate that you chose him.

*originally says "think" when decoded. i assume this was a typo, so i changed it.

script.rpy, lines 7675-7676. these lines are placed after the househusband ending.

.. .----. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.-. .- --. . -.. / .... . .-. . / .-- .. - .... / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- I'll be caged here with you. Strange, even as a clipped bird you aren't the one who is in a cage.

script.rpy, lines 7929-7930. these lines are placed after the walls ending.

67 42 48 35 78 60 45 45 77 68 57 44 76 26 65 39 59 76 62 25 78 35 67 87 76 34 57 57 57 66 65 53 98 58 79 57 63 42 55 48 86 60 85 45 89 56 88 56 47 22 75 68 59 66 85 45 89 35 77 58 64 26 57 55 66 67 55 62 59 78 68 78 64 65 48 75 50 87 85 55 67 48 67 55 56 56 76 68 56 79 73 65 78 69 Please don't hate me, I'll do anything for you. I'll give you my heart if you ask me, I'll give you my everything, just for you. What you thought was a failure was a success. Some things perhaps are better not seen.

script.rpy, lines 8162-8163. these lines are placed after the marriage ending.

56 54 66 68 59 89 66 53 59 68 78 87 76 34 48 76 46 99 85 45 89 66 49 87 47 33 64 48 79 89 46 53 87 48 67 65 56 44 48 48 78 78 75 35 88 76 68 66 46 26 75 45 80 76 75 34 55 68 86 48 55 22 84 39 79 68 74 22 76 39 66 44 74 36 67 57 50 56 44 34 78 68 57 48 74 Isn't it pretty, the way your eye glitters in mine? Isn't it wonderful that we have the same mark on each other? As long as we get to match forever more, it does not matter how you mark me.

script.rpy, lines 8355-8356. these lines are placed after the cannibal ending.

.. - / - .- ... - . ... / --. --- --- -.. --..-- / . ...- . .-. -.-- - .... .. -. --. / .. / -- .- -.- . / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / . ...- . -. / .-.. . - / -- . / .-. .. .--. / -- . / - --- / ... .... .-. . -.. ... / .. ..-. / -.-- --- ..- / -.. . ... .. .-. . -.. / .- / - .- ... - . / --- ..-. / -- . .-.-.- It tastes good, everything I make you. I will even let you* rip me to shreds if you desired a taste of me. How noble of you. Do not worry, if I desire a taste of you, you will know.

*originally says "me" when decoded. i assume this was a typo, so i changed it.

script.rpy, lines 8537-8538. these lines are placed after the doll ending.

56 55 76 57 69 89 42 54 68 45 57 48 84 26 75 39 80 88 55 44 66 68 57 48 64 22 66 78 87 56 85 54 It's not as if he were using them anyways. The joints don't seem to work as well as they used to? That's too bad.

script.rpy, lines 8705-8706. these lines are placed after the killer ending.

- .... . -.-- / -.. . ... . .-. ...- . / .. - / -- --- .-. . / - .... .- -. / .- -. -.-- - .... .. -. --. .-.-.- They deserve it more than anything. It's a strange joy to watch others hurt. You understand, right?

script.rpy, lines 9192-9193. these lines are placed after the burning ending.

67 42 48 35 78 60 55 25 68 38 58 77 43 42 64 45 69 87 85 45 89 48 47 64 47 44 76 39 49 69 75 22 75 55 86 57 76 34 54 48 77 60 55 56 87 68 45 76 86 45 78 57 50 60 45 26 58 48 78 85 43 54 44 55 66 66 65 53 98 58 79 44 65 25 48 75 50 87 85 55 67 48 67 55 55 22 76 35 66 97 42 65 87 36 49 48 65 32 67 66 89 79 76 Please, I did it all for you. I cleansed it all with fire, just as you needed. It was all for you, and everything has always been for you. Oh? Just for me? You shouldn't have my love.

script.rpy, lines 9421-9422. these lines are placed after the kidnapping ending.

-.. --- . ... / .. - / .... ..- .-. - / -- -.-- / .-.. --- ...- . ..--.. / -... ..- - / - .... .. ... / . -..- .- -.-. - .-.. -.-- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- -. - . -.. .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- .- -. -.. / .. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .. ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .--. .-.. . .- ... . .-.-.- Does it hurt, my love? But this exactly what you wanted... and I will give you what you please. Aha... is that what you were worried about? Do not worry, my love. This little thing could never hurt me in the slightest.

sprite.rpy, lines 205-208. these lines are placed between the file location specifications for some true ending assets and character sprites.

A oadd twugew ozsl A zsnw lg sfv escw lzwe zshhq. I will become what I have to and make them happy. 88 46 53 73 88 82 46 70 79 74 84 74 50 60 76 44 96 83 79 46 68 64 63 64 50 47 82 64 65 66 75 60 76 44 76 84 48 66 86 54 57 106 66 38 77 55 63 83 70 27 86 63 75 92 59 68 59 74 83 66 58 47 64 73 88 83* When they look at me with disdain, I can't help but cry. I did something wrong, didn't I? .-- .... . -. / - .... . -.-- / -.-- . .-.. .-.. / .- - / -- . --..-- / .. / -.-. .- -. .----. - / .... . .-.. .--. / -... ..- - / ..-. .-.. .. -. -.-. .... .-.-.- / - .... . / -.-. --- .-.. .-.. .- .-. / - .... . -.-- / .... .- ...- . / --- -. / -- . / .. ... / - --- --- / ... - .-. --- -. --. .-.-.- When they yell at me, I can't help but flinch. The collar they have on me is too strong. So meek and malleable - it's been a while since you found someone with such a lack of spine.

*this line uses alphabet zebrascdfghiklmnopqtuvwxy instead of abcdefghiklmnopqrstuvwxyz, and is the only one to do so. i assume this was a consistency error.

sprite.rpy, lines 1640-1643. these lines are placed between the file location specifications for character sprites and background images.

