#let things unfold before jumping to conclusions

[twopoppies]

This fandom is so lame. Harries really desperately want to link him to any woman cause they need him to be a sex vamp so bad so they can project lol it’s disgusting. Speculating of Harry left with Olivia and what it means and all these quotes saying mhhhhh 😂 you are all insufferable. Fact is, he left during the final song as always! Sam’s boyfriend also left (he’s in front of Harry) and someone from Olivia’s team left behind Harry. So if she also left? Makes total sense? You don’t want to stay there when the lights go on and you have to squeeze he your way through a crowd and the fans 😭 it’s common knowledge- how dumb are people? Has nothing to do with Harry’s and Olivia’s potential friendship!!! Although he didn’t seem to engage much with her during the gig at all lol like it’s just desperate at this point. Let the man have friends in the industry I BEG! If this were a random male actor or singer people wouldn’t freak out this much! The double standards are sickening sometimes and so f annoying :)

I ghost wrote this.

[bodybaggage]

Shadows in Gotham

---

Gotham’s twilight sky was a patchwork of purples and reds, a fading canvas that gave way to the inky blackness of night. The city was alive with the usual sounds of distant sirens, honking horns, and the underlying hum of danger that never quite left its streets. For Danny Fenton, now in his early twenties, Gotham was supposed to be a fresh start—a place to lay low and raise his unconventional family.

His daughter, Danielle, Ellie, as she preferred—skipped ahead on the cracked sidewalk, her energy boundless despite the long day. She looked about ten years old, though she was technically more of a clone than a traditional daughter. She had Danny’s black hair but with an unruly curl to it, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with a mischievous light. Beside Danny, holding his hand, was a boy who looked no older than eight. His hair was tousled, and his expression was a strange mix of innocence and the haunting wisdom of someone far older. This was Dan, Danny’s de-aged evil future self, a living, breathing reminder of what could go wrong if they weren’t careful.

The trio moved through the narrow streets, Danny’s senses on high alert as they made their way back to the modest apartment they now called home. He had retired from the life of a ghostly vigilante, focusing instead on keeping his small family safe and hidden from the relentless pursuit of the Guys in White (GIW). To the world, they were just another struggling family in Gotham. But beneath the surface, their existence was anything but ordinary.

“Can we get pizza tonight?” Ellie asked, her voice full of hope as she glanced back at Danny.

“Pizza sounds good,” Danny replied with a smile. “But it’s Gotham, so let’s hope the delivery guy makes it to our place in one piece.”

Ellie giggled, and even Dan let out a rare smile, though it was fleeting. The moment of normalcy was interrupted by the sound of a scuffle up ahead. Danny’s instincts kicked in as he pulled his kids closer, eyes narrowing at the scene unfolding just around the corner.

A man, clearly desperate, was trying to rob a woman at gunpoint. The woman’s purse dangled from his shaky hand, and fear was etched across her face. Danny knew he should keep moving, that getting involved could blow their cover, but he couldn’t just walk away.

“Stay here,” Danny whispered to Ellie and Dan, his voice firm.

Before he could intervene, a shadowy figure dropped from the rooftops, landing silently behind the mugger. The man didn’t stand a chance as a blur of red and black moved with lethal precision. Within seconds, the mugger was disarmed and unconscious on the pavement.

Red Hood stood over the man, his stance relaxed but ready, as if this was just another routine night in Gotham. He turned to the woman, who quickly grabbed her purse and bolted, muttering her thanks. It was only then that Red Hood noticed Danny and the kids standing just a few feet away, watching the scene unfold.

Danny tensed as the vigilante’s eyes—hidden behind that crimson helmet—seemed to study them. He instinctively placed a hand on each of his kids’ shoulders, ready to flee if things went south.

“You alright?” Red Hood asked, his voice rough but not unkind. He seemed to soften at the sight of the kids, his posture relaxing ever so slightly.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Danny replied, his tone cautious. “Just heading home.”

Red Hood’s gaze flicked between Danny and the children, and Danny could almost feel the wheels turning behind that mask. This was Gotham, after all, a city full of dark secrets. A young man, barely an adult, with two small kids in tow—it wasn’t hard to jump to conclusions.

“You live around here?” Red Hood pressed, the curiosity in his voice making Danny’s stomach tighten.

“Not far,” Danny answered, hoping to end the conversation quickly. “Just trying to keep my family safe.”

Red Hood nodded slowly, as if weighing his next words. “Gotham’s not exactly the best place to raise kids, especially if you’re... alone.”

Danny’s jaw clenched, recognizing the underlying question. “We manage.”

Before Red Hood could probe further, Ellie stepped forward, her usual boldness taking over. “He’s the best dad ever! And we don’t need any help, mister.”

Red Hood chuckled softly, the sound almost disarming. “I’m sure he is, kid. But just in case, you should know there are people around here who can help... if you ever need it.”

Danny forced a tight smile, grateful for Ellie’s fierce loyalty but wary of the attention they’d attracted. “Thanks, but we’re good.”

Red Hood seemed to accept this, though the suspicion in his stance didn’t entirely fade. “Take care of yourself,” he said finally, before turning and vanishing into the shadows as quickly as he’d appeared.

Danny let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. The encounter had been brief, but he knew it wouldn’t be the last. The Bat Family had eyes everywhere, and their curiosity was piqued.

“Let’s get home,” Danny murmured, guiding Ellie and Dan down the street with renewed urgency.

They reached their apartment without further incident, the familiar creak of the stairs a welcome sound. Once inside, Danny locked the door and sagged against it, the weight of their precarious situation pressing down on him.

Ellie flopped onto the worn couch, her earlier bravado replaced with concern. “Are we in trouble, Dad?”

Danny ruffled her hair affectionately. “No, Ellie. We’re just... being careful. That’s all.”

Dan sat quietly at the kitchen table, his eyes distant as he processed the night’s events. “He was one of the Bats, wasn’t he?”

Danny nodded, joining Dan at the table. “Yeah, Red Hood. He’s... complicated. But we should be alright if we keep a low profile.”

The night passed uneventfully, but the encounter with Red Hood lingered in Danny’s mind. He knew that living in Gotham meant constant vigilance, but the thought of the Bat Family watching them added a new layer of stress.

---

Meanwhile, across town, the Bat Family gathered in the Batcave, the massive space filled with the glow of computer screens and the quiet hum of machinery.

“Interesting case tonight,” Red Hood—Jason Todd—began as he removed his helmet, revealing the slightly tousled dark hair underneath. “Ran into a guy with two kids. They seemed... out of place.”

“Out of place in Gotham?” Dick Grayson, quipped from where he was perched on the edge of the Batcomputer’s console. “That’s pretty much everyone.”

Jason shot him a look. “Not like that. The guy was young, barely in his twenties. The kids were ten and eight, maybe. And something about them just... felt off.”

Bruce Wayne, Batman, looked up from the screen, his expression unreadable. “Off how?”

Jason hesitated, searching for the right words. “I don’t know. There’s something he’s not saying. And those kids—they’re attached to him, but it’s like they’re all trying to stay under the radar.”

Damian Wayne, the current Robin, scoffed. “Plenty of people try to stay out of sight in this city. It’s not our problem unless they break the law.”

“Yeah, but...” Jason trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “There’s a chance that guy’s a victim. The way the girl talked about him, it was like she was protecting him.”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think the children are in danger?”

Jason frowned, shaking his head. “Not from him. I think they’re all running from something.”

Silence settled over the Batcave as they considered the implications. Bruce stood, his presence commanding as ever. “Keep an eye on them. Gotham has a way of uncovering secrets, and we can’t afford to overlook anything.”

---

Back at the apartment, Danny lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The shadows played tricks in the dim light, reminding him of the life he left behind. He had taken on more than just the role of a father—he had become a protector, a shield against the darkness that sought to consume them.

But Gotham was relentless, and he knew their time in the shadows was running out.

---

🧌

[lovelynim]

Pocky Day

Genshin Impact - Lyney x Aether

A/N: I know I'm a few days late, but I'm at the end of my semester, so be nice to me and let this one slide off

Summary: Lyney shows Aether his new magic trick

Word count: 827 words

“Traveler ~” Lyney sang, waving his hand high above his head as he spotted Aether. The Serenitea Pot wasn’t that large, but the pocket dimension seemed to be big enough to make their encounters a little harder than Lyney expected - not to mention the other people wandering around from time to time.

Having his attention picked by Lyney’s voice, Aether turned his head back and watched Lyney approaching him with a happy facade while holding something behind his back. What would he be up to this time, the traveler thought.

“Did you call me, Lyney?” Aether said, leaning his back on the couch’s back while watching Lyney walking around to stand in front of him, winking charmingly at him.

“Of course I did, mon chéri,” the magician continued, now holding whatever it was behind his back with both hands. “I came up with a new magic trick and you happen to be the perfect assistant to help me practice it, so here I am, asking for your aid.”

Aether rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle. He and Lyney had been getting… a little closer since he arrived in Fontaine. It was hard to tell when the magician was flirting for real with him or just jesting to keep their relationship interesting, but Aether liked the casualty of the whole thing. Right now, he couldn’t tell which one it was - truth to be told, it was always hard to know what was going on inside Lyney’s mind.

Sighing, Aether stood up, lazily stretching his arms as if to get prepared for the upcoming action. “Alright, what do I have to do?” The traveler asked, noticing how his words made Lyney beam with excitement.

The magician finally revealed what he had in his hands: a pocky box. He had heard of a new candy getting popular among the people in Fontaine, but didn’t have the chance to try one for himself yet. “A pocky?”

“My dear, isn’t it too soon to jump to conclusions?” Lyney scolded him lightheartedly, shaking his head in “disapproval”. “I didn’t even have time to set up the stage, why such a hurry?”

“Fine,” Aether muttered, crossing his arms, waiting for the magician to continue. Lyney, making sure to put up a whole performance around each and every act, pulled one pocky from the box, looking to Aether.

“Now, my dearest assistant, say ‘ahhh’ to me,” Lyney cooed, holding the pocky in front of Aether’s lips with the tip of his fingers. The traveler blushed slightly, swallowing dry as he tried to ignore the way his heart skipped a bit seeing Lyney like that in front of him.

“A-ahh…” But he obeyed, nonetheless. Lyney carefully placed the candy inside his mouth, letting him taste the sweet chocolate of the pocky. Aether hummed happily with half of the pocky hanging out of his mouth while Lyney tossed the box away.

“Now, for my next trick,” Lyney said, grinning, “I’ll make the pocky disappear! Don’t blink or you might miss it,” he announced and Aether raised an eyebrow.

Was that some kind of prank? Would Lyney make the pocky turn into a flor or something like that? It was hard to figure out how he would make it vanish from his lips, but that should be something within his skills as a magician.

“In one… two…” Lyney began to count and Aether looked down to the pocky’s end sticking out of his mouth, ready to catch any action - or magic - that was about to unfold before his eyes. “Three!”

As the countdown ended, Lyney quickly cupped Aether’s cheeks with his hands, pulling the traveler a bit forward and pressing his lips against his, kissing him gently, but briefly. Before Aether could protest - or even process the whole act - a small ‘crack’ noise echoed from between their mouths as Lyney bit the exposed end of the pocky, quickly munching it and, indeed, making it disappear.

“Ta-da! ~” Lyney cheered, taking a step back while Aether nearly choked with the other half of the pocky.

When he finally managed to swallow it, he felt the heat reach his face, now able to realize the whole thing. “D-don’t just ‘ta-da’ me, w-what was that?”

“Oho, mon chéri, you should already know a magician never reveals his tri- w-woah!” Before he could finish his usual saying, Aether grabbed him by his wrist, pulling Lyney down to the couch with him.

“You little brat,” Aether scolded, trying to sound angry despite the blushing mess he was, eagerly digging into Lyney’s sides and tickling over his stomach to ‘punish’ him for his trick, “do you think it’s funny to fluster me like this?” 

“A-AhahAHa, t-trahahahaveler! WahAHait, i-it wahahas just a jehehest!” Lyney laughed, wrapping one of his arms around his own torso while trying to push Aether’s hand away with the other. “N-nohoho neehehed for thihihs!”

Aether huffed, not convinced by Lyney’s excuse, but he couldn’t deny: that was, indeed, a good magic trick.

[sensualnoiree]

astro notes: daily transits 9/27

Friday, 9/27, brings a focus on romance and relationships, with early morning aspects highlighting both passionate connections and potential conflicts. A playful sextile between the Leo Moon and Libra Sun creates a warm, romantic atmosphere at the start of the day, but emotional tension rises as the Moon squares Venus in intense Scorpio. Later in the evening, a Venus–Jupiter sesquiquadrate advises caution in matters of love and indulgence, as the desire for instant gratification may lead to complications down the road.

Aries Rising Early romantic feelings may be exciting, but the tension will rise as intense emotions surface, especially around personal values or shared resources. Be cautious about impulsively pushing for what you want in relationships today—moderation is key, particularly when dealing with money or intimacy.

Taurus Rising The day begins with romantic vibes in your 4th house of home and family, but conflict could arise within your close relationships. You may feel pulled between your desire for harmony and the need to address deeper emotional concerns. Resist the urge to control the situation, and practice patience in conversations.

Gemini Rising Playful communication lights up your morning, but emotional intensity could soon follow, especially in your interactions with co-workers or siblings. Keep your expectations in check, as trying to get immediate clarity or results will likely cause friction. Allow time for deeper understanding to emerge naturally.

Cancer Rising Romantic energy boosts your sense of self-worth, but an emotional clash over money or values could arise later. You may feel the need to spend or indulge impulsively, but avoid letting this lead to future regret. Instead, focus on long-term stability, especially in financial or romantic matters.

Leo Rising You start the day feeling confident and radiant, but emotional turbulence might stir up conflict in personal relationships. Be mindful of how your desire for affection clashes with deeper unresolved issues. Avoid rushing for emotional satisfaction—slow down and address the underlying concerns.

Virgo Rising A light-hearted mood may give way to intense feelings brewing beneath the surface, especially around unresolved matters in your subconscious or private life. Old emotional patterns might rise to the surface. Don’t force immediate solutions; instead, let things simmer and focus on inner healing before confronting others.

