#it's really just meant to be a noodle incident

[remesrobotics]

I like how you reference Eris’ discovery leading to Pluto’s demotion in your OC Eris’ profile

So how did Eris get Pluto demoted in your canon(?) was it an accident or was it intentional?

(it's a mystery)

[lotusarchon]

hiii! I was wondering if I could request MK having a crush on his coworker?? For example like- Reader works as a waiter in pigsys and Mk admires them a little too much

Can you make it spicy too in a way?? Sorry if that sounds demanding 😭😭

Yhank you!! Have a nice day<333

waiter, waiter! one serving of my heart, please (mk x reader)

content warnings: gender neutral reader, second pov (you/your), reader and Pigsy's relationship is strictly professional/no solid relationships between them, mk is in love

author's notes: twas a bit hesitant to write this cause it kinda reminded me of an asshole i once met in my older server bleghhhhh :< also sorry, i couldn't make it spicy agh

MK remembered when you first walk through the door. It was another Tuesday afternoon, bored out of his mind after another day of delivering noodles and saving the city. He'd only just returned, filling in Tang about the demons he came across while Pigsy made something in the kitchen.

And you were there. A bit dull-eyed compared to what MK remembered, but still wearing that smile he'd grown so fond of. You'd raised your hand in greeting, asking for the owner of the establishment you'd enter.

He remembered being too dazed to really focus on the conversation. All he knew was that he'd call for Pigsy, then spent the next hour or so watching you from a corner. It wasn't until you had taken your leave did he realize to ask, and he turned to Pigsy for answers.

“Oh, don't look at me like that.” Pigsy had sighed, sliding a bowl of freshly cooked noodles towards him. “You've been busier than ever with your training. And since we don't want a repeat of last time―” Last time meaning the clone incident. He still couldn't get over obese Delivery Clone trying to eat Pigsy… “―I figured a helping hand around here would do the trick.”

MK pretended to pout. “So you're replacing me?”

“No, dumbass.” Pigsy threw a wet cloth at Tang. It landed with ease, and the scholar whined. “Just that you don't have to stress too much about not doing enough around here. (Name)’ll work in your free time, and you theirs.”

It didn't seem like too bad of an arrangement. There were days he couldn't be around, swamped with training or some monster that wouldn't leave the city alone, and Pigsy would need an extra hand to help around. He could've asked Mei though, but he figured that the pig demon also wanted to offer employment to anyone in need of it.

It's just that, while MK had eaten his noodles and stared through the window to past the time, he really thought you were interesting, and the plans Pigsy had meant that, most likely, neither of you would get to speak together.

And that sucked. Because, once MK had the idea (and mere audacity, to quote a certain hot tempered bull prince) of befriending someone, not even the Buddha could pry the thought from his head.

Which in turn, lead to certain events, as of now. Hanging around during his own breaks to catch a mere glimpse of you, trying to play off the ‘cool’ hero act only to have his own staff knock him over in the process, god awful flirting attempts (seriously, those lines were bad bad), to name a few of the things he'd done. That wasn't even mentioning the times he accidentally held you up during rush hour, earning a scolding from Pigsy and customers that were completely rude to you and made MK feel so guilty in the aftermath.

With that last one, you'd think that such behavior would be enough to put anyone off. No sane adult liked getting yelled at for actions that weren't their fault, especially from their boss.

By the gods, you were a literal saint. And MK would be damn well lying if he said he wasn't head over heels in love, and that was saying something.

But, no. You still smiled at MK every morning when clocking in for work, and you still laughed at his bad jokes and horrible flirting lines. The rare off chance you two spoke, you were always so nice, not even bringing up the fact he'd gotten you into so much trouble over and over again.

“You're going on your lunch break?” He asked, waiting outside for you to show your face once again. Today had been his day off, but with Mei busy and the city surprisingly peaceful for the time, what better way to spend it than with you?

The question was a bit…too obvious, honestly. Of course you'd be going on your lunch break at this hour, how would he not know when he worked for Pigsy at the same time?? Plus, it's not like he hadn't hassled Pigsy before about your work hours and the time you'd take your breaks so…

You raised your head and glanced at him, nodding slightly. “Yes. Would you like to join me?”

In his head, MK was jumping for joy. He had been planning on asking you if he should join, but then you went right ahead and invited him first. This was progress at its finest, and MK was nabbing at this opportunity faster than lightning.

Just as quickly, he responded, “I mean, if you wouldn't mind me, I don't mind! Like, if you want me, haha….”

He could imagine Mei looking down at him in disappointment. <Seriously, confidence is key. You're the Monkie Kid, what do you have to be worried about!?

That was easy for her to say! She was always cool, unlike MK who'd embarassing himself in front of you so many times….

Lost in thought, he hadn't realized you'd stopped walking until he nearly tripped over a table. You had the kindness to grab at him before he fell, offering your sweet, signature smile while he took a seat, nervously laughing.

“So….”

“So…”

How awkward. MK played with his sleeves, watching you pop open a box of noodles from Pigsy and eat. How the fuck do you even start conversations again?

As if you read his mind, you raised your head and gave him another smile. How he wished he had a notebook and pen around, if only to sketch you with such a peaceful expression.

“You can speak, if you'd like,” you said assuringly, picking up a mushroom from your bowl. MK was never a fan of vegetables, but watching you stick it into your mouth made him wonder if he should try eating some. “I'll listen. ‘kay?”

So thoughtful. “O..okay…”

And boy did MK speak. He chattered endlessly about anything that came to mind, gauging how you reacted carefully. Sometimes, you'd finish chewing to comment or too, other times, your expression would change with whatever he was talking about, nodding along in agreement with his peeves and then shaking your head when someone else supposedly did him wrong.

At some point, he'd completely trailed off topic, staring at your lips wrapped around your chopstick. He was technically still yapping, except that now―

“What did you just say?”

He blinked.

What…..what had he been talking just now? Was it something that upsetted you!? Fuck, he's such an idiot, allowing his mouth to blabber―

“You…like me?”

….

…

MK stood to bolt.

It turned out you were a lot faster than you gave him credit for. You had already grabbed him by the collar, yanking him backwards and onto the seat―this time, next to you.

“MK.”

Dear god, he wanted to disappear. Why hadn't Monkey King taught him one of his 72 transformations?? Fleeing from this situation would be a whole lot faster….

“MK.” You repeated his name, turning his head to look at you. “I heard you, you know.”

MK sighed. “Listen, I'm so sorry―”

“Why? Who said I didn't like you too?”

“―like, I know, I know, you're not here for relationships or any of that sort, and I shouldn't―what did you just say?”

You smiled slightly. “I said, I like you too.”

“Oh.”

“...”

“...”

And then MK fainted.

“MK? Are you alright?”

@lotusarchon , 28.11.2024, all rights reserved. do not copy, repost or translate my works without permission. comments, reblogs and likes are appreciated!

[shogunish]

𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀.

synopsis. “you made me feel like i was a threat to you.”

contents. a bit of angst, comfort, miscommunication/lack of communication, implied friends-to-lovers, soft! satoru, takes place after the star plasma vessel incident, satoru's trauma response, unedited, something i whipped up on a whim lmao

wc. 1.3k

note. had a sudden urge to write this when i watched dazai edits and i hope i'll find more inspiration to write like..i just wanna be consistent for once 🥲

comments and reblogs are highly appreciated! <3

the inverted spear of heaven was no more.

the star plasma vessel incident — mainly toji fushiguro — had carved its mark into satoru’s flesh. after satoru had killed the man, he had made sure to destroy the cursed tool until not even ashes remained of the sharp blade that used to spill the blood of innocents.

it was almost like the sorcerer wanted to destroy the things that could destroy him.

however, he failed to notice how he had almost destroyed his relationship with you, too.

no longer did satoru wrap you up in his bear hugs. no longer did he let you rest your head on his shoulder on movie night. no longer were you welcome in his space.

always were you kept at an arm’s length. satoru was close enough to admire but so far out of reach like the constellation of stars dotting the night sky. what you thought was no more than a phase turned out to be so much more until, in the safety of your bedroom and underneath your blankets, your vision blurred with tears.

if the sun wasn't there, the moon would remain hidden in the vast void of space. and without satoru, you couldn't shine, either. in fact, your smile dimmed until it was almost extinguished by the pain satoru put you through — but it wasn’t his fault. or so you'd like to tell yourself.

satoru had danced with death when he was meant to only protect a girl.

you couldn't possibly blame him.

after all, you could neutralize the only thing that kept him safe.

the ability to nullify any cursed technique upon touch was as convenient as it was, literally, cursed. with zero offensive abilities, you always relied on satoru or suguru to cover for you in case your plans didn't work out. one miscalculation and your head would roll — that much you knew.

among every student attending jujutsu high, you were the weakest while satoru was the strongest.

it was enough to tie your fate to satoru, weaving a web of complicated feelings which usually tasted like those sugary gummy bears the sorcerer carried with him. it was sweet and warm like his embrace, but the blade of toji fushiguro had effortlessly cut through the fine webs. nothing but a cold void remained where laughter and silly inside jokes about digimon danced along the velvety threads.

almost like a black hole that swallowed the constellation in the skies, leaving behind broken galaxies and lonely stars that swallowed moons to fill the loss of their companions.

“he's so stupid,” you muttered to yourself, threw the teddy bear in your arms into the corner of your bed and sat up to blow your nose.

the teddy bear was a polar bear adorned with button eyes and a red bow tied around its fluffy neck. it looks like you, you had mindlessly said during last year's summer festival. satoru had spent the entire evening shooting little rubber ducks to earn enough points to win the silly bear, but it was worth it for your eyes lit up like the fireworks that followed soon after.

the clock read two am when you poured boiling hot water into a cup of instant ramen, ripped open the package of spice and stirred the meal with disinterest written all over your face. not even the scent of cheap cup noodles made your tummy growl anymore. how could it when it was so full of dread, guilt and worry for the sorcerer who stole your heart and refused to give it back? it was an unfair bargain, really.

just a moment later, you heard a knock on your door. you considered ignoring it and pretending to be asleep, but alas, the lights were on and likely snuck through underneath the crack of the door to your dorm. what kind of idiot knocked on your door at two am?

satoru — the only idiot who'd knock on your door in the middle of the night and look like a kicked puppy.

“satoru? it's two am..,” you spoke first, standing between him and the warmth of your dorm.

satoru didn't look like satoru. even through the pitch black glasses of his shades could you see the storm brewing in those sky-blues of his. with a sigh, he rubbed his neck. “why does everyone keep telling me how late it is? ah, no matter.”

you wanted to ask, but decided against it.

“look, i know it's late, but i can't help but think you've been avoiding me for the last couple of what? weeks? months?” satoru shifted his weight from one fuzzy slipper to the other. “was it something i said?”

in that very moment, you realized you were doing the same things as he was. as soon as class was over, you'd go home alone. you'd have lunch alone. you'd spend your weekends alone. all those things once were shared with satoru in your space, but as soon as he avoided you..you avoided him, too out of fear of getting hurt.