U'y eaddk rad xaawuzs mf kag rday mrmd, U'y eaddk ftmf kag tmp fa emhq yq. Oagxpz'f U tmhq nqqz efdazsqd? Bxqmeq paz'f xqmhq yq. I'm sorry for looking at you from afar, I'm sorry that you had to save me. Couldn't I have been stronger? Please don't leave me. 55 45 85 37 69 90 62 25 68 47 45 84 47 23 48 39 68 56 64 65 88 47 58 66 54 63 57 68 58 79 76 55 98 58 79 57 84 22 76 57 69 89 54 35 77 46 46 48 53 45 75 39 How could I have been anything without you? I was nothing before. .. / .-- .- -. - / - .... . -- / -- --- .-. . / - .... .- -. / .- -. -.-- - .... .. -. --. --..-- / .-- .... -.-- / -.-. .- -. .----. - / - .... . -.-- / ... . . / - .... .- - ..--.. / .-- --- -. .----. - / .. / -.. . ... - .-. --- -.-- / . ...- . .-. -.-- - .... .. -. --. / . ...- . -. / -- -.-- ... . .-.. ..-. / ..-. --- .-. / - .... . -- ..--.. I want them more than anything, why can't they see that? Won't I destroy everything, even myself, for them? But HE was the one who was seeking you. HE was the one who wanted to be with you.

sprite.rpy, lines 2655-2658. these lines are placed between the file location specifications for some true ending assets and code for image transforms.

Sjsb hvciuv W ybck kvoh mci rwr hc as, W kwzz ghwzz zcjs mci psqoigs mci aors as kvczs. Even though I know what you did to me, I will still love you because you made me whole. 56 54 56 58 80 76 45 44 88 47 45 84 47 53 78 57 46 97 42 65 55 45 78 48 74 63 56 35 79 68 46 55 78 55 48 65 47 I shouldn't have run away after what he told me. .. / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. / ... - .-. --- -. --. . .-. --..-- / .. .----. -- / ... --- / .-- . .- -.- .-.-.- / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / -.. . ... . .-. ...- . / - --- / -... . / .-- .. - .... / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- I should have been stronger, I'm so weak. I don't deserve to be with you. So really... isn't it just his fault?

that is all that i could find.

[lovelynim]

Losing Count

Genshin Impact - Alhaitham x Kaveh

A/N: So... if anyone is wondering where this came from, I found a fanart in Twitter that greatly inspired me. After two polls, here we are

Summary: After having his work out routine disturbed, Alhaitham decides to give Kaveh a challenge

Word count: 1279 words

“83… 84… 85… wow, you are really good at this!”

“You know….” Alhaitham grunted, pushing his body up despite the weight on his back, “you are not… really helping.”

Kaveh grinned at his boyfriend’s complaining, crossing one ankle after the other as he allowed himself to enjoy the ride. “Come on, how do you expect to gain something from your training if you don’t step up the difficulty?”

Alhaitham regretted all his past actions that led him to his current state. “Whatever… just keep… counting…”

He didn’t know why he agreed with all this. Maybe he just wanted to show off or tease Kaveh in some way… still, it was too late to go back on his words now and he didn’t even want to think about how annoying Kaveh would become if he gave up.

“Right right, where was I? Ah, yes, 66… 67-”

“You were… at 86…”

Kaveh chuckled again, feign ignorance as Alhaitham finished another push-up, “sorry, I keep losing count ~”

With the blonde sitting on his back, the scribe felt like his 100 push-ups session was being dragged for hours and hours in an unending cycle. And with Kaveh counting out loud - constantly going to and fro between the numbers - he was starting to believe that he had already beat that mark a long while ago.

“87… 88… 89- Huh? Come on, Haitham, you are so close!” Kaveh cheered, giving the other a couple of taps on his shoulder and thanking the archons the scribe couldn’t look at the grin in his face right now. 

Lying beneath him, Alhaitham was giving it his best efforts to tense the muscles in his arms again, but he was really starting to give it in. 

“Y-you are… too h-heavy…” he groaned, managing to get back up, adding one more to the count. 

“Hah?! Heavy?!” Kaveh gasped, acting as offended as possible, “just admit you are too weak to finish a session, Haitham.”

‘As if you could do half of it’, the other man thought as his boyfriend continued to talk. He just needed to ignore him a little longer and he could finally finish this endless session. “Just… keep counting, K-Kaveh…”

Tsking at his his boyfriend’s comment, the architect rested his hands on Alhaitham’s back to give himself some extra support. “Fine… where was I at? Right, 71… 72…” The smugness on his voice was clear, not even hiding the fact that he was messing up the count on purpose anymore.

The muscles of Alhaitham’s arms were already sore, his legs tired from the constant tension and drops of sweat falling off his forehead. Yet, Kaveh didn’t seem to mind his struggle, even amusing himself with it.

“What? Are you giving up?” Kaveh hummed in mockery, tapping his boyfriend’s shoulder as Alhaitham laid flat on the ground, with his arms sprawled next to his head. The scribe muttered something, but his words didn’t quite make it to Kaveh’s ears. “Hm? ‘You’ what?”

“I said… I’m. Done.” Alhaitham repeated, a little louder this time. Before he could alarm Kaveh any further, the scribe used the last bits of his strength to push his body up and make his partner fall off him.

Letting out an audible grunt as his butt hit the ground, Kaveh barely had time to react as Alhaitham rolled him over and sat on his back. “My turn now,” the scribe huffed with annoyance clear in his voice.

“W-wait, agh… I-I can’t!” Kaveh struggled beneath him, not able to move a single inch despite all his efforts.

“You don’t need to do 100, just 10. Or ‘are you too weak to finish a session’, Kaveh?” Alhaitham chuckled, enjoying the taste of revenge as he wouldn’t even bulge no matter how hard Kaveh tried to get up.

“Y-you are… too heavy, Haitham! Aghh, g-get off me!” 

“Only when you finish your session,” Alhaitham mused, placing his hands on Kaveh’s shoulder, “come on, start it already.”

Kaveh groaned in frustration, able to make far from enough strength to actually do a push-up. Truth to be told, he wasn’t even sure he could do it on his own, and with Alhaitham sitting on his back? He knew he didn’t stand a chance against that task.

“I already told you, I can’t!”

“Hmm,” Alhaitham muttered, looking down at Kaveh as an idea popped up in his head, “I believe you just need the right… incentive.”