Libra Rising Romantic interactions with friends or within your social circle feel uplifting early on, but financial or value-based conflicts could emerge later. You may be tempted to overspend or overcommit in relationships. Take a step back before making any big decisions. Keep things balanced to avoid future regret.

Scorpio Rising You’re magnetic and commanding early on, especially in your career or public life, but emotional intensity in your personal relationships could clash with your professional goals. Resist the urge to dominate conversations or control outcomes. Practice restraint, particularly in areas where your reputation is involved.

Sagittarius Rising Excitement for new experiences and connections may arise, but emotional intensity surrounding your beliefs or future plans could create tension later. You might feel the need to have all the answers now, but pushing too hard could create unnecessary pressure. Stay open to learning and let things unfold gradually.

Capricorn Rising Early flirtation and romantic energy may focus on shared finances or intimate partnerships, but emotional intensity surrounding trust or control could stir up conflict later. Avoid jumping to conclusions or seeking immediate results. Instead, focus on the long-term depth of your bonds, allowing space for trust to grow.

Aquarius Rising Romantic energy with partners or close friends lights up your morning, but deep emotional needs around control or power dynamics may create friction later. You may feel tempted to push for clarity or reassurance, but resist acting too hastily. Let time smooth over any disagreements before taking action.

Pisces Rising Playful energy in your work or daily routines may start the day, but emotional tension could build over unresolved health or work-related concerns. Avoid the temptation to seek quick fixes, especially in relationships with co-workers or loved ones. Focus on finding balance and harmony, allowing things to evolve naturally.

follow for more astro insights like this and head on over to @quenysefields or my etsy --> sensualnoiree to grab my new astrology guidebook on reading your own natal chart :)

[trulybetty]

Sunday | Week In Review I

So in order to try and be consistent with this, I’ve kept a running Notes page open to keep track of my week.

As I mentioned last week, I don’t expect this every week, I am me. But I am going to keep trying to make an effort to support my fellow creators.

If there’s something you’ve enjoyed this week, please feel to reblog this and tag me so I can check it out and share 💙

Also, not that I feel it needs to be said, but this is a reflection of what I have personally read and enjoyed.

B x

Truly Betty Updates This Week…

New York Part I (Marcus Pike x f!reader)

Fics I Enjoyed This Week…

Conversations with a Movie Star | Chapter 1 by @gnpwdrnwhiskey Even if you’re not a fan of Dieter Bravo, the dialogue in this alone is worth checking out this opening chapter for this new fic. Ava is an OFC down on her luck after being fired, from her families paper no less, and has stumbled across the Bravo Inn… I’ll let Lellen’s writing do the rest

Stripper Jack Trilogy | P. III by @psychedelic-ink The conclusion of maybe the definitive trilogy of trilogies? I don’t think anyone had Stripper Jack on their 2023 bingo cards, but he’s earned his space and I won’t have any arguments on it. 

Hungry Hearts | Chapter by @atinylittlepain Not many Joel AU’s I’ll jump into, but Bruce Springsteen and Joel Miller? Signed myself the fuck up for that as soon as it was announced. The unfolding of Joel and Cherry's relationship in the summer of '86 against them running back into one another 17 years later is such a great dynamic. 

Fall Apart Again | Chapter 1 + 2 by @wildemaven Heidi spoiled us this week, with not one, but TWO chapters of her new Joel fanfic. I don’t think I’ve gotten so emotional over an opening chapter to a fic before like I did with this one! Then the second chapter? Just bury me now… but actually don’t, I want to see the end of this fic first!

The Layover | Chapter 9 by @goodwithcheese How did Megan describe her fanfics? Hallmark movies with smut? She's not wrong. This whole series so far has been a rollercoaster of emotions and keeps delivering each week without fail. Not only are you rooting for Reader + Frankie, but Jules and Santiago anyone? Or maybe just Jules herself because she's just the boss.

Late Night Texts | Chapter 9 by @mvtthewmurdvck I think it's safe to say it's fanfics like Late Night Texts that have got me back in my rom-com/hopeless romantic era. I don't want to give too much away if you've not had the pleasure of reading this - but it has all the hallmarks of a good rom-com set on the backdrop of the early 2000s and with Javier Peña. If you're like me and still trying to make your way through Narcos or haven't watched it yet - please don't let it stop you, you won't be sorry!

A Little FaceTime by @stardustandskycrystals I’m still thinking about this fic days later and may have gone back to read it again. Trust me, just read this - you don’t need an explanation or reason, just read it. Even if Javi isn’t your jam (wasn’t on my list before, that’s all changed now) - it won’t disappoint!

Things I’m Looking Forward to Starting…

Decoherence by @prolix-yuy Westworld and Jack ‘Agent Whiskey’ Daniels crossover, yes, please! It is also reminding me that I never finished season one and should do something about it…

Pleased to Meet You by @intheorangebedroom This is a constant on my dash and on my TBR pile for a while with so many good comments - also getting into my Frankie era, so it’s perfect timing!

The Pilot & His Girl by @avastrasposts Been waiting to savour this one! So you’ve got the Last of Us and you’ve got Triple Frontier, two of my favourite things… what happens when you mush them together? You get a wild ride through the outbreak with Frankie & Reader - I cannot wait to get into this!

Visiting by @ladamedusoif This is another regular on my dash and on my TBR that I’m hoping to get stuck into this week. A college AU of Mr. Ben from the SNL sketch. Fully fleshed out and on the backdrop of New England, I’m ready to get swept away with this promise of a slow burn.

The House by @gemmahale A Jack Daniels x OFC (Best Friend) series coming soon focusing on a long-lost friendship, an inheritance, and Jack sounding like the scallion he is? Cannot wait.

Posts I Enjoyed This Week…

@rhoorl’s announcement of their Triple Frontier AU, Delta Landscaping with mood board and logo! The residents of Tumblr won’t know what’s hit the neighbourhood when they roll into town! 

Thanks to @gnpwdrnwhiskey I will never look at baby hippos without thinking of Dieter Bravo

Everyone’s participation in the WIP poll tag game, it was so fun to see my dash just filled with so many creative people and so many amazing ideas! It was a neat peek into everyone’s draft folders!

Things I’ve Enjoyed This Week…

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - FINALLY got to see it this week, and it did not disappoint. Have not stopped thinking about it since!

My rom-com era has returned, and I’m deep into embracing my forgotten love of a good rom-com. So far this week it’s been The Lake House, You’ve Got Mail & Always Be My Baby. Also it gave way to a Keanu Reeves appreciation post, come share your favourite Keanu!

This Week’s Song… Went waaaayyyy back for this one, an amazing album too - the Sterephonics are one of my favourite bands of all time 🩶

Hope everyone has a great Sunday & here's to a new week!

Please feel free to share your own favourites from the week or what you're looking forward to this week - not a tag game, so no pressure for you to share if you're not feeling it ❤️ xx

[lady-de-mon-coeur]

Lady in red

Chapter 5. You're loved, you're needed

AO3

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Summary: Adrien continues his investigation and gets a self-esteem boost.

A/N: Took me forever to finish this chapter. I hope you are still there and enjoy reading.

After making sure Plagg was peacefully snoring on his tiny cat pillow, Adrien pulled out the crumpled piece of paper he still carried around in his pocket.

He unfolded it and skimmed the list he's been compiling for a couple of weeks now, adding new stuff to it every now and then.

Some of this stuff happened recently; some was from months ago, now having acquired a whole new meaning for Adrien's restless brain.

8. Marinette talking to her purse right after entering the elevator at the Montparnasse Tower. Then she acted in an extremely weird way, asking someone via phone to send help. Rena Rouge came to our rescue shortly after.

(Adrien didn't know how to feel about this. It might be just Marinette being Marinette.)

9. Ladybug confirmed that the Valentine card was sent by her. Besides, it has to come from someone who goes to my school, since it was written in the form of a response to the poem I wrote but ended up throwing in the trash bin.

(He smirked and put a red exclamation mark next to this point.).

10. Ladybug was absent the other day, having sent another ladybug miraculous holder in place of her. I found out that Marinette had left for London the same day.

(That was the most suspicious point on his list; there was no denying it. He couldn’t help but notice the growing complicity between Marinette and Alya. They had always been thick as thieves, but recently their friendship acquired a whole new level of intimacy. They constantly discussed something with each other in hushed voices, not letting others be part of the conversation.)

11. Ladybug told me the other day that she dreamt of becoming a knitting fairy as a child.

(He knew this one was too far-fetched, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to cross it out. Something was telling him that being a knitting fairy was such a Marinette-ish thing to dream of, with her passion for crafting all sorts of hand-made things. He smiled to himself as he imagined Marinette with a pair of transparent fairy wings, dressed in a home-knit dress.).

12. Marinette’s whole family was akumatized recently, and Ladybug let it slip that the akuma must have been at home (at Dupain-Cheng's, as she immediately corrected herself).

(He added this point a few days ago. Not too much of a giveaway, but still suspicious enough.).

Adrien sighed and shoved the list back in his pocket.

It was still too soon to jump to conclusions.

Besides, obsessively documenting every fact that (for the most part indirectly) somewhat confirmed his theory started consuming too much of his mental energy.

During patrols and akuma attacks, he found himself more and more often observing Ladybug instead of focusing on the job. It needed to stop.

After all, didn't he say to himself the day of their first mission that whoever she was behind the mask, he loved that girl?

And now she needed him like never before.

There were also things he didn't come around to writing down, but he always kept them in mind anyway.

Ladybug being such a kind and supportive person, just like Marinette was.

Marinette being brave and passionate, just like his lady.

Marinette telling him he looked pretty in the Project Oxygen ad. No, he didn't mishear. She actually said that. His face still flushed at the thought that Marinette found him pretty.

The way his heart fluttered as he watched Marinette wave her hands and overall act so goofily while talking to her friends. He could barely resist the tenderness that threatened to consume him.

You need to be honest with yourself, Adrien. Why do you so desperately need Marinette to be Ladybug?

Adrien thought he already knew the answer, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, not even to himself. Not yet.

===

"You need to get your head out of the clouds, Marinette," said Tikki in her usual high-pitched voice, knowing fully well that her words were most likely destined to fall on deaf ears. "It's not a secret that you're prone to letting your guard down when you're with Adrien."

"I need to stay focused only when it's an akuma attack. He's my boyfriend, after all. Why can't a girl indulge herself in being honest with her boyfriend?" whined Marinette.

"Because to him, you're not just some random girl he's never met in his everyday life. You're his classmate, for God's sake! You can do or say something that might give away your identity if you're not careful enough."

"Ugh, stop it, Tikki!" said Marinette with a big yawn. “Gosh, there are tons of girls like me in Paris. Who would suspect Marinette, a normal girl with a normal life?”

Tikki sighed. It was harder than she thought. She couldn't just tell her wielder that an extremely panicked Plagg pulled her aside today at school and that according to him (as he revealed to her in very incoherent sentences), his wielder was already highly suspicious of Ladybug's identity.

All she could do was pray for Adrien to drop this investigation.

She watched in silent resignation Marinette put aside her school belongings and get ready for bed.

===

Adrien, mon amour. You deserve your girlfriend to trust you. You deserve unconditional love. And that's what I'm going to give you. I want to give my whole self to you, Ladybug was talking to herself as she headed to her boyfriend’s house.

She found Adrien sitting at his computer, browsing the Ladyblog's main page.

He turned around upon hearing her arrive, a warm, genuine smile lighting up his face.

Ladybug threw her arms around his neck, burying her nose into the crook of his neck.

"I missed you, Adrien," she said, and she really meant it. Although she saw him today at school, she couldn't just come up to him and kiss him senseless, no matter how much she wanted to.

No, Tikki doesn't understand that feeling. The pining. The longing. The yearning. The urge to cherish your loved one and treasure every moment together. Kwamis never fall in love, so there was nothing Marinette could do.

"I've been reading your interview on the Ladyblog", he said softly, drawing circles on her palm with his thumb. Ladybug loved those small acts of love of his. They had such a soothing effect on her.

"Really? What do you think?"

"You do so much for Paris, sacrificing your time and energy. I think you could use some friendly support, Ladybug", said Adrien, looking at her with such admiration that her heart skipped a bit.

"So do you," she said, smoothing Adrien's hair lovingly. "You deserve the world, Adrien. You give your whole self to the people around you. You should get just as much love in return."

"Nice try, Ladybug, but my father would disagree with you. He thinks I'm a failure. I have always thought I was unlovable. How can you love me when I'm such a loser?"

"Why would you think something like that about yourself?" gasped Ladybug.

Adrien shrugged.

"Maybe because it's true. Whatever I do is not enough to make my father so much as to have breakfast with me. Whatever I do to make people around me love me and need me, they end up brushing me aside, forgetting about my very existence. I try to be funny, but my jokes end up being humiliating. One of my friends called me out for being a people-pleaser. But I've never known how not to be one since I'm such a waste of space."

Ladybug didn't interrupt him. She watched him with her eyes as wide as saucers while he was speaking.

Up until now, she had seen just glimpses of how Adrien felt about himself. What he was telling her now was a shocking revelation. She was beating herself up for failing to see how low self-esteem this boy, so happy on the outside, seemed to have.

When he finally stopped, his gaze scrutinising the toes of his sneakers, Ladybug surprised him by squeezing him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Mon Adrien," she whispered in his ear. "Mon amour, I promise you, I'm begging you to believe that you're absolutely not a waste of space. You're the kindest boy I've ever met in my life. You have a heart of gold. You're needed. You're loved. I promise you this. Do you believe me?”

He nodded hesitantly and buried his face in her hair, clutching at her for dear life.

===

Adrien didn't know why he was telling her all of this, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He felt that he must get it all off his chest. He still cringed internally for showing his vulnerability, but for nothing in the world would he take it back.

After Ladybug was gone, he tried to collect himself.

His lady was truly amazing. He was the luckiest guy to have such a fantastic person in his life. A person who came to his rescue just in time to save him from spiralling when he happened to be at his lowest, despite having been traumatised herself.

He didn't want to let go of her. She felt like home.

There was this warm comfort feeling radiating from her, which made him feel safe and cared for when it all came crashing down around him.

No need to be performative. No need to earn love.