“satoru..don't you realize that you've been avoiding me first?” your voice was quiet as you hugged your middle. “ever since the incident and the destruction of that cursed tool, you always kept me at arm's length. you no longer let me get any closer nor do you spar with me anymore. nothing..”

“you made me feel like i was a threat to you.”

a painful epiphany coiled in satoru's stomach like a snake. was he so busy destroying the devil's tools and refining his technique that he..forgot about about you? the person who'd steal his fries and snore on his shoulder on movie night? no, no way. he would never see you as a threat even though your touch could dissolve his infinity like sugar when it touched water.

“[name], that's not..” the words got stuck in his throat. for the first time in his life, he was speechless. “you are anything but a threat.”

“then why..” tears brimmed your eyes until they overflowed, ran down the apples of your cheeks and met the warmth of satoru’s thumb. it was not his stupid infinity wiping the tears away, but satoru himself.

to be touched by satoru felt like the first sunrays of spring gracing your skin. warm, familiar and hinting at the end of a long, unforgiving winter that had taken root in your belly. soft sobs bubbled in the back of your throat, rocking your shoulders and interrupting every word you wanted to say; how stupid he was, how much you missed him, how much you needed him.

“shh..say no more,” satoru whispered and took you in his strong arms so you could sob into his chest all you wanted.

satoru didn't care about the tears or snot wetting his shirt. all that mattered was the feeling of you in his arms, and even though it pained him to know that he caused those tears, this was better than receiving your cold shoulder and dismissive smiles.

quietly, you and satoru went back inside the warmth of your dorm where both of you shared some cheap cup ramen which satoru spiced up with some peppers, egg and a conversation which neither of you would remember in the morning to come. no amount of time seemed to have passed between you as you both laughed, bickered and exchanged glances like lovers-to-be would.

“what are you doing?,” you asked, long comfortable underneath the sheets of your bed — or you would be if satoru didn't hold them up and almost looked offended by your words.

“sleeping with you, duh,” he said like it was the most normal thing in the world and maybe it was.

ignoring your protests and pouts, satoru crammed himself into bed with you, one arm around your waist and the other one underneath your head. his broad chest gently pressed against your back, his warmth enveloped you like a blanket.

“you're stupid,” you smiled to yourself while a blush as red as roses crept up your cheeks.

“and you're lucky i love you,” satoru grumbled underneath his breath, blowing some strands of your hair away from his nose and mouth so he wouldn't suffocate while holding you so tight.

taglist. @torusmochi, @cinnamonmon

[thirteenthdoor]

What's For Dinner Inside The Doors?

Enjoy a romantic first dinner date in the Snow Village.

The Snow Village mostly does not have formalized meals in the way many of the other doors do. It is also the only one that visibly gives the players access to a kitchen. These two things may be related.

When our boys arrive, everyone is in one of two spots: either around the table or down by the fire pit. The fire pit always has kettles and cauldrons heating over it, though it's hard to say what's in them, because nobody ever interacts with them. The guys at the table are definitely eating something, and it's probably from one of the two big bowls of nuts and seeds that we'll see later.

Also, their coats are just hanging right on that hook. They're just right there. You could have taken them at any time. But nooo, you had to be all romantic about it.

The table has a large bowl of sunflower seeds, a smaller bowl of peanuts, and another large bowl which is presumably where you're supposed to put the shells when you're done with both. Judging by the state of the table, it seems none of those players got the memo on that. No wonder the innkeeper is so willingly murdering them.

(Note: I'm only like 50% certain that they're actually sunflower seeds. They could be any number of edible shelled seeds! But because I grew up on the X-Files, I can't not see them as sunflower seeds.)

The only real, actual meal inside this door happens not because the door serves it, but because Ruan Nanzhu asks the new cute boy to cook for him, and Lin Qiushi is already powerless to resist. It's great -- it's the first dang episode, they're having a semi-fight about what a mysterious jerk Nanzhu is being, Nanzhu whines at Qiushi to make him something to eat, and like ten seconds later, Qiushi is merrily boiling noodles and finding them matching coats. Few boys have ever been so instantly smitten.

(The first time I watched the show, I took Lin Qiushi at his word whenhe said he'd gotten the coats from the receptionist. But since they were clearly just right over there on the wall, I have to conclude he is making a funny joke.)

Anyway, now we're cooking noodles! Noodles with lots of delicious fresh vegetables -- carrots and bok choy, it looks like.

It's a great little kitchen! I would love to have this kitchen! (Ooh, and look, it's got the Sister Drum medicine woman's little powder-grinding mill there by the window.)

There's even a cute little mug tree for everyone's coffee mugs. Rustic and charming! The reviews on TripAdvisor give it a 4.6, which is really good for a place with such a high body count.

And speaking of body counts, there is a slight delay between making the noodles and eating them, on account of a dead body on the roof. That settled, though, the two of them come back down and have a nice little chat over Lin Qiushi's apparently very competent cooking.

As they leave, Ruan Nanzhu grabs a handful of sunflower seeds from the bowl on the table. Lin Qiushi sees this and grabs two handfuls, because why not, I guess? I don't think we ever see Lin Qiushi eating them, but Ruan Nanzhu is definitely munching on his while being a brat and absolutely not helping Lin Qiushi cut down a tree.

After the shrine incident, everyone's gathered back around the fire pit. Ruan Nanzhu, Xiong Qi, and that other guy are both sipping from little bowls -- but we get one shot of the bowl's contents, and maybe it's just tea or hot water, or even Xiong Qi's booze? It could be some kind of broth, though, so we'll keep it as a dinner possibility.

The only full-ish group meal we see happens the next morning. The big bowl of sunflower seeds has been joined by a bowl of porridge and a pile of steamed buns. The innkeeper is fussing around in the kitchen, dusting things and wiping down bowls, so it's possible we're meant to interpret this as her having cooked.

And it doesn't really count as a meal, but Lin Qiushi is sulking at the table with the bowls of sunflower seeds and peanuts after he tells Ruan Nanzhu he wants to be alone. Xiong Qi didn't get that memo, though, because he comes and sits down with his own bowl of what looks like stir-fried vegetables over rice. To make up for the intrusion, though, he brings a peace offering of alcohol served in one of the same bowls people were drinking from earlier. It makes Lin Qiushi choke. It seems like our baby is not a big drinker.

Also, there is that large, dark, funnel-shaped dish with a wooden lid on the table that somehow magically appears between the time Ruan Nanzhu leaves and the time Xiong Qi arrives. There are little wisps rising from it like it contains something warmer than the air, but I cannot for the life of me, from any angle, tell what it is. I'd say it contains whatever Xiong Qi is eating, but his bowl is already full by the time he brings it over, so ... beats me.

......Oh, that's a feather duster. I was about to say 'if they need a late-night snack, at least they've got a ristra hanging by the bed,' but no, it's a feather duster, don't eat that.

We also get one bonus shot of what this village considers a normal family-style meal! It looks extremely wholesome. Definitely more wholesome than just setting out a couple bowls of sunflower seeds and making your guests cook their own meals. But I guess that's what you get for booking an AirBnB instead of a regular B&B.

[dont-leafmealone]

What is UP? brand new Kazula/Azutara oneshot! G, no warnings except extreme pettiness <3 read on ao3 using the link above or under the cut below!

"Look, Katara, I'm just saying you could give it a chance."

Katara rolled her eyes, shifting her phone to her shoulder while she checked the price on a box of instant noodles and compared it to the quantity. "Jet, the last time you set me up with one of your exes, I ended up with food poisoning."

"Not my fault Jin can't make an omelet. She's good at everything that matters."

Katara wrinkled her nose. Not at Jet's crude implication — though that was a factor — but because it was nearly six dollars for two servings of noodles. She put the box back on the shelf. "Well, I'm not interested in a repeat of the incident."

"For the record, this one's not my ex. She's a friend from work, new to the area, and she's had a little trouble connecting with people. I think you'll like her." 

Katara let Jet dwell on her skeptical silence. After a moment, he said, "She's also my ex's sister."

"There it is." She rolled her eyes and looked over her grocery list. "I'll think about it, alright?"

"Alright, cool. 'Ru's gonna be home in a little bit, I oughta get started on dinner."

"Bye, say hi to Haru for me."

"Will do, sweetheart. Catch ya later."

She hung up the phone and started to push her shopping cart out of the aisle. As she rounded the corner, she nearly collided with a woman aggressively texting. Katara gasped and pulled the cart up short, and the woman looked up, glaring at her. 

"Watch it," she snapped, brushing her silky hair behind her ear with a manicured hand. "You very nearly ran me over."

Katara bristled. "Get your nose out of your phone. It's a crowded store."

The woman scowled. She pushed past Katara's cart, knocking it into the neighboring shelf. Boxes fell to the floor, and Katara tamped down a growl of frustration. 

What a bitch, she thought, putting the boxes back on the shelf. 

She wheeled her cart to the next aisle, the unpleasant interaction soon nearly forgotten as she compared prices on canned soups.

"Hey, Sokka?" 

"Yeah?" Sokka poked his head into the kitchen, raising his safety glasses. He set down the power drill he was using to re-hinge the door, since the landlord had yet to return any of the calls on the subject, the prick. 

"Which one of Jet's exes had a sister?" Katara asked, nose buried in a cookbook as she stirred a pan of sauce on the stove. Sokka frowned.

"Not another one of his blind dates," he said. 

"Double date this time," Katara confirmed without looking up, pursing her lips. "Him and Haru, with me and Mystery Girl."

Sokka frowned, thinking.  "I think Ty Lee had a few sisters," he said, pulling off his work gloves to examine the blister forming on his thumb. "And...Zuko has a half-sister, but she's in middle school."

"Huh." Katara put down the cookbook, rooting through a drawer. "I guess we'll find out."

Sokka shook his head. He didn't get at all why Katara kept trying — there were, in his opinion, better ways to meet people than through Jet. But did little sisters ever listen? 

No, he thought, pulling his gloves back on and adjusting his glasses. No, they do not.

"​​What do you think?"

"It's nice," Zuko said, not looking up from his phone. Azula scowled, crossing her arms in a way that wouldn't wrinkle the dress.

"You didn't even look."

Zuko glanced up. "It's a little dressy."

Azula frowned, looking down at her clothes; she'd picked an elegant, but understated, calf-length dress in a flattering burgundy, on the less flashy side of her wardrobe. It was even one she had worn in public before. "What do you mean?" 

"You look like you're going to an office meeting. Tone it down." 

"I'm meant to be making a first impression," she said. 

"It's Jet's ex. He's not really known for batting out of his league."

"What does that say about you?" she retorted, earning a middle finger raised in her direction. 

"I think you look nice," Kiyi piped up, taking off her headphones. 

"Great. Now I have to change." 