Sliding his hands down Kaveh’s back, Alhaitham rested his thumbs over his boyfriend’s wing bones and dug at the blonde’s ribs with the rest of his fingers, making a high-pitched and surprised squeal leave Kaveh’s lips.

“AHALHAHAITAM!! AhahAHA, nohOHOH!!” Shrieking as if it was some kind of murder attempt, Kaveh pressed his elbows down to his sides, trying to protect himself from the merciless assault.

“Come on, do it. I’ll stop if you can finish the session,” Alhaitham muttered in a calm, uninterested tone. His words could barely be heard through the loud laughter as he prodded and poked, tickling Kaveh with ease.

The architect kicked his feet behind his boyfriend, squirming left and right like some kind of worm, but he couldn’t move a single inch with the scribe resting like an imobile boulder on his back. “Y-YOHOHOU! AhahAHAh, h-hohorrible mahAHAn! LEHEHET GO!”

“Keep talking and you’ll have to do 100,” Alhaitham scolded, clearly enjoying the turn of tables. Much to his surprise, Kaveh actually tried to do one push-up despite having his ribs mercilessly tickled by his boyfriend. Of course, he wouldn’t let that go without teasing, “you know, you need to keep your arms away from your torso if you want to do it properly.”

“S-stoHOHOp tahahalking!!” Kaveh whined, letting out another squeal when the Alhaitham used his index finger to poke his underarms. 

“I’m merely giving you some advice,” the scribe continued, letting out a lazy sigh as he continued the tickling, continuing to wiggle his fingers despite Kaveh’s attempts to block him, “you also need to keep your legs straight, otherwise you won’t do it right.”

Kaveh cried out softly through his laughter, resting his face against the floor as he could do nothing but laugh. All the (little) strength he had was leaving his body with each tickle. It almost made him regret messing with his boyfriend earlier, “I cahAHAn’t!! HAHahaitam, pleheHEHEHAhase!”

Despite his begging, Alhaitham didn’t seem like he was going to stop anytime soon. Stopping to move his fingers, but keeping them pressing against Kaveh’s oh-so-sensitive spots, the scribe leaned his face down, muttering a little close to the blonde’s ear. “Not so easy, right?”

“Y-yeheah! I g-gehehet it!!” Kaveh admitted, feeling as his whole body tensed with anticipation by having Alhaitham’s hands ready to strike at any moment, “I-i’m sohohorry, o-ok? Don’t b-be mehean!”

“Mean?” Alhaitham chuckled in a way that made Kaveh shiver. The architect had a bad feeling about this. “I only asked you for a 10 push-ups session, it’s not even the same thing…”

“A-AlhaithAHAHam!” Kaveh squealed as the scribe gave his ribs another squeeze, making his heart beat even faster than before. “N-nohOHo, please!”

“Let’s go for 5 then, is it better, Ka-veh?” Alhaitham mused, digging his finger in again and making another high-pitched and embarrassing noise come out of his partner. Waiting for Kaveh’s answer for his offer, Alhaitham raised his eyebrow as he felt his body moving up, noticing that Kaveh was actually doing it. 

“One…,” Alhaitham said once Kaveh’s arms were totally tense. After lowering his body, Kaveh’s body suddenly dropped back to the ground before he could finish the second push-up.

“ALHAHAITHAM! AHahah, n-nooho!” 

“Ah… sorry, I lost count, Kaveh,” Alhaitham muttered, smiling wickedly, “let’s start again, yes?”

[sidekick-hero]

(steddie | mature | 2.1k | tags: mutual pining, Eddie/OMC (nothing explicit), memory of the past | second part to are you still mine? where Steve remembers another moment from their shared past | @steddielovemonth prompts Love is keeping a spare sweater/blanket in the car because they always get cold by @steddieasitgoes and Love is showing up when someone doesn’t ask ❤️by @steddieas-shegoes | AO3)

Steve thinks that making out with Eddie on the dance floor at Dustin and El's wedding is probably not the most polite thing to do. Especially as the best man.

But boy, is it hard to stop once they start kissing, twenty years of longing and dreaming all flowing into an almost desperate need to get closer and closer. Eddie kisses Steve like he wants to crawl inside him so he'll never have to leave again, and by God, Steve wants him to. Now that he's finally feeling Eddie, tasting him, he's not sure he can ever give it up.

It reminds him of Christmas Eve '93.

He was in Hawkins for the holidays, staying with Claudia and Dustin, as he had done every year since he and Robin had moved to Chicago in '87. His parents usually spent the holidays in Florida anyway, claiming the weather was more to their liking. He had a standing invitation to join them there, but Steve never took them up on it.

He'd rather spend Christmas with his real family.

So every year, on the day before Christmas, their little close-knit group would come over to Joyce and Hopper's house and gather for a family dinner. It was a tradition, almost an unspoken rule. Christmas Eve was spent at the Byers-Hopper residence.

Even Eddie would come, come hell or high water. In fact, he once told Steve that it was part of every contract he had signed since their first record deal in '88. Eddie would have time off between December 23rd and New Year's. The rest of the year was pretty unpredictable; they never knew when they would get a chance to talk to Eddie on the phone or even see him in person, but Christmas Eve was set in stone.

The last time Steve had seen Eddie in person had been at Dustin's graduation in May. Eddie had come all the way from LA just to see Dustin graduate, and Steve had been so excited to see him. More so than usual, since Steve had just graduated from teaching after drifting aimlessly for a while before deciding to go to community college to become a teacher.

He was also single for the first time in a long time. And he had thought that maybe this could be their chance. For a future together. Because Steve could teach in LA just as well as he could in Chicago. Or maybe Eddie could make music while living in Chicago; the city had a great music scene and recording studios as well. It wouldn't matter where, just that it was them.

Steve had never stopped hoping.

That's why he'd wanted to ask Eddie out while they watched the kid they kinda co-parented graduate. Only the words had died in his mouth the second he realized that Eddie hadn't come alone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tom. Tom, these are my friends, Dustin, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, El, Robin and Steve."

"You're a friend of Eddie's too?" Dustin had asked the guy, and Steve marveled at how dense their token genius could be sometimes.

Tom had smiled at Dustin and taken Eddie's hand. "His boyfriend, actually. Is that okay with you guys?"