If he only knew who she was. He would spend every waking moment by her side, thriving on her love and support. If she turned out to be Marinette, it'd be everything he could ever wish for.

That's when it hit him. He's been busy searching for insignificant details that proved nothing, while the clue might lurk elsewhere.

It was obvious how much Ladybug loved him. Her love for him was literally tangible.

If Adrien wanted to prove his theory, he should be searching for proof that Marinette was in love with him, too.

But how? It was easier said than done.

Because if Marinette truly was in love with him, she was a good actress. He couldn’t help but applaud her skills in concealing her feelings.

Thus, another dead end?

“Mission impossible,” Adrien murmured under his breath.

“What did you say, kid?” Plagg asked, interrupting his cheese feast—he'd said he needed to eat a great amount of camembert to recover from the sickness caused by all the corny talking he'd been forced to witness.

“Nothing,” Adrien said with a defeated sigh.

===

Except there was a way he might get another proof for his theory.

Another indirect one, of course, but at this point Adrien couldn’t care less, as long as the proof aligned with his theory.

After all, the only direct proof he could ever get would be seeing Ladybug's transformation or detransformation firsthand.

But in order to get this proof, Adrien will have to touch a raw nerve. He prayed inwardly that Luka would forgive him.

===

"May I ask you something?” Adrien asked after having cleared his throat nervously. “Why did you and Marinette break up?"

It was another run-of-the-mill Kitty Section rehearsal, Adrien playing keyboards as a special guest star, and he used a short break to have a word with Luka in the cabin.

The way Luka stiffened at the question didn't escape his attention. He even eyed Adrien for a moment, as if pondering how much he could reveal.

"We… uhm… didn't get to spend much time together… She was always too busy." He said eventually.

"I was just surprised when I heard the news." Adrien explained in an apologetic tone. "I thought you two made such a wholesome couple."

"Maybe we did, but anyway, we weren't meant to last long, since the love I had for Marinette was always one-sided."

Despite having other things on his mind, Adrien couldn’t help but feel bad for Luka.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to get too personal." Adrien mumbled, his face flushing. He hated himself for his forced indiscretion. "It's just that you both mean so much to me, and I'd hate to see you miserable.".

"Don't you worry about me," Luka, usually very nice, suddenly said rather dryly. I'll be fine, and so will Marinette."

Luka gave him a short nod as he walked by towards the exit.

Adrien mentally gave himself a slap on the face. Did he go too far with his questions? He'll have to apologize to Luka. He didn't even learn anything new.

Wait, what did he say? His feelings for Marinette were one-sided? Does this mean what I think it means?

"Well, well, well, someone's jealous," a familiar saccharine voice said, interrupting Adrien's train of thought.

"How did you get here, Lila?" Adrien asked without even trying to conceal his annoyance.

"I told Rose the other day that I was a huge fan of Kitty Section, and she was so sweet that she granted me permission to attend their next rehearsal." Lila answered in her usual undisturbed tone, taking a seat next to him. "I hope you don't mind that I overheard your conversation with Luka. You're so lucky to have me, because I can provide some more information about the subject you're interested in."

"If you came here to badmouth Marinette, don't waste your time; I'm not buying your lies." Adrien said harshly.

"I'm not going to badmouth anyone; I just want to avert another heartbreak. Oh la la, poor Luka. Marinette broke his heart in such a cruel way. She was constantly absent from their dates, leaving Luka all alone for hours and then finding the lamest excuses imaginable. But the most heinous thing about their relationship was that the poor guitar boy had always been her second choice. Marinette was in love with someone else."

"Was she? In love with whom?" Adrien found himself asking. He mentally gave himself another slap on the face, but it was too late.

"Ask Marinette if you really want to know," Lila answered in a sing-song voice, a wicked grin on her face. "It's not my secret to tell. I just want you to know that Marinette is not good girlfriend material. If you want a perfect date, it's right here next to you."

Adrien stood up abruptly and turned his back to her in disgust. Lila's poisonous talk ruined his mood entirely.

However, her words somehow planted a seed of doubt in his head. Because, as infuriating as they were, some of them fitted perfectly with his theory, as if they were tailored specifically for the puzzle Adrien tried so desperately to put together.

===

The next day was tough for Adrien. He couldn’t make it when another akuma attack occurred due to a press conference his father had obligated Adrien to cover for him at.

“Maybe Ladybug doesn't need Chat Noir all that much,” he said to himself, watching magical ladybugs swarms do their usual job of getting Paris back to normal. “She seems to be doing perfectly fine with all the other heroes having her back.”

He was getting home a little bitter, thinking about everything Ladybug told him the other day, when his self-esteem dropped, as it did every once in a while. About needing him and wanting him around.

Was it all a lie? Or was the traumatic experience she'd mentioned at fault for leaving him behind?

Did she really need him, as Adrien or Chat Noir?

===

She probably did, though. Why else would there be 14 missed calls and several voice messages from her on his catphone, telling him to meet her at the top of the Eiffel Tower?

However, the poor cat didn't know whether he should be looking forward to meeting her. Chances are that his today's absence was the last straw, and now Ladybug was going to take his miraculous away.

And if so… what then?

Okay, calm down, matou. It's too soon to panic. Perhaps everything will turn out just fine.

He gulped painfully, but a lump blocking his throat didn't go away.

===

He found her standing with her back turned to him, leaning on the railing. No matter how hard Chat Noir tried to read her body's language, he couldn’t decipher whether she was angry or just stargazing.

His heart made it all the way up and was now thumping in his throat. Sucking in a deep breath, he meowed softly to let her know he was there.

He started making lame excuses, trying to explain his absence earlier that day without revealing too much personal information, but Ladybug interrupted him.

“I've been thinking about it a lot lately, Chaton, and now I think you were right, after all,” she started, still not looking at him.

Chat Noir looked at her, puzzled, not sure what she was getting at with all of this.

His ignorance didn't last long, though. Ladybug turned abruptly, and he found himself face to face with her. Her eyes were full of determination.

“We should reveal our secret identities to each other.”

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #53

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 4, The Hitchhiker, bomb

...

Sideburns Check

The sideburns are short.

In the present day, short sideburns trend toward the "human" reading. They show up in the coffee shop in episode 1, after a drive finishes in every episode, and when Crowley crosses the street with Aziraphale during the day in episodes 1, 2, and 5. The short sideburns show up with Muriel literally lying about being human.

Short sideburns do not trend toward the "human" reading in this minisode.

Short sideburns trend toward the "supernatural" reading this minisode.

I haven't figured out everything in this minisode, but what I have figured out is that for the theater and the magic shop, Crowley has longer sideburns, whether the space has one human, zero humans, or a lot of humans. These spaces are not the bookshop and not the church.

One of the bigger clues to figuring out short sideburns are the "supernatural" reading is to look at Good Omens season 1, episode 3.

In that episode, the story establishes that Crowley is on consecrated ground. This space knows Crowley is a demon when he has short sideburns; that's why he had to walk down the aisle like his feet were on a hot beach in the flashback of this scene during S1E3. This minisode doesn't show that walk, but I know it happened because I watched season 1. I have to make the jump to that conclusion myself given that knowledge and the other clues within the minisode.

This church also had candles inside. The candles are gone after the bomb goes off, but there are flames from the bomb. Fire will show up with the short sideburns again later.

Basically, this minisode somewhat reverses how the sideburns work compared to the present day. For now, I've looked at it is a test for me as an audience player though I don't really get why the test is here. Does it somehow help throw off the Metatron if he's reading the story? Is it some other reason?

It's not an exact reversal, but I've found enough to think that's generally what is happening. I've seen switches happen during the story and during the games, so it looks plausible too.

...

Brighter Red Streak Check

There is no more saturated red streak of hair since Crowley keeps his hat on during this part.

...

Hairstyle Changes

Hairstyle changes are not applicable since this scene is the first in the minisode.

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

Crowley might be considered to have a miracle touch on the bomb itself that drops. Greta is holding a gun.

After the bomb goes off, Crowley is touching his sunglasses and a kerchief to clean them. Aziraphale removes his hat. He had not been wearing one but presumably put it back on somewhere along the way.

Crowley touches the bag that stores all the books in it and asks the question, "Lift home?"

In season 1, the pass from Crowley's hand to Aziraphale's was shown with a touch, but that does not happen in this minisode. The camera is focusing on the dying Nazis.

Then it is shown that Aziraphale is holding both the bag of books and his hat.

...

For paying attention to the pockets...

Crowley's gesture upward to indicate the bomb is on its way basically pockets himself between his hands and raised fingers, especially the hat. His tongue is visible in the gesture too.

The closest thing he gets to an Overhead Light is that some flame visibly above Crowley's left ear when Crowley moves to grab the bag with the books in it. The flame is with the statue behind Aziraphale.

...

Story Commentary

Before this scene was one between Aziraphale and Shax in the present day and the actual opening sequence to the episode.

In the present day scene, Aziraphale is shown being more polite to the car by asking for a song. Crowley does not interject, but let's keep in mind that it was when Aziraphale addressed the car about music before that Crowley was shown to tune in with what was happening.

The scene unfolds such that Aziraphale and Shax both end up saying the names "Crowley" and "Gabriel" with Aziraphale eventually revealing to Shax that Gabriel is, indeed, in the bookshop. The conversation also included the name, Furfur, who is a character that will show up later in this minisode.

So, Crowley could have been eavesdropping during the whole exchange, even if the story does not explicitly say he did.

...

To start off the minisode, "London 1941" appears in a font reminiscent of a horror movie over a black and white image of a burning London. I take that as a clue that this story is actually initiating from Crowley's point of view since he's the one who likes movies.

In season 1, episode 3, one of the lines is, "And, if in 30 seconds, a bomb does land here, it would take a real miracle for my friend and I to survive it."

In this scene, the line is changed to, "And if a bomb does land here, it would take a real miracle for my friend and I to survive it."

Why the change? It could be POV, but even if it's not, I can tell you as someone who studies Earthly Objects, that a dialogue point was taken away because the number "30" went missing in the line.

As I've noted in other posts, I think each minisode is supposed to match a horseman of the apocalypse that is not Death. This one is a match to War.

...

As a general FYI, I'm hoping to go through this minisode quickly. This episode is my least favorite since this minisode takes up so much story space within it, and I hate flesh-eating zombies that kill people. A big plot point of this minisode is that it has flesh-eating zombies that kill people.

I still decided the minisodes were worth taking a look this time around, just in case. Plus, we're going to encounter some significant clues about The Door Catch, not to be confused as "The Bullet Catch 2.0".

The Door Catch is linked to a Threshold Trick, The Door Trick, and I believe one of the rules of the Threshold Tricks is, "Never do the same trick twice."

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[henqtic]

fluttery . xavier thorpe x black!reader . wc: 2514.

continuation of my only girl.

i also decided to write this part with you / your pronouns just because i feel like it’s just be better when writing mostly fluff. it just feels like you’re more there more, you know?

note: the beginning is sort of filler ( i adore filler ) but if you don't, just go to where it says the gift . . . !

·:*₊‧ masterlist . taglist form . request works . ·:*₊‧✩

opening . . . 

After what happened in his art shed that night, the thing Xavier had been planning to gift to you had become more of an. . . afterthought of sorts.

Not that it wasn’t important or anything – it was initially how he was going to tell you, or rather show you how he had been feeling. But since everything found its way unfolding all on its own, he felt as though it would’ve been overwhelming in a way.

His sketchbook had been an outlet for him, not anything like the other where it was sweet and just things that came to mind. It was about his relationship, or therefore lack of with his father. 

How his mental health restricted so much of him. It went from doing what he wanted to do to feeling how he wanted to feel. Overwhelming insecurities and distrustments that led to him letting a lot of good things pass him right by.

But he wasn’t going to let you slip away, within the millicencond your hands found their way in his hair that night, he made it official.

For every page right in the eye of the spinning hurricane of his mind, was one centering his feelings about you. It was like a diary, a diary that had [ your name ] written in sparkly pink ink with hearts around it. Its existence and the circumstances he used it under, was the reason you had felt so differently that night, and jumped to the worst possible conclusion.

He wanted to share it with you, to explain everything in a way he had never even attempted to before. But it would have been so much all at once.

So he didn’t plan on giving it to you for at least two weeks afterwards, and then those weeks passed, and then the next pair, and the ones after that. And then it just faded away.

He was much too preoccupied with what was in front of his face.

Because it was you.

Your lips, and your hair and your voice, your smile, smell, touch, everything about you was just within fingertips reach. There wasn’t anymore angst or weary about whether or not a boundary in your friendship was liable to be overstepped.

Just simply yearning to get impossibly closer.

That was his favorite part.

The fact that he didn’t completely give up his best friend and that relationship, but finding new things that made you even more inseparable.

You didn't hold back or hesitate anymore. Knitting your fingers together while walking to classes, doing homework, or lying down.

There were mandatory goodbye, hello, and ‘just because you looked very kissable’ kisses. And mindlessly tapping the beat of the music playing through your headphones on to his legs, never noticing the blush that would infiltrate his neck and ears.

Or especially late night when he’d sneak in through your window - your hands never leaving his skin.

Past times were filled with his head snuggled into the crook of your neck, your manicured nails running smooth on his scalp until soft and rhythmic tufts of breath would let you know he’d fallen asleep on top of you.

His lips on the supple skin of your neck, not stopping until a pretty [ purplish / reddish ] hue was speckled all around. He’d spend hours on them if he could. And each and every time he debated whether or not it would show with the uniform; plotted really, conveniently misplacing your concealer in different spots every morning until you started hiding it from him.

For the past four months, you weren’t sure if you had been participating in meaningful conversation with others, or just looking right through them to find each other. And after the first actual big argument, and the tears, and the ignoring, and then bouncing back even better, he decided that there wasn't a better time to finally give it to you.

the gift . . . 

Getting a text from Xavier early in the morning had become a part of your routine, just a simple good morning and an offer of a plate of breakfast to be brought up to your dorm, or a companion to walk to the dining hall with. 

This morning, though, he sounded a little more hostile; don’t wear shoes you love, old sweater, dark jeans, not the flares. You’ll be upset with me if you mess them up, love you.

When you responded with nothing but a few question marks, he said that it was a surprise and just to go with it. So you did, allowing him to place his hands over your eyes the minute you reached the woods, with the hopes that he wasn’t planning on throwing you in some lake.