Kiyi stuck her tongue out, putting the headphones back on. Azula rolled her eyes; her siblings could be so immature. 

"Try that one with the blue on it," Zuko said. "Jet said the girl likes blue."

"That one with the blue on it," Azula quoted. "That narrows it down marvelously."

"The one that doesn't make you look like you're running for Congress," he added. 

She rolled her eyes, striding to her room. Her closet door stood ajar, her other options on display — moving into Mother's house had drastically limited her storage space, forcing her to downsize her wardrobe. She easily found the dress Zuko had referred to, a shorter, much more casual red dress with electric blue beading and embroidery around the neck and hemline. 

Azula hung the dress on the closet door, surveying her current outfit in the full-length mirror. Loath as she was to admit it, Zuko had a point. She did look somewhat political for a first date. Sighing, she picked out the heels that went with the red dress and set them at the end of her bed. 

This had better be worth the trouble, she thought as she changed into her pajamas. 

"Where is this place you're heading to?" Sokka asked as he dug through his backpack for Katara's bus pass. She took her eyes off the mirror for a second to check her phone. 

"The Thai place up the road, you know the one where you and Suki went on your anniversary?"

"Seems pricy for a blind date," Sokka said skeptically. Katara shrugged, checking that her mascara was dry. 

"Jet said he knows a guy."

"I do not trust that man any further than I could throw him," Sokka said. "Here's your bus pass," he added, putting it down on the table in front of her.

"Thanks, Sokka." Katara yanked on her brother's ponytail as he walked past, earning a startled yelp and a glare. 

"Go meet your stupid date," he grumbled, pulling her in for a hug. 

As the bus pulled up to the stop and Katara stepped off, her phone buzzed, a text coming in from Haru's number. 

- hey. not gonna make it tonight. flat tire. 

Katara frowned. As far as she knew, Jet didn't even have a car, and took the bus, like her. And Haru biked wherever he went. Something was fishy about this.

You guys don't even have a car. -

​​​​​​- all the buses. flat tires on all of them. sorry </3

Katara ground her teeth. Haru did not send analog emojis. Nor would he lie in such an obvious way just to get on her nerves.

Jet, give Haru's phone back to him. -

And cut the bullcrap. -

- Sorry, katara. Jet's sick and he refuses to admit it but we're pretty sure going out is a no-go tonight, sorry.  - You should go ahead though, let us know how your date goes. 

Katara bit her lip, stifling a groan of frustration. Half the reason she had agreed to the date was the expectation of having Jet and Haru there as a buffer. But at the same time, she knew it'd be totally rude to cancel just because they wouldn't be there. It occurred to her that she didn't have Mystery Girl's number, meaning she couldn't cancel even if she wanted to, except by standing her up — which was so not an option.

Great. Guess we're doing this. 

She squared her shoulders and marched up to the Thai restaurant. 

The reserved table for four was in the back of the restaurant, on a balcony overlooking the street below. It was a pretty view, lots of neon lights and window decor, if you could get past the light pollution. 

Katara had been sitting alone for the better part of ten minutes, sipping water and waiting for her date to show up, and was beginning to wonder if she had been stood up — Mystery Girl had to have gotten a text from Jet too. What if she'd decided not to risk meeting Katara without that buffer?

Katara was starting to consider cutting her losses and eating alone when the hostess approached the table, followed by a short, dark-haired young woman that Katara thought she recognized.

It wasn't until the woman had sat down, brushing her hair behind her ear with delicate, manicured nails that Katara realized why. 

"You," she said, at the same time the woman looked up and hissed, "You."

All Katara could think was that Jet was one twisted bastard. 

Azula couldn't believe Jet had set her up with this — this woman. It had to be a sick practical joke, right? Some stupid way of getting back at her for something. He'd orchestrated this simply because he knew it would piss her off, and —

Azula stopped. No, she told herself, cutting off that paranoid train of thought before it could derail. There is absolutely no way he could know about that. You're not under 24/7 surveillance, and especially not by Jet. You could kill him with a pinky nail. 

She took deep breaths, running through these affirmations until she had managed to clear her head. 

"This was obviously a mistake," Azula said, picking up her handbag as she stood.

"Obviously," the other woman said, an irritated edge to her voice. "I'm supposed to be meeting a date here."

"As am I." ​​​​​Azula looked the woman up and down; far from her more slovenly appearance in the grocery store earlier in the week, Azula had to admit she looked quite elegant, her midnight blue off-shoulder dress complementing her brown skin. She shook off the momentary distraction. "Clearly one of us was given the wrong table."

"Well, it wasn't me," the woman said testily. 

"You're dining alone at a table for four," Azula pointed out. 

"It was a double date, but — never mind, I don't have to explain to you," the woman said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Meanwhile, dread settled in Azula's stomach. She closed her eyes, sighing. 

"Is there any chance this was a blind date, organized by a certain Jet Andal?" she asked, hoping she was wrong. The woman's eyes widened. 

"You're kidding." 

"I'm afraid I'm not," Azula said. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though."

The woman's gaze darkened. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Jet isn't particularly choosy about the company he keeps," Azula said. 

The woman stood up, scowling. "Obviously not," she snapped, picking up the purse and jacket that were hung over her seat.

She stormed off, the doors of the restaurant swinging shut behind her.

Azula scoffed and sat back down, picking up the menu the woman had left. She was going to kill Jet, but first she was going to at least get a meal out of this. 

It had been nearly an hour since Katara had left the restaurant, teary-eyed. Despite her skepticism, she had really hoped this date would work out; that hope went out the window, though, and she had comforted herself with dinner from the Mexican grill on the corner. Now, Katara's bus was delayed, and it was about to start raining. She huddled under the bus stop awning, watching the road. 

Somebody joined her on the bench. She looked up, and scowled. 

"What do you want?"

"I informed Jet that the arrangement went awry," the woman said, in a somewhat clipped tone. "He informed me that I was being rude and petty, and that I should apologize. Apparently you're a nice person, or something."

She looked down at her lap, picking at her nails, and it was then that Katara realized she was embarrassed. 

"So. I'm sorry," she went on. "I hope your next date goes better."

Katara swallowed. "Thanks," she managed to say. "I hope yours does, too."

There was a peal of thunder, and the forecasted rain began pouring down. 

The woman turned to Katara, offering her hand. "I'm Azula, by the way."

Katara looked up, shaking her hand after a moment. "Katara."

"Oh. Jet's ex with the brother." Azula's expression softened, and she nodded. "It's nice to meet you. I wish it had been under better circumstances."

"Yeah, you too."

The bus finally rolled up to the stop. Katara sighed and picked up her purse.

"Wait."

She turned back to Azula, who had her phone out of her purse. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to exchange numbers," Azula said. "You don't have to, but...well, I've had trouble getting to know people in the city. And I've only heard high praise from our mutual acquaintances."

Katara hesitated. A minute ago, she would have flat-out refused, but...

"I've been rude and petty too," Katara said. "I'm sorry. I'd be happy to get to know you better."

She took Azula's phone and entered her number, allowing Azula to enter her contact into Katara's phone.

"Azula Huo?" she asked when she took her phone back. "Are you related to Zuko?"

Azula gave a theatrically put-upon sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear. "By some insane luck on his part. I'm his sister."

"I didn't know he had another sister," Katara said.

Azula's eyes seemed to sadden a little, though her cool smile didn't waver. "Our family's complicated. I'm sure you've heard enough about it from him."

Katara really hadn't; Zuko wasn't forthcoming about a lot when it came to his family, except for bits and pieces, but it seemed like Azula didn't want to get into it, so Katara nodded and left it at that.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer," Azula said. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"You too," Katara said, waving as she climbed on the bus.

She arrived home to silence, the lights already out in Sokka's room down the hall. She quietly toed off her shoes, creeping up to her bedroom.

Moments after she put her phone on the charger, there was a buzz as she received a text from Jet.

- did azula apologize? I told her she was being a petty bitch, but she never listens to me

Katara rolled her eyes and texted back.

Yes, she apologized. I did too. -

- any chance you'll agree to a double date next week then? - I might have already told azula you were going. she might have already agreed ;) - you must've made a real impression

Katara fought off a furious blush. The nerve he had.

I'd be happy to. - As long as you don't cancel last minute again! -

- like i'd miss that.

Azula took a deep breath, pausing to check in the window that her outfit was still in place before entering the restaurant. It was several thousand dollars below the price range she was accustomed to, but it was a change she would have to adapt to in her new life.

She followed the hostess to the table in the back. Haru and Jet were already seated across from one another — tragically underdressed for the venue — and looking so disgustingly in love that Azula briefly considered leaving. She instead slid into a seat beside Haru, picking up a menu.

"Has Katara not arrived yet?"

Jet looked up. "She said she'd be late. Buses are running slow tonight."

Azula nodded shortly, trying to hide her disappointment and worry — what if Katara had decided not to show up at all? She had been pleasant enough during their last text exchange, but what if Azula had said something off-putting, and Katara was too polite to point it out, so she instead decided to blow off the date and make an excuse, and it was all —

"Hi! Sorry I'm late, the bus got held up."

Azula looked up as Katara sat across from her, tossing her brown waves over her shoulder.

"You're just in time," she said, relief coursing through her. Take that, paranoia. Not everything is a catastrophe. "I only just got here."

"I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting too long, then." Katara smiled, and Azula was a little ashamed at how quick the butterflies took flight in her stomach.

"Shall we order drinks?" she suggested, louder than she meant, glaring when Jet smirked.

"Good idea," Katara agreed quickly, opening her menu with a smile.

[wolven91]

The Distant Anniversary

The anniversary day of the Sol-3 Incident came and went, with some observing the celebration and others not. Enough time had passed that the pain was no more, nor even remembered. Those that were alive on the day were no more, their children who were told the stories of their home planet saw that history as just that, a story and history. Steven just shrugged and moved on with his life, there was no need to observe a day that neither he nor his grandparents were even alive for thanks to how far back it was.

Steven had spent the day blissfully unaware with his ward, they'd played hide and seek and wandered the gardens enjoying an unusually balmy autumn day. They wouldn't be able to do that on this day however, as autumn was truly in effect and a cold wind battered the modest mansion in which the human was respectfully employed.

The history of yesterday played on Steven's mind, however. He wasn't ignorant to human and ssypno history; they were so interweaved that there were entire degrees just trying to document those first few weeks and months and the resulting fallout of such a cultural upheaval. Not to mention the sordid history of the uncountable humans who had been inside ssypno territories before humanity had been 'discovered'.

'Nobles' in ssypno culture used to have a far greater and a certainly corrupted reach when compared to the current day. The 'Leashing' ssypno called it when the nobles were originally brought down several pegs before humanity was the first step. Their monarch had not been gentle in the first instance, and she certainly wasn't any more delicate in the years that followed. All The Queen had been waiting for was for the general public opinion on humans and their right to freedom to align with her majesty's goals, then came the bloody 'realignment' of the nobles.