No, Steve had wanted to say, piss off.

But he hadn't. Instead, he had avoided Eddie and Tom altogether, barely exchanging more than a few words with Eddie and ignoring the hurt look Eddie gave him whenever Steve pretended to be too busy to talk to him. It was for the best, really.

Their Christmas Eve gathering was a family affair, no outsiders allowed. It meant that Steve would at least not have to deal with watching Tom all night, enjoying what Steve himself had hoped to have one day: Eddie's love.

But even without Tom physically being there, he was like a ghost haunting him. It wasn't even that Eddie talked much about him or anything like that. In fact, he was too busy asking Steve questions about his new job as a middle school teacher and about the cat he and Robin had adopted and how their crazy neighbor was doing.

It made it easier to forget about Tom. The eggnog helped, too, and by the time he had finished his fourth glass, he was leaning heavily against Eddie's side, warm and cozy and surrounded by his still familiar smell. It almost felt like back in '86, before LA. When they drove Eddie's van to the quarry and lay on a mattress in the back with the doors open, looking at the night sky.

Eddie always kept a spare blanket in the van, just for Steve, because Steve always, always forgot his jacket. By the end of September, when Eddie had left, the blanket had begun to smell of them both.

"This is nice," Steve said, his tongue loose and his inhibitions low. "Just like the van, remember?"

Eddie's arm was on the back of the couch behind Steve, and he used it to pull Steve even closer. "Yeah."

And then, in a lower voice, "I missed you, Stevie."

When Tom stood in the doorway to pick up Eddie, reality came crashing down on him.

Everything went downhill after that.

Because after Eddie and Tom left, Steve decided he couldn't stay a minute longer either. He couldn't handle the laughter and joy, and especially the worried looks Robin was sending his way. So he told everyone that he was walking home to get some fresh air and to clear his head of the eggnog.

"Are you sure? I can drive you. Or you can stay with me at my parents'; you know they wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, Robbie, but I want to be alone for a little while, okay? Just for tonight. We'll talk tomorrow, I promise."

She gave him a long, searching look before nodding and pulling him into a tight hug. "Take care of yourself, okay? I need my best friend."

His downfall was the bar on the way to the Henderson house, because he had just enough money in his pocket to get sufficiently shitfaced.

And just enough spare change to call Eddie from the pay phone outside.

It rang for several long minutes, and Steve was almost ready to hang up and try again when a sleepy voice on the other end grumbled, "This better be important."

"Eddiiieee," Steve cheered, "thought you wouldn't pick up. Thought maybe you were too busy screwing Tom to answer the phone." Steve slurred his words badly and wondered if Eddie could even understand what he was saying.

"Jesus, Stevie, you're drunk as a skunk! What happened?"

"You," Steve whispered, and then louder. "'Nothin'. Just, y'know, spending Christmas Eve alone and drunk. Got to get used to that, I guess."

There was a long silence on the other end, and Steve would have thought Eddie had hung up if not for the sound of his breathing.

"Eddie?" Steve had to ask, the silence between them worse than anything he could imagine.

"Where are you?" Eddie had asked suddenly, and Steve had just enough time to tell him before the line went truly silent and the dial tone rang through the speaker, the phone demanding more coins Steve didn't have.

Cursing under his breath, he leaned his head against the glass of the phone booth and pinched his nose to keep the tears at bay.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, Eddie's hand was on his shoulder, shaking him gently. "Steve, hey. Stevie, come on, wake up. Time to get you home."

Blinking up at Eddie, Steve was sure he must be dreaming. "Eddie? What -?"

"You sounded like you needed someone, so I came. Come on, you must be freezing, man, you're shaking."

"Am I?" Steve asked, his voice sounding dazed, and Eddie sighed. With an arm around Steve's waist, he led him over to his old van. The one he'd left behind after his first visit to Hawkins after moving west, realizing it wouldn't survive the trip back. Wayne was taking care of it so that it would still be able to drive short distances in and around Hawkins, ensuring that Eddie would always have a ride when he visited.

"Your chariot awaits, my prince," Eddie said, helping Steve inside. It still smelled like it did back then. The inside of the old van had a distinct aroma that mixed the musty scent of the worn upholstery with the lingering hints of herbal sweetness and Eddie's cologne. It felt like a snapshot from his memory, as if no time had passed since he had last sat here.

God, Steve had missed this car.

He patted the dashboard clumsily but lovingly. "I missed you, baby."

"Did you just tell my car you missed her?" Eddie asked incredulously.

Steve pouted at him as Eddie turned the ignition and the engine roared to life. "She's a lady, Eds. You said so yourself. And she was always there for us."

Eddie's eyes were soft as he looked over at Steve.

"You're right, Stevie. She was." And then he leaned to the side and turned in his seat to rummage in the back until he emerged with a burgundy blanket. He draped it over Steve with gentle hands until only Steve's head was sticking out. "You're still shaking."

Steve was too stunned for words, and maybe that was better, because Eddie had shifted into drive and pulled onto the blissfully empty streets of Hawkins.

It was Steve's blanket. The one Eddie had put in the van for him.

The drive over to the Henderson's was a quiet one, both men lost in their thoughts. It was only when Eddie pulled up to the curb in front of the house that Steve spoke again, his brain a little more alert than when he had called Eddie.

"Thanks, Eds. You didn't have to do that," he told Eddie as earnestly as he could while feeling like the car was still moving underneath him.

"I know. I wanted to, though. I'll always want to, you don't have to ask."

"Why?"

"'Cause it's you." He said it so simply, as if it were just another fact. The sun rises in the east, monsters exist, and Eddie would always be there when Steve needed him, even when he didn't ask.

"Kiss me," Steve begged, suddenly desperate in a way he couldn't understand. All he knew was that if he let Eddie go right now, this moment between them would be over and he would have lost Eddie.

Again.

"Please, Eddie." His voice broke at Eddie's name.

A soft touch on his cheek, feather light as calloused fingers caressed his skin before a warm hand cupped his cold face.

"I can't," Eddie whispered even as he leaned in, his eyes so dark they looked almost black.

Steve leaned forward as well, willing to meet Eddie halfway, something he wished he'd done so much sooner.

"Why?" Almost inaudibly.