No lake, just a puddle. Some upturned roots, rocks hidden underneath leaves, and a few odd looking mushrooms – not that you’d know, he hadn’t let you see anything in about ten minutes and narrated the whole way.

It was a bubbly adventure, to say the least, attempting to stay upright and still keep it all a secret. He was like a direction blind GPS, the only one in your pair who knew where you were going and still somehow giving himself the worst possible directions.

So, when he finally came to a halt that wasn't followed by a sharp breath, your voice was eager, “Can I please open my eyes now?”

“Uhh,” Xavier drawled as he kept his palms in place, tapping his fingers on your face – you could almost feel the smirk on his lips.

He wildly turned your body in a circle — this way, that way; like a birthday girl getting ready to hit the piñata, laughs breaking out from your stomachs.

A curse was muttered under his breath as he almost lost his footing. You stumbled backward, grabbing onto his sweater tightly, not having much faith that this time wouldn’t be the one where he finally made you both fall on your faces.

“Xavier. If you twist our ankles I’ll never even look at you again,” you threaten lightly, your back flat against his broad chest.

“I won’t twist our ankles baby — ”

“Mhm.”

“Mhm? How about I make it up to you by giving you your sense of sight back?” He offered teasingly, tilting his head down so that his cool breath blew on you, taking the way the fat of your cheeks rose and warmed like a ready cake as a yes.

You blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light as he uncovered your eyes.

He decided that the most appropriate way to give you the gift was as a surprise.

You love surprises. As tedious as they may be, surprise doodles on your arms, surprise kisses, surprise dates, surprise gifts, and hopefully, this surprise would end like all of its predecessors.

Today was a nice day. Sunday, and thankfully, there weren’t any classes scheduled for tomorrow. 

The sun shined exceptionally bright, just to spite the cool wind making the trees sing. The grass was just the right amount of rained on so that it wasn't stiff and sharp, but it wouldn’t leave mud stains on your pants.

It was the perfect spot, littered with beauty he’d never seen in the town before. There were fields of bluebells around in some parts of the grass, along with daisies, mums, and some other flowers he didn’t know the name of. Maybe it was abandoned by the gardening club?

He actually didn’t even know of a gardening club at Nevermore so maybe he was a part of the reason why it potentially got disbanded. Either way, he was happy to see that everything looked nearly untouched. The little date was set up in a clearing by a tree.

“This place is so beautiful,” you looked around in awe of the blooming nature before anything else, gleaming at the setup once noticed.

Two canvases were waiting in front of you, much smaller than his usual ones, paint brushes, acrylic paints, mason jars of water, and a particularly sharp pencil if you created something that needed it.

You continued holding onto his forearms, loosening your grip so that you could turn around and show him your wide grin.

“Xavier Thorpe. Have you decided to reopen my drawing lessons after a full year. . . and a month?”

He was smiling just as, if not more radiantly than you were. Boyish dimples prominent on his cheeks, happy at your excitement at it all. His mouth opened, moved, and closed as if it’d forgotten how to formulate words.

“Yeah. I decided that since I’m such a kind and forgiving boyfriend, I should give you another chance. Even after you not only almost got yourself but two other people mangled by a killer creature.”

He nearly rethought his decision altogether after saying the last sentence with some desperation.

"Oh please, Dabeer wasn’t even that bad, just a little you know, feisty.”

Your attempt at reasoning made a look of disgust riddle his face.

“You gave that thing a name?”

“I gave him a name. He only started rampaging when you said ‘Jesus that thing is ugly.’ You gotta learn to be more sensitive Xavier.”

You scoffed half-heartedly as he shook his head, pushing his chest away lightly and making a run towards the tree.

A bunny had nestled itself in the flowers right in front of your date, peaceful and sleeping, and just the thing you needed to jumpstart your little contest.

It was a thrown game, obviously, he could outdraw, paint, sculpt, and whatever other artistic secrets he had, anyone in Jericho. So he gave you a ten minute head start, most of it just being him looking up the anatomy of a bunny.

“Okay so on the count of three we reveal.”

“One. . . two. . . three!”

Compared to his, yours looked . . . subpar. As expected.

He’d taken it upon himself to draw a bouquet alongside the animal, already animating them just enough for the wind outside to blow them around too.

Yours, on the other hand, was unfinished and very. . . fun looking, to say the least. That was literally the only adjective he could come up with before he hid his face behind his canvas to laugh.

“Stop it, you’re making him feel bad,” you frowned, turning over the painting to take a second look at the animal.

“I’m sorry babe, just- look at it. It looks more like a kangaroo with a deformity than it does a sleeping bunny.”

“You know what?" You challenged with a gleam in your eyes, “I’m gonna take a picture of this and ask people what they think it is. Because it does look like an adorable normal bunny and not something painted by an overachiever.”

“Is it really overachieving if I’m just naturally better?”

You rolled your eyes at the cockiness radiating off of him. Starting to fish for your phone somewhere in your bag, giving him the perfect chance to grab the box from out of his and sit it in the space in between your bodies.

“Here it is,” you exclaimed, opening the camera app, then immediately dropping it right back into the abyss of your tote bag once your attention landed on the neatly wrapped box instead.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a gift.”

“Well yeah it’s a gift, but I didn’t get you anything,” your features softened, “I thought I was gonna be able to beat you to the next date.”

“Don’t feel bad, it's actually the one I was gonna give you when you first came by the art shed.” A breathy laugh followed.

Your eyes illuminated by as you recalled the memory.

“Why are you just now giving it to me then?"

“Well, just open it. I’ll explain.”

Your eyes followed him for a moment, lifting the top of the box. Inside was a familiar sketchbook. With fraying corners, leather wasting away in some places, and filled to the brim with filled in, ripped out, and additional pages added.

It was his sketchbook, the one you were never allowed to take a close look at.

“Can I open it?” You asked carefully, holding it like it was one of the most sacred objects in the world.

“Yeah, of course.”

In the pages lay drawings, mostly black and white per his usual drawing style. Some were more frantic than others, with scribbles and swirls around a face, more refined and older that always had some look of disapproval. His father, probably. He'd told you enough to understand the strain of the relationship. And then there were the ones of you.

Smiling softly, face scrunched in confusion, disgust, sadness, tiredness, but most of it happiness. Your side profile, hands moving in different positions of your face that proved to say he probably took inspiration from a slow day in class. One of you with the same hairstyle you’d worn some day when you were at the weathervane laughing at someone's dog eating whipped cream out of a water cup.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Your voice was gentle, closing up the sketchbook and placing your hand on top of his.

He quickly flipped his over, allowing your fingers to weave together.

“Well it’s originally how I was gonna confess to you and you know open up about everything — but then everything happened and if I gave you this too then it would’ve been too much. And I didn't want what we had to just end so soon.”

“Why would it be over? This is just as beautiful as your art studio is not more.”

“It’s just, you know, we just found out we’re in love with each other, and if I added this too it was gonna be like some nuclear love bomb and relationships never last that way.”

“That’s what you think?”

“That’s what I know. Have you seen Ajax this past week? He’s moping cause Enid said she needed space. Which isn’t that surprising cause they were always with each other. Like sickeningly, like there was no way they could physically think longer than two minutes. But still, I thought they were gonna last for —”

Your stomach flutters as he opens his mouth to continue on, picking up your rambling trait. So you keep him quiet instead, leaning in to cup his cheek and kiss him. It was different from all the others, slow and sensual like he could feel everything you wanted to say.

“If you gave this to me in the art shed, or an hour after we left it, I would’ve felt just like I do now.”

“And how do you feel?”

“I feel really. . . fluttery.”

“Fluttery?” He gave you an affectionate smile, his dimples carving out his face beautifully as he attempted to understand the descriptions you gave of your emotions.

“Like, flustered. But in a really really good way. I—,” you huffed out a heavy breath, “I love the thought behind this. I love and appreciate the fact that you’re comfortable enough to show me this sketchbook. I’m happy that you’re actually trying not to close me off anymore. I love this and I love you.”

“Thank you, Xavier.”

🔖— @wxnderingthoughts​ 

thank you for reading, every like and reblog is appreciated  🌷 !

[elizaditton]

Too Small To Be Afraid (Chapter 4)

Links:

Cover / Master Post / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

- - - - - - - - - -

I drag my pencil along my paper, trying my best to sketch out Captain Tristen's form. It feels good to be drawing again after all the work it took to move into the new apartment. There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than drawing Stranded fan art.

A knock on my door catches my attention. I look up from my work to see Dad entering my room with a box tucked under his arm.

"What's that?" I ask, gesturing to the box.

"Just something you'll need for tomorrow," Dad says. "What's that?"

I race to cover my drawing of Captain Tristen with my hands, my face turning red. "Something that's not done yet," I say.

Dad chuckles, setting the box on my bed. 'Kaylin Finch' is scrawled across the side in permanent marker.

"But really," I protest. "What is that?"

"You'll just have to open it and find out," Dad says, giving the box a good pat. "I'll be in the other room if you need me." He heads for the door and exits before I get the chance to ask him anything else.

I put my sketchbook and my pencil aside to examine the box on my bed. Why would a box have my full name written on it? Could this be left over from the move? What could possibly be tomorrow that I'd need whatever is in this box for? And why was Dad so quick to leave me alone with this thing?

Peeking at the top of the box, I realize it isn't taped shut, and there are no mail markings. Where did Dad get this? I flip the top open and peer inside. A pair of loafers and a pair of tennis shoes sit atop two gray pieces of fabric. A smile creeps across my face and I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, I've got my uniform for the new school. I'd completely forgotten about orientation day happening tomorrow since we were so busy unpacking. I'm surprised Dad didn't forget, too.

I lift the shoes from their place in the box and examine one of the pieces of fabric underneath. Lifting it up and unfolding it, I find it's a pair of shorts. Must be for gym class. I set them aside and reach for the other piece of fabric in the box. I'm about to unfold what I'm certain is a skirt when the item underneath catches my eye.

Green?

I set the skirt aside. Ascend Human Academy's colors are blue and yellow. What could I possibly need that's green? Confused, I reach for the green fabric and lift it up. Unfolding it, I find it's a blazer.

A blazer?!

How could Dad have gotten the wrong color? Where'd this stuff come from, anyway?!

A golden patch to the right catches my eye. It's embroidered with a shiny, metallic thread. In the center of the patch is a blue circle, containing a set of three red triangles pointed downwards while a yellow circle floats atop each one. The symbol sort of resembles a flower. Or maybe people?

Below this icon is a single line of text embroidered over a faux folded ribbon.

'Pacific Deskmate High School.'

The blazer falls out of my shaking hands. A deskmate school?! There must be some kind of mistake!

I grab the blazer, jump off my bed, and race down the hall. I find Dad in the living room, sitting on the couch working with his laptop. He pushes up his glasses and looks up at me, smiling.

"So, did you open the box?" he asks.

"Dad," I say, holding up the blazer and pointing to the golden patch. "Why do I have a blazer for a deskmate school? I'm supposed to be going to Ascend, right?"

Dad frowns and turns away. He rests a hand on his chin and heaves a sigh.

"You see, Kaylin... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

My insides do a somersault. This can't be happening!

Dad sets his laptop on the table and pats the spot on the couch next to him.

"Come on," he says. "Let's have a talk."

I stay in place for a moment before reluctantly moving towards the couch and plopping myself down in the spot next to Dad.

"I want you to know I've thought long and hard about this," Dad says, "and I ended up coming to the conclusion that stepping outside of your comfort zone and socializing with pertheans at school will be better for you than staying in an all-human school. The only reason I didn't want to pull you from your school before was because I knew that's where all your friends were going."

I cross my arms. All the friends I had at school either moved away from Maedri or transferred to other schools before stage four. I'm not gonna lie, making friends at a school like West Maedri Human Academy was pretty hard. At best, I made a few acquaintances, but most of the people there were snobs. Either way, up until this move, saying I have friends at school has been my one excuse to not be transferred to a public school where they start teaching humans and pertheans in the same classrooms in stage two. But a deskmate school? This is a thousand times worse!

Dad continues, "I regret not letting you have the opportunity to socialize with pertheans as often as you could have if you had just kept going to public school like you did in stage two. I believe I've actually done you a disservice, and for that, I'm sorry."

"A disservice?"

"Yes," Dad says, scooting a little closer. "Look at what not being around pertheans has done to you. You won't look at them, talk to them, or even stand anywhere near them."

"That's because—!"

"I know it's because you're afraid," Dad interrupts, "but your coping strategies are not helping, nor are they working for you. Don't you wish you could just get along with pertheans?"

I look to the floor. I suppose life would be easier if I could 'get along with pertheans,' but it would also be easier if everyone was the same size so we wouldn't have to worry about these things. Then everyone could live above ground together safely.

"I guess," I sigh. "But how is forcing myself to live in fear every day supposed to help me to get over it?"

"I know you're not going to 'get over it' that easily," Dad says. "But I do believe that with exposure and with time, things can get better. Don't you remember anything Mrs. Cherie taught you?"

"Mrs. Cherie?" I ask. Now that's a name I haven't heard in years.

"Mrs. Cherie! Your therapist after—"

"I remember Mrs. Cherie," I interrupt. "But I was too little to remember anything useful from those sessions. All I remember is playing board games."

"Well, then maybe you're due for another round of therapy." Dad puts an arm around my shoulder. "Kaylin, I wouldn't send you to this school if I didn't think it would be good for you. I'm sorry I lied to you about going to Ascend and transferring for work, but I really believe this is what's best for you and that it's going to help you."

I turn to Dad, eyes wide. "What do you mean you lied about transferring for work?"

Dad laughs nervously. "About that..."

"I thought your boss wanted you to transfer here because Chancelor is your hometown," I search his eyes for answers as the pieces start to come together in my mind.

Dad gazes out an artificial window we finally managed to get working this morning. He takes a deep breath, looks to the floor, and then looks back at me.

"I've wanted for you to go to a deskmate school for a long time now, but there weren't any nearby. So, as soon as the company started operating around Chancelor, I put in a request for a transfer."

"So that I could go to a deskmate school?" I ask, my brows twitching.