Steven shook his head as he reached his ward's room. It didn't matter now; the turmoil of those days was over and for the most part only positive things came from it. A middle class, a dying noble class, the monarchy seemingly taking a step back now that the ssypno people were not being exploited and of course; humanity being treated as equals.

"Morning Noodle!" The man stage whispered into the darkened room, something stirred within.

At this voice the blinds started to change from opaque to translucent, before gently transitioning too completely transparent. The man was assaulted by an anaconda sized serpent child that immediately climbed his legs, wrapped its tail around his waist and four arms hugged him tightly. The child's head and hood rested against the side of the man's neck. He staggered back somewhat but was expecting this. The child was barely out of infancy and yet was already nearly as big as he was.

Steven wrapped his own two arms around the boy and returned the loving hug.

"Well! You're in a good mood today!" The human exclaimed, recalling that when he had put the child down to bed, they had been quite adamant they weren't tired.

Humans were preferred nannies by ssypnos. This mostly thanks to a human's biology. Higher body temperature and a lack of fur meant that humans transferred heat to scales far more efficiently than even a specifically designed heating mat. Humanity was perfect for keeping a ssypno child comfortable and, thanks to all that lovely heat, the child actively didn't want to disengage from the human in question. A child that is hardwired to seek out a nanny was something that countless races had wished for, for millennia. Human nannies were one of the most well-paid employees within the ssypno hegemony.

The literally cold-blooded serpents really only needed two things to grow big and strong. Heat and food. If a ssypno had these throughout their lives in ready supply, there technically was no upper limit to how big they could get or how old they could become. Her Majesty was evidence of that; she spent her days submerged at the palace now, her size making it difficult for her to move about her world. A noble home that wanted their child to grow, would obviously seek out a human precisely so their child could have the best start as a ssypno's size was, culturally, directly tied, to their 'success'. No different from human's flaunting expensive toys, a ssypno would flaunt their size.

So, humans always had a job in ssypno territory these days and Steven happily stepped up to the task.

A far cry from the human smuggling or slavery days, Steven chuckled wryly to himself as he walked from the child's room with the young boy tightly coiled around the man thanks to the chill that permeated the expansive home despite the modern insulation.

"Shall we watch a film today?" He asked the child who simply nodded against the man still pushing the top of his skull and hood up against the human's chin.

With humans being so highly sought after, they enjoyed a fantastic popularity amongst ssypno-kind. Steven considered that it was almost a celebrity level status. No, not almost; he was a celebrity wherever he went these days.

Another side effect, was that humanity as a whole, was the first independent state, that was not only allies with the Ssypno Hegemony, but who's territory was within the Hegemony's sphere of influence as well without being consumed. The Ssypno Hegemony had a whole history of aggressive expansion and absorption of their neighbours and yet, centuries after Sol-3's destruction and humanity's scattering, 'The Human Territories' appeared on maps across the stars as a single system reserved for humans by the ruling monarch all those decades ago. She dedicated to a human she apparently knew who had died of old age at her side.

Some called it a 'reserve' or a 'zoo' and avoided it, others thanked the ssypno monarch and enjoyed the protection offered by the fleets that just so happened to pop up in the adjacent systems. Nobody with ill intentions went after that system and it was just enough, to prevent humanity from dying out, even if we still toed the line all these years later.

Still, as the human and the young ssypno sat and laughed at 'Iggy and the Community Bunch', a cartoon about a human getting into mischief with the long-suffering Guardians running after them, Steven had to admit, whatever the suffering of the past; he was glad they'd made it to this moment at least.

[tobyislame]

some more ticci toby headcanons

once again consider this a headcanon salad i'm still figuring out how to format these

- in my canon he's from minnesota. he just feels like a minnesotan

- also in my canon he lives in a shoddy little abandoned cabin in the woods (header image is along the lines of what i think it would look like). the mansion still exists he just chooses not to reside there cus he'd much rather have his own space that he can control

- never has the big lights on in his house cus it makes him crazy. instead there's just headless lamps/lanterns/candles strewn all over

- best believe the place is messy as shit. imagine if a 16 year old boy was allowed to be a homeowner. yea pretty fucking vile right

- his place just smells like raw wood and weed you walk in it just slaps you in the face

- all of his clothes have that vague cigarette smell on them

- he smells like pinecones and wet soil (on a good day)

- thinks axe masks the fact that he hardly showers unfortunately

- also thinks just using mouthwash is the same as brushing your teeth unfortunately

- honestly he's just super shit at taking care of himself, especially since his body lacks the tools to queue him in on some stuff

- like how cipa causes him not to feel hunger. he can't recognize when he's hungry so he often goes way too long between meals

- he has a little notebook where he keeps track of when he eats. it's meant to help him know when he should eat something but he consistently forgets to keep up with it

- he just isn't equipped with any of the tools necessary to take care of himself, both physically and mentally. he's in pretty bad shape, some extra help would probably do him good

- realistically with how much he disregards self-preservation he'd be fucking dead by now so he isn't entirely helpless. he knows he's accident-prone so he keeps first aid shit with him at all times, he knows blood means bad and that he should probably stop what he's doing that is making the blood happen, he knows to scan over himself every once in a while to check for unnoticed injuries and such, etc etc.

- cus of the gaping gash in his cheek he has to eat foods that are compatible with his disfigurement. he also always has to drink through a straw

- he does not like waffles. he does like pancakes however

- interestingly those with cipa have a lower sensitivity to capsaicin so he eats spicy stuff like a fuckin CHAMP. someone gave him one of those samyang noodles to try yk the one that's hot as BALLS and he was just like "i mean yea it's good"

- he's kind of just always covered head to toe with bandages. i think he'd have an excoriation (skin picking) disorder so he HAS to keep his arms and hands wrapped up, otherwise he'll just obsessively pick/bite/gnaw at his skin

- the rest of his body is perpetually scattered with bandaids and such on account of how scraped up he gets just being himself

- on the night of The Incident he got caught up in the fire. flaring up his chest and a section of the left side of his body are burn scars. there are a conglomerate of reasons as to why toby doesn't like to have his shirt off in front of ANYBODY and that's just one of them

- his motor tics tend to be on the more violent side (throwing things, hitting himself, hitting others, etc). however, he's learned how to sort of guide his tics from being one thing to another if that makes sense? idk i'm speaking from my own experience here and tics are a really difficult thing to put into words but like. if he can tell he's about to throw the thing that's in his hand he'll take that feeling and try to turn it into something smaller, so instead of throwing the thing a less destructive tic will occur instead. if any of that made sense

- more often than not he's got an earbud in or his headphones on listening to music. he finds that it makes it much easier for him to make his way through the world. that and when he's listening to music he's noticed that he hardly ever tics (usually) so yk that's also a bonus

- spends a lot of his time climbing trees and hanging out in them. also spends a lot of his time trying to make friends with the animals of the forest. he's gotten a lot better at knowing how to approach raccoons and possums and stuff. he likes to leave food out for birds and squirrels and such

- it's funny because he tries to be this hard-ass dude but as soon as he spots a deer he becomes the most gentle thing on earth in that moment. he'd probably grab your shoulders whispering all like "oh dude deer- shhh shh" and force you to crouch with him and stuff lmao

- he's dubbed the one rabbit in those woods that isn't afraid of him "dandy warhol". yea he's real good with names

- he leaves food trails for dandy that lead to his house because he thinks that's how people get pets. he does not realize he's also leading every other animal in that forest to his home

- he may be stupid .

[gaymakima]

How good is STRQ when it comes to cooking?

woe. strq headcanons be upon thee.

Summer: We already know Summer at least was good at baking, arguably even great since that was one of her primary characteristics for years (and still kinda is 😭). Her desserts are legendary, to the point that they became something of a legend back in their Beacon days. This woman made baking into an art. Literally. She would bake some elaborate over-the-top cake as a hobby if given the tools and time.

But when it comes to anything other than baking? Uh. Well. She can make it look nice, at least, but the taste will either be the blandest thing you have ever tasted or a blend of flavours that REALLY don't mix well together because she decided to 'experiment'. She's not bad. It's edible. Sometimes even great! But her strength lies with desserts.

Taiyang: There has never been a more Grill Dad on Remnant. You put this man in front of a grill, give him some sausages and a pair of tongs and he will deliver the perfectly grilled barbeque you need. If Summer's expertise is dessert, his is dinner. And lunch, and breakfast, and—

Point is, Taiyang puts a lot of care into what he cooks and everyone's dietary needs. He's the one writing a meal plan every week and making sure his team has a balanced diet that compliments their lifestyle. He's shit at desserts but hey, he's packing their lunches for them, he can't be good at everything.

Raven: Surprisingly, pretty... decent? Because of his semblance, Qrow was often left out of hunting, foraging or even cooking in the camp—which was sort of bad seeing as the tribe's 'everybody out for themselves' mentality meant that they were likely hoping he'd just starve. This left Raven as the one who had to cook for the both of them, using what limited materials they had. She learnt all she could about poisonous plants and fungi, what she could find around her that was edible, how to make sure neither of them starved. If Taiyang is the health nut, Raven is the safety nut.

I think her (and Qrow too) would also hate wasting food, given how close they've come to dying of starvation many times before.

Qrow: Has a fear of cooking due to his semblance and many, many incidents in the past. Would much rather stick with 2 minute noodles instead thanks. Though, once someone drags his ass to the kitchen and starts teaching him how to cook, I think he'd be really into it. He'd push himself to learn until his cooking was on par with Taiyang's. The problem is for him to overcome that barrier and also make something that isn't a depression meal.

Just do NOT expect him to wash the dishes. This man will eat soup out of a shoe if he has to.

[spectralstitions]

Part 2 of my Silas design ramble post! This one gets more into the relationship Silas has with how he looks & his relationship with another important character...

That's right bitches it's CHILD SILAS!!!!!!! Oughghhu he is so little and soft I just want to pet his big ol ears and THROW HIM AROUND. These are drawn in order of toddler -> kid -> preteen -> mid-teens. I have SOOOO many different possible ideas floating around for Silas's upbringing so I'm going to TRY to be a little vague for the sake of not writing a massive amount. But I DO know that the name of Silas' caretaker is Faustus Rose, or Faust for short. So VAGUELY what I'm thinking is that Faust wants a kid so very desperately and Silas is like an answer to his prayers. But he ends up feeling very guilty about Silas for the rest of his life, thinking the fact he wanted this kid so bad makes him to blame for how hard his life ends up being. Yeah as you will soon see, Faust has all the constitution of a wet noodle and he's kinda just pathetic about everything.

The name "Silas" means "of the forest", and I think it's a name Faust would have chosen very intentionally. Like a prayer of some kind to have him turn out like any normal commonfolk kid. And although Faust is smitten with Silas and doesn't care that he's more or less raising an imp, A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE CARE. THEY CARE A LOT. The rest of his community has a very "what the actual hell is that burn it with fire now" attitude towards Silas. Well, once they find out about him, anyways. Faust is very secretive about him, but it becomes increasingly more difficult to hide an entire person as that person gets bigger and more curious about the world.