"Because I don't think I could stop if I kissed you now," Eddie replied, pressing a tender kiss to Steve's forehead, right between his eyebrows. "Go inside, Stevie. Sleep it off. You'll feel better in the morning."

And Steve went, if only to hide the tears on his face.

He didn't feel better the next day. Or the day after that.

It was a year before he spoke to Eddie again.

"Remember Christmas Eve '93?" Steve asks Eddie after they finally break apart.

Eddie's eyes are glazed and it takes him a second to get his bearings. He makes a questioning sound, clearly trying to catch up with where Steve's mind had gone, but then his face clears.

"Of course. God, you have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you that night. It took everything in me to let you go."

"I wish you had. I wanted you to."

"I know, sweetheart. But you were also really drunk and upset, and I had a boyfriend. And even though he wasn't you, I didn't want to hurt him. He didn't deserve that. But most of all, I didn't want to make you the other guy. I remember how much you hated your dad cheating on your mom, and I couldn't make you a part of something like that."

Steve kisses him again to show Eddie that he understands and that he's grateful. Because it's true, he wanted Eddie to choose him, but not like that. Not by hurting someone else like that.

"But I loved you then. Which I guess wasn't fair to Tom either, but I just didn't know how not to."

"I know. I think a part of me knew then, too. Which made it hurt even more."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. What did you say in your toast? 'If you're willing to take the long and winding road, you know that whatever's at the other end is worth it.' You are worth it."

Later, in Steve's hotel room, sweaty and sticky and still catching his breath, Eddie vows to show Steve every day that he's worth it. That they're worth it.

[bunkoos-mole-enthusiast]

Weekly Jungkook Fanfic Recs

Some fine JK fics for your reading pleasure. 🔞 Please show your appreciation to all the wonderful authors :) Gravity Check: This really wasn’t what you’d had in mind when you’d agreed to spend a weekend in the arse end of nowhere.  You don’t even really know the bride that well, for Christ’s sake, but here you are stood amongst a group of her very best ‘gal pals’ with a poorly concealed look of horror on your face as the young woman in front bounces on the balls of her feet, petite frame brimming over with enthusiasm.  https://gimmesumsuga.tumblr.com/post/171775180603/gravity-check By It's Cover: The one where Jungkook makes a horrifically bad first impression. https://gimmesumsuga.tumblr.com/post/178121026378/by-its-cover-m Hand-On-Learning: You have - most inconveniently - become obsessed with your dissertation partner’s hands. In an effort to relieve some stress about it, you begin sending texts to your best friend detailing - explicitly - what you want those hands to do to you. Perhaps you should have checked the number a bit more carefully. https://ladyartemesia.tumblr.com/post/619327581330784256/hands-on-learning Once Upon A Bracelet: You were born to nothing, but your powerful craft caught the eye of a charming prince. However, his distinctly un-charming younger brother challenged your betrothal and is routinely challenging you. Jeon Jungkook is (probably) a former necromancer and (definitely) the wrong prince… But the bracelets tell a different story. https://ladyartemesia.tumblr.com/post/646287201408352256/once-upon-a-bracelet Freak-Quency: Rockstar au. https://gukslut.tumblr.com/post/190127844851/freak-quency-m-jjk Boots: Rockstar au. Established relationship. https://gukslut.tumblr.com/post/613752356101816320/this-is-a-companion-piece-to-freak-quency-but-can Koopid: The sight of his shit-eating grin leaves Namjoon with a prickle of hot frustration that hurts when the video rolls to an end, with no flashy end credits or promotion. Just a black screen with his own idiot reflection staring back at him. Pornstar au. https://gwoongi.tumblr.com/post/184496918409/%F0%9D%97%84%F0%9D%97%88%F0%9D%97%88%F0%9D%97%89%F0%9D%97%82%F0%9D%96%BD-jeongguk-ft-namjoon Lana: This position is particularly ambiguous; your face is almost gone, only slightly in frame, with the lens zoomed further into your ass and Jeongguk’s thighs, his ass there but moving as he leans for the lube across the bed. If he wanted, Jimin could pretend the figure beneath Jeongguk was a boy- could be him, if he wanted. He does not want. https://gwoongi.tumblr.com/post/184658542171/%F0%9D%97%85%F0%9D%96%BA%F0%9D%97%87%F0%9D%96%BA-jeongguk-ft-jimin The Art Of Revenge: Sometimes, getting even can be hot. https://archiveofourown.org/works/47776474 Crimson Park: Mafia au. https://heartbeatan.tumblr.com/post/188847613935/crimson-park-return-to-desperado-series-return-to

[sskk-manifesto]

The thing is that episode 3 must end with a cliffhanger. It must end with Akutagawa's throat being slashed but it not being clear yet if he's fatally dead or not– no better narrative choice could be made. On one hand, it's a great cliffhanger, leaving the audience on edge for one week (or, in the case of when chapter 87 was released, for one month), have them panic over whether Akutagawa is really dead or not. On the other, and this is the true narrative brilliance, nothing is more impactful than the chapter 88 Akutagawa panel - the “you damn fool // hurry up and go” panel - to be at the start of the chapter. At first, it wouldn't look like a wise storytelling choice, would it? Such an emotional and impactful scene, one would expect it to be placed at the end of a chapter, as climax of the action. And yet, I can't help but think there's some kind of spectacular emotional impact to it, perhaps accentuated even more by the unusual narrative choice.

Akutagawa's smile is devastating, it's heartbreaking, it's something the reader can not stop thinking about; and yet, the story cruelly keeps going on. Just like Atsushi is immediately pushed to go on, to take the next step in the fight to save the agency, and is consequently left no time to grieve, the panel covers just a tiny part, a tiny segment of the chapter / episode, and the audience is compelled to go on with no time to recover, no way to elaborate what happened. The events of the story and the way the story is narrated are both telling the same thing: even when time seems to have stopped, the world around keeps spinning, and there's no way to make it stop. Akutagawa's smile is disarming and devastating, and it leaves the audience struggling to keep focusing on the rest of the episode as its image is printed in their minds (and, quite canonically, Atsushi's mind); but the episode, merciless, keeps going on, and you are forced to keep going. The plot keeps unfolding like an unstoppable and overpowering stream even where you just want it to stop to have a second to process what just happened, and it's devastating, and it's beautiful, and it's so narratively brilliant. The audience really becomes Atsushi the moment both of them are denied their right to grieve.