"Yeah," Dad says. "Although it's not just any deskmate school. This is the one I went to when I was your age," he smiles. "And my deskmate ended up becoming one of the co-principals."

Oh, great! Just what I need, an old friend of my dad's who might know about my fear as one of my new co-principals. What if word gets around that I have a fear? What will I do then?

"Kaylin," Dad says, "just trust me. You'll see this will be good for you. You're in good hands at Pacific."

"I don't want to be in anyone's hands," I protest.

"You know what I mean," Dad says, patting my shoulder.

My fists clench tightly. I stand up, clutching my new blazer, and walk back to my room, leaving Dad alone on the couch.

[eriquin]

The Prophetic D&D Game, Part 15

Conclusion of the 4th session. Mike gets his wish and sees combat. Lucas is still missing. Eddie considers where his inspiration has come from.

(master post)

Part 15

“Michael, you feel something wrap around your leg. You’re able to keep your head above water for...” Eddie rolls a die. “Oh, about two seconds before you’re pulled under.” 

“Shit,” Gareth said. “I’m going after him.” 

“Bravo, Lady Maya. Into the deep you go. You can see Joe being dragged through the glowing red portal at the bottom of the lake. Grant, what is Natalia doing?”

“Into the water,” Grant said. “We should’ve known we’d be splitting the party when we got in the boat.”

“What’s going on from shore? What do we see?” Dustin asked. 

“Well, funny thing, that,” Eddie said. He pointed at Dustin and Jeff. “You two, make me some wisdom checks.”

“Poof, you’re some wisdom checks,” Jeff said with a grin. Eddie rolled his eyes as Jeff and Dustin rolled their dice. The resulting numbers were good enough for them to hear shouting in the woods behind them.

“It appears the rangers have caught up with you,” Eddie said. “What will you do?”

Dustin and Jeff leaned towards each other and whispered something. “Can we tell if the rest of the party is still in the boat?” Jeff asked.

“You cannot tell,” Eddie said. “It’s too dark and too far away.” 

“We need to distract the rangers,” Dustin said. “Keep them away from the lake, and whatever demonic monster is lurking there.” 

“Like if the Nessy was a marilith,” Jeff muttered. “Okay, what are we doing to distract them?”

Dustin shrugged. “Making a lot of noise and luring them away?”

“That works for me,” Jeff said. “We take off back into the woods, shouting about having located the killer.”

Eddie shook his head. “Right, well that’ll get their attention. I’m going to say you get caught pretty quickly, though, and the rangers are going to tell you it’s too dangerous to be out in the woods at night with a murderer on the loose.”

Jeff raised his hand. “Hey, I’m a junior guardsman. Does that make any difference to them?”

“Yes, but not in the way you want it to. They start yelling about jurisdiction and decide to provide an armed escort back to the guard barracks.” 

Dustin pulled his cap off and smacked Jeff on the arm with it. “Damn it. Nice job, asshole. We’re gonna get arrested.”

“We’ll be fine,” Jeff said. “Just go along with it for now. We can talk our way out of it later.”

“Meanwhile, let’s get back to the incoming combat round, shall we?” Eddie got up and unfolded a sheet of paper to lay out in the middle of the table as a battle map. There were landmarks drawn in, with the portal in the middle. He picked up Mike’s minifig and placed it a few squares away from the portal. “After coming through the portal, Joe is dragged to this point by the vine wrapped around his feet. It’ll be a couple before Maya and Natalia manage to join him. Congrats, Mike. You get some combat.” 

“Yay,” Mike said, keeping his voice as dry as possible and waving his hands sarcastically. 

The start of combat was touchy, as Mike’s character took damage from the vines and was trapped without his equipment. He got free and was immediately attacked by flying, bat-like monsters. Eddie described them as having leathery wings and prehensile tails that could grapple. They quickly did so to Joe and he was struggling with them when Maya and Natalia arrived. 

“I think it’s time for some area-effect spells,” Gareth said. He cackled and rubbed his hands together. 

“Please don’t while I’m in the middle of them,” Mike said. “I’m so low on HP. Don’t take out your healer.” 

“I say nuke the site from orbit,” Grant said with a grin. “I’ve still got spells left, and the bard can heal, too.”

“I’m not there,” Dustin said. “I’m back on the shore, remember?”

“I meant the other bard.” Grant pointed at Eddie. “Did Quinn jump in after the girls, or did he puss out and stay on the boat?” 

Eddie picked up a die and held it up where they could see it. “Call high or low.”

“Oh, come on, man,” Gareth said. “He’s got a choice between a swift execution for crimes he didn’t commit or diving in and clearing his name. Are you really going to leave that up to random chance? Doesn’t your character have any sense of self worth?”

“Okay, fine. Yes, Quinn dives in after everyone and pops up about a second after Natalia.” Eddie dropped another minifig on the map next to the portal. “Now, what are you all doing? 

Between the three players and Eddie’s NPC, they managed to take down the small swarm of bats. Mike’s character took a lot of damage, though, and while they were away from the portal, more bats gathered around to guard it. The group got a moment to regroup and decide if they were going to fight more of them to go back through.

“Did any of you think to bring my equipment?” Mike asked. Gareth and Grant grimaced and turned to Eddie.

“Now for that, I’m going to need you to make a roll,” Eddie said. As it turned out, both of them had set off so quickly to rescue him that they had left his things behind. Mike groaned and shook his head. Eddie rolled some dice for himself to try to see if Quinn had remembered, and lo and behold, it succeeded.

“Quinn, on the other hand, managed to grab your sword before he dived after you all,” he said. 

Mike cheered. “I say we fight our way back.” 

“Before you do that, you notice a dark cloud in the distance. It quickly becomes obvious that there’s a swarm of about a hundred more of these bats headed your way.” Eddie steepled his fingers together. “How many do you think your sword can take out?”

“Or we can run for the tree line,” Grant said. “Avoid combat and regroup?” 

“Seconded,” Gareth said. “Let’s skedaddle!” 

While Eddie let their characters escape, Mike got up and pulled Dustin aside. The other boys cleared away the battle map while they talked. When they got back to the table, Mike raised his hand. “I have a question,” he said.

“You know you don’t have to raise your hand, right, Wheeler?” Eddie said. “This isn’t a class.” 

“I wanted to know how bad the bat bites are,” Mike said. “Like, are they just normal animal bites? Vampire bites? What?”

“Oh! Is Joe going to get rabies?” Gareth asked. “Like, demonic evil rabies?

Eddie chuckled. “First of all, he’s a paladin so he’s immune to diseases, including demonic rabies. Second of all... The bats are actually creepy monsters. They have no eyes, and their faces open up like five-petaled flowers but inside are just rows and rows of teeth. Joe’s got some truly gnarly wounds to attend to when you guys have a chance to heal.” 

Mike nodded slowly and looked back at Dustin, who had gone a little pale. “Yeah, well... Luckily we have lots of healing, right?” 

“Indeed. Your group runs up the hill to the treeline. Remind me again what you’ve told Quinn about the demonic realm?” Eddie raised his eyebrows at them. 

“Everything,” Gareth said. “Literally, we just spilled the beans. He knows it’s a creepy mirror of Kiteshire that’s filled with monsters.” 

“Oh, and that the vines are all connected to the monsters,” Mike added. “So he should know to avoid them, like we all do.” 

“Right, right,” Eddie said. “Well, you make it back to the Giant’s Head—”

“Skull Rock, but evil this time,” Grant said.

“Shush. You take refuge under the rock formation and hide from the bats. This also gives you time to heal up and make a plan. Meanwhile!” Eddie pointed at Jeff and Dustin. “You two and Sadie have been escorted back to the guard’s barracks. They’re very suspicious about why you were out in the woods when there’s a murderer running around.”

“Okay, but now can I point out that I’m a junior guardsman?” Jeff asked.

Eddie grinned. “Oh, they know. They want to know where the hell you’ve been and why you went AWOL. Got an answer for that, Jeffy?” 

“Damn it,” Jeff said. “We’re not getting out of this easy, are we?”

“Hmm, you’re all very suspicious. Caleb was disobeying orders, Sadie is a neighbor of the suspect and also a known thief, and Gaten is the suspect’s protégé.” Eddie leaned over the table and shook his head. “I think they’re going to be keeping you all around for questioning for a while.”

Dustin took his hat off and smacked Jeff with it. Jeff rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”

“You got us caught,” he said. “You and that junior guardsmen stuff. ‘Just go along with it,’ he said.”

“We’ll be fine,” Jeff said. “This way we can figure out how much they know. I’ll bet you can sweet talk info out of them. Or Sadie can rob them blind.”

“I’m telling Lucas that you got his character arrested,” Gareth said in a singsong voice.

“They’re not arrested, they’re just being questioned,” Eddie said. “And they’re in better shape than you are, Gare-bear. Where’s our lost little band of heroes going?”

Mike shrugged. “I mean, we can’t stay out in the wilderness. Everything in the, uh, shadow version of Kiteshire is the same as the regular version, just without the people, right? So let’s head back to town. I need replacement armor.”

Through a totally justifiable coincidence, the team in the demon realm decided to go to the guard’s barracks to get Joe his armor. Edde made them make a number of checks to navigate to the correct place while avoiding the swarms of monsters. He made a few checks in private to make sure none of them accidentally stepped on one of the vines and alerted the monsters to their presence. They made it; he didn’t even have to fudge the rolls. 

Once they were at the barracks, he made them roll some checks to see if they noticed anything strange. Mike was the only one who succeeded, but he insisted that he would tell everyone what he saw.

Eddie grinned. “Well, it’s less ‘see’ and more ‘hear.’ Joe hears dissonant voices. One of them sounds very much like Gaten.” 

“I guess he’s just like Dustin,” Mike joked. “So loud we can hear him all the way into the shadow realm.” He and Dustin still looked a little spooked by something, though they were trying to roll with it. Eddie wondered what it was. 

The group in the demonic realm figured out that they were hearing what was happening on the material plane in real time. Then they had to figure out how to communicate back. Gareth went over the backstory notes to see what they knew about the last time someone had been trapped there, while Grant had his character explore the things around the barracks. Mike sent his character in search of better armor. Eddie rolled for him and came up with an ill-fitting suit of chainmail. 

Mike scoffed. “Better than nothing, I guess,” he said. “Hey, we should try the lights.” 

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “Was that in character?” he asked.

“Yes, definitely.” Mike turned to the rest of the table. “As I’m putting my shitty chainmail on, I tell Maya and Natalia to try to do stuff with the lamps and torches. When stuff from the shadow realms happens in the real world, there’s always funny stuff going on with fires and torches and magical lanterns, right? So maybe that’ll work here.” 

“That’s way smarter than St—Joe would be,” Dustin said.

“Yeah, well, I’m way smarter than he is.” Mike had a little sneer on his face. Dustin made a face back, and they shared a series of expressions that made zero sense to anyone else at the table. Eddie cleared his throat to get their attention, and Mike straightened his face out and turned back to look at him. “Does it work? Can we do anything with the lights?”

“While all of you are poking around the barracks...” Eddie hummed for a moment and rolled a D4. “Maya, you notice a golden glow on the chandelier in the same room where you hear Gaten and Caleb’s voices. What do you do?” 

“Oh, I poke it with a stick,” Gareth said. 

“Literally, dude?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got a ten foot pole around here somewhere.” Gareth flipped through his character sheet. “Shit, I don’t. Why don’t I have a ten foot pole? What kind of adventurer am I, anyway?”

“You’re not. You’re a librarian,” Mike said. “I’ll go see what Maya’s talking about and poke at the chandelier. I’m taller than her, anyway.” 

“Are you poking it with a stick as well?” Eddie asked.

Mike shook his head. “No, I’m braver than that. Just reaching my hand up there to tap at the chandelier, like ‘Hello? Is this thing on?’” He pantomimed the tapping and the rest of the table giggled along with him.

“‘Braver’ is one word for that. But bravery pays off this time, and the glow of the chandelier brightens at your touch. It feels warm and tingly, like there’s a blessed power behind it.”

“Nice,” Mike said. “I call out to everyone else to come check this out.” 

“Great, now we’re all going to be cursed,” Grant said. 

Eddie grinned. “Dustin, Jeff, roll some wisdom checks for me to see if you notice anything strange while you’re locked up in your holding cell.”

The two of them rolled their dice and they both did well enough to notice that the chandelier in their room had started flickering. Dustin held his hand up to shush Jeff and speak first. He suggested that they’d know it was the other half of the team because they remembered what happened to their friend when he was trapped in the demonic realm. 

“Yeah, I’ll buy that,” Eddie said. “Jeff, you rolled particularly well. In addition to the chandelier candles all flickering in a suspiciously consistent pattern, you also hear a tapping at the window. Would you like to investigate?”

Jeff chuckled. “I wonder what he’d do if I said no?” he said. “Yes, Eddie, I would love to investigate the tapping at the window.”

“Excellent choice. Outside of the window, you see a familiar face down from a rope attached to the barracks roof. It’s Caleb’s little sister, Priah. Are you going to let her in?” 

“Uh, I guess so,” Jeff said. “What’s she doing here?”

Dustin scribbled down something quick on a piece of paper and twisted it to show Mike, who nodded. Neither of them spoke up, though, so Eddie pressed on. “You really should remember this, so I’ll sum it up,” he said. “She got involved the last time there was an incursion from the demonic realm, but she was mostly concerned with hostile infiltrators from the neighboring kingdom, since she’s a professional assassin. Are you going to let her in?”

“Well, that explains why she’s on the roof,” Jeff said. “Yeah, sure. Come on in, Priah. We might have someone for you to stab.” 

“Well, she does love stabbing people,” Eddie said. “She climbs in through the window and explains that the guards came by to question her about Caleb going AWOL, and she’s been keeping an eye out for him ever since. She’s ready to break you out of here, if you want.”

Dustin clasped his hands together. “Great, but first we need to fill her in on what’s going on with the demonic realm,” he said. “And then we need to go to the scene of the first murder.”

“Are you going to wait for Sadie to get back?” Eddie asked.

“Shit, is she still being questioned?” Jeff asked. “Yeah, we can’t leave her behind.” 

“God, she’s probably eating them alive,” Dustin said. “She’ll be back here soon, I’m sure. Anyway, we give Priah all the details about what’s going on, and how our friends are stuck in the demonic realm. And also, they can hear us.”