I dressed little baby in Silas in white because 1. my fauns historically lived in very deep dark woods with very little sunlight and dressing in dark colors meant camouflage from bad scary things. and 2. fauns love upholding traditions. So combining those two lore bits means fauns still wear all blacks and dark colors to this day and are basically not so subtly an entire civilization of goths. White and brighter colors in general are more associated with being easier to spot by dangerous things, so if I went with my idea of Silas being abandoned by his bio mother, it'd make sense that she'd have wrapped him in white to attract something to eat him.

In childhood, Silas' tail grows longer, but the appearance of his buttons makes Faust hopeful that Silas will at least grow antlers and that maybe he'll grow up to resemble fauns well enough to fit in with his peers mostly okay. It's a small bit of relief for him. Silas also comes into his very cheery, sweet, and curious nature, and so they have a couple of fun and hopeful years together. Silas does start to hear a few fucked up things firsthand, though it causes confusion more than anything as he's not quite self-aware enough to understand that he looks different from the people around him. And OOUUGHH I think when Silas first notices his buttons he gets SOOO excited and is always yapping about how excited he is to grow antlers just like Faust.

Eventually though Silas stars interacting with non-Faustus fauns out in the real world (He probably sneaks out to be real) and oh it does not go so well. By kids his own age, he's relentlessly and violently bullied, with a particular incident where his tail nearly gets cut off. And by adults he's treated like an actual freak and always assumed the worst of (picturing him trying to give someone a thing they dropped and they immediately assume he's a thief). It starts fucking him up real fast. Faust really pushes to have Silas stay indoors as much as possible and homeschools him as a part of this, but once the cat is let out of the bag so to speak they can't really fully go back to how things were.

Silas becomes uber-shy to the point of selective mutism for a few years and is pretty much guaranteed to be constantly scared and miserable unless he's with Faust which I'm sure does not establish any sort of alarming pattern of behavior at all. Faust's solution to Silas' problems is never to move away (he can't do that! he can't give up his position! *shoots him*) and it isn't to build up his self confidence. Instead he tries to help Silas find "solutions" to hide everything he doesn't like about himself and what he gets bullied for. That's most clearly seen in the fourth drawing, with the gloves and fake antler accessories (and his developing eye marks are covered by makeup). Oouughhh Like. Silas starting to freak out that some of his teeth are growing into fangs and becoming utterly hysterical over it, and Faust's response is "Oh no my sweet darling innocent baby angel this is so horrible and awful Oh this is so unfair. Don't worry my love I will teach you how to smile and talk without showing your teeth. Maybe we can even shave them down!" and OUUGHHHH THE ANGST OF "Is this happening to me because I'm a bad kid" and Faust getting speared through the heart LOL.

Silas also starts to prefer darker clothes and cloaks, partially because of the safety he feels in hiding and partially because it's more in line with typical faun fashion.

Once Silas starts noticing how different he looks from the people around him and how other people regard him, every single new development just completely shatters him and he considers the way he looks to be moral failing on his part. He's terrified of his own body -- Especially considering he has no reference point for what he's going to end up looking like. Eventually he just avoids looking at himself entirely. And Faust although very loving is also so soft and useless that he spends all those years kinda just reinforcing all of Silas's insecurities and feeling guilty without actually doing anything to help him.

Finlay coming into his life, not giving a second thought as to how he looks and describing to him a gigantic world out there full of people who look ten times weirder than he does, is the little thing that in the long run ends up turning his life around lol. Finlay is the first person he talks to outside of his own bubble and he quickly becomes obsessed with the notion of going on adventures around the world with people who are kind to him and maybe even finding other people who look like him. The reality of it ends up not being so black and white, but his belief that it IS is the only thing that keeps him going and gives him hope for the future. Even though it causes a lot more trouble down the line....

WELL. HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY SILAS RAMBLE. Writing this made me realize I have like ten thousand ideas for what his childhood could look like and I think I need to spend some time pouring over a google doc and dumping every last thought I have about him.

[dreamwreaver]

Yes! So many parallels indeed between Lucilith and Charlastor, it's actually crazy. It's been a long time since I rambled, things have been busy and sorry for how long this ask is!

Aside from the obvious height difference and personality contrast with their business partner/husband, Alastor and Lilith were gone for seven years.

What's very interesting about it is that Lilith and Lucifer built or ruled over hell together and her absence dealt a detrimental blow to Lucifer's state of mind and made him a neglectful king of hell. She has her own morally ambiguous plans like Alastor that would most likely make her betray her family.

While Charlie's hotel was hardly meeting success until Alastor showed up and given the hotel it's iconic name that she even kept despite it's way of mocking it and together they represent the mission and vision of the hotel. Even if Alastor isn't all that interested in the cause, there's also the fact if it weren't for him stationed at the hotel, Pentious wouldn't have showed up at the hotel to battle him and take Vox's orders which would lead to Charlie convincing him to join for the cause and end up being the first redeemed soul.

Alastor and Lilith are extremely pivotal to Charlie and Lucifer for their developments as leaders with responsibilities as Alastor is the ultimate challenge as a sinner for Charlie and Lilith will cause Lucifer to finally act upon his duties. I have seen some arguments about Vaggie being the Lilith to Charlie's Lucifer and even the show pushes that idea with "More Than Anything Reprise" but I personally don't think that's the case plotwise.

Vaggie doesn't have her own ideals or passion unlike Lilith who has her own goals and drive outside of Lucifer and wishes change just like her daughter. She's more of a supporter of Charlie rather than the inciter of her growth and she doesn't even have such high involvement when it comes to Charlie's progression of her character.

Alastor is obviously not meant to be the love interest but he has a strong purpose in Charlie's character and goals. He's a sinner just like Lilith, having the human experience and dark morals that Charlie needs to learn from him to understand the sinners she intends to redeem. He challenges her and teaches her to learn control, acting as her mentor to help her embrace her demonic traits she had neglected.

Vaggie is Lilith in the sense that she's the loving partner of her royal demon but that's just where the similarity lies. In terms of being her foil and catalyst for change, that's Alastor's part to play and there's no denying how alike he and Lilith are when it comes to their role in the plot.

—rambling nonnie

Hi there Rambley!

I'm sorry it took so long to get a response from me but this is such an interesting analysis and I really wanted to give it the time and consideration it deserves.

First off; you're right. You're just all the way, no bones about it right. I think people compare chaggie to lucilith because "angel and demon" except... that's not true. Lilith was human first. If Adam is the first man, Lilith is the first sinner. The first to fall; the first to become a demon. Technically Charlie isn't even a full on demon, she's a Nephilium at best; half angel and half demon.

Also, I'm gonna say this; Alastor is performing all the emotional labor parts of a relationship. Not that Vaggie isn't doing anything at all. But a canon relationship shouldn't be the fucking noodle incident of a show. Side note; for an in depth explanation of a noodle incident check out OSP's trope talk on the topic. But very basically a noodle incident is an implied event/shenanigan that is referenced off screen but never actually explained. It's meant to help provide depth to a character based on how they react. And the point of a noodle incident is that it is NEVER fully explained because whatever the audience comes up with will always be better than what the writers could.

Why does chaggie feel like a noodle incident relationship? Because we're told all the time they're loving partners, perfectly suited and matched, and shoved as a pair into our faces every five minutes. And you know what? If the show itself actually backed this up with their on screen dynamic I'd be fine with it. Canonnicity is not any reason why I ship so my preferred ship being canon would not mean I dislike the canon one. However, the problem I have is that we're are consistently told that their relationship is perfect and flawless and not even the revelation that vaggie is an exorcist could break them apart. But what precisely is the foundation of their love that makes this so strong? Everything we see on screen only really shows that there are cracks in the bedrock. Vaggie claims to believe in Charlie's dream but treats the sinners under her "care" with passive contempt. She never takes an active role in helping with the goal of redemption of her own volition. Yes, she did the trust lesson but that was because Charlie sort of forced her into it and then when things go badly, which given Vaggie's backstory yes of course she'd believe that combat is the only way to know if you trust someone and yes it all worked out in the end, Vaggie isn't concerned about the fact that she put their employees and residents in danger of being harmed. She's concerned because she failed Charlie. She doesn't see herself as having any purpose beyond making Charlie's dreams come true.

Lilith's purpose was something she rejected originally. Even if the story itself is propaganda from her parents, Charlie knows that her parents CHOSE to be together. Even if it meant suffering eternal damnation. Lilith wanted to make sure that no one was denied choices, given a single purpose with no way to defect from it. Yes, Lucifer loves Lilith and misses her deeply, to the point that he shirks his duties as the ruler of Hell. But let's be clear; lilith's purpose is not to incite Lucifer to do his fucking job. She is plenty able to do things for herself. And if the current theory is right she's in heaven because she was inspiring demon kind to rise up against the injustices doled to them by Heaven. Lilith saw a corrupt system and her first instinct was to take it down.

Seven years she's been gone, and yet Lucifer still wears his wedding ring, and keeps it CLEAN. Like, animation is very intentional, and in a character whose palette is black, white, red, and a pale yellow, the gold of his wedding band sticks out. They could have made it tarnished, something he kept on a chain around his neck. But they didn't. And the thing is that Lilith isn't the only motivation for him to take action. Charlie finally begins to reconcile with him and he sets up the meeting in heaven. Her life is in danger and he immediately poofs into existence to save his daughter. Lucifer does not live for the purpose of someone else. In fact, he also defected from his original purpose; a role which in heaven now seems to have been taken over by Emily.

Back to Alastor doing most of the emotional labor that we'd expect to see in the canon relationship. Alastor has his own ends, his own agenda, his own motivations. All of which are completely separate from Charlie. He doesn't believe redemption is possible. He relishes in violence, and tormenting those he manages to get under his thumb. And yet, as he states; he fulfills Charlie's bizarre requests. He's the one that uses his abilities and clout to give the hotel a reputation that's more than just a joke. He's the one who establishes that they'd need more than just vaggie as an employee to take care of such a large building. And most important of all; the Mimzy incident.

Alastor might claim he doesn't care for attachments. Yet he always helps Mimzy when she runs into trouble. The one remnant of his living days, a connection that lasted beyond death. Even if it's strictly platonic it's a bond that runs deep. I really don't think Alastor would betray Mimzy on a whim. And yet, when she brings danger to the hotel's front door and he takes care of it yet again, he puts his foot down and sets a boundary. And Mimzy calls him out on the fact that he doesn't give a shit about the hotel or its mission. She knows him well enough that she would be correct. But he still stands up to her. Think about that for a second, Alastor stood up to his oldest companion in a moment where Charlie was not around and it couldn't be explained away as an act for her benefit. Vaggie couldn't even stand up to the guy who made her in front of a heavily monitored court where both of them would be under scrutiny. Yes, she said she wouldn't bash the hotel and that she believed in it; but when push came to shove talk was cheap and she did nothing to help her partner's case.