[mxtxfanatic]

i see some ppl say that wwx was the one in the wrong for visiting the ancestral hall and bringing in an outsider, bcs that place is reserved for family and wwx has rejected going to lotus pier with jc before

sort of related what do u think jc wanted with wwx when he was planing on bringing him back to lotus pier when he captured him? its been a while but i dont remember the vibe of the scene being that jc wants to torture wwx to death there, the only thing wwx worries is that lotus pier is different and he doesnt wanna go there anymore

Wei Wuxian wasn't wrong for going to the ancestral hall or for bringing Lan Wangji, because the ancestral hall is not an exclusive area reserved only for family. Wei Wuxian even makes this delineation when Jiang Cheng is sneering about Wei Wuxian traveling around Lotus Pier without Jiang Cheng's express approval:

His voice was chilling, “Wei WuXian, you really don’t take yourself as an outsider, do you? You come and leave whenever you want. You take with you whomever you want. Do you perhaps still remember whose sect this is? Who’s the owner?” Doing this, Wei WuXian wanted to keep it away from Jiang Cheng in the first place. Now that he discovered them, he knew they’d definitely be faced with some vicious remarks. He didn’t want to argue, “I didn’t take HanGuang-Jun to the other, more confidential places of Lotus Pier. We only came to greet Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu with a few sticks of incense. We’re finished already and we’ll be leaving now.”

—Chapt. 87: Loyalty, exr

Jiang Cheng is mad about wangxian wandering around Lotus Pier and blows up once they enter the ancestral hall because he is homophobic.

Jiang Cheng, “If you’re leaving, please go as far as possible. Don’t let me see or hear you fooling around in Lotus Pier again.”

—Chapt. 87: Loyalty, exr

Immediately, darkness crawled up [Jiang Cheng's] face, bearing an eerie similarity to how Madam Yu looked when she was angry. His voice was harsh, “Who’s the one insulting my parents in front of their spirits?! Could you two please understand whose sect you’re in? I don’t care if you act so shamelessly outside, but don’t you dare fool around inside our ancestral hall, before my parents’ spirits! After all, they were the ones who brought you up—even I feel ashamed for you!” Wei WuXian never expected such a huge blow to crash down on him. He was both shocked and furious, blurting, “Shut up!” Jiang Cheng pointed outside, “Mess around outside however you want, whether under a tree or on a boat, hugging or otherwise! Get out of my sect, get out of anywhere my eyes can see!” ... Jiang Cheng did indeed go out to find Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. He chased after them in the direction that the street vendors pointed at. A voice in his heart seemed to tell him to which places Wei WuXian would definitely go. He caught up to them in just a while. Yet, he just so happened to see Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi enveloped in a tight embrace under a tree, unwilling to let go of each other even after so long. ... But hugging like that seemed abnormal no matter what. At least, they didn’t seem like normal friends or brothers. He immediately recalled that Wei WuXian had always stuck to Lan WangJi ever since he came back. Lan WangJi’s attitude toward him was also different from what it was before he was reborn. At once, he was almost certain that the two really were in that kind of relationship. He couldn’t turn around and leave, yet he didn’t want to say a single word to the two, so he continued to hide himself as he followed them. Every single look and movement that passed between them seemed different in his eyes. For a while, the shock, absurdity, and slight disgust that he felt combined to overpower his hatred. It was only after Wei WuXian brought Lan WangJi into the ancestral hall that the long-suppressed hatred was awakened again, devouring his courtesy and rationality.

—Chapt. 88: Loyalty, exr

What Jiang Cheng wanted when he captured and briefly tortured Wei Wuxian with Fairy back in Chapt. 24 is exactly what his complaints are in the ancestral hall: Wei Wuxian is not showing Jiang Cheng the deference he feels he is owed (and is also being too gay with Lan Wangji). In fact, Wei Wuxian not immediately begging for forgiveness but instead snarking back once captured is why Jiang Cheng calls Fairy over to torture him. He wants Wei Wuxian to admit he was "wrong" for saving Lan Wangji (no longer including Jin Zixuan) at the indoctrination camp "at the expense of the Jiang Clan" and for rescuing the Wen remnants at the expense of continuing to play the role of Jiang Cheng's subordinate. He wants Wei Wuxian to accept blame for the deaths of Jiang Cheng's parents and Jiang Yanli. He wants Wei Wuxian to be filled with regret and say that Jiang Cheng was "right all along" and that Wei Wuxian, himself, is not good enough to have deserved the love and respect from those around him particularly since Jiang Cheng feels like that love and respect was "stolen" from him. What Jiang Cheng wants is for Wei Wuxian to finally be "second place" to him, whether by successfully killing the man like he failed to the first time or by prying the words from the newly-resurrected Wei Wuxian's mouth via guilting and torture, and that was just never gonna happen, as Wen Ning so helpfully points out.

[stainedglasspanes]

Watching Ina11 (Ep 78 - 89)

Korean trio my new beloveds... I feel like if I tried hard enough I could definitely write a long paragraph on them

Ep 78

Ep 79

Ep 80

Ep 81

Ep 82

Ep 83

Ep 84

Ep 85

Ep 86

Ep 87-88

Ep 89

.

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

Took a month break, the summer heat in august murked any remains of my will to do anything.

Gouenji your dad sucks be he truly is an asian parent. Give up your hobbies to focus on your future kind of person, not a favorite of mine. But also, wtf was the plan to send him to Germany of all places?? Can Gouenji even speak german? And if you planned to keep him overseas for further studies, what country was he gonna practice in?? Maybe he can learn over there and come back to take his uni studies in Japan but still huh?? Why not just have him study in Japan to begin with,, granted I’m taking the logistics of a soccer anime and running with it so eh idk.