“Yeah, and we’re wondering why you want to go back to the first murder scene,” Gareth asked. “Do we have a good way to communicate back yet? Like, we can flicker the lights. Can we do anything with that? I have so many questions.”

“You guys just need to trust me on this,” Dustin said. “There’s an intelligent monster controlling this. We know, because Sadie’s seen him. He’s the one killing people, and he must have a reason for it. There was a gate at one murder scene. It serves to reason that the gate is the reason for the murders. Ergo—”

“More gates at other murders,” Mike said, nodding. “Something is trying to escape, and using ritual sacrifices to get it done.”

“Oh, Eddie.” Gareth tutted. “You and your satanic rituals.” 

“It’s more like what, the, uh, sorceress could do,” Mike said. “What was she called again?” 

“Millie the Mystic,” Grant said. 

“Yeah. It’s like the demon is imitating Millie’s power to open gates. It’s just, like, the evil version. I mean, the last time, the big monster that came through said he was doing all of this because of her. This is just more of the same.” Mike looked pretty proud of himself for that one.

Eddie fought to keep the smile off of his face, because he knew that if he looked too pleased, they would all realize that Mike and Dustin were right. All the clues were there in the backstory notes he’d given them, but he still had a couple of surprises left for them. “All right. It sounds like you have a theory that you want to check. You can figure out how to communicate through the lights effectively with some version of fantasy Morse code or something. You’re all smart enough for that. So, what’s your plan?”

It went like this. They waited for Sadie to get back, then broke out of the barracks and snuck back over to Quinn’s house in the thieves’ quarter. The group in the demonic realm went the same way, sneaking through the shadow version of Kiteshite and avoiding fights. Eddie let them get through it without more encounters, partially because it was getting late and partially because he had a cliffhanger planned. 

“All right. Demonic realm team, when you get to Quinn’s humble abode, you see a terrible rip in the ceiling, like the creeping vines are pulling apart the seams of reality. The putrid-looking membrane at the center of the portal glows red. It starts to grow, distending out from the ceiling and down towards the floor. Then, suddenly, it pops!” He shouted the last word, making them all jump back. “A shower of viscous goo rains down over the floor of the room. Make me some dexterity checks to dodge it.”

They all jumped back quickly enough to keep from being splattered with the goo. Then, Eddie said they heard laughter from the portal. “Do you look?” he asked.

“Yes, we look,” Mike said. The others nodded along. 

“All right. Looking up through the portal, you see a view through to a much cleaner version of Quinn’s home. Gaten, Caleb, Sadie, and Priah are all there. You’re looking up at them as they look up at you. The portal feels like a mirror on the ceiling, so they appear to be upside down from your perspective. Gaten is holding a ten foot pole, which he has used to poke a hole in the portal.” 

“Because I’m a proper adventurer,” Dustin said. “Also, Hi! Told you this would work. Now you all just have to climb out.” 

“I’ll get some rope to throw to them,” Jeff said. “Wait, we’re looking up at them and they’re looking up at us, right? Is it going to be weird about gravity?”

“Oh, definitely,” Eddie said. “When you toss one end of a rope through the portal and it just holds there, equally weighted on both ends.”

“We should tie it to something on our end, though,” Dustin said. “It’ll balance equally because half of the rope weighs the same as the other half, but any of them putting weight on it will weigh more than the other half of the rope.”

Eddie stared at him for a minute, since that was not how he was going to have it work, but then decided that it wouldn’t hurt anything to let them do that. “Yeah, you can find something to tie it down to,” he said. 

“Okay, then once that’s done it should be safe to climb,” Dustin said.

“Wait, gravity, like, reverses itself halfway through?” Gareth asked. “Dude, one of us is going to fall on their heads and die climbing this rope, and it’ll probably be me. Put a cushion down or something.” 

Jeff and Dustin nodded and turned to Eddie to ask him about that, but Eddie waved his hand at them. “Yeah, yeah, fine. You can drag a mattress or something for them to land on. You have to go one at a time, so what order are you going in?”

The group looked alarmed, which meant he was doing his job right. He thought about rolling a four-sided die to figure out which one of the group would be targeted this time, but in the end it only made sense to pick Grant. 

“Okay, so Maya climbs the rope and does not crack her head open when she lands,” Eddie said. He started scribbling a note for Grant. “Does anyone want to roll me some dice for Quinn?” Dustin volunteered, and his number was high enough that Eddie nodded. “Quinn also does not die. He says something about the gravity flip being kind of fun. Up next, we have Natalia. Grant, will you roll for me?” 

Grant picked up his dice and shook them warily. “I mean, Natalia doesn’t have a lot of strength, but she has plenty of dex. She should be fine. I just get the feeling that he’s waiting for us to fail something, though.” He rolled his dice, percentiles against a table that Eddie kept hidden. “Does a seventy-four work?” 

Eddie grinned. “Natalia, you have no trouble climbing the rope. When you get through the portal, gravity flips, and you fall... and fall... and fall onto a rock-hard surface. You’re stunned for a moment. The rest of you,” he said, gesturing at the table. “See Natalia freeze when she goes to grab the rope. Her eyes have rolled back in her head, and her limbs have gone rigid.”

“God damn it, Eddie,” Grant said. The rest of the table made similar noises of complaint.

“And that’s all the time we’ve got for tonight, folks,” Eddie said. He shut his binder of notes and clapped his hands together. “Hope you’ve enjoyed your little trek through the shadow realm.”

That really got them.

Eddie ignored their shouts as he packed his things away in his bag, smiling the whole time. Grant begged him to not end it on a cliffhanger like this, and he pretended not to hear it. He was feeling especially smug about how pissed off they all were, and they eventually gave up.

“It was a really good session,” Dustin said. “Lucas is going to be so mad that he missed it.” 

“Well, he has to live with the consequences of picking a team sport over Hellfire,” Eddie said. He patted Dustin on the shoulder. “But then again, we only run this thing when one of you is absent, so I guess them’s the breaks.” 

“Yeah, but...” Dustin looked at Mike, who shrugged and gave him a baffled look in return. “Like, are all our characters going to survive? Do you think?” 

Eddie laughed. “That’s between you and your dice, my man. I’m just here pulling the puppet strings.” He held his hands up and pretended to be yanking on strings over their heads. 

“Okay, yeah, that’s true, that’s true,” Dustin said. Eddie crossed his arms and waited for him to continue. It was obvious he was trying to work himself up to asking something. “But, uh, that setting. The shadow lands that are also a demonic realm? And the gravity reversal? Where did you come up with that?” 

That was not exactly what Eddie had been expecting him to ask. To tell the truth, he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but questions about the setting weren’t it. “Uh, I mean, it’s kind of a mash up between traditional demonic realms, as much as they are, and a Twilight Zone style mirror universe, you know? But, decayed.” He shrugged. “Maybe I ate something spicy the night before I came up with it and the indigestion gave me nightmares.” 

“Are you joking?” Mike asked.

“Yes,” Eddie said, tapping his chest. “I don’t get indigestion. Iron stomach.” 

“No, I mean...” Mike huffed and looked at Dustin. “You said in the first session that it came to you in a dream. Did it really?”

Eddie shrugged. “I mean, most of it, yeah. Actually, it was a recurring dream, really. Or a couple of them over time.” He grinned. “It’s turning out way better than I thought it would, honestly. I might have to try writing it up as a module and submitting it to Dragon. What do you think?” 

Mike and Dustin looked shocked, possibly even worried by that. “That’s not a good idea,” Mike said. 

When Eddie returned the dismissal with a flat glare of his own, Dustin intervened. “What Mike means is, it’s incomplete,” he said. “It’s good! We’re having a great time, really. But, like... There’s a bunch of missing pieces. What’s going on with the other characters from the backstory?”

Mike nodded vigorously. “And where did the demon come from? We just don’t know yet.”

“Well, that’s still coming,” Eddie said. He grinned and reached over to pat them both on their heads. Mike was almost too tall to do that to now. “Wait and see, my little sheep. Wait and see.”

Taglist: @weirdandabsurd42, @10moonymhrivertam, @blueskiesandstarrynights

[writefightandflightclub]

it's almost time for chapter two of ride or die 🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰 I'm readyyyyy.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

Anyways, I have a question for you.

What made you decide on writing the whole story first before posting instead of like everytime you finished a chapter you posted it? Did u write it chronological? Or was there certain scenes you just HAD to write first bc they were making you sleepless? What's the story behind the fic? Did u had the story in mind when u posted that first chapter years ago? Or was the support of the readers asking for a second part the thought that made you go: "I can totally make this a story"?

Sorry if those are a lot of questions....I'm just a curious girl. 🫣 Feel free to not answer me if u don't wanna.

Take care 💜

Lola, you are giving me LIFE.

Thank you for indulging me. My lil writer heart is so happy to receive these questions! 🧡☺️🥹

So, I decided to write the whole series before posting mainly so I could force myself to finish it! I’ve completed some series before by posting chapters on the fly… but I also have others which are unfinished with the concluding parts languishing in my drafts. So, I really wanted to know this was DONE, in part so I could escape the pressure / guilt (self-imposed) which sometimes comes with winging it. But also so I could give a satisfying conclusion to anyone who chose to kindly invest their precious time in it.

As well, omg. I felt so wrapped up with these characters that I sorta wanted to write their story free of external comments and perspectives. I felt like there were specific places I wanted them to go, and I wonder, if I had been responding to comments as the story was still unfolding, might I have started second guessing things or taking it in a different direction? And don’t get me wrong, comments are my FAVE thing, I live for hearing all the different takes and interpretations, and feedback has been endlessly helpful and meaningful to me. I’m grateful for every single one! I just sorta wanted to let the characters in my head have first dibs on where they wanted to go this time, you know?! ☺️ An honestly, most of the time I have NO IDEA where I’m going with something, but this time I had a little bit more of an idea of the arc I wanted, and so this made sense.

Practically, it was also so I could get the continuity right from chapter to chapter. A later moment might change my perspective on an earlier scene, and if I posted outright I wouldn’t have had the flexibility to make changes.

On that note, the flexibility turned out to be needed. Some things even changed pretty last minute.

I definitely didn’t write it chronologically. I jump around a lot when I write. It’s CHAOS!!!

Tbh, I never had any continuation or larger story in mind when this started, and I fully credit all of the wonderful readers of that one-shot for this being a thing AT ALL beyond that! Chapter 1, in its OG form, was actually my first EVER Santiago one shot, and I loved the pairing so much that, with encouragement, I resolved to do a “part 2”!

However, their situation is actually so complicated that it… wouldn’t resolve quickly, yk?! The characters needed more space to breathe and grow (and to go through some stuff). And so now it’s LONG. It just… expanded as the characters pushed it apart.

I had a blast 🤣🤣🤣

In terms of scenes that were making me sleepless? Hmm. I spent a LOT of time thinking and pondering and playing out variations in my head. A LOT. There’s a flashback scene I was itching to write for a very tender moment contained in it (that chapter is far too long gah). And there’s a scene between Santi and Frankie that’s a real highlight for me.

Also, I cried MANY times while writing this agshsjajshahkahshsjjaj.

Thank you so much for being so sweet and being interested. I can’t tell you how much it means, fr. 🥹🧡

[mapmydestination123]

Top 10 Places to Visit in Rishikesh

Introduction

Rishikesh, nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, is not just a destination; it's an experience. From spiritual retreats to thrilling adventures, this quaint town on the banks of the Ganges has something for everyone.

Places to Visit in Rishikesh in One Day

For those on a tight schedule, Rishikesh offers a condensed yet enchanting experience. Start your day with a visit to the iconic Triveni Ghat, where spirituality meets the rhythmic flow of the Ganges. Follow it up with a trek to the breathtaking Neer Garh Waterfall, ensuring Map MyDestination is your guide.

Romantic Escapade: Places for Couples

Couples seeking a romantic getaway won't be disappointed. The Beatles Ashram, with its serene surroundings, is perfect for a leisurely stroll. As the sun sets, head to the Laxman Jhula Bridge, where the hues of the evening create a magical atmosphere.

Two-Day Itinerary in Rishikesh

Extend your stay for a richer experience. Day two can include an adventurous river rafting expedition, starting at Marine Drive. Explore the ancient Kunjapuri Devi Temple for a spiritual touch, and let Map MyDestination navigate your journey seamlessly.

Things to Do in Rishikesh

Beyond sightseeing, Rishikesh caters to the adrenaline junkie. Engage in bungee jumping at Jumpin Heights or experience the thrill of zip-lining. Map My Destination ensures you never miss a beat when seeking these thrilling escapades.

Outstation Cab Booking: Your Travel Companion

When exploring beyond Rishikesh, outstation cab booking becomes crucial. Ensure a smooth transition from one destination to another, allowing you to focus on the journey, not logistics.

Outstation Taxi Service Near Me

Convenience is key, and having an outstation taxi service nearby provides peace of mind. No more delays or uncertainties; your adventure begins right at your doorstep.

Best One-Way Taxi Options

Opting for one-way taxis offers flexibility and cost savings. Choose the best one-way taxi for your journey, and let the road unfold before you.

Intercity Cab Booking Made Easy

Seamless intercity travel is a breeze with cab booking services. Map MyDestination assists in charting the best routes for a hassle-free journey.

Car Hire for Outstation Explorations

For personalized travel experiences, consider renting a car. Enjoy the freedom to explore hidden gems at your pace, with Map MyDestination guiding the way.

Outstation Cab Service Near Me

Locating a reliable outstation cab service nearby ensures a stress-free start to your journey. Convenience and accessibility redefine your travel experience.

Cab Sharing for Outstation Trips

For eco-conscious travelers, cab sharing is a responsible choice. Save costs and reduce your carbon footprint as you embark on a shared adventure.

Conclusion

Rishikesh, with its blend of spirituality and adventure, is a destination that leaves an indelible mark. Whether you're a solo traveler, a couple seeking romance, or a group of friends on an adventure spree, Rishikesh caters to all. With Map My Destination as your trusty guide, explore the beauty and excitement this town has to offer.