In the fallout of the big reveal; who's the one that goes to check on Charlie? Was it for selfish reasons? Sure, but even if your partner is mad at you, the fact that an entire army of angels is now gunning for you takes priority over the fragile state of your relationship. He manages to anger her into getting out of bed. He gives her answers, he takes her somewhere to get manpower. When vaggie realizes that Charlie and Alastor are making a deal, what is the first thing out of her mouth? She speaks to Charlie instead of being pissed at the guy she already doesn't trust. I'm sorry but if my partner was making a deal with a known bad actor my suspicion is going to what he could have done to make person agree to something, not turning to my partner to... I don't even know what Vaggie's angle was going to be there. Was she going to scold Charlie for making a deal in dire circumstances?

Alastor by contrast chats her up to Rosie, puts his faith in her convincing every cannibal in the town to join her cause, and always seems to bolster her confidence even he doesn't really believe it. Idk, it just feels emotionally Charlie and Alastor have something going that really makes Vaggie feel like a third wheel in her own damn relationship. Vaggie x therapy and being her own person new otp

[brickbozo]

because it’s canon that he sees her that way; there’s like at least 3 instances of him literally saying she’s like a daughter to him. vs that one interview which is just showing that murdoc gets off on being choked/beaten up. it’s not specific to noodle, that joke was also made in an interview with him and russel. it’s not meant to be taken seriously. murdoc is a freak, that’s the joke. but he genuinely does see noodle as a daughter and has said so multiple times. I’m not against shipping btw, I don’t really care how others see them and I’m not trying to start anything or shame anyone. I’m just explaining why so many view their dynamic that way. It’s not just some random headcanon, it’s literally canon lol

I cant find any interview where they joke about it with Russel (not to say Murdoc isn't into being dominated), im also pretty sure the only instance Murdoc outright talks about Noodle being his daughter was like, once i.e. in his letter to el mierda

that was intentionally exaggerated to 'appease' him in saving Noodle (when there was no indication that she needed saving in the first place)

really ooc because its canon Murdoc has been using Noodle as his bodyguard and trusted her to protect him from demons, zombies, thugs and prison itself since the age of 13 (she also traveled the world by herself at 11 and lived with ex military convicts / yakuza)

part of the heavily retconned ending manned by the management i.e. the shitty/extremely confusing conclusion to The Now Now coupled with banked on overpriced merch

outright rejected by Noodle (in a phase 5 interview + q n a)

also debunked from a chat in freemurdoc

and Noodle herself reaching the inevitable conclusion

not to mention Murdoc's words aren't very reliable. He's insisted multiple times he adopted 2d / is his father figure .etc (unless you genuinely believe that too inwhich case you do you)

second off (and more importantly), if i knew a middle aged dude who's already known for being a sexually harassing creep (phase 2 'Hot Dog' incident) and who Russel warns all young ladies against, pop a boner because a young woman's trying to discipline him, then turns around and claims to see her as his 'adopted daughter/little sister' (plus include her in a Smash or Pass challenge on tiktok) i'd call the cops.

[pynkhues]

Hi from Brisbane! This is NOT meant to be a pressuring ask it’s just something I would consider serendipitous if it happened, but New Year’s Eve is my birthday and is it weird that the thing I’m most excited about in the coming days is the Cruising Fic upload and not the birthday-dinner-cum-new-years-party with my friends?

In my defence, I see my friends every week but there is only one Business Bitch LDPDL and Noodle Incident in Shibuya.

Oh my gosh, hi from a Brisbane-home-towner!! I hope the heat hasn't been walloping you too badly, and happy birthday/NYE in advance! And, of course, thank you for being lovely, haha. It's definitely getting close and I really do think I'll get it up / am committed to getting it up before the new year. I really do feel like I'm at the stage where I'm like, combing it out in many ways (although I entirely re-wrote a knotty scene today RIP me, haha), so that's optimistic. I can promise that there'll be a lot of Business Bitch LDPDL in it though, and while the incident in Shibuya isn't related to noodles, it is related to tangled up and noodly feelings where they're both The Worst, haha. But yes! Fingers crossed! And happy birthday again :-)

[somewhat-insane]

Shadows of the Beach: Chapter One

(Here's the masterpost.)

.

Remnants of His Past

Pairing: Ao Lie/Sun Wukong/Macaque

Rating: Teen and up Audiences (for mild language)

Tags: Playful Banter, Flashbacks, Teasing, Awkwardness, Slow Burn, Background Freenoodles

A/N: This is my first time posting any of my fics on Tumblr so the formatting may be a bit off, feel free to read it on Ao3 instead if that makes you more comfortable ;3.

Summary:

As if the entire situation with Azure Lion hadn't been world-shattering (quite literally) enough, Wukong gains information that sends him spiraling.

What is one to do when it turns out your best friend/kind of homoerotic lover didn't actually die and now you have to introduce him to your ex-best friend/other kind of homoerotic lover?

Visits to Pigsy's noodles had recently become relatively routine for Sun Wukong. 

It was good eating, that he already knew ever since Pigsy took over the shop, but before he had always just had them delivered (Tang, he remembered, had briefly done the deliveries for Pigsy in turn for free noodles, which explained why Pigsy had yet to kick the “freeloader” out, that and, at some point along the line, they had gotten “married” (it wasn’t really a wedding at all, not legally anyway, but they considered eachother married and that was enough for them)… which Wukong, having known them in their past lives was… very conflicted about.) He could just make noodles with his powers but there was something nostalgic about the taste and smell of Pigsy’s noodles that reminded Wukong of deep laughter around the campfire and calloused, hard-working hands that meant well despite their owner’s arrogance and aggression. 

Even before he and MK had officially met (or before MK had learned Wukong had been watching him which, okay, now that he mentioned it, it did sound kind of creepy,) Wukong would order and set the address as some random abandoned house or temple where he would utilize his 72 transformations to retrieve it. 

Or, alternatively, he would send a clone out into the city to pick it up, but that was riskier as his clones had something of a habit of getting hit by cars and mortals weren’t exactly used to having the person they hit with their car poof into magical smoke. Perhaps he should’ve expected embodiments of his centuries-old magic might not be entirely “up to date” with modern-day civilization, especially back when he was hiding out like a hermit. 

Comparatively, when he had it delivered, after having figured out how phones worked, the hardest part was always hiding his tail. Which normally wasn’t that much of an issue but…

Look, it wasn’t his fault he got so excited at the idea of food! It probably made it worse that the cooking really did remind him of when Zhu Bajie had finally gotten the hang of it. A little more modern though but not to the point of the frozen mass-produced meat that the rest of the city used. No, Pigsy still made all of his meals by hand, the difference coming from the more modernized techniques people had learned to use to draw out the flavor more. In some cases, outside of Pigsy’s Noodles, what people do to enhance their food was borderline poisonous to the human body but if Wukong had learned anything over the years it was that humans valued very little more than money. They’re not the only species that eat what is essentially poison to them. Like, koalas for instance. None of that affected him though, not being a particularly big fan of cooked food (with the exception of Pigsy’s noodles), as he was a monkey, and he was immortal, so he didn’t really care.

He had started actually going into the shop after the scroll incident, partially because he was growing closer to the crew, and–even if the memories still made him fidgety around them–he had started seeing them as their own people and not the friends he used to be acquainted with. Beyond that, his time in the scroll had kicked up some old feelings inside of him that he didn’t exactly want to face on his own. Not that he would talk about his feelings or anything–that wasn’t exactly his style–but his thoughts weren’t as loud when he surrounded himself with small talk and idle banter which came surprisingly easy when it came to the crew. It allowed him to fall into the familiar pattern of ignoring festering problems until they blew up in his face.

Perhaps that’s why he tended to turn everything into a joke or a game, it made it easier to ignore everything.

Eh, he wasn’t going to think too much about it right now.

As he flew over the water on his cloud, he reminded himself that, this time, as he was headed to the small hole-in-the-wall establishment, he was not coming for noodles and banter.

Roughly half an hour earlier, MK had relayed a message to him via telepathic communication (he didn’t get a nosebleed this time! … though he did stub his toe while distracted.) Apparently, the nerd- er, Tang (he had promised himself he would start actually calling them by their names… no matter how much inner turmoil it caused him) had a theory he wanted Wukong’s opinion on… or something like that, admittedly MK’s explanation was rather vague which was… out of character for the boy who had seemingly picked up his father’s tendency to ramble. 

Again, Wukong decided not to think too much about it. 

Having to talk to Tang about theories and the like was something he was used to as Tang had jumped at the opportunity to gain more insight into the Journey to the West through Wukong’s own experiences but this seemed… different. Something in the way MK seemed more… hesitant made him uneasy.

This unease was only heightened when he dispelled his Nimbus and landed in front of the building, only to walk in and see the entire group (Pigsy, Tang, MK, Mei, Sandy, and even Mo) there waiting expectantly for him. 

Now, he knew it wasn’t exactly uncommon for them to be there all at once since they seemed to all have been friends long before Wukong became a present being in their dynamic, and group meet-ups had become a semi-regular occurrence for the crew after the scroll incident; they all tried to find times when everyone was free and would hang out over a movie or a barbeque, talking and laughing and digging up old wounds because Sandy’s soft smile reminds Wukong of the way Sha Wujing would encourage them all, Pigsy’s laugh is a bit too similar to Zhu Bajie’s - a hearty sound Wukong would never forget for the joy it stirred inside of him - and Tang seemed to have Tripitaka’s tendency to fidget when nervous, but it wasn’t exactly common either.

All eyes turned to him making Wukong shift uncomfortably with the attention as he chuckled nervously, “Uh, heh, is this an intervention or something?”

Idly he was reminded of the scolding looks he would get from the Jade Emperor or Guanyin when he had done something bad, but he also recognized the looks as something more akin to what he received from his master, a pitying look. A concerned look.

…

Was this an intervention!?

MK, being the absolutely amazing person he is, offered a soft–if not slightly pitying–smile in response to his mentor’s joke but the expression didn’t reach his eyes, and his brows were furrowed slightly, almost as if in thought.

After a moment, his strained smile falls away and he averts his eyes to a random spot on the ground, idly fiddling with his keychain, the soft jingle it brought being the only noise throughout the room.

Wukong’s smile also falls in response to the absence of MK’s and he sits down at the counter with a rare serious expression on his face.

“Alright, what’s the bad news? We got another big bad headed our way?” he asks, tail flicking anxiously as he studies everyone’s expressions, trying to gauge what could be happening.

The group shared an apprehensive look before Tang sighed, opening and closing his mouth as if at a loss for words–or afraid to speak the ones he did have–before he nervously slid a scroll toward Wukong. Wukong raised a brow, unfurling the scroll and letting his eyes skim over the contents. 