Okay, the Korea team. I’m so,, surprised that they even did that. Zainichi-Koreans were subject to discrimination and hate even back then (2000s?) so honestly wow, there’s guts in that, I’ll commend it. Nagumo and Suzuno being paired together a lot, and then revealed as being Zainichi actually makes sense and hurts so much more goodness.. It makes sense why they’re orphans I really wish I could see more ex-Aliea banter but oh well

Fudou’s backstory,, gah I’ve gotten attached to this mohawk weasel. Of course if power equals safety in your head then you’re gonna ally with whoever grants you the most power (safety). He probably was desperate by that point when Kageyama threw him away, considering how much he buttered up (?), surely he believed that teaming with Kageyama would be the safest option. He’s hard to work with and is snappy but him and Kidou work really well as observers both on/off field. Also, he’s just a really good player like whoa? His plays are sometimes harsh but at the same time I can’t deny he makes progress.

I think I mentioned it already but I love the tactics and non-hissatsu moves in this season, it’s more explainable to an extent. Like, I can see these moves being put to play in games.

Fully expecting the Brazil team to be the final boss ngl, if they aren't I'll be shocked.

Kageyama needs to find a new hairdresser. The curls I can excuse, it fits. BUT the lemon blonde? Absolutely not. It’s not his color.

[sergeifyodorov]

Which active players do u think will have their jerseys in the rafters after they retire? This might be tricky bc of course they could get traded at any moment but I wanna hear ur thoughts!

mwah oh this is such a good q... for me the answer to this is distinct from like, active hall of famers being that in order to get your number retired you have to be relevant to a specific team... like u can be one without the other. anywho here's my attempt

boston bruins: patrice (37) hasn't had his retired yet but he will, even though he's not active anymore. pasta (88) also a lock, marchand (63) a significant probability

buffalo sabres: n/a

detroit red wings: larkin (71) is still pretty young but he's the only one id consider right now

florida panthers: barkov (16) for sure, tkachuk (19) very probably, bobrovsky (72) slim but nonzero chance

montreal canadiens: carey price (31), in the same vein as patrice

ottawa senators: n/a

tampa bay lightning: kuch (86), vasi (88), stamkos (91), and heddy (77). god the bolts dynasty years were really fuckin something eh

toronto maple leafs: auston (34) is a lock, willy (88) almost certainly a lock, mitch (16) will be a lock if he stays after this contract, morgan (44) is a solid 50-50

carolina hurricanes: n/a

columbus blue jackets: timely ask because it NEEDS to be matiss kivlenieks (80) and im lowkey shocked they haven't done that yet

new jersey devils: n/a

new york islanders: n/a

new york rangers: very very slim chance of kreider (20) but idk

philadelphia flyers: maybe giroux (28)?

pittsburgh penguins: lol and lmao obviously sid (87) geno (71) and kris (58)

washington capitals: ovi (8) and nicke (19)

coyotes/utah: n/a

chicago blackhawks: kane (88) and toews (19) 100%. idk do keith and seabrook already have their numbers retired bc if not then maybe one of them too

colorado avalanche: natemac (29). makar (8) probably too idk

dallas stars: n/a

nashville predators: maybe josi (59)?.maybe.

minnesota wild: n/a

st louis blues: n/a

winnipeg jets: n/a

anaheim ducks: n/a

calgary flames: n/a

edmonton oilers: obviously cmd (97) and leo (29). slim but nonzero chance of nuge (93)

la kings: kopi (11) and doughty (8)

seattle kraken: n/a

san jose sharks: maybe pavs (16)

vancouver canucks: solid chance of quinnifer (43)

vegas golden knights: n/a

[thescarletnargacuga]