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[justanotherinsanity]

Chapter 1

Welp, here goes a story that keeps plaguing my mind. It'll be good but it doesn't have a title yet so you can suggest something (as the story unfolds because obviously no one knows what's going on right now)

Irene would rather be anywhere but here. She preferred standing on top of a dying man with a scalpel than mingling with these investors. She didn't want to fit herself in the tight, crimson dress or come to their sophisticated ball but her hospital administrators insisted that she, they mentioned her by name, attend.

She had better things to do than laugh and shake hands. She could be using this time for sleep. Or even reading that irritating neurosurgeon's new research. Anything other than attending this glorified party. She was tired of grinning, her facial muscles ached and her social persona would not hold much longer. One would think that with years of practice, it would be more natural and less tiring.

Well, it was more natural. Irene had found that her calm smile was almost always plastered on her face but that didn't mean her brain felt like digging a hole and staying in it for the following week- or even month afterwards.

"Ah, Miss Elizah, nice to see you here," Irene turned around at the mention of her surname. She had to use all her willpower to hold in a groan; Jonathan Adam was walking her way. He was a huge, moustached man with an ego bigger than his bulging stomach- the epitome of a stereotypical businessman. He also happened to own much of the land her hospital was placed on. "How's your evening?"

"It's quite nice, the hall looks unrecognizable with all the lights and... people," the brunette cringed at her lack of a good compliment.

"Yes, Jonathan sent a lot of invites," he's about to whine about his son, "Against my better judgement," yep, there it was.

"Well, you know how the young generation is, they are quite rebellious. I'm sure he'll come to his senses as he matures." Irene wished Jonathan Junior would never come to his senses - not if it meant he'd end up like his father.

"Ah, well," he waved a huge hand, seriously huge, so much so that Irene found herself wondering if he had fluid retention, "I'm glad you and the rest of the hospital's actual staff came."

"Yes, we were informed that it's quite an important gathering," she took a huge gulp of her champagne knowing that Jonathan would not stop talking anytime soon.

"Indeed, you see, the owners of the land of Kira Medical Center and I have decided we're taking down the hospital."

"What?" Irene almost spat out her champagne, but she calmed her mind before jumping to any crazy conclusions, "For renovation?" she asked, hopeful.

"No, it will not be a hospital anymore. That land is in too good a location to be a medical clinic."

"So what happens to the hospital? What happens to the staff?"

Jonathan was about to answer when someone else called the physician, "Irene, there you are! I've been looking for you," it was Wren, one of the nurses who frequently joined Irene's operations. Any other time Irene would be grateful for a rescue from Jonathan Adam, but right now she needed answers, "Mr Adam, I hope I can steal Miss Elizah for a second."

"Of course, we were done anyway," Irene let out a soft scoff, they were not at all!

"Wren, just give me a second," she whispered, but Jonathan had already left the scene, "That little shit."

"Irene, you've gotta meet these-"

"Do you know the hospital is going to be taken down?"

"I..." he hesitated, "I heard a rumour."

"And you didn't think to tell me?!"

"You're the one who reminds me every single day that you don't do gossip!"

"Oh my God, this isn't gossip! This is our fucking future!"

"Calm down, okay, Henry won't just unleash us. Just come and meet these people and tell them about how nice the plot is and whatever and leave."

Irene couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, Wren wasn't her friend, but he was her closest work colleague. He should've told her about the hospital Dean's plan. She took in a breath and smiled once more.

"Fine, but you're not allowed the enter any of my next week's operations."

Wren just shook his head before guiding her to a group of younger people. Irene didn't remember anything from the blur of blondes, glimmering dresses and fancy suits. She didn't even remember their questions, let alone her responses to them.

Her career had only been stable for two years! This can't be happening now.

"Yes, it was nice to meet you too," she scrambled out of the hall.

The chilly night air was a welcome sensation. Irene didn't know what to feel. She was furious and distressed and she felt her control slipping.

"1, 2, 3, 4," she counted her breaths, using the same technique she's used since medical school to calm her racing mind. She wasn't going to have a panic attack, or whatever was coming, out in the open. She'd do it in the safety of her home.

"It's going to be fine," she thought, "I can deal with anything."

-----------

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Ugh," Irene groaned at her obnoxious alarm. She felt like she barely slept two hours.

As she stepped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, her phone rang again, but it wasn't an alarm this time- it was the hospital.

"Yes?"

"Dr. Elizah, Mary Sager is here with a seizure, you need to be here as quickly as possible."

Irene grimaced, Mary Sager was a sweet little girl who happened to frequent their hospital many times because of her brain tumour.

"I'm on my way," Irene ended the phone call before quickly grabbing her scrubs. She only had time to briskly brush her teeth before she rushed to her car.

By the time she was at the hospital, she was solely focused on saving the little girl's life. So much so that she forgot the very anxiety-inducing event that took place on her way to the hospital.

~997 words ♡

[hellsingmongrel]

Honestly, wherever you start.  All three versions have their own pros and cons and all are great in their own ways.  I personally feel the Manga is the best version, but almost all of us started our Trigun journey with the 98 anime when we were kids, and it’s a pretty lighthearted way to break into things, at first.

At the same time, it’s aged a bit by today’s standards and might not be your cup of tea, and is tonally very different from the new series and the manga, which both run a lot darker and less goofy.  The animation in the new one is amazing, though you’ll have to be content with only getting part of the story because we’ve only got one season of a multi-season story so far.  And if you start with the manga, you can get the entire story, but that would spoil so much for the new series before we see it unfold on screen, even if events happen a bit differently, and it will leave you wondering where the rest of the story went at the end of the 98 anime because that was finished long before the manga was, so had to take its own road to a conclusion.

In the end, whichever way you start doesn’t really matter too much.  They’re all really good and you’re in for a wild, crazy, unexpectedly emotional ride.  Don’t have time for a full anime or to read the full manga?  Start with Stampede.  Like reading manga before you get into an anime?  Start there.  Want to get a full story without the time commitment or spoiler territory of the manga?  Go with 98.

Or, you could always just watch Badlands Rumble as a sort of jumping into the deep end with only a roughly two-hour commitment.  You’ll meet people out of order, but the animation for that is far superior to the 98 anime, though it’s visually in the same Universe (even if there’s speculation that it’s not technically in the same canon as the anime?  My brain just defaults to saying it is, the differences are so minute that it really can be seen as a part of the story that we hadn’t had a chance to see before just told a little late.)

All the different versions will give you a different flavor of Vash, but at the core, they are all very much the same character just seen through different lenses, so don’t let that bother you too much.  He’s the most important element, and all of them have been almost perfect for what point they’re trying to show him at, even if the old anime and Badlands Rumble give him a bit of a stereotypical-90′s-anime-hero pervy side.  Just ignore that and tell yourself he’s doing it to make people think he’s an idiot and ignore him, and it makes it less irritating.

so if i wanted to get into trigun where would i start

[sxcret-garden-archive]

Part 4 - Intak ✧ Shut Up

✧ P1Harmony - 7 Minutes in Heaven series ✧ P1Harmony Intak x reader   ✧ words: ~1.6k ✧ genre: fluff

← Part 3 - Soul | Part 5 - Theo → 

“Another new couple~,” Keeho announces excitedly while looking at the last pair that came back from the closet. If his behaviour hasn’t been suspicious up until here, then he’s certainly stepped over the line now. Ever since the beginning only people who were more or less obviously in love with each other or who would simply make a good couple have been sent to the closet together, and slowly but steadily you’re starting to think that this is something more than mere luck or fate. So once Keeho’s girlfriend calls out your name, you jump up and walk over to her on quick feet.

“Alright, then let me pick my partner by myself!” you demand, while both she and her boyfriend shoot you stunned looks. 

“That’s not how this game works-,” she tries to make you back off, but you don’t give up so quickly. You’re almost sure you know who she would try to set you up with if she ever got the chance, and not only do you wish to avoid being in a narrow room with him for seven whole minutes at all cost, you also just don’t like cheaters.

“Oh, but cheating is the way?!” you respond somewhat angrily, and before she can react you already put your hand into the hat. For once you don’t care that everyone is staring at you, until you suddenly become uncomfortably aware of everyone’s gazes glued to your back when you unfold the paper in your hands. “This…” you attempt to talk but your words fail you. This can’t be.

“Hm? Who is it?” Keeho asks as he tries to peek at your paper, while his girlfriend is already grinning in victory. You’re not sure if she saw the name written on the paper you pulled or if she can simply guess from your sudden change in mood. Either way you can’t believe this is happening. You slowly turn to look at the guy in question, who raises his eyebrows and points at himself with a questioning look on his face once he realizes it’s really him you’re looking at.

“Intak…” you eventually announce the name on your paper, and the couple standing in front of you bursts out laughing. They’ve indeed been cheating for the entire game, you’re sure of that now. Another thing you’re sure about is that you’re just really unlucky today. You begrudgingly crumple up the paper in your hand and throw it somewhere in the general direction of the girl holding onto the mystery hat, and then Keeho leads you and the guy you’ve been having the worst crush on for who knows how long to the closet. Arriving there, you immediately press your body against one of the walls, as far away from Intak as possible. However, this “as far away as possible” isn’t nearly far enough, because this room is just too damn small.

“Don’t-,” Keeho is about to say something, but seems to change his mind mid-sentence. Not like you’re able to properly pay attention to him like this anyway. “Ah, nevermind. Do whatever you feel like!” You think you can see him shooting a wink at his younger friend, before he locks you in and makes his way back to the living room. Your eyes find the guy in front of you, and his find your frame at the same time. From the way his body suddenly seems unnaturally stiff you figure you might not be the only nervous wreck in here. Strangely enough, that fact helps you relax a little, and you take a deep breath which you let out as a sigh.

“This is awkward…” you say, hoping to ease the tension in the room a bit by talking about god knows what. “Also annoying.”

“Do you really think they’re cheating?” Intak suddenly asks, and you nod.

“Yes…”

“So the way the pairs were picked isn’t a coincidence…?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re trying to…” you hesitate for a second, but push yourself to keep talking, “set people up here.” You would’ve expected him to react with surprise, but instead he lets out a short laugh, scrunching his nose up slightly, before coming to a conclusion.

“Does that mean you like me?” You’re speechless, and you can’t help but wonder how he could be so straightforward about this.

“I-... what?! Why would you even-... That’s not-” you stammer on and on, until he releases you from your inability but at the same time pressing need to form a coherent sentence by cutting you off.

“Well, if they’re trying to set people up here that must mean you’re interested in me,” he assumes. You find an amused grin on his face. He’s having way too much fun here.

“W-what about you then?” you decide to counter-attack. “Wouldn’t that mean you like me too?”

“I do.”

“Wh-.” You can’t believe your ears. “You what?”

“You don’t believe me?” he questions, and you wish you could tell him that you do, because the way he kept making advances that you didn’t dare to count as such suddenly makes a lot more sense in your head, but instead you just can’t say anything. The grin on his lips doesn’t fade as he steps closer and leans in a bit, placing one hand on the wall right behind you to trap you between him and the closet wall. “Want me to prove it? Keeho did say we should just do whatever,” he utters, and you can’t believe your ears.

“E-excuse me?” are the only two words you can think of right now, having him so close to you and feeling the way your heart is about to jump out of your chest. He laughs softly and eventually retreats, apologizing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fluster you like that.” As much as you feel relieved when he gives you just a little more space to breathe, you’re also feeling a sense of deprivation. You stare at him for one second, two, three, and the longer you make him wait for an answer the more angry you become at him toying with you like that. You’re not sure what’s come over you so suddenly, but without thinking you take a step forward, and with him rendered unable to react fast enough, you grab his collar and pull him towards you to kiss him. You smash your lips against his somewhat ungently, but all your worries about that are erased within the blink of an eye as you can feel his hands wrapping around your wrists and the way he kisses you back. Your lips stay attached to each other for as long as the air in your lungs lasts, and once you’re forced to separate, all you can focus on is the way he seems to have lit up a fire deep inside you, and the way that the look in his half-lidded eyes only fuels those flames. You don’t question it, though. Instead, you just act on instinct and kiss him again, letting your fingers relax as you let go of his shirt to wrap your arms around his shoulders instead. He too removes his hands from your wrists, only to place them on your waist to be able to pull you closer.

“This took way too long…” he mumbles between kisses, but he gladly lets the words get lost in the air just to feel your lips on his for a while longer. He can probably figure out what your verbal answer to that would be from the way you capture his bottom lip with your teeth and bite down just a little bit too hard, luring a small whine out of him. Suppressing a grin, you run the tip of your tongue over the spot you bit down on to soothe it, before reconnecting your lips properly. Just when he’s about to break the kiss, you pull him closer to make it last for just a while longer, and when you hear the closet door open you realize why he was trying to bring some distance between the two of you.

“WHAT THE-” You hear Keeho’s voice as you finally tear yourself away from Intak and you glance to the side to see the older guy hiding his face behind his hands, peeking at you from between his index and middle finger. “This is not what I meant by you can do whatever you want!!” he protests and you step away, being surprisingly unfazed despite having been caught in this situation, whereas Intak doesn’t seem to be taking it that well. Granted, you’re both blushing madly at this point, but he doesn’t even know what to say to his friend now, so he just stands there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish in the air.

“We were doing what you wanted everyone to do in here, weren’t we?” you retort, still somewhat furious about them cheating. “So sorry about the image that was just burned into your memory, but it’s kinda your own fault.” With that you boldly grab Intak by the hand and pull him out of the closet, dragging him back towards the living room along with you, while Keeho seems to still be unable to move, trying to recover from the shock.

[lampmanliveblogs]

Mid-Season Intermission

Where I talk about a bunch of stuff

So now that I’ve finally watched episode 10, I’ve reached the rough halfway point of the season and I wanted to take a moment to talk about a bunch of stuff.

Mostly, I wanna go over all of the plot points and threads that have been brought up, established and left hanging, as well as some of my theories, predictions and wishes going forward.

A reoccurring sentiment I’ve brought up several times is that this season so far has felt like the writers are constantly poking me to make sure I don’t fall asleep by introducing new things or developing the plot in exciting ways every single epsiode. Based on what I know of the show’s development and that they’re working with very limited time, this is not all that surprising.

If you look at season 1, that season had a lot more low-stakes episodes or more comedic episodes. Sure, there were hints at bigger things to come, but The Plot really didn’t start picking up properly until the second half of that season. Compare with season 2, which has been basically all plot and character development.