Contrary to popular belief, he could read, he wrote a letter and made that game to teach MK about the importance of setting up a counter attack instead of just using brute force, but now, he was almost convinced otherwise.

His brows furrowed as he looked over it again and again, not believing what he saw on the page.

Finally, he resigns himself to the reality he was being exposed to and his jaw clenches as he looks over at the others with stern, searching eyes, each of them waiting with bated breath for his reaction, which luckily wasn’t as immediately explosive as they expected.

Immediantely being the key word there.

~

Wukong thought he was done. 

He thought he was done with his buried feelings about his past being dug up and shoved in his face like his old laundry when Macaque finds it on the ground. (As much as he enjoyed being on speaking terms with Macaque again, he could’ve lived without the other constantly berating his slobish lifestyle.) 

As soon as he confirmed what he was reading with the others, he had burst out of the shop (quite literally as he had broke a hole through the wall,) and headed back toward Flower Fruit Mountain.

Logically, Wukong knew the peace he had found amongst MK and the others wouldn’t last forever and he would have to continue facing his inner turmoils just like MK and Sandy had been helping him to and how life had been pushing him to. Being immortal and all, things were bound to resurface sooner or later, but for crying out loud life could’ve at least given him a month without a mental breakdown!

The fly back to Flower Fruit Mountain was the same as it always had been, though a large chunk of the mountain, along with his hut and most of his treasure heap, had been taken out during the battle with Azure. While inconvenient, the situation wasn’t something Wukong couldn’t adapt to, a small cabin now sat on the beach of the island, just beyond the treeline, as a testament to that. 

For the second time that day, Wukong found himself dispelling his cloud and landing, this time on sand, stumbling a bit amidst his urgency. When the sand that had been kicked up from his landing settled and he regained his balance, he prepared to dart into the cabin but paused, seeing a figure near his hut, shadow magic dancing around them as they instructed two others seemingly born of the shadows to do… something. Wukong couldn’t really tell from here.

The being was clearly aware of Wukong’s presence as three of his six ears were angled towards him, presumably listening to what he was doing but too preoccupied to give him their entire attention just yet.

“Macaque?” Wukong called, hesitantly moving towards him, catching the attention of the two shadow creatures, who Wukong vaguely remembered as Rumble and Savage, “what are you doing here-”

Wukong is interrupted by a sigh from Macaque, who still hasn’t turned around to look at him, making Rumble and Savage chuckle to each other before being shut up, presumably with a glare from Macaque who finally turns around to face Wukong with a forced smirk, “putting the finishing touches your cabin like I agreed I would. Or have you already forgotten? I’m not surprised, you’ve never really been able to fit much up there,” Macaque then turns his head towards Rumble and Savage who seem amused at the interaction, “a moment of silence, please, for this poor fool’s intelligence.”

Rumble and Savage chuckle once again and this time, Macaque allows it, looking at Wukong with that stupid smug face he makes when he believes he’s getting under Wukong’s skin. And he is, because he knows exactly how.

But he doesn’t have time for that right now. So instead of making a snarky remark in turn, he takes a deep breath in through his nose, the voice of his master echoing through his head as he urges himself to calm down.

“No violence, Monkey.”

“Anger will not serve you.”

“Caution, Wukong, listen to what is being said.”

That last one… wasn’t his master.

The memory of Ao Lie’s voice urging him to wait and listen before striking gave birth to a fresh wave of urgency in Wukong’s soul, but he paused to remember the context of his words…

~

“We have no reason to trust that flea-ridden pest!” Zhu Bajie’s gruff voice had rang out around the campsite, grating on Wukong’s already frayed nerves, “one should trust not the being who needs to be kept on a leash!”

Wukong’s eye twitched in irritation as the only nerve left that seemed to be tying him to his sanity was struck and he grit his teeth, finally dropping down from the tree he had been hiding in, “that ‘leash’ is the very reason one should trust me you overgrown hog!”

“Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong-” their master had tried to intervene, only to easily be talked over by the more boisterous pig.

“My words weren’t directed toward you, runt,” the pig spat toward Wukong.

“Your words are unfounded, swine,” Wukong grit out with clenched fists, willing himself not to attack, the only thing detering him being the threat of the golden fillet. His “leash” as the swine so distastefully called it.

A hand on his shoulder made Wukong jolt slightly, turning his searing gaze toward the person next to him, expecting to see Sha Wujing, only to falter when instead he saw Ao Lie, the white horse dragon he hadn’t yet become well acquainted with.

“Caution, Wukong, listen to what is being said. I do not believe you are hearing the words for all they are,” he spoke, voice gentle and melodic, a nice change from the gruff sound of the pig, “I should suggest patience.”

The words confused Wukong and he frowned, “what do you imply?”

“Perhaps do not listen to what the swine says, but why he says it.”

Wukong’s frown only deepened, “I know why he says it-”

“No, my friend, you think you know why he says such things. You take his aggression at surface level, but I find aggression is rarely mere aggression,” Ao Lie pauses, adding with a playful smirk, “unless the aggressor is an immortal stone monkey with no regard for those outside of his kingdom.”

Sun Wukong’s first instinct is to quip back defensively in response to that last part, but as the first part registers he pauses, and he wrinkles his nose in confusion and distaste, “you speak words of a fool, aggression is nothing but.”

“He is afraid, my friend. And I find I can’t blame him, your legacy proceeds you,” Ao Lie hums, “perhaps the real fool would be one who so easily trusts a man known for his lack of empathy towards anyone but himself.”

A smirk finds its way onto Wukong’s lips, “so you call yourself a fool?”

“One finds it bold to assume I trust you,” Ao Lie replies easily, unaffected by Wukong’s words. 

The monkey watched with wide, curious eyes as Ao Lie moved to sit with their master, easily starting up idle chatter. 

With a frown, Wukong’s gaze trailed over to the swine who was being calmed down by Sha Wujing. The monkey’s brow furrowing in thought.

Trust… it’s been a long time since he’s had to, or wanted to for that matter, earn trust. He usually just scared people into submission. He hasn’t needed to work for trust since…

Since, well, him…

~

Wukong let out his breath.

Listen… what else was being said, what was Wukong not hearing?

Macaque shouldn’t be afraid… he couldn’t be.

What were his exact words before he defaulted to mockery?

“putting the finishing touches your cabin like I agreed I would. Or have you already forgotten?”

Of course he hadn’t forgotten! When your ex-best friend agrees to help build you a temporary cabin it’s not exactly something that just slips your mind. Did Macaque…

Did Macaque really believe he was that unimportant to him?

“I didn’t forget,” Wukong finally said, trying to keep his tone as even as possible to not come off as defensive, the response making Macaque raise a brow, obviously not what he expected, “I was going to ask, what are you doing here alone? Wasn’t Sandy supposed to help you finish up?”

Macaque looks taken aback for a moment, even Rumble and Savage’s expressions fall. After a moment, Macaque pulls himself from his shock with a scoff and looks away, crossing his arms, “he said one of his cats got sick and he’s busy taking care of it.”

Wukong makes a small, “oh” noise and is about to consider going to check on the big guy (he’s been helping Wukong and Macaque a lot when it comes to the “not killing each other” stuff) but then he remembers what he was doing in the first place, “oh, right!”

“Huh?” Before Macaque can even ask what Wukong’s talking about, the golden furred monkey had darted into the cabin, leaving nothing but kicked up sand in his wake. Macaque coughs and waves it out of his face, grimacing as he takes note of how much got in his fur.

“Damn you Wukong…” Macaque growls, turning to Rumble and Savage, “you two finish up here, I’ll go make sure he’s not doing anything stupid.”

The two shadow beings give him a mock salute and Macaque levels them with a knowing glare, “and don’t break anything.”

They nod nervously, sighing in relief once Macaque disappears into a shadow to follow Wukong. Silently, they look at each other, mischievous grins growing across their faces as they agreed that they were, indeed, going to break something.

Macaque uses Wukong’s shadow to follow him into the spare room where the remnants of the treasure hoard were stored. Most of it was stuff that couldn’t be destroyed, but there were some nick-nacks here and there that, despite all odds, survived with minimal damage. There was a monkey cop figure that had its face melted off that Wukong insisted on keeping though. Macaque still regularly had nightmares of that thing coming alive to murder him.

Wukong sifts throught the piles, panic obvious in the way he moves, seemingly searching for something.

Brows furrowing in confusion and possibly slight concern, Macaque emerges from the shadows and crosses his arms, “what’s gotten into you, Wukong?”

Said monkey’s ear twitches but he doesn’t respond immediately, diving into another pile. Macaque is about to say something again before Wukong pops back out, tail flicking in irritation, seemingly not being able to find what he was looking for. With a sigh, Wukong looks up at Macaque, eyes stern but glimmering with concern, “Ao Lie might be alive.” Macaque has to take a second to digest this information, eyes going wide, “... w h a t.”

next>>

[ysbrydthespoop]

Gorillaz Headcanons Part 3

After the forever cult incedent, Noodle subconsciously makes the decision to wear less pink and makes the conscious decision to dye her hair back to black. She is officially done with this cult shit.

"If anyone ever says it would be a good idea to start a cult ever again. I'm punching them." Noodle 2023, as they all pack up to move the fuck out of Silver Lake.

She never thought it was a good idea in the first place. She pretty much only went along with it to monitor it and make sure the boys didn't do anything stupid behind her back.

She regrets not keeping a closer eye on 2D. Admittedly, almost all of her attention was focused on Murdoc because she thought if anyone was going to end up getting themselves into trouble, especially in a cult situation, it was him.

Noodle thinks Murdoc is way bigger dumbass than 2D. In her words, "He's proved this many, many times."

Russel agrees entirely and will tell you, "I can vouch for the girl. There have been so many times."

The music video for 5/4 was ultimately scrapped because Russel and 2D were convinced that if it ever saw the light of day, social services would come for their assess and they would never get to see Noodle again.

Getting naked during a live concert, while filming a music video, in front of Noodle can also be added to the list of reasons why Russel has broken Murdoc's nose.

"I wish I was blind." Noodle 2001. Or whenever the video for 5/4 was in production.

When Noodle was around ten years old, two Marv and Harry level morons decided it would be a good idea to try and kidnap her. Actually, they made Marv and Harry look like geniuses. This was around time the band had really started to gain fame and success, and they thought they had chosen the perfect target. Small kid. Incapable of defending herself. Especially against two fully grown men. Wealthy caretakers. What could go wrong? All that resulted in that were two grown men getting the crap beaten out of them by a tiny child and then by three other grown men.

2D made her go to counselling after that, certain she was traumatised, but at most, all that incident was to her was an annoying inconvenience and an insult. They really thought she'd be an easy target? Idiots. Counselling probably did help her through events to come, though.

Even after regaining her ability to speak fluent English, it still took about a year for Noodle to understand 2D's accent.