PLAY PRETEND

A BUNNYDOLL ONESHOT

WARNING: unhinged Ragatha, SO much digital violence, NPCs die

~~~

"CUT!! No, no, NO!! Do it again! Do it right!" An NPC wearing a ball cap labeled "Director" threw a script down on the ground in frustration.

Jax dragged a hand down his face. "We've done this scene 87 times!!"

"And we'll do it 87 more times if you don't do your job and act right!" The NPC gripped the arms of his chair, fit to break. "Go again! Reset!" The movie set came to life with activity. People rushing to reset props and touch up make up on the actors.

"Jax, please, just do what he says." Ragatha pleaded. She was as tired as he was, plus she was standing in bad heels the whole time. At least he got to stay barefoot. "We won't be able to finish the adventure until the movie's finished." She coughed when an NPC powdered her cheeks.

"I agree. This is getting very dull." Kinger said from his position next to them. "Just go with it and it'll be over soon."

"But why did I get this part? Why can't you be the groom??" Jax tugged at the tight tux collar choking him.

"Because I play the part of an ordained minister better." Kinger said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, Jax. I'd much rather kiss Kinger. At least he wouldn't complain the whole time." Ragatha sneered.

Kinger had a smile in his eyes. He looked to the maid of honor and best man. "You two holding up okay?"

"My legs are numb." Gangle whimpered. The dress she was forced to wear was heavy on her spindly body.

"I should have stayed at the circus with Zooble." Pomni muttered. At least she got to wear a suit, so she wasn't too uncomfortable.

"Hey! Could we fix the best man's hair?" The director called out. "He looks like he just crawled out of bed!"

"I'm a GIRL!!" Pomni snarled, only to be ignored. Another NPC rushed to her and adjusted her hair.

Jax sighed and pinched the area where the bridge of his nose would be if he had one. "Shut up, you little cross dresser. Yelling at the moron doesn't do anything. Caine made the director a bit too passionate about his movie."

"Tell me about it." Ragatha crossed her arms. "I read the script, we're not even in the final scene! There's a whole other act that centers around our characters fighting a horde of mutant unicorns"

"Say what?" Jax gaped.

"Yeah, once the wedding scene is over, a horde breaks in and we fight. Pomni dies in your arms, Gangle escapes with Kinger but we break into the church's armory and fight them off."

"There's an armory??" Jax grew increasingly interested.

"Yeah? Did you not read the script?"

"Of course not, I have you to do it for me." He grinned. "Do you know where the armory is now?"

"Yeah, it's under the altar behind Kinger." She arched a brow. "Why?"

"Things are about to get interesting. Hey, D-man, we doing this scene or what?"

"If you're finally ready." The director answered incredulously. "From the top! Quiet on set! Camera! Wedding vows take 88 and...action!"

Jax and Ragatha held hands, believably happy looks on their faces. Kinger opened his book that had nothing on it. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join two hearts and souls to be one in the eyes of God." Kinger raised his hands up, light poured in through the stained glass window behind him that had Caine as this movie world's proclaimed religion. Pomni subtly rolled her eyes. "Mr. Smith, would you say your vows?"

Jax cleared his throat. "Maggie, you've been by my side bringing love and laughter into my life when I've needed it most. I feel like I've known you forever. Maybe even in another life. You have a heart of gold that I intend to have and hold forever. I love you."

The director looked at the script. Jax was improving some of his lines. At least the scene was still moving along.

Ragatha was blushing for real and completely forgot her lines. Jax was so convincing when he actually tried. She almost missed her cue and winged it the best she could. "Oh, Jack, my love. You have been my rock. When life was too much, you'd bring me back to earth and tell me...it doesn't matter. You've put things into perspective for me when my mind would run away. You've stood steady fast against the world, no matter what it threw at you. Your bravery is inspiring, I will always love you."

The director checked the script again. "What..?"

Gangle and Pomni looked at each other, but stayed in character.

"The rings." Kinger said and Pomni handed them to Jax. He slid the rose gold ring on Ragatha's finger and said, "With this ring, I ask you, are you ready to kick some [%$!#]?"

"Huh?"

Before the director could yell "cut", Jax kicked the altar over and pulled out the first weapon he could reach. A good old boot-zooka. He aimed it at the director and fired. The director dove out of the way in time for the boot to turn his chair to splinters, and the crew scattered screaming in terror.

"Grab the camera!" Jax ordered as he reloaded.

Kinger slid over as fast as he could and hoisted the cinema camera off its stand.

"Whatever you do, don't stop rolling! We're finishing this movie our way!" Jax fired again at the director, who took it to the face and was thrown through a set wall.

"This is insane!" Pomni grabbed a random weapon, it looked like a weird water gun.

Gangle didn't grab anything, she hid behind Kinger.

Ragatha could hear frantic neighing over the calamity. She saw horses with an inhumane amount of paint and prosthetics plastered onto them tied to a far wall. They were apparently the mutant unicorns they were supposed to fight in the next scene. She dug into the weapons and found a huge butcher's knife. She looked at Jax, who had run out of boots and was grabbing a shotgun.

"For once, I agree with you. Let's get these [%$!#]holes." She wielded her knife and ran to the horses.

Jax grinned so much, his face hurt. "[%$!#] em up!" Security came to control the situation and Jax leveled his gun at the first NPC that tried to rush him. The gun exploded and a roll of dollar bills hit the NPC in the chest, downing him. "Buckshot. Heh, I get it." He racked another bundle and fired.

Ragatha cut the ropes tethering the frightened horses. One by one, they ran in random directions. They galloped off in straight lines and didn't stop for anything in their way; not NPCs, sets, walls, or Pomni.

"Everybody run!! They're mad!!" An NPC, who Ragatha recognized as the one who constantly did her makeup by shoving powder in her face, screamed. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Ragatha threw the knife and it lodged itself in the NPC's head. They fell backwards to the ground. "By the way, your makeup skills are TRASH!"

She never realized just how much rage burned beneath the surface. It felt so good to finally let go, at least in the moment. She'd probably hate herself later, but right now, she didn't care. She yanked her knife out of the unresponsive NPC and looked for her next target. An NPC was baring down on Jax as he was fighting off three others. She ran up and started chopping.

Jax turned to see the absolute ruin Ragatha had left the NPC in. She was huffing, her hair was disheveled, and gripping the knife like an axe. "Anyone every tell you you're gorgeous when you're crazy?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. "Someone has now." She tore at her wedding dress; losing the sleeves and frills. She ripped the skirt so she could move faster. She blushed when Jax wolf whistled at her.

Pomni whimpered as she shakily held her gun up at some advancing security NPCs. She pulled the trigger and hot glitter glue shot out and covered everyone in front of her. They screamed until the glue hardened, turning them into glittery gooey statues.

"Atta girl, Pomni!" Ragatha encouraged.

Pomni did not share Ragatha's enthusiasm. "ARE WE DONE YET!?"

"Do you see a portal? The movie isn't over! Kinger! Get this in frame!" Jax shot another NPC in the leg.

Ragatha chased another NPC past a supply closet. She stopped in her tracks when the word flammable stuck out in her periphery. The door was locked, so she hacked away at the handle like a madwoman. She opened it to find stacks of crates marked for various pyrotechnics and explosives. She gave a grin that would make Jax proud. "Jackpot."

The director was coming to after being booted through the wall. He groaned and climbed out of the hole in time to see Ragatha come out of the fire closet with an oversized roman candle. She fired at some of the few remaining security. Multicolor balls of sparking fire rained down on her enemies.

The director tried to scramble away but the butt end of a shot gun punted him into the supply closet. He crashed into the crates, one dumping half sticks of dynamite into his lap. He looked up in fear to see Jax looming in the doorway. "You know, without that hat. You're no more distinguishable from the rest. You're nothing but an annoying hack rack." He flicked the hat off the director's head with the barrel of his gun.

"Please...please don't hurt me."

"Oh, I'm not gonna do anything. You see, my bride is a bit pent up. You're all hers." Jax stepped back and dropped his weapon.

As if on cue, Ragatha came over and jumped into Jax's arms.

Jax caught and held her like the battle bride she was.

Ragatha aimed the giant roman candle at the director. "And they lived happily ever after!"

"Mother[%$!#]!" Jax held tight as the roman candle kicked back. It sent three colorful fireballs into the pile of explosive crates, blowing them and director sky high. The explosion blew back Ragatha's hair, silhouetting her against the fiery glow.

Jax couldn't help himself. In the literal heat of the moment, he kissed her. He expected to be punched or berated but...she kissed him back. She dropped her weapon and wrapped her arms around his neck. His grip on her tightened, holding her close until the kiss came to an end. They parted only enough to look each other in the eye.

"You don't have to keep pretending, dollface." The usually degrading nickname held a tone of endearment.

"I think we should both stop pretending." She kissed his cheek. "I think this could work if we let it."

"Yeah....maybe it could."

Kinger cut the camera. With the movie complete, the portal back to the circus opened.

~~~

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