This development is not necessarily a bad thing, I’ve liked every episode so far and I have very few complaints. It’s just different and I wanted to point it out. 

Anyways, let’s get into the real meat of this post. These points are in no particular order.

Chiroptera Queen (a.k.a The Bat-Queen)

Back in season one, Luz promised the help the Bat-Queen rediscover her past which she has forgotten. As seen in S2E6, we saw that Eda still has the whistle Bat-Queen gave her previously, the one that lets her call for help. I would like to see at least one of these two things used or explored by the end of the season. The whistle in particular seems like it could come in clutch during some escapade where they get trapped and need rescue.

As for my current theories… we know Bat-Queen once belonged to a grand staff which belonged to a giant thousands of years ago. The obvious conclusion to jump to is that she used to belong to the Titan before it fell… although I think she’s a bit too small for that, unless the Titan walked around with a palisman the relative size of a mosquito. But if not the Titan, then who? I recall seeing one giant student at Hexside in one episode of season one, so there might be some race of giants out there. In S2E3 we also saw what looked like a giant creature holding a staff fighting King’s dad or ancestor. The Crescent Moon figure we saw in S2E8 was also pretty tall I guess.

This is all to say that I have no idea. I will say this though; combining Bat-Queen’s origin with another already established plot point, whether it be the Titan’s origin, the history of King’s family or whoever Crescent Moon is would make for effective storytelling, which is why I bring them up.

A Little Too Close To Home (a.k.a Camila, Vee & Gravesfield)

I wanna see my snake daughter again!

That’s it.

Well, okay, I guess there are some other things to talk about. S2E10 saw us return to the Human Realm properly for the first time since the very first episode of season one. We’ve seen a few short glimpses, but those were only that; glimpses. In the last episode we got to see an entire story unfold in the Human Realm, with our main character Luz only able to watch and give guidance from afar. We learned the tragic story of Vee and Camila became aware of what is going on with her daughter. Jacob Hopkins unfortunately also learned a little too much for his, or anyone else’s good.

We also learned a bit about Luz’ hometown of Gravesfield. In particular, that there were two brothers that, according to Jacob (who is not the most reliable of sources) were brought by a witch to a realm of pure evil. The to me obvious implication here is that Philip Wittebane and his brother were both taken to the Demon Realm. But more about them in a minute.

The thing I really want to talk about is that I think we’re gonna return to the Human Realm again. Exactly how I’m not sure. They might build another portal to the in-between so Luz can talk to her mother and Vee. Maybe they build a functional portal or make use of Belos’ to get back. Either way, I think that there are significant revelations to be had in the Human Realm in regards to Philip Wittebane that will prove important. Hopefully, Jacob doesn’t have to make a return for those revelations to be had.

I also wanna see more of Camila and her newly adopted daughter. I wanna see her reunite with Luz and for them to work through their issues. I also wanna see Camila and Eda meet. I think some fun and emotions to be had there.

The Parents Blight (a.k.a the Blight family)

Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Amity’s parents and that they still have some part to  play. For one thing, I wanna see their reaction to finding out that Amity and Luz are now officially dating (and by that I mean Odalia’s reaction). If nothing else, I’d expect the twins to eventually out Amity when they accidentally tease her within earshot of Odalia. I also want to point out that while Amity started gaining some independence for herself in S2E2, her upbringing still left some deep marks, as we saw in S2E9 with her interactions with Hunter.

However, I also think the Blight parents have a role to play in the overarching plot. The Emperor seems to trust the Abomatons and allow them within his deepest chambers, close to him. But if push comes to shove… if Amity keeps causing trouble and Belos threatens her… well, I’m sure Alador left a backdoor access for him to take control over all the Abomatons. He’s a mad scientist, not a stupid scientist. Darius also mentioned Alador by name, implying some rivalry and possible conflict between them. That might be something that comes into play in the future.

The Nine Heads of the Dragon (a.k.a the nine coven head witches and their role in all of this)

Speaking of Darius, I expect to see at least him and Eberwolf play some part during the rest of this season. I also think we’re gonna get proper introductions for at least some of the other Head Witches before the end of the season. Considering the fact that they seem to be vital for Belos’ plans during the Day of Unity, I’d be surprised if we didn’t learn a little more about some of them.

For now, my current theory is that the Coven Head Witches are needed to drain magic from the witches in their Covens in order to power the spell that will merge the Demon Realm and the Human Realm (if that really is what the Day of Unity is about). We do know the Emperor’s Coven studied/studies basilisks to figure out how they drain magic. so that too will probably play a part in that event.

Rainestorm (a.k.a Raine and maybe also the BAtTs)

I just want Raine to be safe and happy and also maybe dating Eda. Is that so much to ask for?

It’s not entirely clear if Eda knows Raine is in captivity or not. She left Raine in the forest with two very powerful witches. Eda might think Raine is dead.

Now, granted, Eda does know that Belos needs the Coven Head Witches for his little group project, but still. They are important, but still replaceable. As far as Eda knows, they killed or petrified Raine and went on to find a replacement. Which is also why I’m holding out the hope that the Owl House crew might attempt a rescue operation to free Raine from… wherever they are. Maybe if they had someone on the team with a bit of insider information…

Oh, and I guess they could free the rest of the BAtTs while they’’re at it. Luz did say she could break in/out of the Conformitorium again if she wanted to.

Prey (a.k.a Hunter)

Hunter, my boy. What do we do with you? I’m not sure if I’ve ever said it outright, but, ah… I kinda know the general direction of his story. That being, he joins the Owl House crew. Also, he gets shipped with Willow. Now, I try to avoid spoilers because I feel that knowing things that are going to happen beforehand can take away from the experience in the now. Those details end up hanging in the back of your mind and you don’t experience the story as the creator/s intended. I don’t mind too much in this specific case. I’m still very invested and interested in his story and curious about what it is that’s going to make him betray Belos.

I can’t say that I have many theories about Hunter, I mostly just have questions. Like what happened to his father, who is his mother, when was he born, how wild magic supposedly played a part in their ill fate? And perhaps the biggest question, why is he so important to Belos and the Day of Unity? Belos did say that he could find a replacement, but that it would be a hassle. Which is almost the exact same thing Kikimora had to say about Raine. With Raine and the other Coven Head Witches, I speculate it’s because they’re needed to drain magic, but what of Hunter? Is it to drain the magic of those in the Emperor’s Coven?

I could go on, but I think its safe to say, Hunter’s story this season is far from over and by the end, he will have a difficult choice to make…

Long Live the King! (a.k.a King and his family)

Our weird little skull dog boy has come a long way since season one, where he was more often than not relegated to comedic relief or inducer of episodical plot events. Now he’s all that AND a potentially very important character to the lore of the show. We haven’t really learned much more about him since S2E3, aside from that there is some relative or similar looking demon out there trying to get ahold of him.

What we do know is that his father, (and potentially a long line of his family) lived on a magically shielded island with ruins that according to Lilith are very old. Which implies that King’s family has a long history. They are also implied to have been very powerful. Most people who live in large towers filled with strange guardian creatures on magically shielded islands are very powerful. I know from experience.

What exactly this history is we don’t know. It might’ve been that they were some form of rulers or at the very least a powerful tribe on the Boiling Isles that have since then been driven to obscurity. My current working theory is that Belos is the one responsible for that, taking out a group of powerful rivals that threatened his crusade to take over the Isles. King’s powers, which I believe to be some form of wild magic might also have something to with it.

King believes his father is out there somewhere. I think he’s dead. History will be our judge. But it is obvious that the search for King’s father and whoever the relative is are going to be VERY important plot points going forward.

…granted, part of the reason I say that is because I happened to see the name of the last episode of the season, and know it has to do with King.

Like I mentioned before, I think that whatever King’s power is, it’s some form of wild magic. It appears powerful but primitive, unrefined, untamed. And we know Belos has some hangups when it comes to wild magic.

A Clawthorne in My Side (a.k.a Eda and her family)

At the end of S2E4, Eda’s relationship with her mother Gwendolyn had been repaired, or at least on the path towards healing. That doesn’t necessarily require more development, but I feel like there are some things they could do with Eda and her mother, especially considering the whole ”Eda as a mother figure” thing brought up in S2E7. If we see those themes developed further, I’d like to see Eda going to her mother for advice or maybe just someone to talk to. Gwendolyn had a lot of faults, but she might still have a few nuggets of wisdom to share.

I’m also curious about Dell. It was mentioned in S2E8 that he travels a lot and the implication is that Eda might not have seen him since the night she transformed and attacked him. So I’d definitely love to see a reunion between them.

We also have Lilith. Her and Eda’s relationship seems to have been repaired well enough, There is certainly possibility to develop things further, but things are good as they are. Really, I just wanna see Lilith again and see her interacting with Hooty, their friendship was so cute. I’m also curious about how the curse interacts with her. Specifically, if she too has an Owlbeast within her and if she might be able to do something similar to Eda’s harpy form.

Moonlight Shadow (a.k.a Eda’s curse, the Owlbeast & Crescent Moon)

S2E8 taught us a lot about Eda’s curse and at the same time, it made things so much more complicated. My current theory is that the Owlbeast either existed as a curse before Eda and had a previous host, or that it was its own creature. At some point, it encountered the figure I’ve dubbed Crescent Moon who tried to capture it. The Owlbeast managed to escape, but fell into the Boiling Sea. It turned into the curse scroll, which washed up on the shore where it was picked up and eventually sold to Lilith.

Eda and the Owlbeast are at a truce, but will it last forever? The imagery in S2E8 suggested they are truly bound together forever, inseparable quite literally till death do them apart.

There is of course also the mystery of Crescent Moon. Who are they and what did they want with the Owlbeast? I have no idea so I’ll just have to wait and see.

Familiar (a.k.a Luz’ palisman)

Luz still has that piece of palistrom wood that she has yet to carve a palisman out of. She decided to wait with doing so until she can figure out what she is gonna do with her future. Which means it might take a while. I mean, I’m twenty-three and still looking for the manual Miss Li sung about.

The day Luz figures out her heart’s truest desire will probably be an important one so that is something to look forward to.

There’s Magic in the Air (a.k.a wild magic, glyphs, and the Titan)

Emperor Belos claims that he and he alone can communicate with the Titan, the Titan whose corpse makes up the Boiling Isles. The Titan that gives the power of magic to the people clinging to its body. Belos claims that everything he does is in accordance with the Titan’s will, that it is all part of the Titan’s grand plans.

By now, you should be well aware that I am more than skeptical of Belos’ claims. I think that it’s gonna turn out that he’s a fake. A false prophet. A sham. But that does raise the question; is there a piece of the Titan’s soul left, some shred of consciousness preserved deep within the rotting corpse? Does the Titan still have a will, and if so… what is it?

Even if it turns out that the Titan has long since passed away to the great unknown beyond, i’d still love to see an origin for the mighty giant. This might tie into the Bat-Queen, it might not. Eitehr way, I’ll be here for it.

I also feel like we’re gonna learn more about wild magic and more specifically why Belos hates it so much. As of this moment, I don’t really have any theories.

The Day of Unity Comes and Your World is Already Lost (a.k.a just what is the Day of Unity actually about?)

What is the Day of Unity really about? is the big question. Emperor Belos says it’s going to merge the Demo Realm and the Human Realm together. But as should be well established by now, I don’t trust much of what he says.

But let us entertain the idea. What are the benefits of merging the Human and Demon Realms together? Belos claims that this will (somehow) get rid of wild magic. But like… how? Why? Maybe doing so would actually remove magic or spread it so thing that no one could use it.’

One idea I’ve thrown out is that whatever curse or affliction is Belos suffers from can be cured if the realms merge together and that’s why he’s doing it. Or maybe it really is just to get rid of wild magic. Who knows? You do! Probably. But I don’t.

There are some questions regarding the physics of merging a large landmass like the Titan’s body with the Earth that concerns me, but this is a fantasy series for kids. There is literal magic. The laws of physics are more of a suggestion.

The Brothers’ Grim Fate (a.k.a Philip Wittebane, his family & Belos)

In the year 1635, a town called Gravesfield was founded in what is today known as Connecticut. At some point after that, two brothers were, according to the legend, brought to another world, implied to be the Demon Realm, by an evil witch.

One of those brothers was Philip Wittebane. Philip set out to find a way back to the Human Realm. What happened to his brother is unknown. Philip did eventually manage to build a portal to the Human Realm. What happened to him after that is unknown.

Roughly fifty years ago, some time during the 1970s era, the man that would become known as Emperor Belos seized power over the Boiling Isles. He claimed to be the messenger of the Titan and instituted the Coven system, which he said was the will of the Titan. He began working towards the Day of Unity, which will supposedly merge the Demon Realm and Human Realm together.

At some unknown date, Belos’ nephew Hunter was born. It is also implied that Hunter’s parents died at some point after his birth due to an accident involving wild magic. Belos took his nephew under his wings.

I’ve hinted at it a few times, but I’m pretty sure Philip Wittebane is going to turn out to be Emperor Belos. Like, there’s always room for error, but I’m like at least 109% sure.

That said, there are a number of questions this brings up that I’m having a hard time answering. If Belos is Philip, then how is he still alive after four hundred years? What’s up with weird curse/affliction he has? Why does his ears look like that? What’s his deal with wild magic? What happened to Philip’s brother? When was Hunter born and who was his other parent? How did Philip get the idea to become a tyrant and initialize his Day of Unity plan? If he’s human then how can he use magic without glyphs?

The list goes on. I’ve speculated about the answer to some of these questions. The weird curse and his ears may be due to prolonged stay in the Demon Realm and exposure to magic. That might also explain his long lifespan, or that might be caused by consuming the life force of palismen. There is also the possibility that he draws his magic power from his staff, like Hunter does.

It’s pretty much a given that we’ll be given answers to at least some of these questions by the end of the season. I just hope I’m ready for it.

In Conclusion There’s A LOT of stuff to look forward to in the second half of the season. Maybe not all that I discussed here, there’s gotta be some material left for season three after all, but it’s still going to be a lot. Which means I better get going! See you all next time! Until then, take care of the planet Earth and remember that anything can happen in space!

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