Every Halloween, when Noodle was still young enough to go trick or treating, she'd wear a birthday girl badge with her costume, as per Murdoc's advice. Said advice would land her with a ton of extra sweats, to the point where all three of the other band members had to help her carry it all.

And because Noodle was small and looked a bit younger than she was, they may have gone a few years after she would have been considered too old.

The others all read 2D's poetry just because they it's something they like to do. But they try to keep 2D from knowing because they suspect at least some of them are meant to be private and personal. Exept Murdoc. He reads them to see if they have the potential to be turned into lyrics (or so he claims) and has no problem telling 2D if they're good or "rubbish." The sight of Murdoc sat on the floor, poetry spread about him, base in his hands. Trying to get his notes to synchronise with 2D's words is a sight 2D has long since gotten used to seeing. Quite a few of them have ended up becoming songs

2D took a degree in law because of what happened to them in LA when they tried to make a movie. He didn't want himself or anyone he cared about to be conned and taken advantage of like that ever again.

In the aftermath of the forever cult incident, there are two members that are under the constant watch of the others. Noodle and Murdoc have been watching over Russel since this whole thing began, and that's not going to stop any time soon, or ever, until they know he's going to be okay. Meanwhile, 2D was drugged for weeks, and they're praying he doesn't have any lasting affects.

Now that the forever cult is no more, the clues in the static have served their purpose and everyone, namely 2D, is safe, Noodle has only one thing to say to Russel "My friend, I'm putting my foot down now. It's straight to therapy for you."

Murdoc has only one objection to this. "Let us get back to England first, love! The bills here would bankrupt us!"

When Russel headed out into the desert, he unknowingly put Noodle through a nightmare. Well, it had been a nightmare for 2D and Murdoc, too. But she thinks she has the right to say it was especially a nightmare for her because she had to manage this shit. He didn't tell anyone where he was going or how long he'd be. He was just home one minute, gone the next, and this sent Noodle frantic. He still wasn't well, not by any means, and in his unstable state, Noodle wasn't sure if he was a danger to himself. The others didn't fare much better. Murdoc was trying to show them he wasn't worried, but you could tell in his eyes he was panicking. The only reason 2D kept calm was because he was still high out of his mind. If he wasn't, he would have had a panic attack there and then. But even in the state he was in, the thought of Russel being missing alone in the state he was in still made 2D worry a little. Cue a search and possible rescue mission that took all day. ALL DAY. With a high 2D in tow because 2D also wasn't in a state where he could be left alone right now and like hell was Noodle trusting Murdoc to be alone with him in a state like this. In fact, none of the boys could be trusted on their own. She wouldn't have trusted Murdoc on his own on any day of the week. Just for being Murdoc. So their so-called search party was just her looking for Russel while babysitting the other two. The ultimate low point came about four hours in. When the possible places Russel could be were becoming threadbare, and as if some dumbass had said "Well at least this can't get any worse", 2D started to come down from his high, and with it, down came the gravity of the situation. And that was when he had a panic attack. Russel had left his phone at home, making the tracker she put on it useless. So they had no choice but to find him the old-fashioned way. The gruelling, never ending, ever terror and dispare inducing old-fashioned way. When they finally managed to find him, it was a releif beyond words to find him asleep, looking more at peace than she'd seen him in years. But the smallest part of her (the part of her she didn't particularly like) wanted to let Murdoc smack him.

Noodle has decided the others don't need to know that she has now put a tracker on every single vehicle they own, along with every device that can support one. She loves Russel with all her heart, but she is NOT letting him do that shit to her again.

And then the next day, 2D goes missing. He goes off by himself without telling anyone despite still being under the effects of all those drugs. Actually, he probably went off like that because he was still under the effects of all those drugs. I mean, she found him playing a melodica while standing on the severed head of the demon that just tried to eat him, for God's sake. God knows what he was thinking! When she realised he was gone, her reaction was pretty much, "OH HELL NO BOY!"

How she managed to be raised by these three and not develop a severe addiction to nicotine is beyond her. Every day, they make her think, "I need a cigarette, and she's never once smoked a cigarette in her entire life.

One of the main decisions Russel makes while out in the dessert is to spend more time with his loved ones. Especially 2D because man did almost die, and if he had, Russel would have wasted the last year or so he had with him staring at a TV. And especially Noodle. He doesn't regret getting obsessed with static chanels and the idea of a promised land. Because if he hadn't, they might not have been to save 2D. But he does regret that he neglected everything else around him, including her, and now he worries they might not be as close as they used to be.

Noodle, on the other hand, has been worried sick about Russel for over a year and just wants him to be himself again. It's not going to take much at all to get these two back to being as close as they've always been.

[kariachi]

The ‘Argit replacing Kevin on the team’ vibes refuse to leave me.

Darkstar Rising comes along, he just fucking vanishes as soon as the magister shows up. Like we cut to the magister and when the camera moves back to the team there’s a sudden Argit-shaped hole.

I really didn’t do the reveal that he and Kev are friends justice because holy shit that should be such a fucking drama.

The forcing of putting more focus on fucking aliens as people rather than just fuckers to fight in this show about aliens by making one of the mains a very fucking obvious alien.

We know Argit’ll call people out, he does it to Rook, so holy fuck the various Tennysons getting called out for their bullshit.

 “What side are you on?!” “Generally mine, depends on the circumstances.”

The vitriolic friendship Gwen deserves- give her somebody she can bitch about, at, and to who’ll return the favor.

98% of the time he’s avoiding being involved in fights and preferring to stay on the sidelines, handle the info, get through shit with cunning and lies and being both faster and nimbler than he looks, only for that last 2% of the time to be him just ending conflicts quickly and efficiently via violence, shocking the Tennysons every time.

Shit just vanishing in his presence- sometimes it causes problems, sometimes it solves them, sometimes the shit he grabbed doesn’t even matter, but consistently other people’s shit finds its way into his pockets (give me just one instance of Ben joking about being afraid one day they’re gonna be hanging out and he’ll look down to find the Omnitrix missing, just one).

Put a whole new vibe on Argit 10, put a whole new feel on ‘Uncle Argit’.

Argit and Rook as the narrative foils they were clearly meant to be.

Running gag of Argit having history with damn near every criminal the team runs into, to the point where by the end of UA they meet fuckers and the Tennysons immediately turn to him expectantly. The stories are always some vague shit you can’t be entirely sure is true, borderline noodle incidents.

Constant attempts to lure the others away from law enforcement

[shanie]

Hiii Shanie! (is that what I should call you? 🤔) I'm the guest from ao3 that sent you that long ass comment 😆😅

Just wanted to start of by saying how extremely sweet it was of you to do this and also how much I appreciated you taking the time out not once but twice to write back! Tbh yes my dumbass did not realise what "noodle incident" meant till you explained it so thank you for that 😊 clearly I'm a bit new to all of this. 😅

Honestly I'm extremely late to the party. I discovered zowens only a little after they won their tag titles last year. I had no idea who they were before that. I took a break from wrestling for about 13 years and only got back into it by accident because of Sami, then Kevin, then zowens. I was switching channels and stubbled upon zowens who happened to be on screen at the time.

So I've had to go back and do a bit of digging and now and then I'll find something that everyone already knew about yearsss ago 🙄😂 and I'll get all excited over it, but everyone else has already been there done that 😂 (also absolutely no one I know likes wrestling or really even knows about it 😭)

I know I've missed out on a LOT with these two (their "glory days") 😭 and I get only glimpses of the past here and there, but I guess as they say better late than never 😁 So I'm enjoying your stories so so much. It's pretty incredible the way you write and the journey you take us on through it.

Ta

🐨

PS. the draft this week..zowens..😌

Hello again, nonnie! 

Glad you could make it! 

I was hoping to hear from you. This mess of business with AO3. Bleh. Hope they get it straightened out soon. 

First off, don’t feel bad for not knowing what “noodle incident” meant. I don’t know if a ton of people do these days. TV Tropes as a website has sort of fallen into obscurity in the past decade or so and that’s where I got the term from. Looking it up, the definition on the site (found HERE) apparently comes from Calvin and Hobbes. Of note: The way I use the term isn’t exactly correct because I have explained the pneumonia incident a little, and will do so in upcoming writing more, but I use the term improperly anyway because it makes sense to me. 

Regardless, stay tuned for more info about the pneumonia incident!  I will warn you though, the current story it’s being written into, “Never Say Goodbye”, is VERY dark. I’m probably going to have to up the rating on it. I use my writing as therapy and I’m going through some stuff right now, so this is how it is manifesting. Hope this doesn’t make you or anyone else hate me, but just know that writing it is helping me cope with my pain and getting me to a better place. 

So yeah. Forgive me. 

Second, don’t feel bad about just discovering Zowens in 2023. Some of the best people just discovered Zowens in 2023! I don’t know how much of last year you’ve managed to see but there is a fair amount of stuff just between summer of 2022 and fall of 2023 that is epic. If you haven’t gotten to explore it yet, I recommend starting HERE. It’s an episode of The KO Show from back in May of 2022 that planted the seeds of the entire Zowens storyline that would go on to them becoming tag champions. That said, as another video reference, that episode of the KO Show would actually be followed up on in August 2022 to properly start the storyline... in a post-show segment after Smackdown in Montreal. Finding video of that post-show segment can be difficult, but HERE is a fan video that has most of the encounter, minus the section that involved Matt Riddle (and the Zowens hug he spurs on) 

Really though, if I had to offer some key highlights, just in WWE, I’d recommend the last ten minutes or so of NXT’s R-Evolution PPV, their match at Battleground 2016 (DEFINITELY Key viewing), The very end of Hell In A Cell 2017 (and the Zowens segment from the next episode of Smackdown), the 10/31/2020 episode of Talking Smack, The leadup and immediate aftermath of their WrestleMania 37 match, the clips I linked above from May and August 2022, Royal Rumble 2023 main event (OMG THAT), and most of all, the ENTIRTY of the 3/17/23 episode of Smackdown which, telling you now, as a Zowens shipper was like a friggin fever dream the night it happened. Cannot understate how that was some Joker Origin Story stuff that night, but the payoff was AMAZING.  

All that said? Like Kevin said at WrestleMania 37. They met, at this point, almost 22 years ago, and the journey has been nuts. If you want a good, easy-to-absorb rundown of those 22 years or so, I highly recommend Mithen’s substack Ring the Bell. It has so much information that starts from the beginning and goes step by step along the path. They’re writing a book too! Keep an eye out for that. 

Anyway, it’s great to see you here and if you need any more tips about how to dig further into the story, let me know. I know you said “Their glory days” but the truth is, in their own words, they’re “Destined to do this forever” and the glory days aren’t over yet. The story has been going on for over 2 decades but it hasn’t ended yet and I don’t believe it ever will. The Sami and Kevin show, and by extension, The Kevin Steen and El Generico show, will never end. 

Over 20 years and counting.  Long live Zowens/Steenerico 

Enjoy the ride.